Something You Should Know

I suspect every parent wonders how they will be remembered in their child’s mind. What kind of parents do your kids think you were? This episode begins with a look at what children tend to remember most about mom and dad. https://time.com/4097995/parenting-kids-remember/ Some moments stand out in your life while many other moments are a blur or have long been forgotten. So what makes that special moments so special? And once you know that can you create more of them? Dan Heath joins me to explore that question. Dan is co-author of the book, The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact (http://amzn.to/2yY3fOH) Are you a worrier? Worriers are often told not to worry because supposedly, it doesn’t help. Well maybe it does. Listen as I discuss some interesting research that shows how all that worrying can really pay off. http://www.purewow.com/wellness/worrying-and-intelligence Being a perfectionist must be frustrating since it is impossible for humans to be perfect. Still, a lot of people strive for perfection in an imperfect world and it causes a lot of problems. If you are a perfectionist or know one, listen as I speak with clinical psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Lombardo author of the book, Better Than Perfect: 7 Strategies to Crush Your Inner Critic and Create a Life You Love (https://amzn.to/32tNfDb). This Week’s Sponsors -Omax Health. For 50% off your first box of Omax Sleep and Stress Remedy with CBD plus free shipping go to www.Omax Health.com and use the promo code: SYSK -SimpliSafe. For a 60 day risk-free trial and free shipping, go to www.SimpliSafe.com/something -Dashlane. For a 30 day free trial plus 10% off Dashlane Premium go to www.Dashlane.com/SYSK -Stroke of Genius Podcast. Subscribe to Stroke of Genius on Apple Podcasts, at www.ipoef.org, or your favorite podcast platform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Low-fat milk and dairy products are better than whole fat versions of the same thing – right? That is the prevailing wisdom. Yet this episode begins with some compelling evidence that we need to rethink that whole notion that low-fat is better. http://www.prevention.com/weight-loss/foods-to-avoid-8-worst-foods-in-your-fridge Every day you spend time caring for your skin. It is, after all, the largest organ in the body. Yet there are so many myths about the skin and how to best care for it. Here to help bust those myths and offer some rock solid advice is dermatologist Dr. David Leffell. He is an internationally recognized expert in skin health, founder and chief of the Dermatologic Surgery Program at Yale Medicine and author of the book Total Skin: The Definitive Guide to Whole Skin Care for Life (https://amzn.to/30zZvjX). Who couldn’t use a little more space in their home? Listen as I offer some amazingly simple yet clever strategies for getting rid of things you will never miss and open up all kinds of space. http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizing/organizing/declutter-garage Your time is a precious commodity. So shouldn’t you be using it to do the things that matter most? That’s what time management expert John Zeratsky believes and he joins me to offer some ways to help get a handle on your time by eliminating those things that waste time and prevent you from doing things that are important to you. John is author of the book Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day (https://amzn.to/2jLBYwG). This Week’s Sponsors -Omax Health. For 50% off your first box of Omax Sleep and Stress Remedy with CBD plus free shipping go to www.Omax Health.com and use the promo code: SYSK -SimpliSafe. For a 60 day risk-free trial and free shipping, go to www.SimpliSafe.com/something -Dashlane. For a 30 day free trial plus 10% off Dashlane Premium go to www.Dashlane.com/SYSK -Stroke of Genius Podcast. Subscribe to Stroke of Genius on Apple Podcasts, at www.ipoef.org, or your favorite podcast platform. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you have a fender bender with another driver, should you just work it out between the two of you or should you report it to the insurance company? This episode begins by explaining the answer to that and why it is so important. https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2013/09/should-you-report-that-fender-bender-auto-insurance-claims-consumer-reports/index.htm Having a job isn’t what it used to be. The changing economy is creating a lot of new jobs while eliminating others and somehow you have to survive amidst all that change. Joining me to help you navigate all of this is Neil Irwin, he is a senior economic correspondent at The New York Times, and author of the book How to Win in a Winner-Take-All World (https://amzn.to/2XKoFP2). Neil offers a strategy that will help bulletproof your career and allow you the grow in whatever field you choose. I bet you have wondered when you leave the house in the morning if you should turn off the AC and turn it back on when you get back – or just leave it on? Well, in terms of efficiency and saving money there is only one answer and I’ll reveal it here. http://www.menshealth.com/guy-wisdom/should-you-turn-your-ac-off-when-you-leave Ever wonder why some advertising seems to work on you while other advertising messages don’t? Considering how many advertising messages you hear everyday, it is amazing you recall any of them. Marketing expert Neale Martin author of the book The 95% of Behavior Marketers Ignore (https://amzn.to/2LGFc02) joins me as we explore how advertising works on your mind and what causes you to respond or not. This Weeks Sponsors -Quip Toothbrush. Get your first refill pack free. Go to www.GetQuip.com/something -Capterra. To find the best software solutions for your business for free, go to www.Capterra.com/something -Linzess. For information about your IBSC symptoms go to www.ohmygut.info/podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People are not getting sick and dying like they used to. The number of cases of some very common diseases have dropped dramatically over the last few decades and you’ll never guess why. Listen and find out as this episode begins with an explanation – sort of. http://www.popsci.com/many-diseases-are-declining-and-doctors-arent-sure-why Do you ever wish you had more willpower? It does seem that some people have a lot more of it than others. Psychologist Kelly McGonigal says you probably have more of it than you think and you can create more of it. Kelly is a lecturer at Stanford University and author of the book The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More (https://amzn.to/2JqGQ35). She joins me to explain how willpower works and how you can have more of it. When was the last time you washed your credit cards? Never right? Well your credit cards are one of many things crawling with germs you probably never think to clean. Listen to discover what else in your home might need a little disinfectant sooner than later. http://www.fitandfabliving.com/health/health-trends/6435-seven-surprisingly-dirtysurfaces You may not think about it much but one very important ingredient in everything you eat or drink is – time! Too much time can ruin a lot of food yet some food gets better and better the longer you leave it alone. Food writer Jenny Linford, author of the book The Missing Ingredient: The Curious Role of Time in Food and Flavor (https://amzn.to/2XuHGWy) joins me with a fascinating explanation on how time matters in almost anything you eat or drink. This Weeks Sponsors -Quip Toothbrush. Get your first refill pack free. Go to www.GetQuip.com/something -Capterra. To find the best software solutions for your business for free, go to www.Capterra.com/something Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hot summer days are often called the “dog days of summer.” Why? This episode begins with an explanation of that. http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/environment/a21725/dog-days/ You make a lot of choices every day. Some are harder to make than others. Listening to this episode will likely help make better choices. Joining me is Joseph Bikart author of the book The Art of Decision Making: How We Move from Indecision to Smart Choices (https://amzn.to/2xsIwmW). After listening you may change the way you look at the choices you make. It seems a lot of homeowners are over-watering their lawns. Doing so not only wastes water but causes some other problems as well. Listen and discover how to check that your lawn is getting just the right amount of water. http://livinggreen.ifas.ufl.edu/water/lawn_care_and_irrigation.html Having fun at work may seem counterproductive. How can you get work done if you are having fun? Well, it seems to be more complicated than that. In fact having fun may be just the thing for getting more work done – better! Joining me to explain is Dave Crenshaw a speaker and trainer who has authored five books. One of them is called The Power of Having Fun (https://amzn.to/2xoQYUj) This Week's Sponsors -Fab Fit Fun. For 10% off your first box go to www.FabFitFun.com and use the promo code: something -Capital One. What's in your wallet? www.CapitalOne.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You sometimes see products labeled refurbished – particularly electronics. Are they a good deal? This episode begins by looking at what refurbished means and whether or not it is a good deal worth considering or if you are better off leaving those products on the shelf. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/laptops/refurbished-electronics-buying-guide You are constantly trying to persuade and influence people. Whether it is your boss, your family, your co-workers or your friends, exerting your influence is how you get them to understand you and go along with your ideas. Joining me with some practical advice on how to be more influential is Shelle Rose Chavret. She is an expert on influencing and persuasion and author of the book Words That Change Minds (https://amzn.to/2ITFGOt) While some people are more optimistic than others, there is no doubt that being more optimistic has a lot of benefits. I discuss some of those benefits and how to look at life in a more positive light. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/prescriptions-life/200911/dont-worry-be-happy-the-surprising-benefits-optimism Pet ownership is at an all-time high. About 70% of us have at least one pet. And we all have questions about our pets’ health and happiness. Here with some answers to both common and perplexing pet questions is veterinarian Dr. Gary Weitzman who is host of the NPR radio show The Animal House and author of National Geographic Complete Guide to Pet Health, Behavior, and Happiness (https://amzn.to/2NllHN5) This Week's Sponsors -Fab Fit Fun. For 10% off your first box go to www.FabFitFun.com and use the promo code: something -Capital One. What's in your wallet? www.CapitalOne.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When was the last time you washed your watch? Not recently I bet. So this episode begins with just how gross and disgusting the surface of your watch and watchband are and why they need a bath right now – today! http://www.ladbible.com/news/uk-watches-three-times-dirtier-than-toilet-seats-study-finds-20190623 Some people believe vaccines cause autism – science says no. Some people believe in ghosts and UFOs – science says no. But just because science can’t explain it – does that mean it isn’t true? Steven Novella is a skeptic who believes that we should probably all be a bit more skeptical of things, events and phenomenon that can’t be explained and he joins me to reveal why this is so important. Steven is the author of the book The Skeptics Guide to the Universe (https://amzn.to/2Ycr16d) and host of the podcast of the same name which you can find on your favorite podcast platform or here: https://www.theskepticsguide.org/podcasts If you like yogurt, you’ll like it even better if you eat from a certain type of spoon. If you like cheese it will most likely taste better to you if eat it off a particular type of utensil. Listen to find out which spoon and which utensil and why this happens to be true. https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2013/06/27/yogurt-tastes-different-depending-on-the-spoon/ Do you suck at something? Maybe it’s playing an instrument or skiing or cooking. You probably didn’t start out wanting to suck at it – but here we are. You do it and you suck at it. Well, it turns out that may be a good thing. Writer Karen Rinaldi author of the book It’s Great to Suck at Something (https://amzn.to/2Lj05xY) explains why it is perfectly fine to NOT do some things well. She has been a surfer for 18 years and by her own admission – sucks at it. But she still does it, she still loves it and says there are actual benefits to doing things not for the achievement or the trophy but just to do it. This Week's Sponsors -Paint Your Life. To learn more and get a 30% discount text SYSK to 48-48-48 -Purple Mattress. To get a free pillow with a purchase of a mattress text the word: something to 84888 -Stroke of Genius Podcast. Subscribe to Stroke of Genius on Apple Podcasts, at www.ipoef.org, or your favorite podcast platform. American River Nutrition. Get your free copy of Dr. Barrie Tan’s book The Truth about Vitamin E at www.BarrieTan.com/something Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is it okay to talk with people on a speakerphone