Death is not something we generally take lightly or find a lot of joy in. Statistics about death are therefore not likely to be fun or joyful, either. But what you may not be aware of is just how dark and unbelievable some of the statistics about death truly are. Lucky for you, we’ve pulled together some right here.

10. Soldiers Are Four Times as Likely to Die By Suicide Than in Combat

Soldiers have one of the most dangerous jobs in existence by definition. You may be called upon to go to war, to take up arms against an enemy and find yourself in a situation where you have to kill or be killed. It’s a harrowing notion at best. You can assume no one takes the job wanting to die, but that they are willing to do so if it comes to that. 

While death is a potential outcome, obviously it’s not a confirmed or desired one. And when you look at the statistics regarding the death of soldiers, you find something incredibly unexpected. Since 9/11, a soldier in the US is four times as likely to die by suicide than to be killed in combat.

The study came out in 2021 and it found that, since 9/11 — which was 20 years prior — a staggering 30,177 active duty personnel and veterans, all of whom had served on active duty since that date, died by suicide. That was in contrast to the 7.057 who died in combat over the same period.

These numbers put suicide rates of soldiers and veterans above those of the general population, something which had not previously been the case.

9. Americans Are Three Times as Likely To Die in Car Crashes Than the French

Sometimes numbers exist in a vacuum and are hard to understand. If 100 Americans per year die from rabbit attacks, it’s hard to say if that stat is meant to show how safe rabbits are or how dangerous. Comparing rates to other countries can help bring context and give you a fuller understanding of what a statistic means.

Car crash fatalities are one of those things that can exist in a vacuum. In 2021, 42,915 people in America died in traffic accidents. This was reportedly a 16 year high for traffic deaths. But there was some question whether this was uniquely American or did Covid have something to do with it resulting in more accidents all around the world?

In the 1970s, France and the US had very similar traffic death statistics. At that time, around 225 citizens per million died in such accidents. Through the 1990s the rates of fatalities declined by about 31% in both countries as safety measures to prevent deaths were employed in both countries. 

After the ’90s, deaths in France continued to decline while those in America took a 180 and started going up again. The US is the only country in the G7 nations where this happened, all others continued a downward trend. By 2021, Americans were three times as likely to die in a traffic accident as the French. The French are 40% less likely to die per mile driven than Americans.

8. People Who Attempt Suicide Are Seven Times More Likely to Die of a Heart Condition Before 40

Any time someone feels they need to attempt suicide it’s a serious issue that can hopefully be addressed before the worst happens. Depression and mental health issues are finally becoming understood and not as stigmatized as they once were which means, in the future, we can save more lives. But the side effects of this are still to be discovered and fully explored and the picture we’re getting is surprising and grim.

There has been a long-standing link between depression and chronic heart disease. However, more research into how they work together, especially in younger patients, shows a concerning correlation. Research has shown that people who attempt suicide are at seven times higher risk for ischemic heart disease while people suffering from depression were at 4 times greater risk before age 40.

7. Funny People Seem to Die Younger

Bad news if you’re the class clown. Statistically speaking, funny people seem to die younger than their more serious counterparts. And even if you are funny, the funnier you are, the more likely you are to die. That’s a hell of a punchline.

Research has shown that comedians tend to die younger than dramatic actors. The funnier a comedian is perceived to be, the sooner they seem to die. In comedy duos with a funny guy and a straight man, the funny guy is routinely the one who dies first. The funniest comedians died at an average age of 63.3 while the others made it almost another decade. 

While no solid conclusions are drawn, authors of the study did point out that many comedians report issues with depression and/or mania.

6. Economic Depressions are Better for Mortality

No one gets excited when they hear they are headed for a recession or a depression. But research does indicate there are some small reasons to be excited. It turns out that mortality is one of the few things to get a boost during a depression as fewer people die during economic downturns.

The reasons for this are complex and not exactly known, but there is some reasonable guessing behind it all. During an economic collapse you have fewer people driving and that lowers the mortality rate for accidents. This in turn improves air quality by lowering pollution. That lowers respiratory disease and pulmonary condition deaths. 

