PHOTOS: GETTY X5, ALAMY, DEANSCARDS.COM ILLUSTRATIONS: RAJA LOCKEY
WHAT CONNECTS...SMILING AND
LONG LIFE?1
Smiling probably
evolved from
displays of social
submission.
Chimpanzees make
a smiling face when they
are afraid. In humans, this may
have later evolved into an
expression to diffuse aggressive
encounters.2
Now that
smiling
indicates
a positive mood,
it’s also correlated
with reduced stress
hormones and blood
pressure. Numerous studies have linked
both of these to your chances of having
a heart attack.3
Marriage also lowers
your heart attack
risk, and a 2009
study found that
people who frown
in college yearbook photos are
five times more likely to get
a divorce than those who smile.And overall, smiling
correlates with good
health. Researchers
who looked at photos
of 230 baseball
professionals from
the 1950s found that
the players with the most genuine
smiles tended to live the longest.Collagen in meat breaks down into gelatine
at temperatures between 71 and 96°C.
A stew that’s been bubbling on the stove
will continue to break down its collagen
for half an hour after you take it off the
heat. In the fridge, this will set to a firm jelly
and, when you reheat it, the gelatine will
melt to create a silky feel in the mouth.
Tomatoes also benefit from long and slow
cooking to release flavour molecules within
the skin, and a speedy mid-week spag bol
won’t have time to reach peak tastiness
until it has had those extra hours tomarinate. Free water in a dish will tend to
soak into starch, taking dissolved flavour
with it – pea and ham soup tastes better
the next day, because the ham stock
has been absorbed by the pea starch.
But there’s a psychological aspect too.
Chef and food writer James Kenji López-
Alt tried to perform scientific comparisons
and found little difference when tasting
fresh and day-old dishes side-by-side.
Perhaps we get habituated to the cooking
smells the first time round, and things taste
better with a clear nose the next day. LVWHY DO BOLOGNESE, STEWS AND
CURRIES TASTE BETTER THE NEXT DAY?The human eye is less sensitive to longer wavelengths, so red light is chosen to
preserve the night vision of the crew while still allowing them to see their instrument
panels. Submarines switch to red light when it’s dark outside and crew members
need to use the periscope or go on watch duty. RMWHY IS RED LIGHT USED
ON SUBMARINES?