<i></i> <i></i> <i></i> 1<img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-630.jpeg"/>Via Shutterstock <p>They are good to look at, great to touch and make life all the more better. Eons of evolution behind us and somehow the world is still stuck on boobs. Crazy, right? If you are a woman reading this, you might believe you know all about the twins because you own a pair. Wrong! If you are a man you might think <em>you</em> know all about the girls because you know, you’ve been fascinated with them ever since that puberty hit. Again, wrong! I’ve to admit this is fun. Here are 25 of some of the most over-the-top, crazy ‘Lucy and Ethel’ facts you might not have known. Bless the people who research this stuff for our benefit!</p> <h2>Squeeze ‘em, Doctor’s orders</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-25.gif"/>Wifflegif Via Giphy <p>Men, if you like squeezing them then you have the Doctor’s permission because according to UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, applying physical pressure and massaging stimulates cell growth and can prevent cancer. Gautham Venugopalan explains it as such, “When we lift weight, our muscles get bigger… Here we show that physical force can play a role in the growth and reversion of cancer cells.” So, squeeze away!</p> <h2>Nipple-gasms are a thing</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-26.gif"/>Tumblr Via Giphy <p>Not only are they a thing, they are a wonderful thing! In a 2009 study, out of 213 women included 29% of them achieved orgasm via just nipple stimulation. Here’s how to involve your breasts in the bedroom more often. Mmm, sounds interesting. Brb.</p> <h2>Men have melons too!</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-27.gif"/>imgur Via Giphy <p>Since every human fetus starts off as a female, men end up having breasts and nipples as well. The testosterone kicks in by week 6 of gestation but by then nipples and breasts already form. This might make an interesting dinner conversation with the boyfriend next week. Its’ also great (hint: sarcasm) news for all those sexists out there, Ha!</p> <h2>Kinds of nipples</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-28.gif"/>Via reactiongifs <p>What, did you think all nipples looked exactly the same? Nope. They have not two, three or four but EIGHT different types!</p> Normal Short Long Flat Puffy Inverted grade 1 Inverted grade 2 Inverted grade 3 <p>For the more curious, here’s more.</p> <h2>That third nipple though</h2> <p>Yes, you heard me right. Third nipples (besides the usual 2) can pop up anywhere on the body, not just on the breast (yikes!). It isn’t very uncommon either. Almost 6% people can proudly (?) boast of a third nipple.</p> <h2>The twins aren’t identical</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-29.gif"/>Via reactiongifs <p>Breasts come in all shapes and sizes and aren’t identical. In Breasts: A Natural and Unnatural History, Florence William says that one breast is roughly 1/5th of a size larger than the second one.</p> <p>Psst, the left one is usually bigger, if you’re wondering.</p> <h2>I got it from my mama? Daddy?</h2> <p>The size of a person’s breasts has to do with genetics as well as weight. Interesting enough, breasts are the first part of the body to respond to any fluctuations in weight depending on the fatty tissue they contain. However, it might not be so for every woman.</p> <h2>What’s in it?</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-30.gif"/>Via reactiongifs <p>Good question. Boobs aren’t just made of fatty tissue but they have a complex network of nerves, breast tissue, veins and arteries. The breast tissue is made of lobules bunching together to form a complex layout. These lobules are milk producing sacks and carry milk to the nipple openings. Here’s what the breasts are actually like.</p> <h2>About those nipple openings</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-31.gif"/>Via reactiongifs <p>Each nipple has around 15-20 openings through which the breast milk oozes out. These are blocked initially and have to be manually massaged and pressured for the milk to flow through the openings. All the fellow mamas out there will agree how much that sucks (pun intended).</p> <p>Bonus, your nipples can leak fluid even when you are not breastfeeding.</p> <h2>One more thing about nipples</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-32.gif"/>Via reactiongifs <p>As commonly believed, nipples aren’t the most sensitive part of a breast, it’s the area right above the nipple. Don’t believe it? Give it a go.</p> <h2>Shifting sizes</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-631.jpeg"/>Shutterstock.com <p>By now you know that your boobs will not remain the same throughout. There are plenty of factors which affect their size, growth, shape and sometimes even color. These factors include puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, breastfeeding, sex and menopause. This is how your boobs will change throughout your lifetime and it is one wild ride!</p> <h2>And while we are on sizes</h2> <p>The size of an average erect nipple is roughly the same as five stacked quarters. Fish out some spare change out of your bag the next ‘time’ for comparison’s sake. I got mine!</p> <h2>Exercising breasts</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-33.gif"/>Youtube via Giphy <p>Any exercises you see online about increasing breast size or decreasing breast size or ‘toning the breast muscle’ are nothing but a waste of time. Breasts don’t have muscle so you can’t really tone what you don’t have. Instead try exercising and toning the pectoral muscles for an effect on the breast tissue.</p> <p>[Related: The best chest exercises]</p> <h2>The average bra size</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-34.gif"/>Genius via Giphy <p>According to a new survey published in the Huffington Post, the average bra size has jumped from 34B to 34DD in a span of just 20 years. What is it that they say about a cup being runneth over? Hell yea.</p> <h2>American knows its average size but do you?</h2> <p>Chances are, you are probably wearing the wrong bra size to date and so are 85% of the women. You could measure yourself at home or get a fitting expert to do it for you (most stores employ a fitting expert at their franchise).</p> <h2>Bra-ology in China</h2> <p>You heard that right. The Chinese take their (and the world’s) bras very seriously and now you can obtain an actual degree from China in bra studies. I wonder if they give out samples.</p> <h2>They hurt while exercise</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-35.gif"/>Reddit via Giphy <p>And it’s completely normal. Almost one in three marathon runners complain of breast pain. When you move, exercise and run the girls also move about in a sort of figure similar to number 8. Runners and women who exercise should not think of doing so without supporting bras. Here is what you can do to minimize breast discomfort during exercise.</p> <h2>Sagging shall happen!</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-36.gif"/>Fox Via Giphy <p>No matter what do you, breast sagging is the most natural (eek!) thing to happen to a woman in the course of her life. There are numerous reasons behind this including ageing, hormones, and gravity as well as how you choose to sleep. Interesting enough, your bra has nothing to do with preventing sagging, studies suggested. While sagging will happen, you could try these tips to delay it or keep breasts as firm as possible.</p> <h2>Poor men like big breasts</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-37.gif"/>Reactiongifs via Giphy <p>What? Yes. According to Psychology Today, a study was carried out with a sample of 266 men from different social and economic backgrounds. They were shown a series of selected animated female figures and asked to pick their preferred figure. They determined that men who suffered “resource insecurity” preferred larger breast while mean who were financially secure stuck to smaller breasts. So what I want to ask is, what does your preference say about your bank account?</p> <h2>Fatherhood and breasts</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-38.gif"/>Via reactiongifs <p>If you thought it was getting weird with number 16, read on. Another study reported by Psychology Today was conducted on a sample of 67 men according to their desire for fatherhood. They were asked to adjust the bodily proportions of animated figures according to their preferences and the study concluded that men who wanted to become fathers preferred figures with larger breasts. The study suggests that large breasts are a natural indication of a woman’s ability to nurture children.</p> <h2>Breast implants and suicide ratio</h2> <p>The top cosmetic procedure in the US, according to American Society of Plastic Surgeons, is breast implants and augmentation. According to studies published by NCBI, women who receive breast implants and augmentation surgeries are twice more likely to commit suicide than average women. Umm, maybe I’ll use that money to go to Hawaii now.</p> <p>[Related: 11 home remedies for increasing breast size]</p> <h2>Sexist men and larger breasts</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-39.gif"/>gifhell via Giphy <p>Surprise, surprise, studies find out that sexist men actually prefer their women’s assets to lean towards the heavier side. 32.7% men included preferred medium sized, 24.4% liked large while 19.1% opted for very large breasts on their preference charts. As reported by Huffington Post the researchers conclude that, “… it is arguable that benevolently sexist men perceived larger female breasts as attractive because larger breast size on a woman is associated with perceived femininity.”</p> <h2>Smokers and their honkers</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-40.gif"/>Photobucket Via Giphy <p>Smoking does WHAT to your breasts? Smokers have been found to have saggier breasts because of chemicals contained in cigarettes which can cause the elastin in the body to breakdown easily.</p> <h2>Corsets and World War I</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-41.gif"/>Tumblr via Giphy <p>During WWI, corsets which cinched the waists and popped up the kahunas went out of style. This is because the army faced an increased need for steel and manufacturers were asked to give these corsets up.</p> <p>[Related: A brief history of the bra]</p> <h2>Permanent breasts</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-42.gif"/>sandiegozoo Via Giphy <p>Humans have permanent breasts which begin to grow around puberty and continue to grow and change shape throughout the course of a person’s life. Primates only grow breasts when they are breastfeeding.</p> <h2>AND A BONUS 26:</h2> <p>1. The largest natural breasts in the world belong to Annie-Hawkins Turner from US who wears a 52I bra but by American bra estimation her size would be a 48V bra, which is not made. She has a chest-over-nipple measurement of 177.8 cm.</p> <i></i>