If fewer people go to work, there are fewer workplace injuries. If people are making less money, they also have less to spend on vices like drinking, fast food and smoking. People cook healthier meals and get more exercise with increased time on their hands. 

Obviously it’s not all rainbows and the toll on mental health, depression, binge drinking for a small population are still destructive, but the overall numbers seem to favor a depression as a thing that saves lives rather than costing them. 

5. You Are 6% More Likely to Die in the Hospital on Black Wednesday

Black Wednesday is the name used in the UK to describe the first Wednesday in August when new doctors are finally allowed to work on their own in hospitals. It’s long been a rumor that this is the deadliest day to be a patient, presumably because of all the mistakes new and untested doctors will make. 

The theory was put to the test by analyzing patient mortality statistics and it turned out to be true. A patient was 6% more likely to die on that day. There is debate about whether this proves anything as not all hospitals can replicate this data and there could be other factors at play, like more doctors going on vacation over the summer so there’s less access to care. 

The percentage difference works out to about 13 more deaths, so while it’s not favorable it’s not extreme, either. There are certainly many factors at play and not every hospital follows this pattern but, if you’re worried, try making sure you avoid hospitals in the summer.

4. You May Be 14% More Likely to Die on Your Birthday 

You would think that, with 365 days in a year, your odds of dying on any given day are one in 365. The days are essentially arbitrary, after all, why would anything be more likely to happen today than tomorrow? Well, that’s not how things work.

Swiss researchers determined the average person is 14% more likely to die on their birthday than any other day of the year. And this was not another case of a small sample size skewing results in a strange way. They studied a total of 2.5 million deaths from 1969 through 2008.

So what makes someone that much more likely to die on their birthday than any other day? A couple of hypotheses were dismissed out of hand, like the idea that people manage to hold on when they’re dying until they reach a birthday, as well as the idea that you might engage in riskier behavior on your birthday. If people “held on” there’d be a dip in numbers before, which there is not. If people were engaging in riskier behavior, then the evidence of accidents would increase, which it doesn’t.

One guess as to why it happens deflates the entire premise. A statistician in the UK suggested the true answer may just be sloppy record keeping. For instance, someone may have filled out a death certificate incorrectly and put the date of birth in the date of death by accident. Or, if they didn’t know the date of birth, they may have filled that in with the date of death as well. 

It’s only speculation, but it only takes a clerical error in 0.04% of the death records to make it true. But until that’s confirmed, the data still suggests a person’s birthday may be an ominous day indeed.

3. Neurosurgeons May Be More Than Twice as Likely to Die of Alzheimer’s

Alzheimer’s disease was the cause of 121,499 deaths in 2019. More than six million Americans over age 65 have been diagnosed. It’s been studied for years and a lot of time, effort and money has gone into combating the disease but we still don’t even know what causes it.

One theory that does not get a lot of attention is the germ theory of Alzheimer’s, that perhaps some bacteria or parasite or protein causes the illness. This has been supported by research which suggests neurosurgeons who work on Alzheimer’s patients are two and a half times more likely to contract the illness than the average person. An earlier report suggested the rate was six times as high. 

The notion of an Alzheimer’s germ has come up a few times in the past but not in a way that garnered much attention and so little research has been done.

2. Pro wrestlers Have a Higher Mortality Than Any Other Athletes

If you’re a fan of pro wrestling, then this will not be a surprise to you at all. Pro wrestlers are statistically far more likely to die prematurely from several causes compared to the population at large and even other pro athletes. 

Across the board, mortality rates for wrestlers are pretty astonishing. Compared to the average male, a wrestler is 15 times more likely to die of a cardio-vascular condition, 6.4 times more likely to die of cancer and a staggering 122.7 times more likely to die of a drug overdose.

Even compared to other athletes, especially football players, wrestlers have much higher mortality rates. Data from 2014 showed that about 16% of wrestlers died by ages 40 to 45 and that climbed to 20% just before age 50. NFL players reached their peak at 55 to 60 years of age when just over 6% died by that age.

