Five people standing with pink and blue colors around them

Rami Niemi

How Well Do You Know Your Body?

Take this quiz and discover the secrets of a longer, healthier life

Clint Carter,

AARP

En español

Published December 11, 2019

11 Questions

35bc48b3-bf2f-4d66-9bfd-16e9abb2a920

How Well Do You Know Your Body?

[ {
  "question" : "What is the diving reflex?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "The stomach-dropping feeling you experience in your gut when you hear bad news",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "A physiological response to being submerged in cold water",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "An infant’s natural impulse to hold her breath when you blow in her face",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "The urge to jump into a pool after somebody else does. You see this often in movies",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "When you dunk your face into ice-cold water, your heart rate slows and blood is diverted from your extremities, your body’s natural strategy for conserving oxygen to keep you alive when you’re underwater. In one study, Columbia University researchers found a 72 percent drop in blood flow to the toes after people exposed their faces to a cold compress. \n\nAdvice: Take a cold shower. Another study found that those who took a daily 30-second cold shower for a month were 29 percent less likely to call in sick.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "The bacteria in and on your body weigh as much as …",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "A blueberry",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "An avocado",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "A pineapple",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "A jubilee watermelon (the big kind!)",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "A 200-pound person hosts somewhere between 2 and 6 pounds of bacteria. Aging is often associated with reduced bacterial diversity, so …\n\nAdvice:  Eat more fiber. It helps balance your gut with health-boosting bacteria.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Which muscle is the strongest?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Your jaw muscle, or masseter",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Your eyelid muscles, or orbicularis oculi",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Your butt, or gluteus maximus",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Your tongue, or hyoglossus",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Your jaw muscle, or masseter. \n\nThe Guinness World Record for the strongest bite, set by a Florida man, was 975 pounds. The eye muscle, on the other hand, is the fastest muscle in your body: A blink of an eye, measured by researchers in Japan, lasts about .3 seconds. And your butt muscles are the largest; each is roughly 25 percent bigger than your second-biggest muscle, which runs along the inside of your thigh. And the tongue is actually a series of eight separate muscles, of which the hyoglossus is just one. \n\nAdvice:  Watch your back. Don’t let your butt wither away. While you’re constantly jawing and blinking, you’re not necessarily using your butt as much as you should. “The gluteus maximus is a very important muscle,” says Spencer Nadolsky, a San Diego–based obesity-medicine specialist. “It’s critical for a lot of our daily functions, such as climbing stairs and standing tall with comfort.” \n\nMuscles tend to atrophy with age, so to keep your biggest muscles strong, Nadolsky recommends glute bridges: \nLie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. \nLift your hips until your knees, hips and shoulders form a straight line.\nPause, lower back down, and repeat for three sets of 15 to 20 reps.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Your skin is the thinnest on your ...",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Underarms",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Eyelids",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Genitals",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Wrists",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Skin thickness ranges from about .4 millimeters (mm) over your eyeballs to as much as 4 mm — or roughly the width of a wedding band — under your feet. As blood vessel walls become less hardy, older skin can bruise easily.   \n\nAdvice:  Fortify your armor. If you’re not already using a daily moisturizer on most of your body, start now. That’ll help you avoid some basic skin irritation. And if you’re prone to bruising, try using a product that contains a gentle exfoliant called lactic acid, which could help to strengthen your skin.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Where might you find your epiglottis?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "In your throat",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "At the base of your toenails",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Between your eyebrows",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Behind your knees",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "The epiglottis is a leaf-shaped flap in the throat that prevents food from entering your windpipe.\n\nAdvice: The flapping of the epiglottis, caused by an involuntary spasm in the diaphragm, is what makes a hiccup sound. While harmless, hiccups that last more than 48 hours may be a warning sign of reflux, neck issues or even a problem with the eardrum.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "The stirrup is a bone found in what part of the body?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Arm",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Neck",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Middle ear",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Leg",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Foot",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "The stirrup bone is the smallest bone in the human body, helping to pass vibrations through the ear.