Something You Should Know

Watch a couple hold hands as they stroll own the road. It often seems cute and quaint. But it is more than that. Holding hands has some real benefits. Even monkeys know this. Listen as I explain. https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/05/fashion/05hands.html You probably like to think you are pretty good at reading people – right? As you talk with someone, you probably think you can generally tell what they are thinking or where their head is at. Well, what if I told you were not as good as you think you are? What if it turns out that reading body language or trying to "put yourself in someone else’s shoes" are actually pretty lousy strategies? What if there is a much better – almost full-proof technique to know what someone is thinking? This is what Nicholas Epley is here to discuss. He is a professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and author of the book, Mindwise: How We Understand What Others Think, Believe, Feel, and Want (https://amzn.to/3BuU6SY) Who hasn’t played with LEGO bricks? They have been around for decades. So, how does a low-tech, simple LEGO brick compete in the world of high-tech video games and other electronic distractions? The answer is: VERY WELL! Lego is a phenomenon that started from a transatlantic phone call in 1954 to a cultural phenomenon today. And the story of LEGO is truly a fascinating one. Joining me to tell it is Daniel Konstanski, the US Editor for Blocks Magazine (https://blocksmag.com/) and author of a book The Secret Life of LEGO® Bricks: The Story of a Design Icon (https://amzn.to/3Y8E8qE). When you are sad, it can affect your vision. You may not see things the same as you would if you were happy. That may sound odd, but listen as I explain. https://scienceblogs.com/neurophilosophy/2010/07/22/feeling-blue-seeing-gray#google_vignette Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When someone first sees you, what impression do they get? What image do you project? It’s important to think about this if you want to be persuasive. This episode begins by looking at how people judge you, your ideas, opinions and recommendations. And so much of it has to do with who you present yourself to be. Source: Robert Mayer author of the book Power Plays (https://amzn.to/3BWHKzy). Do you ever wish you were better at setting boundaries with others? If you can accomplish it, the benefits are tremendous and it can make your life much more enjoyable. And it may not be as difficult as you think says my guest Melissa Urban who is an expert on setting boundaries. Melissa is author of The Book of Boundaries: End Resentment, Burnout, and Anxiety –and Reclaim Your Time, Energy, Health, and Relationships. (https://amzn.to/3BVoxOF). Listen as Melissa explains how to set boundaries with people without offending them. You’ll hear actual scripts to say to make it easy for you to do. When it comes to making big decisions in life, the problem is often not making the wrong decision – it is making no decision at all. We put off deciding and either never decide or decide too late. Joining me on today’s episode with some wonderful advice on this is Dr. Neil Shortland. He is an expert on military decision making and has worked with the Department for Defense and National Institute for Justice. He’s also served as an international expert on security and has been an expert witness on court cases involving decision making. Neil is author of the book Decision Time: How to Make the Choices Your Life Depends On (https://amzn.to/3Ef7fPc). Your sleep environment has a big impact on how well and how much you sleep. Listen as I share one simple thing you can do tonight before you go to bed that will help you sleep so much better. is. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/feb/09/clean-crisp-bedding-brings-comfort-like-nothing-else PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!!! MINT MOBILE: Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month at https://MintMobile.com/something! $45 upfront payment required (equivalent to $15/mo.). New customers on first 3 month plan only. Additional taxes, fees, & restrictions apply. INDEED: Get a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com/SOMETHING. Terms and conditions apply. SHOPIFY: Sign up for a $1 per-month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk . Go to SHOPIFY.com/sysk to grow your business – no matter what stage you’re in! DELL: Dell Technologies and Intel are creating technology that loves ideas, expanding your business and evolving your passions! We push what technology can do, so great ideas can happen. Bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“You should drink at least 8 glasses of water per day!” Well, wait a second. That advice is about 80 years old and frankly doesn’t really “hold water.” This episode begins by explaining how much water you really should drink and how some people might actually be drinking too much. https://www.tuftsmedicine.org/about-us/news/medical-myths-drink-8-glasses-water-each-day Every cell in your body apparently has a little clock built into it. These clocks know when you should sleep, when you should get up, when you do your best work and more. The whole system is called you circadian rhythms and you are about to take an interesting journey into how they work so that you can understand your personal circadian rhythms and how to optimize them. Here to explain it is Lynne Peeples. She is science journalist and former staff reporter at The Huffington Post. Her work has appeared in The Guardian, Scientific American, Nature and other publications. Lynne is also author of the book, The Inner Clock: Living in Sync with Our Circadian Rhythms (https://amzn.to/3XJWcWx) Do you know who built the first internal combustion engine-powered car? And when? Have you ever wondered why American cars look so different (and bigger) than most European cars? Whatever happened to the station wagon? Here to explore these questions and explain some of the amazing history of the automobile is Witold Rybczynski. He is an architect and emeritus professor of urbanism at the University of Pennsylvania. He has written 21 books with his latest being The Driving Machine: A Design History of the Car (https://amzn.to/3BlWCuN). Can dogs or cats be vegetarian or even vegan? It is a growing trend but is it the right thing to do as a pet owner? This episode begins with some thoughts on this. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-07/can-your-pet-become-vegan/10969616 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!!! MINT MOBILE: Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month at https://MintMobile.com/something! $45 upfront payment required (equivalent to $15/mo.). New customers on first 3 month plan only. Additional taxes, fees, & restrictions apply. INDEED: Get a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com/SOMETHING. Terms and conditions apply. SHOPIFY: Sign up for a $1 per-month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk . Go to SHOPIFY.com/sysk to grow your business – no matter what stage you’re in! DELL: Dell Technologies and Intel are creating technology that loves ideas, expanding your business and evolving your passions! We push what technology can do, so great ideas can happen. Bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Groceries are expensive. So, if you would like a simple yet effective technique to cut your grocery bill down, listen to the start of this episode to discover exactly how. Source: Eat This Not That by David Zinczenko (https://amzn.to/3ZKjVs6). For decades many of us have looked forward to flying cars, real human-like robots, smart cities, driverless cars and other technologies. Yet, they just never quite seem to get here. Why is that? Well, that is exactly what Nicole Kobie is here to explain and discuss. Nicole is a technology and science journalist and a contributing editor for Wired. She is author of the book The Long History of the Future: Why Tomorrow's Technology Still Isn't Here (https://amzn.to/3Bg3z0d). It is hard to imagine life without your teeth. You use them to eat, to talk and they are an important part of your appearance. Still, some animals have no teeth while other creatures grow new ones when the old ones fall out. There is a lot you likely don’t know about teeth that I know you will find fascinating when you listen to my guest, Bill Schutt. He is a zoologist and author of six books. His research has been published in Natural History magazine, The New York Times, Newsday, the Economist, and Discover. His latest book is titled, Bite: An Incisive History of Teeth, from Hagfish to Humans (https://amzn.to/3zvSVSK). Paying down your debt is considered good for your financial health. It appears to also be good for your physical health. Listen as I reveal some interesting research that shows the health benefits of lowering the amount you owe. https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2013/08/high-debt-could-be-hazardous-to-your-health/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!!! MINT MOBILE: Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month at https://MintMobile.com/something! $45 upfront payment required (equivalent to $15/mo.). New customers on first 3 month plan only. Additional taxes, fees, & restrictions apply. INDEED: Get a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com/SOMETHING. Terms and conditions apply. SHOPIFY: Sign up for a $1 per-month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk . Go to SHOPIFY.com/sysk to grow your business – no matter what stage you’re in! DELL: Dell Technologies and Intel are creating technology that loves ideas, expanding your business and evolving your passions! We push what technology can do, so great ideas can happen. Bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

iPhone users have likely noticed that some texts show up in blue and some show up in green. What’s the difference? This episode begins by explaining why that happens and what it means. https://www.rd.com/article/why-are-my-texts-green/ Have you heard the expression “time poverty”? It’s when you have too much to do and never enough time to do it. Why live in time poverty when you can live in “time affluence”. Cassie Holmes is here to tell you how. She is a professor of marketing and behavioral decision making at UCLA Anderson School of Management and author of the book Happier Hour: How to Beat Distraction, Expand Your Time, and Focus on What Matters Most (https://amzn.to/3QOReSV). Listen as she explains how to get the important things done and still have time for fun and pleasure. Is salt really all that bad for you? Do vegetarians actually live longer? Are sugar substitutes better than plain sugar? These are just some of the questions I explore with my guest Tim Spector. He is a professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London and the author of four books, including, Spoon-Fed: Why Almost Everything We’ve Been Told About Food Is Wrong (https://amzn.to/3xQ77lB).Tim is on the advisory board of Zoe.com, a company that does research and offers personal nutrition (https://www.joinzoe.com) A lot of people wear the same shoes every day. There is a problem with that. Listen as I explain why the experts say you might want to think about rotating your shoes. Your feet will appreciate it. https://blog.schulershoes.com/can-i-wear-the-same-shoes-every-day/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!!! INDEED: Get a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com/SOMETHING. Terms and conditions apply. SHOPIFY: Sign up for a $1 per-month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk . Go to SHOPIFY.com/sysk to grow your business – no matter what stage you’re in! DELL: Dell Technologies and Intel are creating technology that loves ideas, expanding your business and evolving your passions! We push what technology can do, so great ideas can happen. Bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com MINT MOBILE: Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month at https://MintMobile.com/something! $45 upfront payment required (equivalent to $15/mo.). New customers on first 3 month plan only. Additional taxes, fees, & restrictions apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How is your posture right now? If your shoulders are slouched, you are sending a message to others that you probably don’t want to send. I start this episode by discussing how your posture speaks volumes – good and bad. https://www.jnforensics.com/post/what-the-shoulders-say-about-us Why do dogs seem so picky about where they poop? Can cats tell what you are feeling? Does a goldfish memory last only 3 seconds? While we pet owners love our pets, there is a lot we don’t know or understand. Here to reveal many of these mysteries is Eleanor Spicer Rice. She is an entomologist and