1. That’s an Increased Risk of Dying If You Get Surgery on Your Surgeon’s Birthday

Of all the things you might want to take into consideration before having surgery, one you probably never thought of was your surgeon’s birthday. But if you’re an elderly patient, you may want to ask. There is a statistical increase in the odds of you dying if your surgeon is working on his birthday. 

When looking at 30-day mortality rates after surgery, elderly patients were 23% more likely to die if surgery took place on the surgeon’s birthday than if it happened on any other day.  They gleaned the data from nearly one million surgeries, so this is no fluke, this is a real, statistical danger. It’s also comparable to mortality rates on major holidays or any other day that might be distracting to a surgeon.

Okay: you have anticipated the crisis well by stocking up on water, canned goods and ammunition in case of an emergency. Your flashlights all have fresh batteries with battery backups, the medical kit is stocked, and a portable camp grill sits ready for cooking. But here are some items you may not have given a thought, but which could be useful and may even save your life:





Yes, plain old chewing gum. The simple act of chewing on a stick of gum can suppress your appetite, thereby preserving limited food supplies from overindulgence, while aiding in necessary saliva production. While it will not substitute for a turkey dinner, and despite the common myth about its digestive properties, a stick or two also can be used in a pinch for short-term nutrition.







Have a superficial wound that needs stitching? No medical staff, no needle and thread or no sewing training? No problem. While it will not do much for penetrating wounds like gunshots, super glue as an emergency suture can quickly bind and protect minor lacerations that otherwise could become infected.







You’ve seen it in the movies: guy gets shot, breaks apart a few bullets, pours the gunpowder over the wound and lights it. Guess what? While excruciatingly painful, it does exactly what is needed by sterilizing and cauterizing the wound. While not the best solution, it is certainly an option when a trip to the emergency room or a doctor is out of the question.







Chances are, you already have charcoal on hand for weekend barbecues. While you may want to use the charcoal for cooking, there is another reason to have it handy: water purification. Drill a hole in the bottom of any type of plastic container (like a five gallon bucket), line it with the cheesecloth, place charcoal in it and pour in water – and voila, an instant water purification system! Afterwards, you can let the charcoal dry and cook up a can of beans or even that long-desired turkey dinner.







Vinegar is a versatile antibacterial and microbial that can treat skin burns, inflammations and infections. As a cleaning agent it sanitizes and deodorizes, and can mask any odors that you may not want to smell yourself, or which you’re afraid might give away your position to wildlife. A small amount mixed with water can also be swallowed to relieve an upset stomach, or to remove parasites from any contaminated water or undercooked venison you may accidentally consume. 







Any shiny object will do the job, but a compact mirror in your survival kit can be a lifesaver when used as a silent emergency beacon. It can be effective in both sun and moonlight, and can even start fires on a sunny day. While mirrors have been shown to be more effective than flare guns, a rescue team passing by still may miss your signal; an auditory signal from a whistle is certain to attract their attention.



Musical tones – regardless of the source – have been shown to stimulate both the creative and pleasure centers of the brain; to help maintain focus and concentration; and to reduce anxiety and pain. The harmonica – an inexpensive item easily obtained from many retailers – just might help maintain your sanity until the situation normalizes. (If nothing else, it gives you something to pass the time while you wait for your wounds to heal.)



Steve Sagarra is a freelance writer, journalist and historian from St. Louis, MO. His curmudgeonly ramblings can be read at his personal blog; or you can follow his 140 character ones on Twitter – @SteveSagarra

We all know about woolly mammoths and saber-toothed cats, but such is evolution that all species have some pretty weird ancestors. Often they look nothing alike. From the least unexpected to the most, here are 10 of the weirdest of all.

10. The short-necked giraffe

The giraffe’s prehistoric forebear was roughly the size of a bull moose, complete with similarly large antlers. Sivatherium (along with Bramatherium and others) had a long neck to graze on treetops in Eurasia millions of years ago, but only about half as long as the present-day giraffe’s. Nevertheless, it’s thought to have been the largest ruminant (hoofed grazing animal) that has ever existed. 

Interestingly, although the fossil evidence dates it to millions of years ago, it may have survived to much later. Not only do cave paintings depict the animal but a copper rein ring found by archeologists excavating the ancient Mesopotamian city of Kish also appears to feature a detailed image of Sivatherium.

9. The vested ant

Ants may be the most successful animal on Earth, comprising up to a quarter of the biomass in tropical regions and a fifth of the biomass in general. The ant family Formicidae has proliferated into more than 9,500 species known to science and an estimated 3,000-9,000 species yet to be described. They’ve also existed for millions of years, and continue to live in harmonious symbiosis with their planet. 

However, little is known about how they originated. The earliest fossil evidence is from the mid-Cretaceous just 100 million years ago, when their planetary dominion was still in its fledgling stages. And there are few clues as to what came before. Instead, our best theories come from comparing ants to species living today. Their hive-like colonies, for example, bear similarities to those of wasps and bees — especially given that all generally center on a single mother, the queen. 

But there’s one species of wasp to which researchers think the ant is most closely related: the mud dauber. Female mud daubers are known to house their eggs in carefully built mud cylinders. Then they find a victim, paralyze it, and seal it inside the nest with their eggs so that when they hatch the larvae have something to feed on. It’s thought the original proto-ants started out the same way, “building simple nests and delivering food to their offspring.” Then when the offspring grew up, it may have helped the mother raise more.

8. The four-legged fish

It might not be such a stretch to imagine that frogs evolved from fishes, but the intermediate creatures did look bizarre. Icthyostega was one of the first, living as long as 364 million years ago. It was, in many ways, a fish. It had scales, vestigial gill bones, and a dorsal fin along the length of its tail. But Icthyostega, which grew to three feet, also had four fleshy limbs, each with digits, as well as strong ribs for dwelling on land. Unlike fish, it also had lungs.

Obviously this traits emerged slowly. Most of them developed while Icthyostega’s forebears were still living fully aquatic lives. The limbs, for example, gradually evolved from ‘lobe-fins’, which looked like and served as fleshy paddles. The lungs also probably evolved underwater. 

7. “Adam and Eve” the worm

Despite our differences, what all animals (except sponges and jellyfish) have in common is a bilaterally symmetrical body (mirrored left and right), along with a front side with a mouth and a back side with an anus. We are the ‘bilaterians’. And scientists think the earliest ancestor of us all was “a sluggish blob about the size of a grain of rice” called Ikaria wariootia. 

Discovered in the Australian outback from fossilized burrowing traces, it’s dated to the Edicaran Period (560-551 million years ago). It differs from other possible candidates, such as Dickinsonia, by its possession of a mouth and gut.

This, then, is the ancestor of all other creatures on this list, as well as the creatures reading it.

6. The horned horse

The prehistoric Brontotheres had a special place in Sioux mythology. Known from its fossilized bones, it was called the Thunder Horse and was said to come down in storms and trample on the buffalo. True or not, the Brontotheres was indeed a fierce beast — the largest mammals in the whole of North America during the Eocene.

One species, for example, the 8-foot tall, 15-foot long Megacerops, had a pair of long horns which it probably used for headbutting. Emblotherium, meanwhile, had just one horn — long like a battering ram — containing its nasal bones. It’s thought it may have been used to make loud vocalizations across long distances. 

All Brontotheres were extinct by the end of the Eocene, but their relatives today include rhinos, tapirs, and… horses! In fact, aside from the horns and their common depiction as rhino-like, they may have looked quite similar to horses — at least in the head, on account of their elongated skulls.

5. The meat-eating ground sloth

The so-called “great beast from America,” Megatherium americanum, looked similar to the sloths of today — except ten times the size. Weighing roughly the same as a bull elephant, it stood up to 12 feet tall on its hind legs. Needless to say, it lived on the ground and not in the trees. 

Unlike present-day sloths, ground sloths ate meat in addition to plants to support this great size. But they probably scavenged from kills made by big cats, wolves, and so on, rather than hunting for themselves. 

They were still roaming the pampas of Argentina and elsewhere in South America as late as the Holocene 8,000 years ago, living with early humans. In fact, humans are thought to have hunted ground sloths to extinction. Although some think they survive to this day.

4. The towering hornless rhino

You may have heard of the woolly rhinoceros, which went extinct around 12,000 years ago. They were a common subject of cave paintings. As the name suggests, they all had woolly coats. And, curiously, one species of woolly rhino had two horns instead of one.

But they were nothing compared to the mighty Paraceratherium. Over 26 feet long, the rhino’s ancestor from 35-20 million years ago was tall with a long, brontosaurus-like neck. It weighed as much as five adult elephants (15-30 tons). And, weirdest of all perhaps, for the rhino’s distant forebear, it had no horns at all.

It’s thought that elephants (not humans for a change) destroyed Paraceratherium’s habitat by stripping and felling trees, driving the giant to extinction. But there’s still much we don’t know about this dino-like mammal. For example, we still haven’t even pieced together a full Paraceratherium skeleton.

3. The giant beaver

Imagine a beaver taller than a human, weighing 200 pounds with six-inch incisors, and you’ve imagined the genus Castoroides. This shaggy-haired giant beavered away in North American woodlands from 3 million to 10,000 years ago, when it’s thought to have been hunted to extinction by humans. It’s likely that both their meat and their fur was in demand.

Like the present-day beaver, Castoroides had large gnawing teeth and lived on plants. It was also partially aquatic, probably because it was an easy mark on land for predators like the saber-toothed tiger. 

As to whether it built giant dams, though, it’s not entirely clear. No evidence remains except, possibly, a four-foot high one in Ohio.

2. The ferocious pangolin

The dominant carnivorous mammals 55-35 million years ago were the Creodonts, relatives of the present-day pangolin. What makes this all the more interesting for such a timid-seeming creature is that Creodonta means “meat teeth,” and the pangolin doesn’t have any. Instead, they gather up insects with their tongues, earning the nickname “scaly anteater” despite not being related at all.

So what were the phylogenetic ancestors of the pangolin like? Of the roughly 30 species, perhaps the most impressive are the Hyaenodontids. Named for their hyena-like teeth adapted for shearing flesh as opposed to clamping down, these species hunted in packs like wolves — usually at night. Some of the larger Hyaenodontids, like the 4.5-foot tall, 10-foot long, 1100-pound Hyaenodon gigas, may have hunted alone in the day.

1. The land-based whale

How do mammals end up in the sea? Whales, dolphins, seals, walruses, and so on all descend from species that once roamed the land. The pinnipeds, for example (seals, walruses, and sea lions), are thought to have evolved from primitive bears, just like their land-lubber cousins the weasels, otters, and skunks. The sirenians or sea cows, meanwhile, appear to be related to elephants, as well as that most unlikely of elephant relatives the hyrax. 

The most iconic group of ocean-dwelling mammals, however, the cetaceans (whales, dolphins, porpoises, narhwals), descend from something unrecognizable — a creature that “ran like a wolf … waded like a hippopotamus … put its ear to the ground to hear distant rumbles … [and] had the ankles of a cow.” Pakicetus had the body of a land mammal but the distinctive long skull of a whale. Preying on animals both on land and in water, it lived around the edges of the shallow Tethys Sea 50 million years ago.

Mankind has been looking for ways to improve their sex lives for about as long as they’ve had sex lives. The history of aphrodisiacs goes back thousands of years and every ancient culture had its preferences. Oysters, chocolate, strawberries, the horn of some random animal; you name it, people have tried it. But there is some science involved here, too. Some things really do offer a boost, even if it doesn’t work for humans, or it’s not even intentional.

10. UV Light

UV rays from the sun are dangerous and can cause cancer, so we’ve all been told for years to wear sunscreen. Research in 2021 put our need to protect ourselves from those harmful rays in jeopardy when it came to light that they also do a good job of boosting the libido of both men and women.

Ultraviolet radiation affects the human endocrine system, which in turn is responsible for the production of sex hormones. It increases testosterone in males but the effect on females is profound as well. When test subjects were exposed to UVB radiation, they noted an increase in sex drive across the board, as well as increased male aggression. 