with their permission? What about bringing a gift to a party when the invitation says: No Gifts? This episode begins with a discussion on some common etiquette mistakes you may be making – and how to correct them. http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/family/etiquette/etiquette-mistakes The space and environment you are in right know can affect your thinking, your behavior and your communication in ways you likely don’t even realize. Lily Bernheimer is a researcher, writer, and consultant in environmental psychology and founding director of Space Works Consulting. She is also author of the book The Shaping of Us: How Everyday Spaces Structure our Lives, Behaviour, and Well-Being (https://amzn.to/2WXBd0X) and joins me to offer an interesting glimpse into how things like the table you sit at, the position of the chairs and the human desire for nature all affect how you think and perform in the space you are in. Summer vacation photos will turn out dramatically better if you listen to some simple, expert photography advice I discuss in this episode. There are several good tips here including the need to move closer and closer to your subject. https://digital-photography-school.com/10-photography-hacks-will-dramatically-improve-photos/ We now have an entire generation of mechanically illiterate kids according to Temple Grandin. She is a professor of animal science at Colorado State University and she was also the subject of the Emmy and Golden Globe winning biographical film. She is one of the first individuals on the autism spectrum to publicly share insights from her personal experience of autism and she is the subject and author of several books including one called Calling All Minds: How To Think and Create Like an Inventor (https://amzn.to/2N5wFWS). She joins me to discuss how so many kids today are not exposed to tools and the mechanical world of things and how this has resulted in a generation of people who can’t build or fix anything. This has significant ramifications in our world including a lack of talented people in very lucrative trades like plumbing, electrical and auto repair. And that’s just the beginning of the problem. This Week's Sponsors -Paint Your Life. To learn more and get a 30% discount text SYSK to 48-48-48 -Stroke of Genius Podcast. Subscribe to Stroke of Genius on Apple Podcasts, at www.ipoef.org, or your favorite podcast platform. American River Nutrition. Get your free copy of Dr. Barrie Tan’s book The Truth about Vitamin E at www.BarrieTan.com/something -Capital One. What's in your wallet? www.CapitalOne.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Driving while texting, talking, eating or drinking can all distract you from paying attention to the road. So what about listening to the radio while driving? Is that a distraction? This episode begins with an exploration of that question that yields a surprising answer.https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20130620/music-doesnt-hurt-driving-performance-study-suggests#1 So many relationships start off great and then end badly. So what is it that goes wrong? Here with some great insight into that and some unique solutions to improve your relationship is Mort Fertel. Mort is a relationship expert and creator of the “Marriage Fitness” program that has helped thousands of couples save their marriages. He is a frequent expert guest on television and author of the book Marriage Fitness: 4 Steps to Building & Maintaining Phenomenal Love (https://amzn.to/2KrnNZc) To get Mort’s free report: 7 Secrets to Fix a Marriage go to www.MarriageMax.com Next time you go on a job interview try to pick the day and time if you can. I’ll explain why it could make a huge difference and exactly what day and time to schedule it. https://lifehacker.com/the-best-time-to-schedule-a-job-interview-1738809779 You probably spend more time on email than you realize. A lot more! That’s why communications expert Dianna Booher is here to discuss the problem and more importantly, the solutions. Dianna is the author of the book, Faster Fewer Emails: Manage the Volume, Reduce The Stress Love the Results (https://amzn.to/2FkoVda) and she has some very powerful advice that will help you get a handle on your email so it stops running your life. This Week’s Sponsors -American River Nutrition. Get your free copy of Dr. Barrie Tan’s book The Truth about Vitamin E at www.BarrieTan.com/something -Mighty Travels Premium. Get your 30 day free trial at www.MightyTravels.com/something -Ancestry. For 20% off your Ancestry DNA Kit go to www.Ancestry.com/something -Grove. Get a 3-piece cleaning set from Mrs. Meyer’s spring scents, a free 60-day VIP membership, and a surprise bonus gift just for you when you sign up and place an order of $20 or more at www.grove.co/something -Capital One. What's in your wallet? www.CapitalOne.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you appear confident, people find that attractive. Sometimes though, when you wish you could appear confident you feel just the opposite. So I begin this episode with quick, easy and effective techniques to appear more confident when the feeling doesn’t come naturally. http://www.rd.com/advice/relationships/how-to-be-confident/1/ What if you could start a successful side business with little money and get it up and running in 30 days? Sound impossible? Well Chris Guillebeau says otherwise. Chris is the author of 100 Side Hustles: Unexpected Ideas for Making Extra Money Without Quitting Your Day Job (https://amzn.to/2IIo4nv) and host of the popular podcast Side Hustle School (https://sidehustleschool.com). He has become the expert on what it takes to start a side hustle, keep your day job and find a new revenue stream that can help you be more financially secure. Listen as Chris explains how you can start your own side hustle. You’ve probably heard the stories about how attractive people get better treatment from others, make more money and basically seem to have an easier path in life. Well, it also turns out you are more likely to trust someone who is good looking too. Listen as I explore one more perk enjoyed by the beautiful people. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160613111652.htm Think about how important the weather is to your life. In many ways we plan our lives around the weather – or more specifically around the weather forecast. We rely on the predictions of meteorologists who are sometimes right and other times – dead wrong! Journalist Andrew Blum is author of the book The Weather Machine: A Journey inside the Forecast (https://amzn.to/2F2LLWE) and he joins me to explain the fascinating way weather is predicted and how weather forecasts are getting more and more accurate – most of the time. This Week’s Sponsors -American River Nutrition. Get your free copy of Dr. Barrie Tan’s book The Truth about Vitamin E at www.BarrieTan.com/something -Mighty Travels Premium. Get your 30 day free trial at www.MightyTravels.com/something -Grove. Get a 3-piece cleaning set from Mrs. Meyer’s spring scents, a free 60-day VIP membership, and a surprise bonus gift just for you when you sign up and place an order of $20 or more at www.grove.co/something -Capital One. What's in your wallet? www.CapitalOne.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every airport runway has a number and it is always between 1and 36. This episode begins with how airport runways get their numbers (it is not random) and what purpose those numbers serve. I’ll also explain why sometimes the runway numbers have to change. https://www.wired.com/2014/05/the-hidden-beauty-of-airport-runways-and-how-to-decipher-them/ When you make a decision, you hope you make the right one. And there are some decision making models that can help you make better decisions more consistently. Gabriel Weinberg has looked at these mental models and put them in a book called Super Thinking: The Big Book of Mental Models (https://amzn.to/2F5c3re). Listen as Gabriel explains how these models work and how you can use them to be a much better decision maker. So often we’ve been told that things like alcohol, coffee and other vices are bad for you. That doesn’t always tell the whole story. A lot of what people consider sinful, may not be so bad in moderation according to journalist Erik Ofgang. Erik and his father Dr. Henry Ofgang have looked at the latest research and found some vices may actually be beneficial. They have putt their findings in a book called The Good Vices: From Beer to Sex, the Surprising Truth About What's Actually Good for You (https://amzn.to/2MH6sgR). Listen as Erik joins me to explain what they found. With summer vacation season here, there is a phone call or two you need to make before you leave for your vacation that can save you a lot of hassle when you get to your destination. Listen to discover who you should call. https://www.popsugar.com/smart-living/photo-gallery/35113991/image/45008935/Call-your-bank This Week’s Sponsors -Paint Your Life. To learn more and get a 30% discount text SYSK to 48-48-48 -SimpliSafe. For free shipping and a 60 day risk-free trial go to www.SimpliSafe.com/something -Stroke of Genius Podcast. Subscribe to Stroke of Genius on Apple Podcasts, at www.ipoef.org, or your favorite podcast platform. -Lively. For $10 off your first order go to www.WearLively.com/something and use promo code: something -Linzess. For information about your IBSC symptoms go to www.ohmygut.info/podcast. -Capital One. What's in your wallet? www.CapitalOne.com -Geico. Save 15% or more on car insurance at www.Geico.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My mother used to tell me when I was a kid that coffee would stunt my growth. But seriously, can coffee do that? Can coffee sober you up if you are drunk? This episode begins with a look at what coffee can and cannot do. http://lifehacker.com/four-popular-coffee-myths-debunked-by-science-1780764499 We’ve all been told that generic drugs are equivalent to name brand drugs at a fraction of the price. Well, not necessarily. Most generic drugs are made in India and China and oversight by the FDA is not as great as you think. Investigative journalist Katherine Eban has just published an explosive expose that tells a troubling story about the safety and effectiveness of generic drugs. The book is called Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom (https://amzn.to/2K1f6Vm). If you or someone you know takes prescription drugs, you need to hear this. Katherine’s website is www.KatherineEban.com Too much sun is a problem. But so is too little sun. It turns out there is strong medical evidence that some sun is good for your health. Listen to hear how much and what it is good for. (http://www.rd.com/health/wellness/sun-affects-your-body/) Choosing on a career path and finding the right job is a haphazard experience for a lot of us. However, there is actually some science behind how to find a job, do it well and move up the ladder. One of the leading expert in this field is Art Markman, professor of Psychology and Marketing at the University of Texas at Austin and author of the new book Bring Your Brain To Work: Using Cognitive Science to Get a Job, Do It Well and Advance Your Career (https://amzn.to/2WpTbc6). Art joins me for a fascinating look at a better way to find professional success. This Week’s Sponsors -SimpliSafe. For free shipping and a 60 day risk-free trial go to www.SimpliSafe.com/something -Stroke of Genius Podcast. Subscribe to Stroke of Genius on Apple Podcasts, at www.ipoef.org, or your favorite podcast platform. -Lively. For $10 off your first order go to www.WearLively.com/something and use promo code: something -Linzess. For information about your IBSC symptoms go to www.ohmygut.info/podcast. -Capital One. What's in your wallet? www.CapitalOne.com -Geico. Save 15% or more on car insurance at www.Geico.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When I smell the scent of fresh cut grass it transports me back to my childhood. It is a great smell. It also turns out to be beneficial to most people. I begin this episode by explaining the scientific benefits of smelling a freshly mowed lawn.( http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1209360/Why-mowing-lawn-relieves-stressboosts-memory.html) How do you make real change in yourself and others? That’s the topic of my discussion with Joseph Grenny, a social scientist, speaker and one of the authors of a book Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change (https://amzn.to/2XADNeJ) . Joseph explains just how you can influence and change behavior so it benefits you and lasts a long time. Have you noticed when you go to a party that the more people drink – the louder the party gets? There is actually a fascinating reason why – and it has to do with your hearing. Listen as I explain. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2031886 For your entire life, you learn. Learning is how we grow and improve and find meaning in life. Yet HOW we learn is something that is seldom discussed even though it is critical to how well we learn new skills, facts and ideas. Joining me to discuss how we can all learn anything better is Bradley Staats. He is a professor at the University of North Carolina where his teaching focuses s on how to improve individual learning. He is also author of the book Never Stop Learning: Stay Relevant, Reinvent Yourself, and Thrive (https://amzn.to/2ImJYN3). This Week's Sponsors -Lively. For $10 off your first order go to www.WearLively.com/something and use promo code: something -LinkedIn. To get $50 off your first job post, go to www.LinkedIn.com/podcast -Capterra. To find the best software solutions for your business for free, go to www.Capterra.com/something -Stroke of Genius Podcast. Subscribe to Stroke of Genius on Apple Podcasts, at www.ipoef.org, or your favorite podcast platform -Fab Fit Fun. To get $10 off your first Fab Fit Fun box go to www.FabFitFun.com and use promo code: something Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Automobile traffic, like the weather, is hard to predict. The slightest thing can cause a traffic jam and sometimes it seems that traffic jams just happen for no apparent reason. I begin this episode by exploring one oddity of traffic – where the solution usually makes the problem worse. (Edward Humes author of the book Door to Door). To be a success you have to get really good at one thing as soon as possible. In other words, you have to specialize. While that concept seems to make sense, it turns out to be flawed, according to journalist David Epstein, author of the book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. Listen as he explains why being a generalist is a better path to success despite popular opinion to the contrary. Spanking as a form of punishment is a lot less common than it used to be but there are still many parents around the world who still believe that when you spare the rod, you spoil the child. Listen as I explain why a lot of those parents will live to regret it. (30 Lessons for Living by Karl Pillemer) Our world is crawling with “extreme” creatures. By that I mean the largest, fastest, smallest, strongest and smartest. There is a lot we can learn from these animals and organisms. For example, the largest mammal could help us end cancer. The fastest bird is teaching engineers about flight. Matthew LaPlante, a professor of journalism at Utah State University is author of the book Superlative: The Biology of Extremes. He joins me to reveal the fascinating reasons why these creatures became so extreme in their own right and why they are so fascinating. This Week's Sponsors -LinkedIn. To get $50 off your first job post, go to www.LinkedIn.com/podcast -Capterra. To find the best software solutions for your business for free, go to www.Capterra.com/something -Stroke of Genius Podcast. Subscribe to Stroke of Genius on Apple Podcasts, at www.ipoef.org, or your favorite podcast platform -Fab Fit Fun To get $10 off your first Fab Fit Fun box go to www.FabFitFun.com and use promo code: something Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever had to wait forever to get a prescription filled? Why does it take so long to take pills out of a big bottle and put them in a little bottle? I start this episode with the answer – and it may surprise you. http://mentalfloss.com/article/79615/12-behind-scenes-secrets-pharmacists When I think of innovators, I think of the champions of innovation – Leonardo DaVinci, Steve Jobs or that guy who invented the wheel. But we all actually innovate. We have to in order to solve the problems in our lives. According to Hal Gregerson, we can all learn to be better at it. Hal is Executive Director of the MIT Leadership Center and Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management and co-author of the book The Innovators DNA: Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators (https://amzn.to/2Qz26qm). Listen and discover the secrets of great innovators. You would think that a sad song would make a sad person even sadder. In fact it can actually cheer them up. Listen as I explain how this works. http://www.wnyc.org/story/why-sad-songs-make-us-happy/ Few people love to clean but since we all have to do it, we might as well do it faster and better. Melissa Maker is a real authority on the topic. She has over a million subscribers to her YouTube Channel called Clean My Space and she is author of the book Clean My Space (https://amzn.to/2K9r7rf). Listen as Melissa joins me to dazzle you with her cleaning advice. This Week’s Sponsors -Ancestry.For 20% off your Ancestry DNA kit, go to www.Ancestry.com/something -Omax Health. For 50% off OMAX Sleep and Stress Remedy go to www.OmaxHealth.com and use the promo code SYSK -Omax Health. For 20% off your on OMAX CryoFreeze or any purchase sitewide go to www.OmaxHealth.com and use the promo code: something -Purple. To get a free pillow with your mattress purchase text the word “Something” to 79-79-79. -Capital One. What’s in your wallet? www.CapitalOne.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While you are likely very good at noticing when you fail in life, keeping track of all the little victories is a much better activity. I begin this episode by explaining why those little victories can propel into big ones and why keeping a list is such a great idea. http://www.lifehack.org/398112/science-explains-how-writing-down-tinyachievements-every-day-changes-our-brains You are surrounded by colors, shapes, objects, nature and light. And all of those things have an effect on you. They impact your mood, your productivity and how you view the world and your fellow humans. Ingrid Fetell Lee is an expert on how design affects your health and well-being and is author of the book Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness (https://amzn.to/2M7N3pa). What she has to say will change the way you view the world around you. It is pretty common for parents to mix up the names of their children and call them by the wrong name. Interestingly though, you never call your kids by your cat’s name. So why does this happen? Parents obviously know the difference between their own kids. Listen and discover why the mix up is so common. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3594971/Do-mix-people-s-names-Don-tworry-not-going-senile-merely-filing-error-brain.html) Getting into debt is really easy – but getting out of debt is a whole other story. If you have more debt than you wish you had, you’ll want to hear Shannon Lee Simmons. She is a certified financial planner and author of the book Living Debt Free: The No Shame No Blame Guide to Getting Rid of Your Debt (https://amzn.to/2EzNa6N). Shannon joins me to explain the best and fastest way to get out of debt and still live your life. This Week’s Sponsors -Ancestry.For 20% off your Ancestry DNA kit, go to www.Ancestry.com/something -Omax Health. For 20% off your on OMAX CryoFreeze or any purchase sitewide go to www.OmaxHealth.com and use the promo code: something -Purple. To get a free pillow with your mattress purchase text the word “Something” to 79-79-79. -Capital One. What’s in your wallet? www.CapitalOne.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you turn your headlights on when you drive during the day? You should - and that is just one of several things I discuss that can instantly make you a better and safer driver even if you think you already are. http://www.cracked.com/article_20106_6-little-known-driving-tips-that-couldsave-your-life_p2.html If you have a computer then you have been hacked. That’s the conclusion of Marcus Carey who is a cybersecurity expert and what you call a “white hat hacker.” Companies pay him to break into their computer systems to see how vulnerable they are. He joins me to discuss just how easy it is for hackers to hack into your computer, your thermostat, your refrigerator and any other device hooked up to the Internet – and why they do. He also has some excellent suggestions to protect yourself. Marcus is the author of the book Tribe of Hackers: Cybersecurity Advice from the Best Hackers in the World (https://amzn.to/2VGRdUv). Will you be going to church this weekend? It is worth considering if you want to live a long life. I discuss some fascinating research that connects longevity with attending religious services. http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2521827 You can certainly argue that healthcare today has lost some of its personal touch. If you’ve ever gone to the doctor and had him look at a computer screen more than he looks at you – then you know what I mean. So what can be done to help doctors and patients connect and put a little more humanity make in the healthcare business? Dr. Eric Topol sees a solution. Eric is the author of the book Deep Medicine: How Artificial Intelligence Can Make Medicine Human Again (https://amzn.to/2HxZoii). He joins me to explain how we can integrate artificial intelligence into our medical care to make it better for everyone. This Week's Sponsors -Grove. Get a 3-piece cleaning set from Mrs. Meyer’s spring scents, a free 60-day VIP membership, and a surprise bonus gift just for you when you sign up and place an order of $20 or more at www.grove.co/something -Calming Comfort. Order a Calming Comfort weighted blanket and get $15 off the displayed price when you use promo code: something15. Go to www.CalmingComfortBlanket.com. -Capital One. Go to www.CapitalOne.com. What's in your wallet? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Texting and driving is dangerous. Everyone know that. But why is it so much more dangerous than driving and drinking coffee or driving and talking or driving and tuning the radio? There is actually a good answer for that you need to hear so this episode starts with that. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-05/uoh-ass050916.php You ask questions all day long because that is how to learn and connect with others. So asking better questions will help learn and connect even better according to journalist Warren Berger author of The Book of Beautiful Questions: The Powerful Questions That Will Help You Decide, Create, Connect, and Lead (https://amzn.to/2YI202R). Warren has studied the power of questions and when you are done listening to what he says, you’ll think more carefully about how you ask them. Women stare at attractive men just as men stare at women. But what are women looking at specifically? What body parts stand out in women’s minds? Listen and find out. http://www.menshealth.com/sex-women/the-very-first-thing-women-notice-about-guys We all carry baggage from our childhood into our adult life. What we do with it will determine whether it gets in the way or allows you to live a full and productive life. Libby Gill is someone who had a lot of baggage. Today she is the head of her own executive coaching firm – she is the former head of communications and public relations for Sony, Universal, and Turner Broadcasting, and she is author of the book Traveling Hopefully, How to Lose Your Family Baggage and Jumpstart Your Life (https://amzn.to/2M9aChB). Libby joins me to tell her story and has wonderful advice for anyone who wants to shed that baggage. This Week's Sponsors -Grove. Get a 3-piece cleaning set from Mrs. Meyer’s spring scents, a free 60-day VIP membership, and a surprise bonus gift just for you when you sign up and place an order of $20 or more at www.grove.co/something -Calming Comfort. Order a Calming Comfort weighted blanket and get $15 off the displayed price when you use promo code: something15. Go to www.CalmingComfortBlanket.com. -Capital One. Go to www.CapitalOne.com. What's in your wallet? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you get top dollar when you sell on eBay? Well of course you need good photos and a great description but it turns out some of the specific words in that description can really raise or lower the amount people will pay. I begin this episode with an explanation of that. (http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/money/a38347/how-to-make-money-on-ebay/) Workers improve when they get feedback. A company’s culture is the key to success. Good leadership is what makes a company thrive. Although you may believe these assumptions to be true, there is some good evidence they are not. Marcus Buckingham has studied people and performance for a long time and he joins me to explode some commonly held beliefs about workers and the workplace. Marcus’ new book is called Nine Lies About Work (https://amzn.to/2HlAkdW). If you work for a living and want to grow in your career, you need to hear this. Have you ever cracked an egg open and seen a little spot of what looks like blood inside? Is it safe to eat? I’ll explain what the food experts say about where that little spot of red comes from and just harmful it is. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-stir/egg-facts_b_2498764.html) Decisions about money always seem to be complicated. In part that is because we have so many financial decisions to make and there is a lot of emotion wrapped up in money. Amanda Clayman comes on the podcast as my guest to discuss how we make financial decisions, why it is hard and how to make better decisions with our money. Amanda is a financial therapist and a financial wellness advocate for Prudential. Her website is www.AmandaClayman.com This Week's Sponsors -Capterra. To discover the best software for your business - for free - go to www.Capterra.com/something -Linzess. For information about your IBSC symptoms go to www.ohmygut.info/podcast. -Capital One. What's in your wallet? www.CapitalOne.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you want to learn something better and faster, there is a little trick that seems to work. We begin this episode by revealing some research from John Hopkins School of Medicine that says a slight change in the way you learn any new skill can make all the difference in the world. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/want_to_learn_a_new_skill_faster_change_up_your_practice_sessions Nothing is more American than the hamburger. We eat a lot of them. So where did the hamburger originate? Who came up with the idea? How has it evolved over the years? Award-winning writer Chris Carosa, author of the book Hamburger Dreams:How Classic Crime Solving Techniques Helped Crack the Case of America’s Greatest Culinary (https://amzn.to/2Hevorp) did some good old fashioned detective work to uncover the real story of the hamburger. He joins me to discuss what he found. Your life is full of risks. Almost everything you do has some risk in it- from what you buy in the store to investments to simply driving down the street. Alison Schrager, an economist and journalist joins me to help us all understand how risks work and offers advice on how we can handle risk better. Alison is the author of the book An Economist Walks Into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk (https://amzn.to/2VUkjDZ). It seems most people are put off by the sound of someone slurping their food. Yet people do it and in some cultures it is considered quite normal. So why do people do it? Does it serve a purpose that only people who slurp know about? Listen to find out. https://www.rd.com/advice/relationships/annoying-eating-habits/ This Week's Sponsors -Capterra. To discover the best software for your business - for free - go to www.Capterra.com/something -Linzess. For information about your IBSC symptoms go to www.ohmygut.info/podcast. -Capital One. What's in your wallet? www.CapitalOne.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does cooking food on the grill increase your risk of getting cancer? The answer is – maybe. But it isn’t that simple. This episode begins with a discussion on which foods may or may not increase cancer risk and how you cook that food may make all the difference. (http://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/does-grilling-really-cause-cancer) In the old Star Trek TV show (filmed about 50 years ago), Scotty used to talk to the computer on board the starship Enterprise. That was how he communicated his commands. Fast forward to today and we are now doing the same thing with Siri and Alexa. So, is voice computing the beginning of a new revolution in computing that will unshackle us from the keyboard? Or is it just a quick way to set a timer, play music and find the nearest fast food restaurant - but not much more? Journalist James Vlahos joins me to discuss this. James is a contributor to The New York Times Magazine, Popular Science, Scientific American, the Atlantic, GQ, and National Geographic – and he is author of the book Talk to Me: How Voice Computing Will Transform the Way We Live, Work (https://amzn.to/2YinseC) What do Adidas, Ikea, Nutella, Porsche and Hermes have in common? They are all name brands that many people mispronounce. Listen to hear if you’ve been pronouncing them correctly or not. http://www.businessinsider.com/brand-names-mispronounced-2016-5 Have you ever worked for an incompetent boss and wondered how he or she ever got to where they are? There are interesting reasons why so many leaders in high places are incompetent – and it has been researched by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, professor of business psychology at University College in London and Columbia University in New York. He is also author of the book Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders (and how to fix it). (https://amzn.to/2Jxqk37). He joins me to explain why this happens and how to stop it. This Week’s Sponsors -LinkedIn. Go to www.LinkedIn.com/podcast to get $50 off your first job posting. -Ancestry. Go to www.Ancenstry.com/something to get your Ancestry DNA kit for only $50 (offer expires 5/13/19) -Better Help. Go to www.BetterHelp.com/SYSK to get 10% off your first month of counseling -Away Travel. For $20 off a suitcase go to www.awaytravel.com/something and use the promo code: something -Capital One. www.Capitalone.com. What’s in your wallet? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you travel, there is a good chance you don’t sleep all that well the first night you are at your destination. It is so common it has a name – it is called the “First Night Effect.” This episode begins with an explanation for why it happens and some advice to counter the effects. http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822%2816%2930174-9 What exactly is your mind? I know that’s a weird question but think about it – you have a mind that determines who you are. So is your mind the same thing as your brain? If you took your brain and put it into someone else’s body would it still be the same mind? Would you still be you? To discuss that, I have invited Alan Jasonoff, a Professor at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT and author of the book The Biological Mind: How Brain Body and Environment Collaborate to Make Us Who We Are (https://amzn.to/2VDYqbR). What’s better – beer in a bottle or a can? What’s the fastest way to chill champagne? These are just a few of the questions I tackle with expert advice on the proper ways to serve and drink wine, beer and spirits. https://www.womansday.com/food-recipes/food-drinks/a54470/ways-youre-drinking-wrong/ Being an insecure person isn’t easy. You are frequently doubting yourself and you are very sensitive to criticism. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. Is being insecure just part of your personality or something you can change? Where does that insecurity come from? Joining me to discuss this is Joseph Nowinski, he is a clinical psychologist and author of the book, The Tender Heart Conquering Your Insecurity (https://amzn.to/2VDTfca). This Week’s Sponsors -LinkedIn. Go to www.LinkedIn.com/podcast to get $50 off your first job posting. -Ancestry. Go to www.Ancenstry.com/something to get your Ancestry DNA kit for only $50 (offer expires 5/13/19) -Better Help. Go to www.BetterHelp.com/SYSK to get 10% off your first month of counseling -Away Travel. For $20 off a suitcase go to www.awaytravel.com/something and use the promo code: something -Capital One. www.Capitalone.com. What’s in your wallet? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Restaurants want you to spend more money. And the menu can be a powerful tool to accomplish that. This episode begins with exactly how restaurant menus entice you to buy more expensive items and spend more money in general. Listen and you are sure to save money. https://www.lifehack.org/articles/money/15-sneaky-restaurant-menu-tricks-that-tempt-you-spend-more.html In the old days, you had very little influence or impact as a consumer. You either bought products or services or you didn’t and there wasn’t an easy way to give feedback or talk with other customers like yourself. Then came the Internet. It has launched a new era for consumers and businesses alike. Joining me to talk about this is David Weinberger who has been a strategic marketing VP a “writer in residence” at Google a researcher, consultant and author of the book Everyday Chaos: Technology Complexity and How We’re Thriving in a New World of Possibility (https://amzn.to/2XPioxZ). Little behaviors mean a lot. How you shake hands, eye contact, whether or not you are late – they all send a message to other people. Listen as I explain what message they send and how to maximize the impact. (Travis Bradberry author of “Emotional Intelligence 2.0”) Sometimes the answer is right in front of you but you completely miss it. It happens to everyone – even the experts. Gordon Rugg – a British researcher and author of the book Blind Spot: Why We Fail to See the Solution Right in Front of Us (https://amzn.to/2GFXQCa) joins me to explain why this happens. Sometimes it is because we ask the wrong questions or we ask to wrong expert. Listen as Gordon shares some fascinating insight into this common problem. This Week's Sponsors -Fab Fit Fun. For $10 off your first box go to www.FabFitFun.com and use the promo code: something -ADT. To get a secure smart home designed just for you go to www.ADT.com -BetterHelp. Get help with a counselor you will love at www.BetterHelp.com/SYSK -Capital One. What's in your wallet? www.CapitalOne.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you want to feel good, grab some money! I begin this episode by explaining how the simple act of handling money can make you feel a lot better if you are feeling a bit down. And the money doesn’t even have to be your money. http://content.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1912574,00.html When you walk into a neat, clean and organized room, do you feel better? Calmer? A lot of people do. More order and less clutter can help you feel happier says Gretchen Rubin, host of the podcast, “Happier with Gretchen Rubin” and author of the book Outer Order Inner Calm: Declutter and Organize to Make Room for Happiness (https://amzn.to/2IB6HaC). Listen as Gretchen explains the psychology of order and how it relates to happiness. Plus she offers some great techniques to organize and create a calmer space. People hug their dogs. It is a sign of affection. However, dogs hate it and it can cause a lot of stress in your pet. Listen as I explain why it is not a good idea to hug your dog – in fact it can be dangerous. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/201604/the-data-says-donthug-the-dog Mention the word “calculus” and people probably think of it as a high school math class that was very difficult. However, calculus is so much more. Without it there might not be cell phones or GPS or television. Calculus helped find a treatment for AIDS and helped us discover Neptune. Steven Strogatz is a professor of Applied Mathematics at Cornell and author of the book Infinite Powers: How Calculus Reveals the Secrets of the Universe (https://amzn.to/2Vvl3zv) and he joins me to explain exactly what calculus is and how critical it is to our modern world. This Week's Sponsors -Fab Fit Fun. For $10 off your first box go to www.FabFitFun.com and use the promo code: something -ADT. To get a secure smart home designed just for you go to www.ADT.com -BetterHelp. Get help with a counselor you will love at www.BetterHelp.com/SYSK -Capital One. What's in your wallet? www.CapitalOne.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine that while you are sleeping, a cleaning crew gets into your brain to clean out all the toxins so that your brain works better the next day. I know it sounds weird but it is exactly what happens. Listen as I begin this episode with that explanation. http://ens-newswire.com/2013/10/18/brain-cleans-itself-of-toxins-during-sleep/ Most great breakthrough ideas fail first and then get modified before they became a success. It often happens multiple times. Being open to learning from those early failures and being able to adapt your ideas is what helps make ideas prosper according to Safi Bahcall. Safi is a physicist and biotech entrepreneur and author of the book, Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas that Win Wars, Cure Diseases and Transform Industries (https://amzn.to/2GsXA8u). Listen as Safi offers insight and great examples of how important inventions and breakthroughs have happened by learning from failure and how we all can do it. Often the reason you get upset or stressed out is because things aren’t the way you think they SHOULD be… Traffic should not be so heavy, your doctor should not keep you waiting – that type of thing. Listen as I explore how to change that thinking to relieve yourself of unnecessary frustration. http://www.bakadesuyo.com/2015/04/frustrated/ When I think of compulsive behavior, I think of people who wash their hands a lot or check to see if they locked the door or turned off the coffee pot 50 times a day. While that seems to be extreme compulsive behavior, how is it any different than checking your smart phone 86 times a day? (That's the average). Science writer Sharon Begley has explored this in her book Just Can’t Stop: An Investigation of Compulsion (https://amzn.to/2IAUnHj). She joins me to reveal why compulsive behavior isn’t necessarily bad and explains at what point it does become a problem and what to do about it. This Week’s Sponsors -ADT. To get a secure smart home designed just for you go to www.ADT.com -BetterHelp. Get help with a counselor you will love at www.BetterHelp.com/SYSK -Ollie. For 60% off your first order plus a free bag of dog treats go to www.myollie.com/try/something -Hers. For $10 off your first order (while supplies last) go to www.ForHers.com/something -Capterra To find the best software for your business visit www.Capterra.com/something -Capital One. What's in your wallet? www.CapitalOne.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You probably don’t write much with a pen and paper anymore. Most of us type. However, there are a lot of benefits to writing the old-fashion way. I begin this episode with some great reasons why you should write more and type less. (http://mentalfloss.com/article/78182/4-reasons-write-hand-rather-type) Want to be more likeable and attract people to you? Some people are really good at it. They have the ability to draw people to them – almost as if it were magic. How do they do it? Jack Schafer knows. Jack is a former FBI Special Agent who mastered the techniques of making building rapport and getting people to like him in order to get them to confess to crimes and reveal personal information. He is the author of the book, The Like Switch: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Influencing, Attracting, and Winning People Over (https://amzn.to/2DloBK1) and he joins me to share the techniques and the science behind them. Do you like to dance? I hope so because it is apparently really good for your brain. Listen as I explain how dancing and brain health are connected. (http://www.medicaldaily.com/benefits-dancing-neurodegenerative-disease-humanbrain-380835?rel=most_read4) It is called the Goodness Paradox. Simply put, it is the fact that human beings can be so kind and thoughtful on one hand and so evil and aggressive on the other. Harvard anthropology professor Richard Wrangham, comes on the podcast to discuss this fascinating quirk of human behavior that allowed Adolf Hitler to be such a monster and at the same time an animal lover and delightful party host. He reveals that as species we are actually less aggressive than other animals – and we seem to be getting even less aggressive than we used to be. Richard is author of the book The Goodness Paradox (https://amzn.to/2DlF0y5). This Week’s Sponsors -ADT. To get a secure smart home designed just for you go to www.ADT.com -BetterHelp. Get help with a counselor you will love at www.BetterHelp.com/SYSK -Ollie. For 60% off your first order plus a free bag of dog treats go to www.myollie.com/try/something -Hers. For $10 off your first order (while supplies last) go to www.ForHers.com/something -Capterra To find the best software for your business visit www.Capterra.com/something -Capital One. What's in your wallet? www.CapitalOne.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The scent of lavender is supposed to be calming. It may also be the scent of trust. I begin this episode by explaining how lavender can make you appear to be more trustworthy – and why. http://rd.com/advice/relationships/habits-make-people-trust/ I bet you have things you really want to do but somehow never get to doing them - right? There are trips you probably want to take or goals you want to accomplish but you don't. So what’s stop you? Sam Horn author of the book Someday is Not a Day in the Week (https://amzn.to/2X94qqn) joins me to explain why people keep procrastinating on those important goals and she offers a simple and effective way to stop putting them off and start doing them. What is it about some people who just walk into a room and take control? How do they send off those signals of, “I’m in charge here”? A lot of it turns out to be body language and I’ll explain how you can do it too. http://www.businessinsider.com/tricks-for-reading-peoples-body-language-2016-3 What if the foods you eat can actually target certain diseases? There is some fascinating new evidence that 200 specific foods can actually do just that according to renowned physician Dr. William Li. Dr. Li has served has served on the faculties of Harvard Medical School, Tufts University, and Dartmouth Medical School and he is author of the book Eat to Beat Disease (https://amzn.to/2IjehXk). Listen as he explains the fascinating research that shows exactly which foods fight which diseases. This Week's Sponsors -Ancestry. To get 20% off your Ancestry DNA test go to www.Ancestry.com/something -BetterHelp. Get help with a counselor you will love at www.BetterHelp.com/SYSK -Quip. Get your first refill pack free. Go to www.GetQuip.com/something -Skillshare. For 2 months free access to over 25,000 classes go to www.Skillshare.com/something -ADT. To get a secure smart home designed just for you go to www.ADT.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grocery stores have a lot of germs. For one thing there is a lot of raw meat and fish moving around in the store. Some of those germs can cause you and your family to get really sick. I begin this episode with some very important advice on how to protect yourself from this very real threat. http://www.menshealth.com/health/supermarket-safety Conflict can be ugly and messy. It can also be positive and productive, according the Liane Davey author of the book, The Good Fight (https://amzn.to/2YXKnwG). Liane joins me to explain how to have “productive conflict” that actually gets to a solution. Plus she reveals how to avoid unproductive conflict that does little more than to cause trouble and make things worse. Conflict is part of life. How we handle it is what matters. Do you sleep in the fetal position? A lot of people do and it may be messing with your self-confidence. Listen as I explain how and why and how you can counteract the effects. https://www.businessinsider.com/amy-cuddy-advice-waking-up-right-2016-1 More than half of the world’s population lives in cities. Yet cities are full of problems: crime, high taxes, traffic, ridiculously high cost of housing and many more. Monica L. Smith, a professor of anthropology at UCLA and author of the book Cities: The First 6,000 Years https://amzn.to/2InT5yt) joins me to reveal why people love living in cities, why cities are a relatively new invention (6,000 years ago) and what the future holds for urban environments and the people who live there. This Week's Sponsors -Ancestry. To get 20% off your Ancestry DNA test go to www.Ancestry.com/something -BetterHelp. Get help with a counselor you will love at www.BetterHelp.com/SYSK -Quip. Get your first refill pack free. Go to www.GetQuip.com/something -Skillshare. For 2 months free access to over 25,000 classes go to www.Skillshare.com/something -ADT. To get a secure smart home designed just for you go to www.ADT.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sibling relationships change as we move from childhood to adulthood. Sometimes they change for the better – sometimes not. We begin this episode by unraveling the complications of adult sibling relationships. http://www.rd.com/advice/relationships/adult-sibling-estrangement/ When you were a kid you had a secret identity. You pretended to be Superman or a princess or someone you admired. What’s interesting is you can do the same thing as an adult to help achieve your personal and professional goals. Todd Herman, a performance coach and author of the book The Alter Ego Effect: The Power of Secret Identities to Transform Your Life (https://amzn.to/2YVO46c) joins me to explain how adopting a secret identity can help you succeed in anything. How much water should you drink today? There is a simple formula I’ll explain that will make sure you are sufficiently hydrated every day. https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/06/30/milk-and-other-surprising-ways-to-stay-hydrated/ It is the 50th anniversary of the first man walking on the moon. To celebrate you are going to discover some fascinating things about the moon that will forever change the way you think when you look up in the sky. Dr.Maggie Aderin-Pocock is a space scientist and science educator. She is an Honorary Research Associate in University College London's Department of Physics and Astronomy and author of the The Book of the Moon: A Guide to Our Closest Neighbor (https://amzn.to/2D11Afx). Her view of the moon will fascinate you. This Week's Sponsors -LinkedIn. For $50 off your first job post, go to www.LinkedIn.com/podcast -BetterHelp. Get help with a counselor you will love at www.BetterHelp.com/SYSK -Care/Of Vitamins. For 50% off your first order go to www.TakecareOf.com and use the promo code: something50 -Ollie. For 60% off your first order plus a free bag of dog treats go to www.myollie.com/try/something -Calming Comfort. For $15 off the displayed price go to www.calmingcomfortblanket.com and use the promo code: something -ADT. To get a secure smart home designed just for you go to www.ADT.com -Capital One. What's in your wallet? www.CapitalOne.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why does traffic just seem to stop for no reason then magically clear up? You are sure there must be an accident or construction but there isn’t. So what causes it? We begin this episode with an explanation of that. (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090608151550.htm) There are 7 deadly sins: pride, envy, gluttony, lust, wrath, greed and sloth. Why are they so tempting? We humans spend our lives trying to resist the lure of sin. So what’s it all for? Jack Lewis author of the book The Science of Sin: Why We Do the Things We Know We Shouldn’t (https://amzn.to/2HVhXhL) joins me for a fascinating discussion on why we are attracted to things that can do us no good and what determines if we resist or give in to temptation. Ever have a chain necklace get all tangled in a knot that is hard to get undone? That is just one of several household emergencies that you’ll hear the solution for in this episode. http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/g3397/quick-cleaning-fixesfor-everyday-issues/ You probably assume that in order to be a leader, you have to have authority – otherwise why should anyone listen to you? Well you don’t, according to my guest Clay Scroggins, author of the book How to Lead When You're Not in Charge: Leveraging Influence When You Lack Authority (https://amzn.to/2UxS7Gc). Listen to understand why it is not about authority so much as it is about influence. This Week's Sponsors -LinkedIn. For $50 off your first job post, go to www.LinkedIn.com/podcast -BetterHelp. Get help with a counselor you will love at www.BetterHelp.com/SYSK -Care/Of Vitamins. For 50% off your first order go to www.TakecareOf.com and use the promo code: something50 -Ollie. For 60% off your first order plus a free bag of dog treats go to www.myollie.com/try/something -Calming Comfort. For $15 off the displayed price go to www.calmingcomfortblanket.com and use the promo code: something -ADT. To get a secure smart home designed just for you go to www.ADT.com -Capital One. What's in your wallet? www.CapitalOne.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sometimes you have to ask a stranger for a favor. Perhaps you need to borrow their phone or help you carry something. And there is one proven way that will greatly increase the chances they will grant you that favor. I begin this episode by telling you what it is. http://www.medicaldaily.com/likeability-trustworthy-how-be-popular-377296 Time is precious. So how you mange, control and perceive the time you have is critical. Time, performance and productivity expert Steven Griffith, author of the book The Time Cleanse (https://amzn.to/2HMoHhU) has a really interesting take on controlling your time so it works for you rather than feel that you don’t have enough time to do what is really important to you. It would seem that online dating sites would be good at matching people based on the data profile. But there is one big flaw in that data. Listen as I tell you what it is and why dating sites can actually make it more difficult to find love. http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/grading-the-online dating-industry.html People often treat their pets as a member of the family. That can be trouble. Dogs and cats are not people and really shouldn’t be treated – or fed – like a person. Veterinarian Dr. Karen Halligan author of the book, Doc Halligan’s What Every Pet Owner Should Know: Prescriptions for Happy, Healthy Cats and Dogs (https://amzn.to/2WtrAaI) joins me to offer sound advice that will help your pet live a long and healthy life. She also has some warnings on things not to do that could put your pet in danger. This Week's Sponsors -Skillshare. For 2 months free access to over 25,000 classes go to www.Skillshare.com/something -ADT. For more information on smart home security go to www.ADT.com -Capital One. Visit www.CapitalOne.com What's in your wallet? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you ever long for the good old days? Nostalgia can be such a wonderful thing. We begin this episode with a look at why the past can seem so idyllic and wonderful and what the positive effects of looking back are. http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/nostalgia4.htm Do you really understand what algorithms are and how they work? You probably should because algorithms are used so often to influence us in making decisions on what to buy, what movies to watch or who to date. Kartik Hosanagar is a professor of technology, digital business and marketing at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and author of the book A Human’s Guide to Machine Intelligence: How Algorithms Are Shaping Our Lives and How We Can Stay in control (https://amzn.to/2JuStcy). Listen and hear the good and the bad about how algorithms have become part of everyday life. “Sit up straight and don’t slouch!” How many times have you heard that or said that to someone else? It turns out that posture is really important and I’ll explain why. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2295420/Stand-straight-stay-fightingfit-From-raised-blood-pressure-bloated-stomach-surprising-effectsbad-posture.html#ixzz2OBJ72FZQ Some ideas really stick and others quickly fade away. Why? What makes an idea sticky? Chip Heath, author of the book Made to Stick : Why Some Ideas Thrive and Others Die (https://amzn.to/2Y9YaQu) joins me to talk about his research into what makes a really good idea resonate with people. The advice he gives is very practical and will help you create ideas that people will fall in love with. This Week's Sponsors -Skillshare. For 2 months free access to over 25,000 classes go to www.Skillshare.com/something -ADT. For more information on smart home security go to www.ADT.com -Capital One. Visit www.CapitalOne.com What's in your wallet? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Springtime means the return of annoying allergy symptoms for a lot of us. I begin this episode with some simple but very effective techniques that can help minimize the suffering from allergies and they come from a top allergist. http://www.forbes.com/sites/melaniehaiken/2013/03/20/allergy-alert-worst-allergyseason-ever/ If the English language is constantly evolving then what is “proper English”? Should you judge people if they use the language differently from you? Is it okay if someone says, “Let me axe you a question?” These are some of the things I discuss with Anne Curzan, professor of English, linguistics and education at the University of Michigan and host of a series of online courses at The Great Courses (https://www.thegreatcourses.com/professors/anne-curzan/) After listening to her, you may look at the language in a very different light. Should kids question authority or follow the rules? As a parent, you would like them to behave but if you look at the effect it has on their future income as adults, you may change your mind. Listen as I explain some fascinating research into this. http://www.businessinsider.com/kids-personality-salary-money-science-study-2016-3 We all know that making changes is hard even when those changes are exactly what we need. So is there a way to approach change to make it easier? Yes, according to Gregg Clunis, host of the podcast, Tiny Leaps, Big Changes and author of the book Tiny Leaps Big Changes (https://amzn.to/2OfDDFr). Gregg offers some important insight to making personal changes whether it is reaching for a big goal or eliminating something negative in your life. This Week's Sponsors -Fab Fit Fun. For $10 off your first box, go to www.FabFitFun.com and use the promo code: something -Trip Actions. Go towww.TripActions.com/something to complete a 30 minute demo and receive a $100Amazon gift card. -ADT. Go to www.ADT.com/smart to learn how ADT can design and install a smart home system for you. -Select Quote. Get your free insurance quote at www.SelectQuote.com/something -Indeed. Post a sponsored job for free at www.Indeed.com/podcast -Geico. Go to www.Geico.com to see how Geico can save you money on your car insurance -Capital One. What's in your wallet? www.CapitalOne.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Salt makes food taste good – maybe too good. We begin this episode by discussing research that shows how salty foods may make you eat more food than you planned and more than you should. http://www.womansday.com/health-fitness/nutrition/a54074/salty-food-leadsto-overeating/ We are all concerned about toxins in our environment. However, it isn’t always clear which toxins are most worrisome and where they are. Dr. Gary Ginsberg knows. He is the director of The Center for Environmental Health for the New York State Department of Health, a clinical professor at the Yale School of Public Health and author of the book What’s Toxic What’s Not (https://amzn.to/2T64tAI) . Dr. Ginsberg explains what things you should really be concerned about and what to do to reduce your exposure to dangerous toxins. On television you’ll sometimes see a character get really angry and then clutch his chest and have a heart attack. Or you might see someone in a movie get some bad news and then have a heart attack. Does that ever happen in real life? Listen as I explore that. http://www.rxlist.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=141134 The world of employment is constantly changing. In order to get ahead and advance in your career you need to understand and adapt to those changes. No one has their finger on the pulse of the job market than Alexandra Cavoulacos, co-founder of The Muse.com and author of the book The New Rules of Work (https://amzn.to/2XULHQu). Alex joins me to share the latest trends and offers rock solid advice that can really help you. This Week's Sponsors -Fab Fit Fun. For $10 off your first box, go to www.FabFitFun.com and use the promo code: something -Trip Actions. Go towww.TripActions.com/something to complete a 30 minute demo and receive a $100Amazon gift card. -ADT. Go to www.ADT.com/smart to learn how ADT can design and install a smart home system for you. -Select Quote. Get your free insurance quote at www.SelectQuote.com/something -Indeed. Post a sponsored job for free at www.Indeed.com/podcast -Geico. Go to www.Geico.com to see how Geico can save you money on your car insurance -Capital One. What's in your wallet? www.CapitalOne.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Of course you want high self-esteem and you sure want your kids to have it. But there is actually only one way to get it and it is not the way a lot of people think. We begin this episode by discussing the one and only way to acquire high self-esteem. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110301091342.htm No one likes to fail. Failure is painful. However, failure may not be as bad as you think when you take a different view of it. That’s according to psychologist Becca North, a visiting assistant professor at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas and author of the book Your Hidden Super Powers: How the Whole Truth of Failure Can Change Our Lives (https://amzn.to/2W0chGg). She joins me to discuss a very practical and optimistic take on failure that can help you deal with failing and come out better on the other side. Do you eat lunch at your desk at work? It is such a horrible idea. Listen and hear the reasons why you should NOT eat at your desk and why you should go out for lunch. Then, please, go out for lunch today! http://www.realsimple.com/health/nutrition-diet/healthy-eating/lunch-break In this age of fad diets and extreme eating plans, is there a more moderate way to approach diet and weight loss? Yes there is, according to registered dietician Jaclyn London who is the director of nutrition at Good Housekeeping magazine. Jaclyn, who is also the author of the book Dressing on the Side (and Other Diet Myths Debunked) (https://amzn.to/2XYVjJT) joins me to discuss how to eat more and stress less over food and stop worrying so much about body weight. This Week’s Sponsors -Capterra. Find the best software for your business by going to www.capterra.com/something -ADT. Go to www.ADT.com/smart to learn how ADT can design and install a smart home system for you. -Quip. Get your first refill free when you buy a quip toothbrush at www.Get Quip.com/something -Geico. Go to www.Geico.com to see how Geico can save you money on your car insurance -Joybird Furniture. Go to www.joybird.com/something and get 25% your first order using promo code: something -Indeed. New users can try Indeed for free by going to www.Indeed.com/podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Isn’t it great when you have an “A-Ha Moment”? It’s when an idea or the answer to a problem just pops in your head. But is it actually a GOOD idea? We begin this episode by exploring whether those thoughts are worth paying attention to. http://drexel.edu/now/archive/2016/March/Insight_Correctness/ You hear so many things about success such as, “It’s not what you know it’s who you know” or “Nice guys finish last.” The fact is that so much of what people believe about success has been studied scientifically and it turns out some of what we believe is true and other things are not. Eric Barker who writes the blog Barking Up the Wrong Tree and is also author of the book Barking Up the Wrong Tree. (https://amzn.to/2NTGkfT) joins me to explore the science of success and how to apply it to your life. You’ve probably heard that we are all connected by no more than 6 degrees of separation. It is the basis of the game, “6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon.” But is it true? Are we all that connected? And where did this whole idea come from? Listen and I will explain. http://www.vox.com/2016/2/4/10918942/facebook-friends-study-degrees-of-separation You don’t think about them much but your bones are pretty important and as it turns out, they are really fascinating as well. Writer Brian Switek author of the book Skeleton Keys: The Secret Life of Bone (https://amzn.to/2UyUhT6) reveals the fascinating things going on inside the 206 bones in your body (more or less). This Week’s Sponsors -Capterra. Find the best software for your business by going to www.capterra.com/something -ADT. Go to www.ADT.com/smart to learn how ADT can design and install a smart home system for you. -Quip. Get your first refill free when you buy a quip toothbrush at www.Get Quip.com/something -Geico. Go to www.Geico.com to see how Geico can save you money on your car insurance -Joybird Furniture. Go to www.joybird.com/something and get 25% your first order using promo code: something -Indeed. New users can try Indeed for free by going to www.Indeed.com/podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone has heard about antioxidants. In fact, a lot of people take antioxidant supplements. But is more better? We begin this episode with a look at antioxidants, what they do and when too much of them could be a bad thing. https://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2013/03/09/do-you-really-need-antioxidants Just how smart are you? Well, actually it depends. It is clear that your brain works better when you do certain lifestyle things and avoid other things. For example, how much you sleep you get and much alcohol you drink can have a real impact on how you think. David Bardsley, author of the book Smarter Next Year: The Revolutionary Science for a Smarter, Happier You (https://amzn.to/2tUXcK8) joins me to reveal simple lifestyle changes that can make you smarter and improve the way your brain functions at any age. What makes a woman beautiful? That may seem like a complicated question but in one significant way, the answer is quite simple. Listen as I explain. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3477150/Bland-really-beautifulResearchers-simple-faces-likely-seen-attractive-easier-brain-process.html Efficiency is good but too much efficiency may not be. In fact, trying to be too efficient can actually make you less efficient. That’s according to Edward Tenner, a distinguished scholar at the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation and author of the book The Efficiency Paradox (https://amzn.to/2CaWgpk). Listen as he discusses how doing things efficiently isn’t necessarily always better - and how we have to balance efficiency with quality and intuition. This Week’s Sponsors -LinkedIn Jobs. For $50 off your first job posting, go to www.Linkedin.com/podcast -Calming Comfort Blanket. For $15 off the posted price, go to www.CalmingComfortBlanket.com and use the promo code: something. -Care/OF Vitamins. For 50% off your first month of Care/Of Vitamins go to www.TakeCareOf.com and us the promo code: something50 -Geico. To save money on car home or renters’ insurance go to www.Geico.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Decision making is easy when you have to choose one of two options. However, when you add that third option (or more), it is amazing how the decision making process can fall apart – even for really smart people. This episode begins with an explanation as to why that is. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3469751/Why-clever-people-make-baddecisions-Having-options-creates-noise-brain-leads-irrational-choices.html Even though many people say they don’t like to negotiate, the fact is we all do it every single day. We are constantly negotiating with co-workers, the boss, kids, friends, customer service and even the occasional car salesman. Since we all have to do it, you might as well discover how to do it better. Listen to hear some great advice and insight from G. Richard Shell, professor at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, academic director of Wharton’s executive training programs on negotiation influence and persuasion and author of the book Bargaining for Advantage : Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People (https://amzn.to/2ERQcno) Taking photos at a funeral seems like a bad idea. Hardly anyone does it. But maybe we should. Listen and I’ll explain why those photos may one day become quite significant if someone would take them. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/5-reasons-you-should-ask-someone-to-take-photos-at-a-funeral_n_5b9f3a6fe4b03a1dcca76e67 Every day we have to do things we don’t like to do. Those are the things you hate and wish would go away - and they often get put off until later. Eventually though, they have to be done. So here with some help for getting those things accomplished is Lara Honos-Webb, PhD and author of the book Brain Hacks: Life-Changing Strategies to Improve Executive Functioning (https://amzn.to/2IYWGoC). This Week’s Sponsors -LinkedIn Jobs. For $50 off your first job posting, go to www.Linkedin.com/podcast -Calming Comfort Blanket. For $15 off the posted price, go to www.CalmingComfortBlanket.com and use the promo code: something. -Care/OF Vitamins. For 50% off your first month of Care/Of Vitamins go to www.TakeCareOf.com and us the promo code: something50 -Geico. To save money on car home or renters’ insurance go to www.Geico.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every driver has likely had the experience of encountering a motorcycle that “came out of nowhere.” How does that happen? There is actually an explanation for why this is such a common occurrence and we begin today's episode with the explanation. http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/motorcycles/a19641/why-you-dont-seemotorcycles-on-the-road/ Every piece of technology you use has a story of how it came to be. Some of those stories are fascinating. For example, did you know YouTube was originally a dating website? It’s one of the many stories told by Dagogo Altraide, creator of the Cold Fusion YouTube channel and author of the book, New Thinking: From Einstein to Artificial Intelligence, the Science and Technology that Transformed Our World (https://amzn.to/2T8RmUu).Listen as Dagogo explains fascinating backstories from the original telephone to the iPhone, Netflix and even the movie, Toy Story. Here is the link to Dagogo's YouTube channel, "Cold Fusion": https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4QZ_LsYcvcq7qOsOhpAX4A Some photos just don’t belong on social media – not because they are offensive but mostly because they are boring to look at and nobody cares. Listen as I offer some suggestions on the types of photos most people would rather NOT see you post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or anywhere else. https://www.purewow.com/tech/Things-to-Never-Post-on-Social-Media There is an assumption in the U.S. that if you get sick, you go to the doctor and he or she will fix it. The problem with that assumption is that it isn’t true for a lot of medical problems. Relying on the healthcare system to live a long and healthy life is a risky proposition according to Robert Kaplan, a behavioral scientist at Stanford University and author of the book More Than Medicine: The Broken Promise of American Health (https://amzn.to/2IISfy9). Robert explains why healthcare can’t fix a lot of problems and what you can do to stay healthy and live a long time. This Week's Sponsors -ADT. Go to www.ADT.com/smart to learn how ADT can design and install a smart home system for you. -Select Quote. Get your free insurance quote at www.SelectQuote.com/something -Trip Actions. Go towww.TripActions.com/something to complete a 30 minute demo and receive a $100Amazon gift card. -Geico. Go to www.Geico.com to see how Geico can save you money on your car insurance Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever have the feeling someone is watching you? Almost everyone has had the experience but do humans actually have the ability to sense that? I begin this episode by explaining the science behind the sense of being watched. http://www.popsci.com/why-do-i-feel-like-someones-watching-me People influence you and you influence other people. It happens all the time all day long. What is so interesting is that it often happens in ways you are unaware of. Matthew Jackson is a professor of Economics at Stanford University and author of a new book called The Human Network: How Your Social Position Determines Your Power, Beliefs and Behaviors https://amzn.to/2EvVfJY joins me to offer some fascinating insight into how you influence others and they – you. If you have been told anything about emotions in the workplace it was probably that you shouldn’t have any or don’t cry at work. “Check your emotions at the door” is common company policy in many organizations. Liz Fosslien, author of the book No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work https://amzn.to/2BY8zFn says the problem is that emotions are in the workplace and they can cause big problems. Listen as she offers solutions to deal with your emotions and those of the people you work with. Why do we still have the U.S. penny? Other countries have eliminated their smallest value coin - but not here. Why? Listen and I’ll explain why we still mint millions of pennies every year. https://www.kiplinger.com/article/business/T043-C000-S001-why-the-humble-penny-refuses-to-die.html This Week's Sponsors -ADT. Go to www.ADT.com/smart to learn how ADT can design and install a smart home system for you. -Select Quote. Get your free insurance quote at www.SelectQuote.com/something -Trip Actions. Go towww.TripActions.com/somethingto complete a 30 minute demo and receive a $100Amazon gift card. -Geico. Go to www.Geico.com to see how Geico can save you money on your car insurance Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever go out knowing your hair looks horrible or there is something wrong with your clothes? Everyone probably has but the more important question is – does anyone actually notice. This episodes begins with some fascinating research about how much people actually pay attention to you and your physical appearance. http://www.youbeauty.com/beauty/psychology-of-hair/ So many factors influence what you eat and how much you eat – and you are totally unaware of many of them. Dr. Brian Wansink, Director of the Food and Brand Lab at Cornell University and author of the book Slim by Design: Mindless Eating Solutions for Everyday Life (https://amzn.to/2XlCS1M) returns for a closer look at how you are influenced and how to protect yourself from eating too much of the wrong food. Every office has a set of coffee mugs in the kitchen that people use. Have you ever stopped to consider just how clean those coffee mugs are? A scientist has tested mugs in several offices and wait until you hear what he found. http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2013/02/23/Expert-Coffee-mug-on-desk-agerm-machine/UPI-72401361679514/?spt=hs&or=hn Bad things happen. They are part of life. Often when catastrophe strikes, people freak out and don’t cope well with the situation. That’s why Sarah Knight is here. Sarah was one of those people who worried about problems rather than actually deal with them. Then she found a better way. Sarah is the author of the book Calm the F* Down: How to Control What You Can, Accept What You Can’t So You Can Stop Freaking Out and Get On With Your Life )https://amzn.to/2VnXNzn). Listen as Sarah offers some great advice to help deal with those inevitable disasters that life brings and come out better as a result. This Week's Sponsors -Purple Mattress. Text "Something" to 84888 to get a free pillow when you buy a mattress. -Quip. Get your first refill free when you buy a quip toothbrush at www.Get Quip.com/something -Geico. Go to www.Geico.com to see how Geico can save you money on your car insurance -ADT. Go to www.ADT.com/smart to learn how ADT can design and install a smart home system for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can you tell just by looking if someone is honest and trustworthy? Actually you can but the reason will surprise you. Listen as I begin this episode of the podcast by explaining why you usually can trust in your instincts in this case. http://www.columbia.edu/~ms4992/Publications/2016_Slepian-Ames_PychSci.pdf After you listen to this segment, you will never look at success quite the same. Laszlo Barabasi, is a professor at Northeastern University and author of the book The Formula: The Universal Laws of Success (https://amzn.to/2EtKW9t). He explains how to objectively measure success and reveals some interesting factors that influence your success that you would have never imagined. There is a lot of conventional wisdom you likely believe. Things like, “Don’t just a book by its cover” or “Everyone deserves a second chance” or “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” However all of these things are not necessarily true all the time - or maybe ever. Attorney David Libman author of the book 100 Reality Checks (https://amzn.to/2E7JGqW) takes a critical look at some common wisdom and offers another take that may just make a lot more sense. It’s spelled phlegm. It’s pronounced FLEM. It’s that gross goo you get in throat and nose when you get sick. What is it and why do we get it? Listen as I explain the purpose of the seemingly disgusting substance. And really, how many podcasts are going to tell you this? http://www.menshealth.com/health/get-rid-of-phlegm This Week's Sponsors -Purple Mattress. Text "Something" to 84888 to get a free pillow when you buy a mattress. Quip. Get your first refill free when you buy a quip toothbrush at www.Get Quip.com/something -Geico. Go to www.Geico.com to see how Geico can save you money on your car insurance Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are a lot of things you likely believe that are not true. For example, sugar causes hyperactivity in children. That’s just one of several commonly held beliefs that are not true as I begin this episode of the podcast. http://www.rd.com/culture/false-facts-everyone-believes/ You are constantly talking to yourself. And when you actually paid attention to what you are saying to yourself – you will be amazed. Shad Helmstetter author of the book What to Say When You Talk to Yourself (https://amzn.to/2NfCg9e) and his new book The Power of Neuroplasticity (https://amzn.to/2TWPyKo) joins me with a fascinating look at how what we say to ourselves actually shapes who we are. He also offers ways to stop telling yourself all the terrible things like, “I’m so stupid…” or “I’m such an idiot…” because it can make a huge difference in your life. Shad's website is www.shadhelmstetter.com Some people try to squeeze the very last piece of toothpaste out of the tube or the last drop of shampoo out of the bottle. Is it worth the effort? How much can you save? I’ll explain the math then you can decide. http://www.thesimpledollar.com/the-last-bit-in-the-container/ In every country in the developed world, boys are falling behind girls academically and socially. Why? What has happened that seems to have marginalized boys today? It seems there are a lot of factors according to Warren Farrell, former board member of the NYC branch of the National Organization for Women and author of the book The Boy Crisis (https://amzn.to/2El9TDW). Warren joins me with a look at how this has happened and how we can all help boys get back on track. This Week's Sponsors -Joybird Furniture. Go to www.joybird.com/something and get 25% your first order using promo code: something -Capterra. Find the best software for your business by going to www.capterra.com/something -ADT. Go to www.ADT.com/smart to learn how ADT can design and install a smart home system for you. -Geico. Go to www.geico.com for your free quote. -Care/Of Vitamins. For 50% off your first month of personalized Care/of vitamins, go to www.TakeCareOf.com and enter promo code: something50. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you grocery shop, are you one of those people who sometimes changes their mind and takes items out of your shopping cart and stashes them somewhere in the checkout line so you don’t have to buy them? Well, stores are making it harder to do that and that is just ones of the ways grocery stores try to get you to spend more money. I start this episode with a list of several other strategies grocery stores use because knowing could help you save money. http://www.rd.com/slideshows/supermarket-tricks/ There is an interesting distinction between being rich and being wealthy according to writer Paul Sullivan. Paul writes the “Wealth Matters” column for The New York Times and he is author of the book, The Thin Green Line: The Money Secrets of the Super Wealthy (https://amzn.to/2GKrqae) and he joins me to explain the difference and why being wealthy is far better than being rich. More importantly he explains how anyone can be wealthy. When it comes to what women find attractive in a man – sure, looks are important. But there is something else any man can easily do to make himself more attractive and appealing to a woman. It may not work every single time but research says it is pretty powerful. Listen to hear what it is. http://www.businessinsider.com/why-women-are-attracted-to-altruistic-men-2016-2 Wouldn’t it be great if you could control any conversation so it went the way you wanted it to? MaryAnn Karinch, author of the book Control the Conversation: How to Charm, Deflect and Defend Your Position (https://amzn.to/2EgqOr6), joins me to explore the ways you can master the art of conversation, be thoroughly charming and get the outcome you desire from any conversation with anyone. This Week's Sponsors -Joybird Furniture. Go to www.joybird.com/something and get 25% your first order using promo code: something -Capterra. Find the best software for your business by going to www.capterra.com/something -ADT. Go to www.ADT.com/smart to learn how ADT can design and install a smart home system for you. -Geico. Go to www.geico.com for your free quote. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Couples should have a date night. That’s common advice to help keep the romance alive in long term relationships. But interestingly, “couple time” is not the highest quality time couples can have. In fact it doesn’t even come in second. Listen as I explain another way couples can spend their time that is much more rewarding. https://www.businessinsider.com/double-dates-improve-relationship-2018-2 Do you know how to make your memory work to your advantage? If you have ever had your memory fail at exactly the wrong time, listen to my guest Michael Tipper, author of the book Instant Recall (https://amzn.to/2X00YPv). Michael won the silver medal in the World Memory Championship by remembering 9 decks of playing cards in order! He joins me to offer some excellent techniques to help you understand and use your memory to your best advantage. You know that little front pocket that sits inside the big front pocket on blue jeans? Do you know why it is there and what it is for? The idea for that pocket came from Levi Strauss and when you listen you will hear what the original intended use was – which by the way is pretty much obsolete today. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/what-that-little-pocket-in-your-jeansis-really-for-a6828141.html There are a lot of people in relationships who are not getting what they want from their partner. Why is that? What happens in relationships that results in that seemingly inevitable path of negativity, criticism and conflict – and how do you fix it? Harville Hendrix has been working with couples for a long time to help them break free from the negativity that so often takes over in long term relationships. Harville is a practicing therapist and author of several books including the newly revised version of Getting the Love You Want (https://amzn.to/2IbSbXq) which was a huge bestseller when it first came out several years ago. He joins me to reveal what causes relationships to go off-track and how to instantly change how couples interact so the negativity stops. This Week's Sponsors -LinkedIn. Go to www.LinkedIn.com/podcast to get $50 off your first job post -ADT. Go to www.ADT.com/smart to learn how ADT can design and install a smart home system for you. -Select Quote. Go to www.SelectQuote.com/something for your free quote today. -Calming Comfort. Go to www.CalmingComfortBlanket.com and use promo code : something - to get $15 off at checkout. -Care/Of Vitamins. For 50% off your first month of personalized Care/of vitamins, go to www.TakeCareOf.com and enter promo code: something50. -Trip Actions. Go to www.TripActions.com/something to complete a 30 minute demo and receive a $100Amazon gift card. -Geico. Go to www.geico.com for your free quote. -Postmates. For $100 free delivery credit, download the app and use the code: something. -Purple Get a free Purple pillow with the purchase of a mattress. Just text "Something" to 79-79-79. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you want to be more persuasive, there is one little sentence to tack on to the end of any request that is more likely to get people to do what you want. Listen as I begin this episode by revealing that one simple sentence. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10510974.2012.727941?journalCode=rcst20 What makes you human? What is it about us that separates us from other earthly creatures? It’s a fascinating question that has been tackled by Michael Tomasello, professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University and author of a new book called Becoming Human (https://amzn.to/2I0HHdn). What is so interesting is how we wouldn’t be so human without our interaction with other humans. While we may like to think of ourselves as superior to other animals – it may be more about how we different rather than how we are better. Do you use mouthwash on a regular basis? Did you know the American Dental Association doesn’t recommend that? I’ll explain why killing those bad breath germs in your mouth could have some serious negative consequences. http://www.medicaldaily.com/antiseptic-mouthwash-raises-heart-attack-risk-bloodpressure-chlorhexidine-kills-good-bacteria-helps A lot of people swear by herbal remedies. A lot of other people prefer conventional medicine. Do herbal remedies actually work? And if so, which ones? Tieraona Low Dog, M.D. is a proponent of natural and herbal remedies and she wrote the forward to the new book, Nature's Best Remedies (https://amzn.to/2tguq66) from National Geographic. She joins me to discuss the science behind some popular herbal remedies and offers help sorting out what works and what does not. This Week's Sponsors -LinkedIn. Go to www.LinkedIn.com/podcast to get $50 off your first job post -ADT. Go to www.ADT.com/smart to learn how ADT can design and install a smart home system for you. -Select Quote. Go to www.SelectQuote.com/something for your free quote today. -Calming Comfort. Go to www.CalmingComfortBlanket.com and use promo code : something - to get $15 off at checkout. -Care/Of Vitamins. For 50% off your first month of personalized Care/of vitamins, go to www.TakeCareOf.com and enter promo code: something50. -Trip Actions. Go to www.TripActions.com/something to complete a 30 minute demo and receive a $100Amazon gift card. -Geico. Go to www.geico.com for your free quote. -Postmates. For $100 free delivery credit, download the app and use the code: something. -Purple Get a free Purple pillow with the purchase of a mattress. Just text "Something" to 79-79-79. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People who deal with the public as part of their job often begin to believe that people in general are not very bright. For example, one question workers at Disney theme parks are often asked is “What time is the 3 o’clock parade?” Which is, of course, a pretty stupid question on its surface. But it’s how the employees answer the question that makes Disney customer service so legendary – and any organization can do the same thing. https://www.disneyinstitute.com/blog/how-would-you-respond-if-asked-what-time-is-the-3-oclock-parade/ Making money mistakes can be devastating. Yet, a lot of very smart people do some amazingly dumb things with their money according to Jill Schlesinger, business analyst for CBS News, host of the podcast Jill on Money and author of the book, The Dumb Things Smart People Do With Their Money https://amzn.to/2MRHlV5. Listen as Jill explains what to do now to avoid the consequences of stupid money mistakes. We’ve all been told that our attitude is important. I’m sure your parents or a teacher told you something along the lines of: “You can accomplish anything with the right attitude.” But wait a minute. Can the right attitude overcome a lack of skill or talent? John Maxwell, author of dozens of books including The Difference Maker: Making Your Attitude Your Greatest Asset https://amzn.to/2TzvrSs joins me to explain what a good attitude can and cannot do and how to use your attitude to make you better at everything you do. The first wrinkles people usually get are around the eyes – crow’s feet is what people call them. If you have them you should rejoice! Listen as I explain why getting these wrinkles can do wonders for how people see and perceive you. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2272240/Smile-Crows-feet-make-look-cleverattractive.html#axzz2JwHRI3EL This Week's Sponsors -ADT. Go to www.ADT.com/smart to learn how ADT can design and install a smart home system for you. -Quip. Go to www.GetQuip.com/something to order a Quip toothbrush and get your first refill pack free. -Geico. Go to www.Geico.com to see how Geico can save you money on your car insurance. -Sleep Number. To find your nearest store go to www.SleepNumber.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When I need to solve a problem or think of something creative, I often lie down, close my eyes and think. And it turns out that is good advice for everyone. I start this episode with some interesting research that reveals why lying down is a good position to think in. https://lifehacker.com/need-a-creative-boost-try-lying-down-5982463 Just about everyone has had their heart broken even you, I bet. Psychologist Guy Winch, author of the book How to Fix a Broken Heart (https://amzn.to/2UD20it) joins me to explain why a broken heart feels so horrible, how it is different than other forms of grief and why we need to take it more seriously. A broken heart can have negative long-lasting effects and Guy explains how to minimize those effects so you can move on with your life. Imagine life without zero. In the world of numbers, zero is a relatively new addition. And it is the only number that hasn’t changed over time. It is and always has been a circle. Alex Bellos, author of the book Alex’s Adventures in Numberland (https://amzn.to/2MT3G4V) explains some of the fascination facts about numbers like: Why a minute has 60 seconds and an hour has 60 minutes; why a number for nothing (zero) was so revolutionary; why elevator buttons never use negative numbers to indicate floors below ground – and so much more. (Alex is also author of Puzzle Ninja and Soccer School . How can it be that 40% of food in the United States is wasted and thrown away? Many people use coupons and search for bargains at the supermarket and yet so much of that food never gets eaten. Listen as we explore the problem and what we can do. http://www.aol.com/article/2016/02/01/save-money-with-fish-heads-and-potato-scraps /21305862/ This Week's Sponsors -ADT. Go to www.ADT.com/smart to learn how ADT can design and install a smart home system for you. -Quip. Go to www.GetQuip.com/something to order a Quip toothbrush and get your first refill pack free. -Geico. Go to www.Geico.com to see how Geico can save you money on your car insurance. -Sleep Number. To find your nearest store go to www.SleepNumber.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some people like their chocolate chip cookies crispy right out of the often while others like them soft and chewy and some people like them somewhere in between. This episode begins with an explanation of how to get them just the way you like them every single time. http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/cooking-tips-techniques/baking/chocolatechip-cookie-types Ever find it hard to get off Facebook or Instagram? Ever find yourself checking social media more often than you know you should? That turns out to be all by design according to Cal Newport. Cal is an associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University and author of the book Digital Minimalism. https://amzn.to/2GcOvCf. Listen as Cal explains how social media sites manipulate your behavior and what you can do about it. There is new science that reveals that the chemicals around your house can really mess with your hormones and your health. Fire retardants in furniture, fragrances in cosmetics, BPA in aluminum cans and credit card receipts – all these things are having serious consequences on you and your family. Pediatrician Dr. Leonardo Trasande is vice-chair for research for the department of pediatrics at New York University and author of the book Sicker, Fatter, Poorer https://amzn.to/2S9GN2b. He joins me to explain the latest research that is sounding the alarm about the effects of these household chemicals. As Valentine’s Day approaches, you may be thinking about buying roses for someone special. Listen as I explain how not all roses are created equal and which ones are best to buy and where best to buy them. http://www.howdini.com/howdini-video-6637626.html This Week’s Sponsors -Capterra. Visit www.Capterra.com/something to find the best software solutions for your business -ADT. Go to www.ADT.com/smart to learn how ADT can design and install a smart home system for you. -Geico. Go to www.Geico.com to see how Geico can save you money on your car insurance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have all heard how some people become sad or depressed during the winter months? Maybe it’s the lack of sunlight or the social isolation of winter – or maybe it’s all a myth. I begin this episode with a look at Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and reveal how real it really is. http://medicalresearch.com/mental-health-research/depression/sad-no-relationshipbetween-sunlight-and-depression/20863/ Have you heard of “surveillance capitalism”? It’s the business of collecting data on you and me and then selling that data to others. Google Facebook and a lot of other companies do it. It’s legal – but should it be? Shoshana Zuboff, a professor at Harvard and author of the book The Age of Surveillance Capitalism (https://amzn.to/2UlNag5) joins me to explore this highly lucrative business and explains we should all be concerned about it and why it could mean the end of privacy as we know it. As winter storms approach, it is common for people to rush to the grocery and stock up on staples like bread and milk. Often to the point of leaving store shelves bare. But why? Storms only last a day or two. Why are we hoarding supplies as if we will be stranded for weeks? I’ll explain the psychology of all that. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/happy-trails/201601/panic-shopping-the-psychology-the-bread-milk-eggs-rush As a customer you interact with a lot of professional people – waiters, store clerks, doctors, hair dressers teachers and a lot of others. Sometimes those interactions go horribly wrong. So what can you do to make sure things go right? Lynette Padwa author of the book, Say the Magic Words:How to Get What You Want from the People Who Have What You Need (https://amzn.to/2MyhX6A) talked with those professionals and discovered the secrets to making your encounters go well so that you get exactly what you want and everyone is happy. Listen to discover how. This Week’s Sponsors -Capterra. Visit www.Capterra.com/something to find the best software solutions for your business -ADT. Go to www.ADT.com/smart to learn how ADT can design and install a smart home system for you. -Geico. Go to www.Geico.com to see how Geico can save you money on your car insurance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices