Day 347: Before there was bubble wrap, there were Snowberries (Symphoricarpos albus). They grew in profusion in the area where I spent my early childhood, so I was taught that they were poisonous as one of my first lessons in botany. I was also shown that despite their negative, they made one of the world's most gratifying sounds when pinched firmly, and I took great joy in popping as many of them as I could find. What is it about that sound which attracts people (the ones without ready access to Snowberries) to pop the bubbles in bubble wrap? Scientific studies tell us the action releases dopamine (a "feel-good" chemical) in the brain. Others simply claim it releases tension and anxiety. I'm inclined to go with the first option since, as a three- or four-year old child, I didn't have a lot of anxieties. The next time your job stresses you out or you feel oppressed by the general state of things, go pop some Snowberries. Or, failing that, try a sheet of bubble wrap.
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