The exact way UV rays cause your endocrine system to increase the production of sex hormones is not known. Women who are exposed become more receptive towards males and their attractiveness is rated as having increased. It also increases the estrus phase and even follicle growth. 

9. Cotton and Wool Pants Increased the Sex Drive of Rats

You may have heard that, as a man, you can make some wardrobe changes if you want to potentially increase your fertility when you’re trying to have a child. Boxer shorts apparently keep your undercarriage at a more reasonable temperature, thus potentially raising your sperm count compared to if you wore briefs. But is that all clothing can do for you? The answer is no. At least not if you’re a rat.

Lab experiments have shown that if you put little pants on rats, you can increase their sex drive while also establishing the plot for what would surely be a hilarious YouTube video. Specifically, the pants need to be wool or cotton. Polyester pants will have the opposite effect. 

The hard-hitting research deduced that the reason for this change in behavior is potentially rooted in the fact that rats wearing polyester pants seemed to generate more static electricity which was likely interfering with their genitals.A charge was actually measured in the rat’s genitals But the rats in cotton and wool pants suffered no such effects and, in fact, had increased urges compared to pre-pants levels. 

8. There’s a Cricket Aphrodisiac Virus

In what sounds like it somewhat borrows the plot of the movie It Follows, there is a virus out in the world that has, as a side effect, increased libido. Those afflicted become more sexually active and more promiscuous which is a benefit to the virus itself since it transmits through sexual contact. They have more sex with more partners and the virus spreads further and further, reproducing and growing as it goes.

Luckily for us, the virus is not one that affects humans. Instead, it’s a cricket virus. It may sound not entirely terrible at first, but you should also know that the virus, known as iridovirus, turns the insides of the crickets blue and will kill them within a few weeks of infection. So while it seems like there may be an initial upside, it’s definitely not worth it in the long run. 

The virus itself has been known for years, and the fact that it caused the cricket’s internal organs to swell until they died was well established. But it wasn’t until 2014 that a researcher noticed an observable increase in sexual activity among the doomed insects and put two and two together. The infected males initiated a mating song more than three times faster than normal once infected. Maybe they knew they were on a clock.

7. A Sonic Boom Caused Crocodiles To Initiate Early Mating

When an aircraft breaks the sound barrier, it creates a sonic boom, that loud explosion of sound the moment the plane is suddenly faster than the very sound it produces. It’s a cool phenomenon and you can see all kinds of videos of it on YouTube. For most of us that sound is nothing more than an interesting scientific curiosity. But if you’re a crocodile, it may be a lot more.

Back in 2010, there were reports that Israeli fighter jets creating sonic booms had caused some havoc on a local crocodile farm. The owner of the farm observed male crocodiles attempting to initiate the mating season earlier than usual which he attributed to the noises. It was his belief that the sonic boom was similar enough to the loud and somewhat terrifying mating calls of the crocodiles that they had mistaken it for other males encroaching on their territory. With 100 crocodiles at the farm, this likely caused quite a disturbing scene. 

6. O-Shots and P-Shots Inject a Patient’s Own Blood Into Their Genitals

If you’ve never heard of an O-Shot, you can at least take some educated guesses based on what you’ve already heard on the list regarding what it might mean. Touted as something of a female equivalent to Viagra, the O-Shot is a libido booster for women that has been around for a number of years now though it seems to have fallen by the wayside in the last half decade. 

Back in 2014 it was still in clinical trials and promised to intensify all aspects of sexual experience for women from libido to arousal to orgasm. The procedure involved taking the woman’s own blood and then separating the cells from the plasma. Platelets were isolated, purified and concentrated, then re-injected into the genitals where they would begin working immediately.

A similar procedure, called the P-Shot, has been performed more recently on men with claims it shows benefits over a 6 month period. In this case it’s just said to treat erectile dysfunction rather than necessarily boost libido. However, it is being marketed as increasing sensation and restoring confidence and intimacy. 

The results of the O-Shot, which you can have done at various clinics and spas even today, have been questioned by medical experts. 

5. Tiramisu was Invented In Italian Brothels to Motivate Clients

If you’re a fan of Italian cuisine or desserts in general then you’ve probably enjoyed tiramisu at least once in your life. The dessert is traditionally made with coffee-dipped ladyfingers,a whipped, sweet layer of mascarpone cheese, and cocoa powder. You can use sponge cake instead of ladyfingers and sometimes coffee liqueur is used. A well made tiramisu can be quite tasty and, as it happens, it was meant to make you feel pretty sexy as well. 

While determining the origins of some foods is difficult, this is not the case with tiramisu. It can be traced right back to Italian brothels in Treviso where it was served to clients to give them a little pick me up during their sessions. The name literally translates to “pull me up” or “pull it up” so take from that what you will. 

Given that the dessert was made with generous amounts of sugar and alcohol, you can imagine how it might serve to give a boost to brothel patrons who needed both real energy and perhaps a shot of liquid courage to keep themselves motivated. The women would have liked it as well since customers who stay around longer are going to have to pay more. 

4. Some Parkinson’s Treatments Can Cause Hypersexuality

Have you ever seen a commercial for medication and noticed that part where they list the side effects? Most medications have pretty standard side effects. Some can get very serious. And a few are just really weird, like the increased urge to gamble. This is usually associated with drugs called dopamine agonists, which are used to treat things like Parkinson’s Disease. 

Along with gambling and compulsive shopping, hypersexuality is another side effect of these drugs that some patients may experience. It’s been estimated that it affects 2.5% to 3.5% of patients but the number may be higher due to people not wanting to report it. 

All of these side effects are related to impulse control which is altered as a result of how the drugs can interact with certain patients’ brain chemistry. Because of this, patients need to be monitored closely by their doctors and treatments may need to be altered.

3. An Appetite Hormone Increases Sex Drive in Mice

Right now in your stomach you have a hormone called ghrelin. It’s mostly known for increasing your appetite and letting your brain know you’re hungry. It also regulates caloric intake and body fat.  And it will also increase the sex drive in mice. 

Though the research wasn’t able to indicate whether the effect was the same on humans, the idea was that the hormone has an effect on your brain’s reward centers. You feel hungry and you eat and it’s like a little reward for your brain. Sex kind of works the same way and the hormone stimulates the brains of mice accordingly. 

When given a supplement of the hormone, mice put more effort into finding a partner and increasing their sexual activity. In female mice it was shown to increase the number of times the mice had sex as well as how long the act lasted. 

The hope for the tests was that, if the same effect is observed in humans, treatments for issues like sex addiction could be devised as a result.

2. Nerve Damage Can Lead to Never-Ending Sexual Arousal

The human body is a curious and confusing thing sometimes. How everything connects and works can be thrown right off thanks to a single accident. Then you end up like Joleen Baughman who was in a car accident, damaged a nerve in her pelvis, and ended up with persistent sexual arousal syndrome. 

While it sounds like a punchline, the reality of the condition is actually pretty horrifying. The sensation is never ending. That means Baughman was never able to relieve the feeling and was dealing with swelling that never subsided and constant pain because she was sensitive to any stimulation. Medication proved unable to offer any kind of relief and giving in to the urges and having sex made it feel even worse. 

1. Rabies Can Cause Hypersexuality

Rabies is not a pleasant disease. Most of us know it only as a disease that affects animals and makes them froth at the mouth and act crazy. Take it a step further and maybe it’s the basis for a horror movie like Cujo. But real life rabies is pretty terrifying, and it needs to be treated quickly. According to the CDC, once clinical signs of the disease appear it’s almost always fatal. 

While common symptoms include confusion, agitation, hallucinations and delirium, there are less common symptoms as well. One of those is an increased sex drive.

In one case, a woman bitten by a dog developed an increased libido that lasted for three days but no other symptoms at all. Shortly after her symptoms included hydrophobia which contributed to her death within seven days. 

Fifty-five cases have been recorded since 1970 and almost all of them have affected men. Men tended to suffer from different sexual symptoms while hypersexuality was the main sexual side effect in the few women studied. None of the victims received necessary treatment and they all died within one to 15 days.