the author of several nonfiction books, one of which is called Your Pet’s Secret Lives : The Truth Behind Your Pets’ Wildest Behaviors (https://amzn.to/3BblxB3). Your brain is on its own schedule. It does some kind of work better in the morning and other work better later in the day. It’s important to understand this because you may not be scheduling the type of tasks you are doing to coincide with when your brain is at its peak for that kind of work. Joining me to explain how this works is Dr. Mithu Storoni. She is a physician, neuroscience researcher and ophthalmic surgeon who also advises multinational corporations on mental performance and stress management. She is author of a book called Hyperefficient: Optimize Your Brain to Transform the Way You Work (https://amzn.to/3TAAOSd). It sort of stands to reason that if someone has a big head, they would have a bigger brain and therefore be smarter. But what does the research say about that? Listen as I explore this. I think you will find that the answer is more interesting than you might imagine. https://odditiesbizarre.com/people-with-big-heads/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!!! INDEED: Get a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com/SOMETHING. Terms and conditions apply. SHOPIFY: Sign up for a $1 per-month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk . Go to SHOPIFY.com/sysk to grow your business – no matter what stage you’re in! DELL: Dell Technologies and Intel are creating technology that loves ideas, expanding your business and evolving your passions! We push what technology can do, so great ideas can happen. Bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com MINT MOBILE: Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month at https://MintMobile.com/something! $45 upfront payment required (equivalent to $15/mo.). New customers on first 3 month plan only. Additional taxes, fees, & restrictions apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever fake a smile? We all do. What harm can it do? Well, it could do you some harm if you are the one doing the faking. Listen as I reveal the downside of faking a smile. https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2011/02/22/study-finds-fake-smile-is-bad-for-business/ While modern medicine is responsible for many miraculous things, there are some blind spots – some blunders. For example, the skyrocketing rate of peanut allergies is primarily due to some bad medical science. Same with over prescribing of antibiotics, the reluctance to prescribe hormone replacement therapy for women – all bad science. And there’s more! You need to be aware of these errors and be armed with the information to protect yourself. Here to provide this alarming data is Dr. Marty Makary. He is Professor at Johns Hopkins and has been a visiting professor at 25 medical schools. He is also a member of the National Academy of Medicine and author of two bestselling books. His newest book, which is already a bestseller is called Blind Spots: When Medicine Gets It Wrong, and What It Means for Our Health (https://amzn.to/4gqSjhP) Your mother probably told you to always be kind. While that is good advice, it appears that kindness has a more significant impact on you than you ever knew. It’s not just being kind either. Just witnessing kindness has a cascade of effects on you that you need to hear about. So come listen to my guest Dr. David Hamilton. He is the author of 11 books and his latest is called The Joy of Actually Giving a F*ck: How Kindness Can Cure Stress and Make You Happy (https://amzn.to/3TxKZHw) Why do we drink so much cow’s milk? Lots of animals produce milk but cow’s milk is clearly the preferred favorite. Listen as I reveal the amazingly practical reasons for the popularity of cow’s milk. https://www.washingtonpost.com/kidspost/2022/03/13/why-do-people-drink-cows-milk/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!!! INDEED: Get a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com/SOMETHING. Terms and conditions apply. SHOPIFY: Sign up for a $1 per-month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk . Go to SHOPIFY.com/sysk to grow your business – no matter what stage you’re in! DELL: Dell Technologies and Intel are creating technology that loves ideas, expanding your business and evolving your passions! We push what technology can do, so great ideas can happen. Bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com MINT MOBILE: Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month at https://MintMobile.com/something! $45 upfront payment required (equivalent to $15/mo.). New customers on first 3 month plan only. Additional taxes, fees, & restrictions apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if you could reduce your risk of heart disease by 30% without a lot of effort? After all, it is the number 1 killer in the U.S. This episode begins with this simple little tactic – and by the way, it’s all in your attitude. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/a-positive-mindset-can-help-your-heart-2019021415999 “Stop overthinking this!” You have either said that to someone or had someone say it to you. Overthinking is that process where you think through an idea or a goal or a career move over and over, imagining every variable and possible outcome. It doesn’t help, it just makes you crazy and can really get in the way. So, when does normal thinking become over-thinking? And how do you stop it? Here to discuss this is Jon Acuff. He is author of 9 books including Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking (https://amzn.to/3f2FI9o). Several prominent thinkers and scientists have predicted that artificial intelligence (AI) could be dangerous. One fear is that we might create machines that are so smart and so sophisticated they could control us, instead of us controlling them. Could that be or is it just science-fiction? Might we one day create machines that think on their own? Probably not, according to Gerd Gigerenzer Director Emeritus at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and the award-winning author of several books including, How to Stay Smart In A Smart World (https://amzn.to/3SnGADW). He also reveals how AI can change our behavior and how that is already happening. Fall allergies are a real problem for many of us. If they bother you. listen as I reveal some simple things that will help minimize the symptoms by keeping allergens out of your house. https://www.webmd.com/allergies/allergy-proof-your-environment Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have become much more of a cashless society in the last few years. That turns out to be a good thing because cash is really disgusting. Listen as I explain just how disgusting and you are not going to like it! Source: Elizabeth Scott, author of How to Prevent Food Poisoning https://amzn.to/3XKAvHf Horses are the “Swiss army knife of animals.” They can do so much. Consequently, over the last 5,000 years they have done more to shape our lives and alter human history than any other animal. If it weren’t for horses, your life today would be considerably different. That’s according to my guest, Timothy Winegard who has researched the remarkable impact horses have had on us. He is author of the book, The Horse: A Galloping History of Humanity (https://amzn.to/4grRHZa). Listen as Timothy takes you on a fascinating journey through equine history. Being lazy isn’t considered a good thing by most people. But maybe it is. If you want to achieve your goals and be successful, there is a great case to be made for being lazy some of the time That’s according to Todd McElroy. He is a researcher, educator, and author of the book The Science of Laziness (Achieving More by Doing Less) (https://amzn.to/4e1R5rw). Listen as Todd explains the power of strategic laziness and revels exactly how to do it. In the heat of summer, air conditioning can be wonderful. Still, it can also be the source of concern, particularly when it comes to weight gain and obesity. Listen as I explain the connection and why we need to be concerned. https://www.thelondonobesityclinic.com/is-your-heater-or-air-conditioner-causing-weight-gain/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some very popular drinks turn out to be really bad for your teeth. This episode begins with that list of drinks, what they do to your teeth and some strategies to help you minimize the damage if you are going to drink them. https://news.uthscsa.edu/more-u-s-teeth-susceptible-to-silent-enamel-eating-syndrome/ We are surrounded by gases - oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, natural gas, steam. Gases are everywhere. They fill our lungs, power our movement, create stars, and warm our atmosphere. As important as they are (we wouldn’t be here without them) they are the least understood materials in our world. But you are about to understand them much better as you listen to my guest, Mark Miodownik. He is a professor of materials and society at University College London and author of the book It's A Gas: The Sublime and Elusive Elements That Expand Our World (https://amzn.to/3XDpcjX). People often say they are addicted to their phones or to shopping, or to social media or that their kids are addicted to video games. But are these things really addictions or just something to do when you have time to kill? What’s the harm of scrolling through social media or playing Candy Crush, or going shopping even if you don’t really need anything? That is what Talitha Fosh is here to discuss. Talitha is a psychotherapist who works primarily with addiction and she is author of the book, Hooked: Why we are addicted and how to break free (https://amzn.to/3XDW8sq). You should wear shoes when you drive. But not just any shoes. Some shoes are well-suited for driving and others are potentially quite dangerous. And what about driving barefoot? Listen as I sort this all out and tell you which shoes are the best to wear when you drive. https://www.rd.com/list/shoes-shouldnt-wear-driving/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My mother was a teacher, and I remember her saying that when you take a test and you don’t know the answer, go with the first answer that comes to your mind or the one that initially seems right. A lot of people believe that – but is it really good advice? This episode begins with the evidence that proves or disproves this theory. https://www.spring.org.uk/2012/02/multiple-choice-tests-why-sticking-with-your-first-answer-is-probably-wrong.php Hard to imagine life without music. You probably have a favorite type of music or favorite singer or band. Listening to music can transport you back in time, it can change your mood, relax you or rev you up. So, what is it about music that is so special? Here to discuss all these things and more is Susan Rogers who was the chief engineer on Prince’s Purple Rain album as well as other hit records. In fact, she is one of the most successful female record producers of all time. She is currently a professor of neuroscience and author of the book This is What It Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You (https://amzn.to/3ROjCGg) You know what self-talk is, right? It is that voice in your head that keeps telling you things about yourself – usually horrible things. You may not always notice it, but you are constantly saying things to yourself that are doing you no good. Why in the world do we do that? Why do we tend to think so negatively about ourselves and the world around us? Here to explore that is psychotherapist Katie Krimer, author of the book, Sh*t I Say to Myself: 40 Ways to Ditch the Negative Self-Talk That’s Dragging You Down (https://amzn.to/3S7miOD). Do you know the law when you come up on a school bus picking up or dropping off students? It’s a big deal because that area right around a stopped school bus is potentially very dangerous. The truth is, driving around kids walking to and from school is always risky. Listen as I reveal what you need to know and do when you are driving around school children. https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/school-bus-safety Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At work, do you go out to lunch or eat at your desk? It makes a difference in the quality of your work after lunch is over. Listen and I’ll explain the details. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/going-out-lunch-zaps-mental-focus Drug companies. Big Pharma. They create life-altering and life-saving drugs that help people all over the world. However, the way they sometimes do business has a lot of people concerned. Why do some drugs get recalled after they were deemed to be safe and effective? Why is so much of what happens in the development of a drug kept secret? What don't we know about the whole drug testing and approval process? These are the kinds of things journalist Sharyl Attkisson has been investigating and you will be shocked at what she has to say. Sharyl is host and managing editor of the Sunday morning TV program Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson. She is a former journalist at CBS News, and she is author of some bestselling books. Her latest book is called Follow the Science: How Big Pharma Misleads, Obscures, and Prevails https://amzn.to/3ZhfF3q Anger. There’s a volatile emotion. Everyone gets angry but everyone doesn’t handle anger in the same way. Joining me to help us all understand anger and how to deal with it is Russell Kolts. He is a professor of psychology at Eastern Washington University. He is also an internationally-recognized trainer in compassion-focused therapy (CFT). Russell is the author of The Anger Workbook: Discover the Strength to Transform Your Anger Using Your Compassionate Mind (https://amzn.to/3zcluEt). If you are like me and hate throwing food out, I have some great ideas and suggestions I found on this interesting website that will keep food fresh longer and save you money in the process. Listen to hear these cool kitchen hacks. Source: Robbie’s Kitchen (www.kitchen.robbiehaf.com). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the average lifespan, there are 2 separate years (and they are decades apart) where people report being the happiest. Can you guess what they are? Listen and find out. https://newsfeed.time.com/2013/07/22/study-23-and-69-are-the-happiest-ages/ The higher your status, the more likely you are to be successful. So how do you acquire high status? You might think power grants you status but that’s not really it. People of high-status exhibit 2 qualities – and you can too, according to my guest Alison Fragale. She is a Distinguished Scholar of Organizational Behavior at the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Financial Times and other media outlets. She is author of the book Likeable Badass (https://amzn.to/47a5P5c). Anxiety! You hear it talked about a lot. It seems as if more people are more anxious than ever before. So, what is anxiety, why does it seem to be on the rise and what is the best way to address it and reduce it? Here with some fresh insight into worry and anxiety is Russell Kennedy, M.D., who has dealt with his own debilitating anxiety. He is also a neuroscientist and author of the book Anxiety Rx: A Revolutionary New Prescription for Anxiety Relief―from the Doctor Who Created It (https://amzn.to/3ANfrqw). Noises have colors. At least some of them do. You have probably heard of white noise but there is also pink, brown and black noise. Listen as I reveal what they are. https://www.wired.com/story/colours-of-noise/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is it true that opposites attract. After all you sometimes see couples that seem to prove the point. So just how common or rare is it for opposites to really attract? This episode starts by explaining some of the research on the topic. http://www.livescience.com/5351-truth-opposites-attract.html Can you really tell what someone else is thinking or what they want from you? It appears there are some clues to look for to get a better idea of what is going on in their head. Here to explain what the clues are is psychotherapist David J. Lieberman. David is the author of the book Mindreader: The New Science of Deciphering What People Really Think, What They Really Want, and Who They Really Are. (https://amzn.to/3w6R95y). When you think of shipwrecks you likely think of pirates, lost treasure or maybe Titanic. So many books, movies and songs have been written about shipwrecks. There is something about them that captures our imagination. Here to take us on a tour of the dark and murky world of shipwrecks is Daniel Stone. He is a former staff writer for National Geographic and author of the book Sinkable: Obsession, the Deep Sea, and the Shipwreck of the Titanic (https://amzn.to/3bY84R0). Listen as he reveals the startling number of shipwrecks, where they are, what happens if you discover one and much more. Can you believe that about one out of six people get food poisoning each year? Listen as I explain why people get food poisoning and you will hear the list of the most likely foods that cause it to help you prevent it from happening to you. https://www.cspinet.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/resource/cspi_top_10_fda.pdf Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Eye contact can be tricky. Too little and you look disinterested – too much and you look creepy. This episode begins with a few of the finer points of proper eye contact. http://www.spring.org.uk/2013/07/how-eye-contact-works.php It’s clear from research that keeping a secret is difficult to do. We often feel compelled to share secrets even if we promised not to. So why is that? According to my guest, keeping a secret causes stress and has been linked to diseases like ulcers and cancer. By telling secrets we unburden ourselves and relieve that stress. But revealing secrets can have huge negative repercussions to relationships and social status. Here to look at the science of secrets, why we tell them and who we tell them to, is Andrew Gold. He is an investigative journalist, podcaster and filmmaker who has made documentaries for the BBC and HBO. He hosts a podcast called On the Edge with Andrew Gold (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwU7HOfuSL5KD5s9hGoPuyVzN_VwG4Yi_) and he is author of the book, The Psychology of Secrets: My Adventures with Murderers, Cults and Influencers (https://amzn.to/3MiwXoS) Why do we have both upper and lower case letters? Why are letters in the order they are in (ABCDE etc.) There is a dot above a lower case i and j – what’s that for? And why do we capitalize the pronoun “I”? Other languages don’t. There are so many fascinating stories about how English came to be. And here to tell several of them is linguist Paul Anthony Jones. He has a popular YouTube channel where he talks about language and he is author of the book Why Is This a Question?: Everything about the origins and oddities of language you never thought to ask (https://amzn.to/3Z0Nrtm). While people discuss and debate whether humans are naturally monogamous, there are some animals on earth who truly are – or close to it. Listen as I reveal which animals love their mate for their entire life. https://www.treehugger.com/animals-that-mate-for-life-4869332 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While celebrities can sometimes pull it off, it can be almost impossible for regular folks to get a table at a busy restaurant without a reservation. This episode begins by offering some advice that can help. It may not always work, but it doesn’t hurt to try. Source: Frank Luntz author of Words That Work (https://amzn.to/37Ay5A8) You probably know someone whose family seems genuinely happy. And then there are families that seem less happy and have lots of conflict. What do happy families do to create that sense of happiness? That’s what Bruce Feiler is here to reveal. Bruce is author of the book, The Secrets of Happy Families: Improve Your Mornings, Tell Your Family History, Fight Smarter, Go Out and Play, and Much More (https://amzn.to/3xH113T). He has some simple yet powerful ways to help any family get along and be happy. If you believe movies and televisions shows about crime, it seems an autopsy can reveal a wealth of information to help solve a murder. Is that true in real life? Does forensic science really allow the dead to speak from beyond the grave and reveal clues about how a person died? Forensic anthropologist Sue Black has some firsthand knowledge to share on the topic. Sue is author of the book, All That Remains: A Renowned Forensic Scientist on Death, Mortality, and Solving Crimes (https://amzn.to/3lWzyJg) . She joins me to sort out truth from fiction and she reveals some of the fascinating advances in forensic science. Could people with big heads really be smarter? After all there is more room for a bigger brain. Well, it turns out - they are! Listen as I reveal how we know this to be true and how having a larger than normal head is beneficial now and when you get older. https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/actually-people-with-larger-heads-really-do-tend-to-be-smarter-but-not-for-reason-you-might-think.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hot dogs come in packages of ten. Hot dog buns come in packages of eight. Why? Is this some sort of marketing ploy or plot? What could possibly be the reason for this obvious mismatch? This episode begins by revealing the explanation. https://www.womenshealthmag.com/food/a40984485/hot-dogs-buns-packages/ Think of all the batteries you use in a day. A good part of your life is powered by batteries. From your flashlight, all your remotes, your car to your cellphone – all these devices require batteries to function. As necessary as they are, you may not know a lot about batteries. For example, why are there different sizes? Why do batteries seem to last longer than before? Joining me to answer these questions and to reveal the interesting history of battery technology is James Morton Turner, author of the book Charged: A History of Batteries and Lessons for a Clean Energy Future (https://amzn.to/3QYnR1n). You probably cringe when you see old pictures of yourself because your clothes and hairstyle look so horrible. Why is that? They looked fine at the time the picture was taken. What causes these things to fall in and out of style? It comes down to culture and status. Culture changes over time and so does our desire for status. That’s according to W. David Marx. David is a long-time writer on culture based in Tokyo and he is author of a book called Status and Culture: How Our Desire for Social Rank Creates Taste, Identity, Art, Fashion and Constant Change (https://amzn.to/3wNJeub). Listen as he discusses the fascinating connection between status and culture and how they work together to drive changes. Can your morning cup of coffee predict the weather? Maybe, if you know how to read the surface bubbles. Listen as I reveal how those bubbles predict the kind of day you are about to have. https://www.instructables.com/Predict-weather-with-a-cup-of-coffee/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Be careful what you say when someone pays you a compliment. This episode begins with some great advice on the importance of taking a compliment graciously. https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/etiquette/how-to-accept-a-compliment-with-class/ Is it good to be cynical? After all, cynics claim they see the world and the people in it more accurately – they are not so naïve and trusting as the rest of us. Well, it seems being a cynic has a downside – a BIG downside as you are about to hear from Dr. Jamil Zaki. He is a professor of psychology at Stanford University, the director of the Stanford Social Neuroscience Lab and author of the book Hope for Cynics: The Surprising Science of Human Goodness (https://amzn.to/3XeRfpL). If you or someone you know leans to the cynical side, you need to hear this discussion. When the pressure is on, it makes any task more difficult. Some people rise to the occasion while others crumble. Why? It has a lot to do with what you are telling yourself. That’s according to my guest Dr. Dana Sinclair who is a psyhologist, clinical assistant professor with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia and founder and partner of Human Performance International. Dana has been working with top athletes in every major sport since 2000. She is author of the book, Dialed In: Do Your Best When It Matters Most (https://amzn.to/4dvvW8Y). Moths and bugs seem very attracted to lights at night. You see them fly in circles around a light source and sometimes crash and die into a light or fire. Why do they do that? Listen and I’ll explain the prevailing theories. https://earthsky.org/earth/why-are-moths-attracted-to-flame/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You may never have noticed it, but for many people – maybe you – a full moon can mess with your sleep and cause you to lose sleep. How does that happen? Listen as I explain. https://www.self.com/story/full-moon-sleep Over the last several years, research has uncovered some remarkable benefits of listening to music. Not just vague, “music makes you feel better” benefits – it now appears music can actually treat some illnesses. Neuroscientist Dan Levitin has been looking at this research for several years and joins me to share some exciting news about the powerful, positive health effects of listening to music you like. Dan is author of a book called I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine (https://amzn.to/46QoQcE). Many skills humans have possessed for ages are getting lost. For example, using a map or your sense of direction to find your way somewhere. With GPS people have lost this skill. Solitude. The idea of sitting alone with your thoughts is so uncomfortable, people just reach for their phone to keep them occupied. While technology makes these (and many other skills) no longer necessary, there is a price to pay. Here to explore and explain that is Graham Lee, author of the book, Human Being: Reclaim 12 Vital Skills We’re Losing to Technology (https://amzn.to/46MP53A) You may have noticed your brain seems sharper at some times more than others. Listen as I explore why it is important to realize when that happens and what to do when it does. David Rock author of “Your Brain At Work” https://amzn.to/4g3Fk5F Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone orders pizza at some point. So, everyone should that there is one size pizza that is a lousy deal almost every time. I begin this episode by revealing a mathematical formula that will save you money on pizza from this day forward. https://lifehacker.com/the-math-equation-that-explains-why-you-should-always-b-1784641566 We could probably all stand to be a little more organized. And here with some rock-solid, proven strategies is David Allen. He is an internationally recognized expert in productivity and organization and author of the book Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity (https://amzn.to/32Vr6Or). He is here to offer some simple yet powerful ways to be more efficient so you can create more time for the things you enjoy. You know that feeling when you aren’t performing at your best mentally? That’s called brain fog and a lot of things can cause it like stress, diet and lack of sleep. The bigger issue is it can have long term effects. Joining me to discuss it is Dr. Mike Dow, author of the book The Brain Fog Fix (https://amzn.to/3105nTG). Listen as he explains exactly what brain fog is, how to combat it and how to optimize your brain to perform at its best. Supposedly, a lot of people are walking around right now who are dehydrated. Are you one of them? I have a quick test that will take less than 5 seconds. https://www.livestrong.com/article/507087-should-i-take-vitamin-b-if-dehydrated/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are dogs color blind? Many people believe so, but they are not. They do see color but not the way we do. This episode begins with a look at what colors they can and can’t see and why it is important. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/canine-corner/200810/can-dogs-see-colors How you will react in an emergency or disaster is hard to predict. Yet how people react can make the difference between life and death. It’s not just physical preparation but also mental – to think about what you will do. Here to explain the process your brain goes through when an emergency or disaster strikes and offer some suggestions on how to better plan for them is Amanda Ripley. She is a writer whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications and she is author of the book, The Unthinkable Who Survives When Disaster Strikes--and Why (https://amzn.to/4fGJakN). Some people like their solitude more than others. They cherish their time alone. Yet there is a stigma about solitude. People often think that others who spend a lot of time alone must have something wrong with them or they must be lonely or have no friends. Not necessarily. In the right dose, solitude can be very powerful. Joining me to discuss this is Netta Weinstein is an internationally recognized psychologist and director of the European Research Council's 'Solitude: Alone but Resilient (SOAR)' project. She is also professor of psychology at the University of Reading and an associate researcher at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, UK. Netta is author of the book Solitude: The Science and Power of Being Alone (https://amzn.to/3X1XkWf). Your cellphone is crawling with germs – more than you realize. You touch it all the time, you take it everywhere and put it down on all kinds of surfaces. Listen as I reveal how all the junk on your phone can make you sick – and the simple solution to make sure that doesn’t happen. https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/quick-dose-is-your-cell-phone-making-you-sick Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

So many things can affect the way food and drinks taste. This episode begins with a look at how just one element of the ambience in a room can alter people’s perception of wine – and make cheap wine taste expensive. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091215171510.htm With all the talk of how to find happiness, you might think sadness should be avoided at all costs. Yet, you are about to hear about all the benefits of sadness, including the fact that it is a necessary and beneficial emotion. That’s according to David Huron a professor at Ohio State University and author of the book The Science of Sadness: A New Understanding of Emotion. Listen as he explains when a good cry can be helpful or hurtful – and why we cry when we are both sad and happy. After hearing this conversation you won't look at sadness quite the same as you did. (By the way...David is giving away a pdf of his book so you don’t have to buy it. Here is the link https://direct.mit.edu/books/oa-monograph/5772/The-Science-of-SadnessA-New-Understanding-of. If you do want a hard copy, here is the link on Amazon. (https://amzn.to/3yy8cSy) Reality TV – you either love it or hate. Where did it come from? Why is it so popular? How “real” is reality TV or is mostly faked? For a look at the fascinating history and development of reality TV, I am joined by Emily Nussbaum. She is a staff writer and former television critic for The New Yorker. In 2016, she won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism. Emily is author of the book Cue the Sun!: The Invention of Reality TV (https://amzn.to/46GsiGK). Some people put butter on their bread, while others dip it in olive oil. Which is healthier? That turns out to be a tricky question. Listen as I explain why. https://www.foxnews.com/health/tanyas-tasty-tips-olive-oil-or-butter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Look around and you will likely see someone doing something on their cellphone. For many of us, cellphones are a necessity and a constant companion. What about your relationship with your cellphone? This episode begins with a look at how Americans use their cellphone, how often they check it, and how they feel if they don’t have it. You can then compare and see how you fit in with everyone else. https://www.reviews.org/mobile/cell-phone-addiction/ Why are some people overweight? The assumption is that they simply eat too much food and the way to lose weight is to simply eat less. But what if the real answer is not to eat less but to eat BETTER. There is some compelling science to support that, and it is what Mark Schatzker is here to discuss. He is a writer-in-residence at the Modern Diet and Physiology Research Center at Yale University and author of the book The End Of Craving : Recovering the Lost Wisdom of Eating Well (https://amzn.to/3QPFS1l) People like mysteries. It seems to be human nature that we want to figure out how a magic trick is done or figure how whodunnit in a murder mystery. Think of all the movies, TV shows, books and podcasts that revolve around a mystery - and we want to solve it. Here to explain why mysteries are so appealing and how we can all use mystery to our advantage is Jonah Lehrer. He is a writer journalist and author of the book Mystery: A Seduction, A Strategy, A Solution (https://amzn.to/3QvN6aZ). When you go grocery shopping on a hot summer day, you’ve probably worried about food melting or getting too hot and spoiling in the car on the way home. Is it safe to run another errand or two while the groceries are in the car or is that flirting with danger? Listen and I’ll explain how long the experts say you have to get the food home and into the fridge https://www.budget101.com/frugal-living/598158-how-long-can-groceries-stay-in-a-car/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does your signature reveal anything about you? Does it send a message to those who see it? I start this episode by sharing some insight into how others may make assumptions about you based on how you sign your name. https://graciousliving.typepad.com/the_write_event/2003/11/what_does_your_.html One reason to spend money is to buy things that make you feel good – and happy. But does a fancier car or another pair of shoes really make you happy? Usually not. After a while, that fancy car is just your car and that pair of shoes you had to have just sit in the closet with all the others. Maybe, if we were more deliberate about what we choose to spend money on, it might really make an impact on our overall happiness. That seems to be the case according to research by my guest Michael Norton who has been investigating how and why people spend their money and what it does and doesn’t do for them. Michael is a professor at Harvard Business school and author of the book Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending (https://amzn.to/3iFzDOq) It can be difficult to set boundaries that other people honor. But if you don’t set boundaries people can take advantage of you and make you feel resentful. So how do you create boundaries people will respect while not being perceived as cold and inflexible? Joining me with some really great advice on this is Terri Cole. She is a licensed therapist, relationship expert and author of the book Boundary Boss: The Essential Guide to Talk True, Be Seen, and (Finally) Live Free (https://amzn.to/3AhKXwz). A lot goes on behind the scenes at restaurants that you are totally unaware of. Listen as I reveal the results of a survey taken of restaurant kitchen workers that let some interesting secrets out of the bag regarding the way restaurants work that you likely never knew. https://abcnews.go.com/Business/13-secrets-waiter-tips-menu/story?id=16948508 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s weird sometimes how you meet someone and hear their name is Lucy, for example and think – “Yeah, she kinda looks like a Lucy.” Is that really a thing – do people look like their name? Listen as I reveal some fascinating research on this. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2405334121 Tells. They are those little behaviors people have that give them away. You hear about tells in poker, but you can learn to read someone’s tells in everyday life according to my guest Peter Collett. Peter is a social psychologist who has taught at Oxford University and is widely acknowledged as an international expert on communication. He has been called a “grand master of the secret code of fleeting gestures, signs and expressions that give us all away.” He is author of the book, How To Tell What People Are Thinking From the Bedroom to the Boardroom (https://amzn.to/3WVytDM). Listen as he offers some very practical advice on how to read people based on their behavior. This is a fun topic – EXTREMES! The biggest, the brightest, the stickiest, the loudest, the quietest. We are going to discuss the extremes in many categories with my guest David Darling. He is a science writer, astronomer and author of about 50 books –including Ka-boom!: The Science of Extremes (https://amzn.to/3X5gTgJ). If you have ever wondered what the most poisonous thing or what’s the brightest light on earth, or the slowest thing that actually moves – this will be a fascinating conversation to listen to. How could it be that a birthday cake will taste better if you sing “Happy Birthday” first? Listen as I explain how this phenomenon and how it works in other areas of life as well. https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/to-savor-the-flavor-perform-a-short-ritual-first.