The "Pink Static Electricity" True Love Challenge is a Hit! Is there any scientific basis behind it?

Review expert: Zhou Hongzhi, senior laboratory technician, master's supervisor, School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Beijing University of Technology

Recently, the "static color challenge" has become popular on the Internet, and many netizens have followed suit. Many bloggers claim that when two people in love touch, if the static electricity generated appears pink, then this is a sign of "true love." However, is there any scientific basis for this view? Let's explore the mystery of static electricity.

0 1Scientific Principles of Static Electricity Generation

In daily life, we often encounter static electricity, such as the sparks generated when taking off clothes in dry weather, or the electric shock feeling when your hand touches a door handle after walking on a carpet, etc.

Static electricity is a physical phenomenon. When two different objects come into contact and rub against each other, the atoms of one object may lose electrons, while the atoms of the other object may gain electrons.

An object that loses electrons becomes positively charged, while an object that gains electrons becomes negatively charged. This phenomenon is called electron transfer.

When charged objects are separated from each other, since the charge is not easily transferred through the air, the charge difference remains on the surface of the objects, which is called static electricity.

Source: Henan Youth League Official Account

02What color is static electricity?

So, does static electricity really have color? According to the explanation of the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, when static electricity accumulates to a certain level, it will break through the air to form electric sparks. At this time, the current passes through the air to excite the molecules and release energy, which is transmitted in the form of light.

This light is usually blue, because nitrogen and oxygen dominate the air, and they emit blue light after being excited. As for other colors of static electricity, it is related to factors such as voltage level, discharge contact, air composition, and air humidity and temperature.

It can be seen that the color of static electricity has no direct correlation with "true love". The so-called "static color challenge" is actually a misunderstanding. The color of static electricity mainly depends on the excitation spectrum of nitrogen and oxygen in the air, rather than the emotional connection between people.

Therefore, associating static electricity colors with "true love" is more of a romanticized imagination than a scientific fact.

If you are interested, you may try applying some special cosmetics, perfumes and other volatile daily necessities, and you may get the discharge color you want.

Source: China Youth Daily Official Account

Source: Xiaohongshu No. 896060581

0 3 Anti-static Tips

In daily life, a small amount of static electricity may have a big impact. For example, static electricity can cause strong tremors in human muscles. Frequent static electricity stimulation may cause people with weak heart function to experience symptoms such as chest tightness and dizziness, and in severe cases may even cause arrhythmia and premature beats.

In addition, if you are in a static electricity environment for a long time, static electricity may change brain potential, causing fatigue, irritability, insomnia and other problems. Have you also experienced frequent "harassment" by static electricity?

In specific environments such as gas stations and petrochemical industries, static electricity may also cause considerable safety hazards!

Source: CCTV Video

In order to reduce the trouble caused by static electricity, the following measures can be taken:

1. Increase air humidity

By using a humidifier or adding green plants indoors to keep the room moderately moist (the ideal relative humidity is 40%-60%), the generation of static electricity can be effectively reduced.

2. Choose clothing materials

Clothes made of natural fibers such as cotton, linen, and silk are not easy to generate static electricity. However, synthetic fibers (such as nylon and polyester) are easy to accumulate static electricity. For people who often come into contact with sensitive electronic components, wearing anti-static shoes is a good choice. It can help maintain good conductivity between the human body and the ground, thereby avoiding static electricity accumulation.

3. Change your daily habits

Static electricity is common in dry seasons, so we can use moisturizing hand cream, body lotion, etc. to keep the skin moist. In addition, when touching other objects, first touch larger metal objects such as door frames with your hands, so that the charge on the body can be quickly released.

Source: CCTV News Official Account