Positive FactsCourtesy of the vlogbrothers

www.youtube.com/user/vlogbrothers?feature=watch

Human Lifespan

• In the last 100 years, the human lifespan has increased by over 35 years. 100 years ago the average lifespan was only 45 years. Now it's almost 80. And that number is increasing every year. If it keeps increasing at that same rate, the average lifespan of a child born in 2008 will be 98 years old.

Teens

• Teen pregnancy, smoke and drug use have all decreased significantly since the 1990s

Cancer

• Rates of cancer have decreased steadily in the U.S. for 20 years and it's not just because people aren't smoking as much, though that's certainly part of it. It's also because new screening techniques that can detect pre-cancerous lesions in the colon and also because of the HPV vaccine which prevents the virus that causes cervical cancer.

Small Pox

• Small Pox once killed millions of people per year, now it has been completely eradicated. It literally does not exist anymore.

Poverty

• Since 1990, global poverty rates have decreased by more than 30%. And they're on-track to have decreased 40% by 2015.

Divorce

• Divorce rates are much lower than people assume, and have consistently dropped since the 1970's in America. Only 20% of people who got married in the 1980s got divorced.

Violent Crime

• Violent crime rates dropped 5% between 2007 and 2008. And violent crime rates have been dropping consistently every year since 1993

Blood Donations

• The Red Cross collects 15 million blood donations per year. No one is compensated for those donations, except with cookies and juice. People just like helping other people.

Endangered Species

• In 1970 there were only 400 breeding pairs of Bald Eagles left in America, but the Endangered Species Act effecively saved the species. There are now more than 10,000 breeding pairs. During the same time Whooping Cranes returned from a much more serious 50 birds total in the entire world. There are now over 500.

Laughter

• What's red and smells like blue paint.

Red paint.

YOU LAUGHED! When you're laughing you burn 20% more calories than you do at a resting state. So make sure you laugh as often as possible.