\n\nAdvice:  Don’t stick it in your ear. A 2018 study of nearly 1,000 emergency department visits found the number one cause of traumatic tympanic membrane perforations — including injury to the stirrup — was people trying to clean too deep into their ears with cotton swaps and other tiny items.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Define the islets of Langerhans.",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Rooms in teaching hospitals where exhausted interns nap",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "An archipelago of cells floating around your pancreas",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "The nooks and crannies within your small intestines",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "The Mediterranean rocks where penicillin was first discovered",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "They’re most famous for pumping out insulin. When beta cells within them stop working, insulin drops and blood sugar spikes — a key marker for diabetes. \n\nAdvice:  Skip a few meals. In a study on mice, researchers increased the number of insulin-producing cells within their furry subjects’ islets of Langerhans by cycling the animals through four days of extreme calorie restriction and seven to 10 days of normal eating.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "What happens to your brain during sleep?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "It powers off — you’re out like a light. ",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Parts of the nervous system switch on, creating a sequence of healing cycles.",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "It slows down so much that your thoughts become barely perceptible.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Your mind wanders, free of constraints. It’s why dreams can be so strange.",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "As components of your brain power down, the parts associated with regulating hormones and forming memories clock in for the night. \n\nAdvice: Relax about resting. Learn to relax in bed even if you’re not feeling especially tired. Not worrying about falling asleep is one of the biggest factors in assuring a good night’s slumber.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Why do you need synovial fluid?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "To maintain pressure in your eyes between the lens and cornea",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "To digest tough foods such as steak and taffy",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "To keep your body’s HVAC system working properly ",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "To keep your joints lubricated",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "This clear, sticky liquid nourishes cartilage and keeps your moving parts properly greased up. But when joints become inflamed, fluid begins backing up, resulting in pain and swelling — hallmarks of arthritis. \n\nAdvice:  Try acupuncture. In one review, acupuncture was associated with a reduction in osteoarthritis pain.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "What do telomeres do?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "Cap the ends of your chromosomes to protect your DNA",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  }, {
    "answer" : "Call your cellphone unprompted to sell you stuff you don’t need",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Detect light — that’s why they’re clustered around the retina ",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Filter waste material passing through the kidneys",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Telomeres work like end caps on your DNA, and they seem to serve as a buffer against age-related deterioration. Because they’re associated with good health — athletes, for instance, tend to have longer telomeres — they represent an exciting area of longevity research. \n\nAdvice:  Give your DNA a dose of Zen. Stress reduction can lead to a boost in the enzyme that rebuilds telomeres. Consider a practice such as tai chi or yoga.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
}, {
  "question" : "Which of the following situations can cause your brain to shrink?",
  "answers" : [ {
    "answer" : "High blood pressure",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Starvation",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "Pregnancy",
    "correctAnswer" : false
  }, {
    "answer" : "All of the above",
    "correctAnswer" : true
  } ],
  "multiSelect" : false,
  "explanation" : "Gray matter, the stuff that makes up the outer layer of your brain, tends to shrink with age. It also diminishes in response to diabetes, obesity and smoking. That’s bad, because people who have more of the stuff tend to have better judgment, stronger cognitive abilities and more positive moods. But here’s the good news: Although your brain can shrink, it can also grow. Studies show that exercise, meditation and learning can all increase gray matter. \n\nAdvice:  Move it or lose it. Researchers from Chicago’s Rush University College of Nursing found that older adults (average age: 81) who logged the most physical activity had the most gray matter in their brain. Activities included exercise plus routine tasks such as gardening and housecleaning. If you need a specific goal, aim for three aerobic workouts a week. In a second study, subjects ages 64 to 78 who worked out that much for six months experienced improvements in their brain’s processing speed and long-term memory.",
  "hint" : "",
  "hintLink" : "",
  "questionImgCaption" : "",
  "questionImgCredit" : ""
} ]

Quiz Progress

0 Correct

0 Incorrect