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever had a really vivid or even disturbing dream? This episode begins with a look at what often causes very strange and vivid dreams. https://www.livestrong.com/article/13773031-vivid-dreams/ There are huge benefits to being humble. Humility can be an excellent and effective way to build your confidence, strengthen your relationships and achieve success. That’s according to Daryl R. Van Tongeren, an associate professor of psychology at Hope College and author of the book Humble: Free Yourself from the Traps of a Narcissistic World (https://amzn.to/3QCxemC). Listen as Daryl explains how a little humility can go a long way to improving your life. There are lots of stars in the night sky – but do you actually know what a star is? Or where it came from or how it got to be where it is? Maybe you’ve wondered how planets and moons came to be. Or whether there are other planets in space that can sustain life? Here to reveal answers to these and other mysteries is Emily Levesque. She is a professor of astronomy at the University of Washington and author of the book The Last Stargazers: The Enduring Story of Astronomy’s Vanishing Explorers (https://amzn.to/3zQ6oAM). People get pretty casual in the summer when it comes to footwear. Sandals, flip flops and other open-toe shoes are common. Yet there is a problem. Open shoes like that allow your feet to pick up some rather disgusting things that you then you then track into your home. Listen as I explain the problem and a simple solution. Source: Philip Tierno, author of Secret Life of Germs. (https://amzn.to/3Aad3d9) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When your phone or tablet or computer starts acting weird or gets glitchy, the conventional wisdom is to reboot. In other words, turn it off and on again. And usually, the recommendation is to turn it off for at least 10 seconds before turning it back on. Why 10 seconds? Is it really that important? Listen as I reveal the answer. https://www.howtogeek.com/165110/do-i-really-have-to-unplug-my-cable-modem-for-at-least-10-seconds/ So much food gets wasted – especially in the United States. Specifically, 40% of all food in the US goes to waste! How can that be? What’s the problem? There are a lot of factors from the size of your fridge to the demand for “perfect” produce. Yet there is a lot we can all do to help solve the problem with very little effort – and you will save a lot of money in the process. Here to explain how is Kathryn Kellogg, owner and founder of https://www.goingzerowaste.com and author of the book 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste (https://amzn.to/3yfHSMV). Insects are an almost constant companion in the summer. Yet most of us don’t know much about them other than the fact that they are annoying. There are millions of species of insects. They travel all over the world. Do they do the world any good? What’s the difference between an insect and a bug? How long do they live? Why should we care about them? All of those questions and more are tackled by my guest Steve Nicholls, an Emmy award winning producer and director of acclaimed wildlife documentaries and author of the book, Alien Worlds: How Insects Conquered the Earth, and Why Their Fate Will Determine Our Future (https://amzn.to/4d1M1mP). It may not be practical, but taking an afternoon nap might just do you a world of good and make you smarter. Listen as I explain the benefits of a short afternoon snooze. https://www.trinityhealthofne.org/about-us/blog/midday-nap-could-leave-you-smarter-study Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should you get a second opinion? A lot of people faced with a medical diagnosis often wonder about that. Will they offend the original doctor if they ask for a second opinion? Is it really necessary? Is it worth the trouble? Listen as I explain the value of a second opinion. https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/second-opinions We know animals communicate – but what are they communicating? When a wolf howls or a dolphin clicks, or a cricket chirps – what is it saying? Is it a language that can be translated or is it just noise to say, “Here I am!” Or is it something else entirely? And here is something interesting – we can teach our language to chimps and parrots – and they are able to use it. But they don’t use it when they are with another chimp or parrot who can also speak our language. Why not? Here to explain the science of animal communication is Arik Kirschebaum. He is a zoologist, college lecturer and fellow at Girton College, University of Cambridge and he has done extensive fieldwork on animal communication. He is author of the book Why Animals Talk: The New Science of Animal Communication (https://amzn.to/3LN4fwe) It's easy to think that loneliness and lack of social connections is a 21st century thing – but it’s not. Research going back decades shows that people have long felt they didn’t have enough friends and connections. Given that we are social creatures who crave connection, why is it so hard to make real friends? Maybe it isn’t. Maybe we just think it is. That’s what David Robson is here to discuss. He says that once we understand the barriers to connecting to other people, they are easy to overcome. David is an award-winning science writer and the author of the book The Laws of Connection: The Scientific Secrets of Building a Strong Social Network (https://amzn.to/3ynUTDZ). Have you ever struggled with how to end an email? “Sincerely” sounds a bit formal. “Cheers” may be a little too informal. So, what’s best – and worst? Listen as I explain some popular email sign offs that you might want to avoid. https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-end-an-email/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don’t you hate it when you hear or think of a familiar song but can’t recall the title? This episode begins with a clever trick that will help identify any song and all it takes is a smartphone. https://lifehacker.com/how-to-identify-any-song-just-by-singing-it-1849039953 Why are you different from me and everyone else? What makes you the person you are? That’s what Chantel Prat has investigated and is here to discuss. Chantel is professor at the University of Washington and author of the book The Neuroscience of You (https://amzn.to/3OJDyHL). She joins me to discuss what makes us all individuals and why we are constantly changing who we are. Extreme weather is fascinating to watch on television – but horrible to live through. And lately we have seen a lot of extreme weather – fires in the west, flooding in the southeast, tornadoes in the Midwest and more. Why is this happening and how does weather work? Here to explain the fascinating world of weather is Matthew Cappucci. He is an on-air meteorologist at FOX5DC in Washington D.C. and author of the book Looking Up: The True Adventures of a Storm-Chasing Weather Nerd (https://amzn.to/3vvSceW). Whenever you are in a situation where you are feeling upset, anxious or nervous, there is a simple strategy you can employ that can help reduce those stressful feelings in about 1 minute. Listen as I explain how to do it - in fact it is something you already know how to do. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture-council/articles/humming-for-self-care-tool-for-leaders-toolboxes-1234956725/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are men more rational shoppers than women? Most definitely not. This episode begins by revealing how men are easily duped into thinking something is a bargain when it isn’t. https://www.businessinsider.com/consumers-link-color-with-savings-2013-7 The invention of the electric light has made life easier. But there is a real downside to artificial light. It is messing up your body clock and it can have a serious negative impact on your health. Diabetes, cancer and heart disease have been linked to light exposure. The evidence is compelling and one of the leading experts in this field joins me to explain the seriousness of this problem. He is Dr. Martin Moore-Ede who is s a medical doctor, former professor at Harvard Medical School and he is one of the leading experts on circadian rhythms, biological clocks and light exposure. Dr. Moore-Ede holds multiple patents related to light and circadian rhythms and he is author of a bestselling book on this subject called The Light Doctor The Light Doctor: Using Light to Boost Health, Improve Sleep, and Live Longer (https://amzn.to/3WnqzBo) I bet you have seen people working in other professions and wondered what it must be like to perform that job. Some jobs seem glamorous, others look boring while others appear to be extremely difficult – but are they? Dan Heath, who is the author of several bestselling books and a previous guest here, has a new podcast called What It's Like to Be (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-its-like-to-be/id1707204412) where he explores what it is like to work in other professions. Listen as he reveals what it is like to be a Secret Service agent, a high school principal, a marriage counselor, a comedian and more. You probably don’t wash your credit cards, but you should. They are one of several rather germy surfaces you touch all the time but never think about. Listen and I will reveal what these nasty surfaces are and why touching them is a bad thing. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why is it that mosquitoes seem to go after and bite some people more than others? This episode begins with an explanation of what does and doesn’t make you attractive to this summertime pest. https://hartfordhealthcare.org/about-us/news-press/news-detail?articleId=42234&publicid=395# When it comes to health and managing your weight, "going on a diet” is one of the worst things you can do. That’s because most diets are all about what you CANNOT eat rather than what you should eat. And it turns out you can eat just about anything if you understand a few important things about nutrition. That’s what Dr. Sarah Ballantyne is here to reveal. She is author of the book, Nutrivore: The Radical New Science for Getting the Nutrients You Need from the Food You Eat (https://amzn.to/4cREoPN). You may hate rats but they happen to be very interesting, adaptable and crafty creatures. They basically go wherever humans go (with one interesting exception). Rats are vilified all over the world, but is it all warranted? Are they as horrible as people think? Listen to my guest Joe Shute. He is author of a book called Stowaway: The Disreputable Exploits of the Rat (https://amzn.to/3WiYzPl). He explains rats like nobody else. Listen and you may have some new respect for these rodents even if they totally creep you out. In kindergarten, you probably sat in a circle much of the time. There is good reason to believe that would be the best way to conduct most meetings – in a circle. Listen and I’ll explain why. https://www.inc.com/jessica-stillman/how-to-make-your-team-more-collaborative.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is a lot of common summertime advice. For example, don’t go swimming for a half hour after you eat. Don’t scratch a bug bite. Don’t touch someone who has poison ivy because you might catch it. Are these things true or summertime folklore? This episode starts with some answers. https://www.silive.com/healthfit/2012/07/summer_myths_debunked.html Do you know what toxic positivity is? It’s the philosophy that says to look on the bright side. Try to stay positive no matter what. Don’t worry – everything’s going to be just fine. We often say these things to comfort people, but it may be doing more harm than good. That’s according to my guest, Whitney Goodman. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist and author of the book, Toxic Positivity: Keeping It Real in a World Obsessed With Being Happy (https://amzn.to/3cwrhcf). You may know your chronological age, but do you know your biological age? There is pretty strong evidence that how you live your life can accelerate or roll back your biological age, according to my guest, Morgan Levine. She is an assistant professor of pathology at Yale University School of Medicine and author of the book, True Age: Cutting-Edge Research to Help Turn Back the Clock (https://amzn.to/3zaRepw). Listen as she explains what you can do to slow or reverse the aging process so you stay as young as you can for as long as you can. The old advice to, “Stop and smell the roses” may be more important than you ever thought. It appears the scent of a rose can improve your memory, your dreams and even your happiness. Listen as I explain. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1059329/How-sweet-dreams–simply-smell-roses.html and https://www.nature.com/news/2007/070305/full/news070305-10.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will a medication work better if you believe and expect it to? This episode begins with some compelling evidence that having faith in a medical treatment has a real impact on just how well it works. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/placebo-effect Imagine a world where people are not polite. What would it be like if we weren’t civil to each other and didn’t care? Our willingness to be polite is a cornerstone of our civilization. But Lord knows, we are not all polite all the time. Are women more polite than men? Do the rules of politeness change? Can you be impolite and still be liked and admired? What are the benefits of being polite? These are some questions I tackle with Louise Mullany. She has taught the science of politeness at the University of Nottingham for the past 25 years, where she is a professor of sociolinguistics. She is also author of the book Polite: The Art of Communication at Home, at Work and in Public. (https://amzn.to/3xVN9Jo) Many parts of the job search process can be outsourced – except one. The job interview. That is all you! Whether you have to interview virtually or in-person, job interviews can be stressful. How well you perform can spell the difference between getting an offer or not. Yet, it seems many people try to “wing it.” That turns out to be a really bad idea. While it’s true you can’t predict what you’ll be asked specifically, preparation is still a key factor according to my guest Sam Owens. He is the founder of Sam's Career Talk (https://www.samscareertalk.com/) where he provides career coaching services and helps people land their dream jobs Sam has worked as a chief marketing officer for three multi-billion-dollar companies and he is author of the book, I Hate Job Interviews: Stop Stressing. Start Performing. Get the Job You Want (https://amzn.to/4f7xJSX). I know several people who claim MSG is really bad for you. Is it really? What does the science say? Listen to hear how it got such a bad reputation and what the truth is about how MSG affects people.https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-msg-got-a-bad-rap-flawed-science-and-xenophobia/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A lot of people don’t bother taking a summer vacation. What’s maybe more surprising is that many who do take a vacation spend some of the time doing work! It’s more of a “work-cation.” Listen as I reveal some facts and stats about vacations and work. https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/half-americans-work-while-vacation-feel-guilty-taking-one When people talk about “getting healthy”, they usually mean exercise, lose weight and eat better. While those are admirable goals, something is missing – building muscle and getting stronger. It’s clear that the older you get, and the more you “diet to lose weight” – the more muscle you lose, which can have serious negative effects on your health. And cardiovascular exercise does little to build muscle. The links between muscle and health are not well known by most people but you are about learn a lot about it from Dr. Gabrielle Lyon. She is a board certified physician in family medicine and author of the book Forever Strong: A New Science Based Strategy for Aging Well (https://amzn.to/4d5eW8X). Dreams are interesting. We all have them and they are often weird and unusual. Do they mean anything? When you look at the research, there is a lot of disagreement about what dreams are, why we have them and what they are good for. Here to shed some light on what we do and do not understand about the dreaming process is Melanie Gillespie Rosen. She is an assistant professor at Trent University in Canada and author of the book, Dreams: Brief Books about Big Ideas (https://amzn.to/4cBziqB) We could probably all use a few mental health strategies when life throws us a curve ball – or worse. Whether it is fighting with your inner critic or dealing with toxic family members or just finding the motivation to get through the day, it can all be a little overwhelming. Joining me with some practical help is Liz Kelly. Liz is a psychotherapist, clinical social worker and author of the book This Book is Cheaper Than Therapy: A No-Nonsense Guide to Improving Your Mental Health (https://amzn.to/3xPVYV6). Some commonly refrigerated foods should actually not be chilled at all. For these foods, refrigeration actually helps them spoil faster. What food are they? Listen and I will tell you. https://stilltasty.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The consensus seems to be that drinking coffee has several excellent health benefits – and now there is another one you probably haven’t heard before. This episode begins with the explanation. https://rightasrain.uwmedicine.org/body/food/can-your-coffee-habit-help-protect-you-skin-cancer You have most likely seen a bully in action and were maybe reluctant to intervene. After all, it’s not your problem. There is actually a name for this – it’s “The Bystander Effect.” It is when people don’t step in and call out a bully. Why does that happen? Why do we sometimes leave it to someone else or no one at all when clearly someone has stepped over the line? Have you ever thought what would happen if you did step in? And if you do decide to intervene, what’s the best way to do it so you don’t escalate the situation? Here with some answers and insight is psychologist Catherine Sanderson, a professor in Life Sciences at Amherst College and the author of Why We Act: Turning Bystanders into Moral Rebels (https://amzn.to/3vfUgrs) You know what an idiom is – right? Idioms are little phrases that work their way into our conversations that help us make a point. For example, play with fire, move the goal posts or drink the Kool-Aid. Ever wonder where these phrases come from and why they take on this new meaning? Do other languages have idioms? Joining me to explore this fascinating quirk in our language is Gareth Carrol a senior lecturer and researcher in linguistics at the University of Birmingham and author of the book, Jumping Sharks and Dropping Mics: Modern Idioms and Where They Come From (https://amzn.to/3J5XnaX). Summer is the favorite time of year for many people. Still, too much of a good thing can be a problem. Listen as I explore how summer weather can impact your mood and mental state. https://www.livescience.com/21431-hot-temperatures-mood.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How much you like and enjoy a certain food is influenced by many things besides the food itself. The utensils, the color of the plate, etc. This episode begins with some interesting examples of this and why, if you are eating yogurt, you want to use one particular kind of spoon. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/utensils-can-influence-food-taste-how-much-you-eat-study-finds/ One thing we all must face is – death. As inevitable as it is, it’s not a topic most of us like to discuss. However, I think you will find this conversation to be different. Julie McFadden is a hospice care nurse with a unique take and unique perspective on death and dying as someone who deals with it every day. Is it possible to have a “good” death? What do people talk about in their final days and moments? What does Julie think about an afterlife? (She has a great story!). Julie has over 1 million followers on TikTok,(https://www.hospicenursejulie.com) she has been featured in Newsweek, USA Today, the Atlantic, Daily Mail and she is the author of the bestselling and highly acclaimed book Nothing to Fear: Demystifying Death to Live More Fully (https://amzn.to/3VWvN77) Have you noticed we have words in English that almost mean the same thing as other words? For example, persuade and convince -what’s the difference? Or typeface and font – aren’t they the same? What about assume and presume? And is there a difference between the deep web and the dark web? Here to explain these fascinating and subtle differences in our language is Eli Burnstein. He is a humor writer whose work has appeared in The New Yorker and other publication and he is author of a book called Dictionary of Fine Distinctions: Nuances, Niceties, and Subtle Shades of Meaning (https://amzn.to/4cOURU8). When you have an important decision to make, you may want to pause and have a snack first. Listen as I explain why eating can help with decision making and what exactly you should eat first. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2010-01-decision-sugar.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While “digital dementia” is not a real medical diagnosis, you still see it everywhere. People are so reliant on (and overloaded by) technology that they don’t remember the simplest things. Listen as I explain the real problem with digital dementia and why we all need to be concerned. https://www.neurocenternj.com/blog/digital-dementia-how-screens-and-digital-devices-impact-memory/ I’m sure you have heard that having family, friends and other human connections is important. But what you may not know is just HOW important. Most people today have fewer close connections than people in previous generations. Yet the science is clear that having real people in your life is essential to your health, happiness and longevity. Joining me to explain how this works and why it is so important is Kasley Killam. She is an internationally recognized expert on the topic who has worked with organizations such as Google, the US Department of Health and Human Services, and the World Economic Forum to facilitate building more socially healthy products, workplaces, and communities. She is author of the book, The Art and Science of Connection Why Our Social Health is the Key to Living Longer, Healthier, and Happier (https://amzn.to/4cynFRi). How many times have you been told to – “Use your imagination” to try to figure something out or come up with an idea? Have you ever wondered what your imagination actually is? Why are some people’s imaginations more fertile than others? How can you tap into your imagination and use it to your advantage? All of these questions and more are addressed by my guest Albert Read. He is Managing Director of Condé Nast in Britain where he currently oversees British Vogue, GQ, Wired, & Condé Nast Traveller. He is also author of the book The Imagination Muscle: Where Good Ideas Come From (https://amzn.to/4cw9xrw). It's common to send or bring flowers to someone who is sick. That brings up a question: Does it really help? Do get-well flowers actually help people get well? Listen as I reveal the interesting explanation. https://www.floweraura.com/blog/healing-power-get-well-soon-flowers-scientific-perspective Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is it safe to let your dog lick your face or eat off your plate? It pretty much depends on how clean your dog’s mouth is. This episode begins with a look at whether being so intimate with your dog is okay or cause for concern. https://nypost.com/2022/04/06/your-dogs-kisses-could-contain-deadly-superbug-study-says/ When people say they love their house or car or shoes – is that really love? Can you love inanimate things? Possibly, according to Aaron Ahuvia, professor of marketing at the University of Michigan who is the most widely published and often cited expert on non-interpersonal love. Listen as he reveals what we really mean when we speak of loving objects and activities. Aaron is author of a book titled The Things We Love (https://amzn.to/3z4992k) Have you ever thought when you get to the end of your life, what it is that finally kills you? It’s worth thinking about because if you understand what is most likely to kill you, you can prevent or at least postpone it from happening. That’s according to Sheila Buff author of the book You Bet Your Life: Your Guide to Deadly Risk (https://amzn.to/3ARYZ6b). Listen as Shelia reveals the most common and not-so-common ways people die – and why. And maybe how we can sidestep those things and live a bit longer. Finding true love isn’t easy. And finding true love the second or third time around can seem impossible. Don’t give up hope. Instead, listen as I explain what one psychologist says can help you find true love one more time. Source: Finding Love Again by Dr. Terry Orbuch (https://amzn.to/3z0xiH4) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your chances of winning the lottery are horrible. Still, a lot of people play. This episode starts by revealing a few things worth knowing about playing the lottery – even though you likely won’t ever win the big jackpot. https://www.wired.com/video/watch/lottery-strategy Stories of how great ideas become successful are always fascinating – particularly when those ideas are so different than anything that came before it. Uber, Lyft, Airbnb, Twitch, Twitter are all successful companies that broke a lot of rules on the road to success. They had to. Here to reveal how they and others do it is Mike Maples Jr. He is a venture capitalist who was an early investor in Twitter (he passed on Airbnb) and he knows what it takes to take an idea and make it soar. Mike is the co-founder of Floodgate, a leading seed stage fund in Silicon Valley that invested in companies like Twitter, Twitch, and others at the very beginning. Mike is host of the podcast Starting Greatness (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/starting-greatness/id1488560647) and author of the book Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future (https://amzn.to/3W8BXlT) We’ve all heard of black holes. They are those places in space that have such a strong gravitational pull that nothing can escape them – not even light. What you may not know is that there are black holes in the center of every galaxy and without black holes – or at least the one in the middle of our galaxy, we may not even be here. Joining me to discuss what black holes are, what they do and why you should care is Marcus Chown. He is an award winning science writer and broadcaster, former radio astronomer at the California Institute of Technology and author of several books, including A Crack in Everything: How Black Holes Came in from the Cold and Took Cosmic Centre Stage (https://amzn.to/3W9cFUE) If you are concerned about your skin – and skin cancer, I’m sure you use sunscreen. While that’s a good thing, skin cancer rates are up. The implication is that sunscreen alone isn’t enough and in fact your diet may have an impact on how the sun treats your skin. Listen as I explain the details. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/08/well/eat/diet-skin-cancer-risk-melanoma.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you go out to eat, the restaurant wants you to spend money. Nothing wrong with that. That’s how they stay in business. Still, you should be aware that they don’t leave it to chance. One thing they do is engineer the menu to nudge you you spend. This episode begins by describing some “menu psychology” you should be aware of. https://www.delish.com/food/a46625028/restaurant-menu-design-you-pay-more/ Your memory works in strange ways. First of all, it forgets more than it remembers. Also, there is one particular time in your life you remember more than other times. There are also techniques to help you remember things better. Joining me to discuss all this and so much more about memory is Megan Sumeracki. She is an associate professor of psychology at Rhode Island College, a cognitive psychologist and memory expert, and author of the book The Psychology of Memory (https://amzn.to/4cCOAuK). Great inventions and scientific breakthroughs are often the result of unusual, accidental or unintentional journeys. These stories are often inspiring and fascinating to hear – whether it’s the invention of the telephone or super glue, penicillin, the pacemaker or anything else. Here, to share some of those stories and explain why they are important for all of us to understand is Tim James. He is a science teacher, YouTuber and blogger and author of the book Accidental: The Greatest (Unintentional) Science Breakthroughs and How They Changed The World (https://amzn.to/3L4XC8b). Taking your pet to the vet can be a traumatic experience for all involved. To make the process easier on you, the pet and the staff at the veterinarian’s office, listen as I offer some advice veterinarians want you to know. https://www.rd.com/list/50-things-your-vet-wont-tell-you/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It makes sense that people cry when they are sad – but why do some of us cry when we are happy? This episode starts by examining how two opposite emotions can create the same symptom. By the way, what happy occasion do you think causes people to cry “tears of joy” most often? Hint: It’s not weddings. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141111124047.htm Flavor and taste are not the same thing. In fact, your sense of taste actually involves all your senses and is more complex than you ever imagined. For example, why do you like some foods that other people hate? Here to explain all this and more is food scientist Camilla Arndal Andersen. Listen as she helps us understand your interesting, complicated and subjective sense of taste. Camilla has a TED talk on this topic which you can watch here: https://www.ted.com/talks/camilla_arndal_andersen_what_happens_in_your_brain_when_you_taste_food?language=en What causes you to get angry? When you do get angry, are you good at dealing with it? Could you ever wish you could handle your anger better? Listen as I explore these questions with Ryan Martin. He is a professor of psychology and associate dean at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and has studied anger extensively. He has a TED talk about anger called The Upside of Anger (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfcQaXG_Qhs). Listen and you will get a better understanding of your own anger. Children skip. You probably used to when you were young but don’t anymore. After all, seeing an adult skipping down the road might seem a bit odd. Listen as I discuss this and you might find yourself skipping anyway no matter how strange you might look. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3895968/Why-adults-stop-skipping-s-hard-Activity-uses-quarter-energy-running-speed.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s nothing better than a really good laugh. What’s even better is, laughing offers some excellent health benefits too. I begin this episode by explain how laughter may just be the best medicine. https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a19968254/live-laugh-love/ For centuries, humans have been drinking alcohol. Why do people drink? Is it really the taste, the smell and all the nuances of your drink of choice or is it really just for the buzz? Why are some people able to drink socially while other people have had their lives destroyed by alcohol? Could it be that we would have never achieved all the advancements of our civilization had we not had alcohol to drink? Listen as I explore these and other questions with my guest Edward Slingerland. He is a professor of philosophy at the University of British Columbia and author of the book Drunk: How we Slipped, Danced, and Stumbled our way to Civilization (https://amzn.to/2WONrif) There is a smell that happens after it rains. And interestingly, smelling that smell is good for you. That’s just one of many reasons why we all should be spending more time outside in nature according to my guest Lucy Jones who has researched the science regarding the amazing benefits of being in simply being out in the natural world. Lucy is the author of the book Losing Eden: Our Fundamental Need for the Natural World and Its Ability to Heal Body and Soul (https://amzn.to/3j7YUky). Listen as she explains why it doesn’t take much to get the mental and physical benefits nature has to offer. On a job interview, there is a bit of a dilemma: You want to look good so you think you should maybe brag a bit about your accomplishments. On the other hand, a little modesty might be good too. Which is better? It depends on who you are. Listen as I explain. https://www.rutgers.edu/news/rutgers-study-finds-male-modesty-turn-women-and-men Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all have a sense of what romantic music is. But can that type of music really make you feel and act romantic? This episode begins with some interesting evidence on the power of music in the game of love. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100618112139.htm Look around you and notice all the buttons you could push. Buttons are everywhere. When you think about it, you can do almost anything with “just the push of a button.” And people like really pushing buttons – even when it is pointless. For example, pushing the elevator button after it is already lit or pushing the crosswalk button over and over to try to change the light. Buttons are a fairly recent invention and they have changed our world. Here to explain how and dive deep into the world of buttons is Rachel Plotnick. She’s an assistant professor of Cinema and Media Studies at Indiana University and author of Power Button: A History of Pleasure, Panic, and the Politics of Pushing (https://amzn.to/3xvIj5j) It seems we are wired to play games – board games, card games, sports, gambling – we love to play games. But why? Are games just a fun way to play – a distraction from work? Or are games doing something much more important than that? Joining me to reveal why humans need games and what they do for us is Kelly Clancy. She is a neuroscientist and physicist who has held research positions at MIT, Berkeley, University College London and she is author of the book, Playing with Reality: How Games Have Shaped Our World (https://amzn.to/3W02BNR) How much do product reviews influence what you buy – or don’t buy? Do people really read them and pay attention to them? Listen as I reveal the results of a recent survey on the power of product reviews. https://www.cardrates.com/news/consumers-rely-on-online-reviews-study/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Getting car sick can really ruin a trip – for EVERYONE in the car! But maybe you’ve heard – there are now motion sickness glasses. Do they work? Reader’s Digest tested them and a lot of their readers left reviews. Listen and you will hear what they said. https://www.rd.com/article/motion-sickness-glasses/ How can you be in a relationship and still be your individual self? That can be a tricky balance. And it has gotten even trickier as we have moved into our “It’s-all-about-me” culture. Joining me to offer some insight into this is internationally recognized family therapist, speaker, and author Terrence Real. author of the book US: Getting Past You and Me to Build a More Loving Relationship (https://amzn.to/3bLzN6N). Terry’s website is https://www.terryreal.com Who doesn’t want to smell nice? Soaps, candles, laundry detergent, perfume – we really want everything and everyone to smell ever so lovely. But why? When did this all start? Listen to my guest Elise Pearlstine, a natural perfumer, consultant, and educator and author of a book called Scent: A Natural History of Fragrance. (https://amzn.to/3AtMA8b). If you have ever wondered why flowers or the smell of cut grass or vanilla smell so good, listen to find out. One of the worst things about summer is getting into a hot car that has been sitting in the sun. However, there is a way you can cool the car down before you get in it. Listen and I will tell you this fast and effective technique. https://www.wikihow.com/Cool-a-Hot-Car-as-Quickly-as-Possible PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is offering SYSK listeners a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Go to https://Shopify.com/sysk now to grow your business - no matter what stage you're in! eBay Motors has 122 million parts for your #1 ride-or-die, to make sure it stays running smoothly. Keep your ride alive at https://eBayMotors.com We really like The Jordan Harbinger Show! Check out https://jordanharbinger.com/start OR search for it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There’s more to making a great burger than meets the eye. This summertime episode begins with expert advice on preparing the perfect burger on the grill from the guy who wrote the bible on the topic. Source: Steve Raichlen author of The Barbecue Bible (https://amzn.to/4bgBEcM) If you’ve ever felt you were in a rut or that your life is on autopilot, you need to listen to Jodi Wellman. She will inspire you to lead a life of purpose and intention – and without regret. It is not about doing the big and grandiose things as much as it is savoring the joys you have and anticipating what’s to come and making time to do the things you will regret if you DON’T do them. It’s a magical formula that she explains so well in this episode. Jodie is a former corporate executive turned executive coach who has a master’s degree in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and she is author of the book You Only Die Once: How to Make It to the End with No Regrets (https://amzn.to/3KUdQ3Z). Her website is https://fourthousandmondays.com/ Where do bad words come from? I don’t just mean your garden variety, 4-letter swear words but other words that aren’t so nice as well. Why is swearing more acceptable today than it used to be? What is the point of swearing in the first place? All of these and more questions are handled masterfully by my guest Jess Zafarris. She is a writer and journalist and author of the book Words from Hell: Unearthing the darkest secrets of English etymology (https://amzn.to/4cafvyc) Some of the old health advice grandma used to give has been proven to be untrue. Still, many of these myths persist today and are believed by a lot of people. Listen as we blow up a few of these myths that you might still think are true. https://www.webmd.com/balance/ss/slideshow-10-health-myths-debunked PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is offering SYSK listeners a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Go to https://Shopify.com/sysk now to grow your business - no matter what stage you're in! eBay Motors has 122 million parts for your #1 ride-or-die, to make sure it stays running smoothly. Keep your ride alive at https://eBayMotors.com We really like The Jordan Harbinger Show! Check out https://jordanharbinger.com/start OR search for it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In an argument there are usually two things going on that make it so difficult. Listen as I begin this episode by explaining what those two important things are and how to fix them so you can then move forward and resolve the argument. Source: Jim Ferrell author of The Anatomy of Peace (https://amzn.to/4erYLUP). Everyday you open and close your fridge a million times without giving it much thought. Yet, your refrigerator is part of a technology that has completely changed our lives. The concept of refrigerating food is only about 150 years old, but it is impossible to imagine life today without it. Listen as I speak with Nicola Twilley about this. She is a writer, frequent contributor to The New Yorker, host of the podcdcast Gastropod (https://gastropod.com/category/podcasts/) and author of the book: Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves (https://amzn.to/3VuXNP0) . She reveals the good and bad consequences of refrigeration. And there are plenty of both. Why are there volcanoes? That molten hot lava that comes to the surface when a volcano erupts came from somewhere but most of us don’t really understand where or how or why. Do volcanoes have a purpose? While they are destructive, could they also be helpful – even necessary? Why do volcanoes erupt? Why do they go dormant? To understand all of this and why you might even owe your existence on earth to volcanoes, listen to my guest Tamsin Mather. She is a professor of earth sciences at the University of Oxford and author of the book Adventures in Volcanoland: What Volcanoes Tell Us About the World and Ourselves (https://amzn.to/3xk4DyI). For many women, carrying a purse is a necessity. And because they go everywhere and carry everything, purses can get pretty gross. Yet they are seldom cleaned. Listen as I explain the problem this creates which is not just a “yuck factor” issue, it can be a real health concern. https://finderskeypurse.com/blogs/finderskeypurse-com-blog/how-dirty-is-your-purse-plus-how-to-keep-it-clean PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is offering SYSK listeners a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Go to https://Shopify.com/sysk now to grow your business - no matter what stage you're in! eBay Motors has 122 million parts for your #1 ride-or-die, to make sure it stays running smoothly. Keep your ride alive at https://eBayMotors.com We really like The Jordan Harbinger Show! Check out https://jordanharbinger.com/start OR search for it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When dogs meet they often sniff each other. It appears we humans do the same thing (to other humans, not dogs). This episode begins with an explanation of how people judge other people based on how they smell. And we do it all subconsciously. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/06/220627125010.htm Do you consider yourself resilient? Are you able to bounce back after a big challenge? Can you become more resilient? There is little doubt that being resilient is important to your personal and professional success. Listen to my conversation with Stephen Magness. He has been a consultant for NASA, the Houston Rockets and other major organizations and has written for Runner’s World and Sports Illustrated. He has been featured in The New Yorker, Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Men’s Health. Stephen is author of the book Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness (https://amzn.to/3OSE3Qb). It is harder and harder to protect your privacy. It is clear that data is being collected about you that is extremely sensitive and personal. For example, what you search for online, your religious beliefs, your sexual preferences, how well you sleep, what organizations you belong to and so much more has likely been captured, recorded and stored away somewhere. And it gets worse, as you will hear from my guest Carissa Veliz. She is an associate professor at the Faculty of Philosophy and the Institute for Ethics in AI, as well as a tutorial fellow at Hertford College, at the University of Oxford and editor of the Oxford Handbook of Digital Ethics. Carissa is author of the book, Privacy is Power: Why and How You Should Take Back Control of Your Data (https://amzn.to/3nqHIsX). Cooking on the grill is great but it can get a little boring if it is always hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken breasts and steaks. But it doesn’t have to be. Listen as I reveal how to cook some things on the grill you never imagined that taste great – for example, pineapple, avocado, watermelon and pound cake. https://www.rd.com/list/7-food-you-didnt-know-you-could-grill/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is offering SYSK listeners a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Go to https://Shopify.com/sysk now to grow your business - no matter what stage you're in! We love the Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast! https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart-podcast eBay Motors has 122 million parts for your #1 ride-or-die, to make sure it stays running smoothly. Keep your ride alive at https://eBayMotors.com We really like The Jordan Harbinger Show! Check out https://jordanharbinger.com/start OR search for it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sunscreen has been around for a long time. Has it changed much? Are there advancements in “sunscreen technology”? As summer begins, I explore the newest advancements in sunscreen. https://www.realsimple.com/new-sunscreens-6831077 We revere leaders. School mottos often say something about “Developing tomorrow’s leaders today…” Everyone should aspire to be a leader. But what if you don’t want to be a leader? If everyone becomes a leader – who is left to follow? Is everyone “leadership material”? To hear the surprising science about leadership, listen to my guest Dr. Elias Aboujaoude. He is a psychiatry professor and researcher at Stanford University, and author of the book, A Leader's Destiny: Why Psychology, Personality, and Character Make All the Difference (https://amzn.to/4b6JsOd) Over the last few years we have heard about the supply chain in the news. It’s that somewhat vague process of making and getting products to where they need to be. So how does it all work? Why does it sometimes fail? Why does it often seem so fragile? Joining me to help us understand the supply chain and explain why you should care about it is Peter Goodman. He is the Global Economics Correspondent for The New York Times and he is author of a book called How the World Ran Out of Everything: Inside the Global Supply Chain (https://amzn.to/3KAlQXJ). With summer comes lightning. How likely are you to get struck? And is it true that if you have been struck once, it is more likely to happen again? Listen for the answers and details. https://www.britannica.com/question. Source: What-are-the-chances-of-being-struck-by-lightning Source: http://lightningsafetycouncil.org/ and https://www.britannica.com/question/What-are-the-chances-of-being-struck-by-lightning PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is offering SYSK listeners a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Go to https://Shopify.com/sysk now to grow your business - no matter what stage you're in! We love the Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast! https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart-podcast eBay Motors has 122 million parts for your #1 ride-or-die, to make sure it stays running smoothly. Keep your ride alive at https://eBayMotors.com We really like The Jordan Harbinger Show! Check out https://jordanharbinger.com/start OR search for it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Of course, you know what a tank top is – but do you know why it is called a tank top? A tee-shirt looks like the letter T. But a tank top doesn’t look like a tank. So where did the name come from? Listen as I start this episode with the explanation that goes back to the 1920s. https://undersummers.com/blogs/undersummers-about-us/the-history-of-the-tank-top-why-is-it-called-a-tank-top We have all likely felt a sexual attraction to someone. When you see that person across the room at a party and you can’t take your eyes off him or her – that is sexual attraction. It is very different from other kinds of human attraction, like being attracted to someone as a friend or someone you want to work with. True sexual attraction is based solely on a person’s appearance. It is a universal yet very individualized pull towards someone else and it can be very powerful. Joining me to discuss the science of this little known human experience is James Giles. He is lecturer at the University of Cambridge Institute for Continuing Education and is well known for his writings on philosophical psychology and human relationships. He is author of the book, Sexual Attraction: The Psychology of Allure (https://amzn.to/4bY2Jmk). The whole world of work has changed a lot in the last several years. Today, people don’t stay in one job or even in one career like they used to. Additionally, people are questioning their work and asking themselves, “Is this really what I want to be doing?” It also seems people are looking to find more meaning in their work, not just a paycheck. To help understand why things have changed and how best to navigate these changes is Jennifer Tosti-Kharas . She is a professor of management at Babson College and author of the book Is Your Work Worth It?: How to Think About Meaningful Work (https://amzn.to/3VnFf2V) It is a mystery that has confounded people since the invention of laundry: Why does one sock go missing and where does it go? Listen as I explain one very plausible solution that explains why you have socks without a mate. https://reviewed.usatoday.com/laundry/features/youre-not-crazy-your-socks-really-can-disappear-in-the-wash PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is offering SYSK listeners a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Go to https://Shopify.com/sysk now to grow your business - no matter what stage you're in! We love the Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast! https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart-podcast eBay Motors has 122 million parts for your #1 ride-or-die, to make sure it stays running smoothly. Keep your ride alive at https://eBayMotors.com We really like The Jordan Harbinger Show! Check out https://jordanharbinger.com/start OR search for it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all know sunscreen is important – but only if you cover all the places you need to cover. Interestingly, there are several spots people often miss that leave them vulnerable to the harms of the sun. This episode begins with a list of the most likely places you miss so you won’t miss the next time. https://www.consumerreports.org/sunscreens/how-to-apply-sunscreen-to-commonly-missed-spots/ Imagine if there was a drug that could make you healthier, improve longevity, plus give you happiness and more success. Would you take that it? Actually, this drug exists according to Stephen Trzeciak, M.D. All you have to do is reach out and help other people. It may sound simplistic but there is solid science to show that the act of helping others has tremendous benefits. Listen as Stephen explains how it works and how much helping you have to do to get the benefits. Stephen is author of the book Wonder Drug: 7 Scientifically Proven Ways That Serving Others is the Best Medicine For Yourself (https://amzn.to/3tT4Zr2). Do you know what to do if you get bitten by a snake? How would you respond if someone near fell to the ground from a heart attack or seizure? Do you know what to do if you get lost ? These and other emergencies happen all the time and it is important to know in advance what to do so you don’t panic when something bad actually happens. Here to explain how to prepare for almost any emergency is Dr. John Torres. He is an emergency room physician as well as a senior medical correspondent for NBC and author of the book Dr. Disaster’s Guide to Surviving Everything (https://amzn.to/3yg7Flb). Being left-handed can be challenging because the world is made for right-handed people. Yet, for students, being left-handed may be a good thing . Listen as I explain some interesting research that illustrates some differences between how left and right-handed students compare in school. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1215253/Left-handers-likely-enjoy-school-teachers-pets.html PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is offering SYSK listeners a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Seasons change. Why not your tech? When you shop online at https://Dell.com/Deals you’ll have access to exceptional tech and electronics, plus free shipping! Luckily for those of us who live with the symptoms of allergies, we can Live Claritin Clear with Claritin-D! eBay Motors has 122 million parts for your #1 ride-or-die, to make sure it stays running smoothly. Keep your ride alive at https://eBayMotors.com We really like The Jordan Harbinger Show! Check out https://jordanharbinger.com/start OR search for it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices