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

Whenever you see the equal sign, you know what it means. So how did these two little parallel lines come to mean - Is equal to? This episode begins with a story that goes back almost 1,000 years to reveal the answer. Source: Professor Stewart's Hoard of Mathematical Treasures (https://amzn.to/3RhUt8l)  Do you feel safe? Do know what you would do if someone attacked you or broke into your home? Are you doing all you can to keep you and your family out of harm’s way? Perhaps most importantly, are sure you or your home are not an easy target for criminals? These are important questions we should all be asking ourselves according to Spencer Coursen. Spencer is a nationally recognized threat management expert and author of the book The Safety Trap: A Security Expert’s Secrets for Staying Safe in a Dangerous World (https://amzn.to/3gtV5pp). Listen and you will feel better about staying safe in an uncertain world.  Probably everyone has something about themselves they would like to change. But as we all know, change is hard. But what if it could be easier than you think? And what if you didn’t really have to change as much as you might think? That’s what Nicole Vignola is here to discuss. Nicole is a neuroscientist and organizational consultant and author of the book Rewire: Break the Cycle, Alter Your Thoughts and Create Lasting Change (https://amzn.to/3KAmZOO) If you have a lawn, you have likely come to hate the dandelion. It is a prolific weed that drives people crazy. Actually, it didn’t start out that way. The dandelion was deliberately brought to North America and is used in some surprising ways. And insects love dandelions. Listen as I reveal why. http://www.gardenguides.com/76016-dandelion-flower.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

10% of the human population is left-handed but what about other animals? Do they have a preference for which paw, foot, fin or wing to use? And what about the octopus? Do they prefer one arm over the other 7? Listen as I begin with the fascinating explanation? https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-asymmetric-brain/202307/does-owner-left-handedness-influence-left-pawedness-in-dogs#: If you are productive, you get a lot of things done. At least that is the conventional view of productivity. I invite you to come and listen to a different approach to productivity from Laura Mae Martin. She is the Executive Productivity Advisor at Google and author of the book Uptime: A Practical Guide to Personal Productivity and Wellbeing (https://amzn.to/4bLfnF4). I promise you will come away from this discussion with some great ideas you can implement in your day that will make you more productive and make your life easier. The modern skyscraper is a recent invention. After all, skyscrapers couldn’t have really existed much before electricity or the invention of the elevator. But in the last 130 years or so, skyscrapers have come to define the modern city and they keep getting taller and taller. You are about to get a peek into this fascinating industry most of us know very little about from Jason M. Barr. He is a professor of economics at Rutgers University-Newark and one of the world’s foremost experts on the economics of skyscrapers. Jason is author of a book called Cities in the Sky: The Quest to Build the World's Tallest Skyscrapers (https://amzn.to/3yMPIgV). We think taste is all about eating – but you really do “eat with your eyes.” In other words, the color of food and what it looks like before you eat it impacts what it tastes like. Listen as I explain. https://zoe.com/learn/how-color-changes-taste-flavor 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

Gasoline is expensive and we all need to make sure we are squeezing every mile out of every gallon. You have probably heard a lot of suggestions on how to conserve gas. This episode begins with a few effective methods you may not have heard of before from Popular Mechanics. https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/a39504408/how-to-improve-your-vehicles-gas-mileage/  Do you believe in luck? That is likely going to depend on how you define it. Some people believe luck is a magical force in the universe while others think of luck as something you calculate with probabilities and statistics while others believe you can create your own luck. To get a better understanding of how luck works, I invite you to listen to my conversation with Jeffrey Rosenthal, professor in the University of Toronto’s Department of Statistics and author of several books including Knock On Wood: Luck Chance and the Meaning of Everything (https://amzn.to/3uccXfh). You don’t have to go too far before you begin to realize that life can be cruel and unfair and that bad things happen to everyone. What is most important is how you deal with and accept and ultimately make peace with the difficult things. Clinical psychologist Janina Scarlet works with people who must accept and come to terms with events that are unfair and often devastating. Janina is author of the book, It Shouldn’t Be This Way: Learning to Accept the Things You Just Can’t Change (https://amzn.to/4bHImcX). If you’ve ever had trouble making peace with something bad that has happened to you, you should listen to what she has to say.  People want to look their best. As we age, it seems natural for people to want to look youthful. However, there is a limit to it. Listen as I explain the negative consequences of trying to appear too young and what to do instead if you really want to appear younger than your actual age. http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/publications/observer/obsonline/act-your-age.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 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

Ever try to get your dog or cat to recognize themselves in the mirror? This episode begins with an explanation as to why the result is almost always disappointing. https://www.livescience.com/4272-elephant-awareness-mirrors-humans.html You hear a lot of concerns expressed about people's cellphone use. Are we spending too much time on our phones? What are people doing on their phones? Is it causing harm? Here to discuss some of the research about cellphone use and what it does to people is Faye Begheti. She is a practicing neurology doctor and neuroscientist at Oxford University Hospitals and author of the book The Phone Fix: The Brain-Focused Guide to Building Healthy Digital Habits and Breaking Bad Ones (https://amzn.to/3yJUhIM). Listen as she explains that it is not so much about simply being on your phone – it’s more about what you are doing while you are on it. Paradoxes are those quirky little things that often seem to make no sense but actually help us think differently and problem solve better. For example, if I tell you I always tell lies – is that a lie? How can it be the truth if I always tell lies? Here to help you better understand paradoxes and why we have them is George Szpiro. He is a journalist with a PhD in mathematical economics and author of the book Perplexing Paradoxes: Unraveling Enigmas in the World Around Us (https://amzn.to/4aEASGo). Several years ago I spent a weekend teaching myself to juggle. It wasn’t easy but with a little persistence (about a weekend’s worth for me), the basics can be mastered. And it turns out that knowing how to juggle is good for you in a lot of ways. Listen and I will tell you how. https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2009-10-12-juggling-enhances-connections-brain 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 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

So many of us fantasize about being rich. Wouldn’t it be great to win the lottery or inherit a ton of money or be born into a wealthy family? Well it isn’t always as wonderful as you might imagine. Listen as I begin by explaining what being rich does to some people – especially young people. Source: Dr. Stephen Berglas author of Reclaiming the Fire (https://amzn.to/3VjeRIS) Almost no one dreams about math. Almost everyone dreams about falling or being chased. These are just some of the fascinating things I discuss about dreams with Dr. Rahul Jandial. He is a neurosurgeon and neuroscientist who has been studying why people dream and what happens in the brain when dreams occur. If you have wondered about your dreams and how they affect you, you need to hear this conversation. Dr. Jandial is the author of several books, his latest is called, This Is Why You Dream: What Your Sleeping Brain Reveals About Your Waking Life (https://amzn.to/3KmOE5N). Do you like solitude? We all like it somewhat – and some of us like a lot of solitude. Is that a problem? After all, humans are social creatures. We like to be with others. Still there are many people who cherish “alone time.” To understand why solitude is so important, listen to my guest Netta Weinstein. She is a 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 at the University of Oxford. Netta is author of the book Solitude: The Science and Power of Being Alone (https://amzn.to/3wVA7eb). Every once in a while, you will see something on a menu labeled “organic seafood.” What does that mean? How can seafood be organic? Listen and I will explain why it is probably not as organic as you would like it to be. https://www.foodrepublic.com/1413904/why-organic-seafood-myth/ 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 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

Why do they call it PLASTIC surgery? It seems like a weird word to use. What’s even weirder is that the term goes back a couple of centuries, even before we had plastic as we know it today. This episode begins with an explanation and once you hear it, it’ll all make sense. Source: Lindsey Fitzharris author of The Face Maker (https://amzn.to/3x3IP69). What does the word “evil” mean when you hear it? What is evil? Is it some sinister force in the universe? Is it even possible to explain what it is? What makes someone do cruel and evil things? Perhaps evil isn’t something itself but the result of something else. Listen to my conversation with Simon Baron Cohen, a professor of developmental psychopathology at the University of Cambridge and author of four books including The Science of Evil: On Empathy and the Origins of Cruelty (https://amzn.to/3tf4ffC). Most people in the world know how to ride a bike. It is the most popular means of transportation on earth. And it makes you wonder how that happened so fast. The modern bicycle was invented not all that long ago – yet there are now twice as many bicycles as cars in existence. You are about to discover that the history of the bicycle is more interesting than you ever knew. Listen as I discuss this with Jody Rosen, a writer for The New York Times magazine and author of the book Two Wheels Good: The History and Mystery of the Bicycle (https://amzn.to/3NuAoaU).   If you live in or visit a place that has fireflies (or lightning bugs), you know they are fascinating to watch. However, the population of fireflies is diminishing. Listen as I explain why this is happening. http://www.firefly.org/how-you-can-help.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 NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The sound of crickets on a summer night can be quite pleasing. And the little critters making that sound have some interesting characteristics and abilities I bet you never knew. Listen to my explanation and you’ll have renewed respect for the crickets of summer. Source: Hugh Raffels author of Insectopedia (https://amzn.to/4bOcK51) Friendships are at an all-time low. People have fewer friends than ever before and the number of people who feel lonely is at record high levels. Why is friendship so hard? Well, it’s not really, according to Anna Goldfarb. She makes friends quite easily and she says you can too if you are willing to try. Want to know how? Then you need to listen to Anna. She is a friendship journalist who has reported for The New York Times, Time magazine, and the Washington Post and she is author of the book, Modern Friendship: How to Nurture Our Most Valued Connections (https://amzn.to/3K9Fqdb). If any podcast can make the topic of housework exciting – it is this podcast. What’s so interesting is a lot of what we learned about how to do housework is ineffective, outdated and sometimes just plain wrong. The result is that you may be wasting time and money and not doing a particularly great job at keeping your house and clothes clean. To rescue is Melissa Pateras. She creates very popular TikTok videos about house cleaning tips and tricks (https://www.tiktok.com/@melissadilkespateras?lang=en) and she is author of the book, A Dirty Guide to a Clean Home: Housekeeping Hacks You Can't Live Without (https://amzn.to/3VbJ0ts) There are a lot of reasons to get your kids to play outside in the sunshine. One of the important reasons has to do with their eye health. Listen as I explain the connection between playing outside and vision in children. https://www.aao.org/eyenet/article/outdoor-activity-and-myopia-in-children 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 NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here is a problem about spaghetti that has stumped some of the brightest minds in science, including Nobel prize winning physicist Richard Feynman: Hold one strand of spaghetti at each end and try to break it into two pieces. You will find that it is impossible. There now appears to be an explanation thanks to some very high-speed cameras. Listen and I will tell you what it is. https://www.thenakedscientists.com/get-naked/experiments/snapping-spaghetti You want things. I want things. We all want things. That is what human desire is all about. Have you ever stopped to wonder why you desire those particular things? For an explanation of human desire, we turn to Luke Burgis. He is an entrepreneur and a philosopher and he has written a book about desire titled, Wanting (https://amzn.to/3fPJyR9). Listen as he offers insight into what triggers all of our desires – big and small. If we evolved from apes, why are there still apes? That’s one of many questions people ponder about evolution. Perhaps you’ve also wondered if humans are still evolving, or have we stopped? Can we predict how evolution will change the world? These are just some of the questions I tackle with Marlene Zuk. She is an evolutionary biologist and author of the book Paleofantasy: What Evolution Really Tells Us about Sex, Diet, and How We Live (https://amzn.to/3uUyd6H). Listen and you will have a better understanding of how we evolved to be who we are. When a child gets hurt, what you do and say in response is critical. And it isn’t only because the correct response can soothe the child and alleviate their stress, it can also affect the way the child recovers from an injury. Listen to hear the science of this important phenomenon. Source: Judith Acosta author of Verbal First Aid (https://amzn.to/3fScUhV) 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 NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even though we have celebrated Memorial Day for a long time, it wasn’t made an official national Holiday until 1971. And it wasn’t always called Memorial Day either. We start this episode with a few fascinating facts about this interesting American holiday and day of remembrance. https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/memorial-day-2022-facts-american-holiday Why is your personality the way it is? Why are you the way you are? Why is it that you are different than everybody else? There is some fascinating new research about how personalities come to be. And here to discuss it is Brian Little one of the leading researchers in the subject of human personality. Brian is the author of the book, Me, Myself and Us: The Science of Personality and the Art of Well-Being. (https://amzn.to/3LN32mi). Doesn’t it seem that people argue more now than they used to – and often about the most ridiculous things? People argue about politics and social issues and just about everything else. It makes you wonder if arguments actually accomplish anything or are they more destructive than constructive. Joining me to discuss why we seem to like to argue is Lee Siegel. Lee is the author of seven books as well as a writer and cultural critic who has written for Harper’s, The New Republic, The Nation, The Atlantic Monthly, The New Yorker, The New York Times. His latest book is Why Argument Matters. (https://amzn.to/3ao7Zox). If you or someone around you gets stung by a bee, do you know what to do? You should because it can be serious or even life-threatening for some people. Listen as I explain what the American Academy of Dermatology recommends you do and NOT do. https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/injured-skin/bites/treat-bee-sting 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 NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Look at any can of cooking spray and it will say on the label that it has zero calories. How can that be? It can’t be. Listen as I explain how they get away with saying that when it isn’t really true and I’ll reveal how many calories there actually are. https://cheatdaydesign.com/how-many-calories-does-cooking-spray-really-have/ No doubt you have heard of Ozempic. It is a drug that allows a lot of people to lose weight. While it is extremely effective, there are risks and concerns. But what is the bigger risk – the risks of taking the drug or the risks of remaining overweight? That’s the question I explore with Johann Hari. He is a writer and journalist who has written for The New York Times, The Guardian, and other newspapers. His TED Talks have been viewed over 70 million times, he is the author of some bestselling books and he has taken Ozempic and lost weight. He has also thoroughly researched all sides of the debate on these drugs and the results of his work are in his book Magic Pill: The Extraordinary Benefits and Disturbing Risks of the New Weight-Loss Drugs (https://amzn.to/3WMpdC7). All the conveniences of living in a digital world are hard to argue with. Still, all these digital gadgets have made many cherished analog things obsolete. Think about how your smartphone has replaced the need for a watch, or camera or a bookstore or record store – even a map. Everything is digital now. This segment isn’t about longing for “the good old days” of analog but rather looking at how important our analog world was a few decades ago and how some analog things still persist because they are still the better way (think of a pencil and a piece of paper). Joining me to talk about all things analog is Deyan Sudjic, Director Emeritus of the Design Museum in London, professor of Design Studies at the University of Lancaster in the UK and author of the book, The World of Analog: A Visual Guide (https://amzn.to/4dMnXEW). No matter what language people speak, when they get hurt they say “OUCH!” or something very close to it. Listen as I explain the reason and purpose of OWWW or OUCH! Source: Jonathan Goldman author of The 7 Secrets to Sound Healing (https://amzn.to/3V6vVR9). 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 NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whenever I fly, I see people on the plane who look like they are doing important work on their laptops. That may actually be a really bad idea because it is hard to do high quality work at 30,000 feet. Listen as I explain why. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22357419 We have become a pretty wasteful world. We waste a lot of food, we create a lot of packaging that goes to waste and despite our best efforts we only recycle a fraction of all the things we could. There is likely no one big solution to any of this but there are some interesting things being done you should hear about that are making a difference. Here to explain these solutions and reveal the magnitude of the waste problem is Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Edward Humes. He is author of over two dozen books. His latest is Total Garbage: How We Can Fix Our Waste and Heal Our World (https://amzn.to/3K3tXvx). Creativity sounds so magical – like it is some mystical gift some people were given that allows them to create the most wonderful things. However, creativity has been studied and the science of it is less magical and more practical. Being more creative and accomplished at anything is a skill we can all develop. We may not become the greatest or most creative at a chosen skill, but we can all become better at anything we put our mind to if we understand how. Here to explain is Anna Abraham. She is a professor and the Director of the Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development at the University of Georgia and author of the book, The Creative Brain: Myths and Truths (https://amzn.to/3QReQcn) When it comes to family dinner, many parents serve different food to their children – like mac and cheese or chicken nuggets because kids seem to prefer it. Is that a good idea? Listen as I reveal the dangers of dumbing down your kids’ meals. https://www.npr.org/2006/11/02/6418289/break-your-childs-mac-n-cheese-diet 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 NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why do you suppose it is that dogs love to hang their heads out of a moving car window? What’s the thrill? More importantly, should you let your dog do it? This episode begins with an explanation of why dogs love it so much and if it is really safe. https://www.metlifepetinsurance.com/blog/pet-behavior/should-my-dog-hang-their-head-out-of-a-car-window/  Modern medical surgery is nothing short of amazing. It is hard to imagine but many of us wouldn’t be here if it were not for the miracle of surgery. Yet, the history of surgery is remarkably short. In fact, there couldn’t have been surgery until four major problems were solved first. Ira Rutkow, MD is a general surgeon and historian of American medicine. Listen as he tells the story of modern surgery – including many of the problems encountered along the way and the amazing resistance to some important advances. Ira is author of the book, Empire of the Scalpel: The History of Surgery (https://amzn.to/3Lz8lWo). Once you hear it, you’ll be glad you didn’t need an operation 160 years ago.  Do you ask a lot of questions of other people? The truth is most people don’t ask very many questions during the day and the questions we do ask tend to be mundane things like “How’s it going?” or “What kind of work do you do?” However, by asking the right kinds of questions you can learn and understand so much more. Plus, asking questions can be a great way to connect with other people if you do it right. What kinds of questions should you ask? Here with some great advice is Chad Littlefield. He is co-founder and Chief Experience Officer of We and Me, Inc., an organization whose mission is to create conversations that matter. He is also coauthor of the book Ask Powerful Questions (https://amzn.to/380YdI8).  A nap can be wonderful. It can also leave you feeling groggy and feeling more tired. Listen as I explain the keys to taking a nap that research says will leave you feeling more rested and satisfied. https://www.livescience.com/14680-hammock-rocking-improves-sleep.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 NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Your call is very important to us.” That is just one of many phrases businesses use trying to convince us how customer-focused they are. Do these phrases work, or do they backfire? This episode begins with an exploration. Source: Michael Maslansky author of The Language Of Trust (https://amzn.to/3Wz2IQP). When you walk into a church, it affects you. You feel different than when you walk into a baseball stadium or a restaurant or office or a grocery store. The environment you are in right now affects your behavior your thoughts and your feelings. I am certain you have experienced this but likely never thought a lot about it. That is why Kevin Ervin Kelley is here. Kevin is an award-winning architect who designs stores and offices and other spaces and has studied how rooms and spaces impact people for better or worse. Kevin is author of the book Irreplaceable: How to Create Extraordinary Places that Bring People Together (https://amzn.to/3UALlwE). While you learn about the big historical events in school, history is filled with lesser known stories that will fascinate you. You are about to hear stories of the disastrous opening day at Disneyland; how Abraham Lincoln was only one of several murder targets the night he was shot; the weird marriage of AOL and Time-Warner and more. Here to tell those stories is Michael Farquhar. He is a former writer and editor at The Washington Post and author of several books including Bad Days in History: A Gleefully Grim Chronicle of Misfortune, Mayhem, and Misery for Every Day of the Year (https://amzn.to/3wjKCrF) and More Bad Days in History (https://amzn.to/3QE5q3V). “You have the right to remain silent.” Those are the opening words of the Miranda warning and if a police officer says them to you, it likely means you have just been arrested. But who was Miranda? Whatever became of him? Listen to find out.https://www.thoughtco.com/miranda-v-arizona-104966 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 NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Even though people seem to enjoy dining out, many find the process frustrating and difficult. And the restaurant’s menu has a lot to do with it. This episode begins with the result of a recent survey regarding how people order, what they think of menus (including QR code menus) how much a meal should cost and more. https://www.usfoods.com/our-services/business-trends/american-menu-choices.html Happiness is a difficult word to define. Even the happiest person in the world isn’t happy all the time. Maybe happiness is more of a philosophy – an overall sense of contentment. Maybe it is the result of the things you do and who you do them for. That’s what Stephanie Harrison believes, and she has studied what makes people happy. Stephanie is the creator of the “New Happy” philosophy. Her work has been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, and Harvard Business Review. The New Happy’s art, newsletter, podcast, and programs reach millions of people around the world. Here's the website- https://www.thenewhappy.com. She is also author of the book New Happy: Getting Happiness Right in a World That's Got It Wrong (https://amzn.to/3WxgOlR). Listen and you will get a deeper understanding of happiness and how to find it. In English we have rules. For example: Don’t start an sentence with “and” or “but”; don’t end a sentence with a preposition; don’t say “ain’t” because it’s not a real word. Says who? Where do all these rules come from? Who wrote the rules? Are they really rules and or suggestions? Do they even make sense? Here with some insight into the rules of English and the fascinating way our language evolves is Anne Curzan. She is a professor of English language and literature, linguistics, and education and also serves as the dean of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts at the University of Michigan. Anne is also author of the book Says Who?: A Kinder, Funner Usage Guide for Everyone Who Cares About Words (https://amzn.to/44wj7rd). Some people prefer not to know the gender of their soon-to-be-born baby or name it until after birth. However, there are some good reasons – particularly for new fathers – to know sooner rather than later. Listen as I explain what they are. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/children/10014909/Fathers-who-find-out-sex-of-unborn-child-more-likely-to-bond-sooner.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 NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why is it you see people on the news every once in a while who claim to drink and smoke and eat a questionable diet – and still live to be 100 while healthy people sometimes die young? This episode begins by exploring this phenomenon and reveals what your odds of living to 100 on the whiskey and cigarette diet really are. Source: Dr. Robert Butler author of The Longevity Prescription (https://amzn.to/392khSV) You have likely heard of these sayings: • Love conquers all • No man is an island • A friend in need is a friend indeed • You can’t judge a book by its cover These sayings all have to do with relationships (or lack of) with other people. But are they true? Eric Barker has taken a hard look into the research on love and friendship and he joins me with some startling findings. Eric is author of the book Plays Well with Others: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Relationships is (Mostly) Wrong (https://amzn.to/3vQdZi9) While it is sometimes hard to say no to someone, how many times have you said yes and regretted it? If you could use some help on getting good at saying no and not feel so guilty about it, listen to my conversation with bestselling author Michael Tougias, author of the book No Will Set You Free. (https://amzn.to/3sm5HfF) Bananas are more interesting than you might think. First of all, you probably believe they come from a tree. They don’t. Also, a bunch of bananas is not technically called a bunch. And there’s more. Listen as I dazzle you with my banana knowledge which can then use to dazzle your friends.  https://www.britannica.com/plant/banana-plant 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 NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you know what the most popular and least popular car colors are? What’s so interesting is that buying a car that is an unpopular color can actually increase the resale value of the car over one that is a more popular color. Listen as I explain how this works. Source: Westways Magazine Summer 2024 / article “Color Considerations” What’s the best way to learn something really well? Is it to have a great coach or practice, practice, practice or – what? Why do some people master a skill better than others – is it just raw talent that separates the good from the great? Well, if you have ever wondered about this, you have to listen to my discussion with Scott Young. He is a writer whose work has been featured in the New York Times, and Business Insider, on the BBC. Scott is the host of The Scott Young Podcast https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/podcast/and author of the book Get Better at Anything: 12 Maxims for Mastery (https://amzn.to/3JOQ60k). What is a tattoo? Why do people get them? Do people often regret getting them? Tattoos have been around for thousands of years, and it seems a lot more people have tattoos today than in the past. What is the appeal? Here to discuss all this and take us inside the world of tattoos is Matt Lodder. He is one of the world’s leading experts on tattoos as well as a senior lecturer in art history and theory at the University of Essex. He is author of the book Painted People: 5,000 Years of Tattooed History from Sailors and Socialites to Mummies and Kings (https://amzn.to/4bdVJlb).  I don’t know if you hum much – but you should. You will simply feel better. And humming has some other excellent benefits I suspect you never knew. Listen to my explanation and you’ll be humming in no time. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture-council/articles/humming-for-self-care-tool-for-leaders-toolboxes-1234956725/ 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 NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you ever feel down, anxious or get that sense of doom, you might want to take some Tylenol. You are probably wondering how in the world that could help. Well, it can, and this episode begins with an explanation as to why. https://www.livescience.com/28770-tylenol-eases-existential-dread.html Do plants have intelligence? It seems unlikely. After all, they don’t have a brain so how could they “think” or react to situations? Well, think again. It seems plants can sense danger, communicate with other plants and resort to devious behavior in order to protect themselves that all sounds a lot like intelligence. That’s according to Zoë Schlanger. She is an award-winning staff writer for the Atlantic and author of the book The Light Eaters: How the Unseen World of Plant Intelligence Offers a New Understanding of Life on Earth (https://amzn.to/4deE12f). Listen and you may never look at a plant the same way again.  Dining out can get quite expensive. Yet some people believe restaurants are actually underpriced! Still, I bet you have had sticker shock more than once when the restaurant check arrived. Then on top of that you are expected to tip. It all adds up. To help you understand why restaurants may seem expensive and to give you a glimpse into what goes on behind the scenes is Andrew Friedman. He is co-author of more than twenty-five cookbooks, memoirs, and other projects with some of the best known chefs; he is producer and host of the podcast “Andrew Talks to Chefs”(https://andrewtalkstochefs.com/podcasts) and he is author of the book, The Dish: The Lives and Labor Behind One Plate of Food (https://amzn.to/3xWJjiE). Let yourself have a good sigh! It appears that sighing is something people all over the world do. It expresses a feeling to others, and it also is good for you. Listen as I explain. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/brain-babble/201304/why-do-we-sigh 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 NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It feels natural to hold a grudge when someone betrays you or upsets you. After all, you are the injured party, so you are entitled to hang on to that grudge -right? Maybe. However, there are excellent reasons to let go of that grudge. This episode begins with an explanation of those reasons plus an interesting quote about grudges to drives the point home. Source: Judith Kuriansky author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to a Healthy Relationship (https://amzn.to/3KQEetb) No matter how smart you are, your brain does things to trick you. For example, your brain has trouble making sense of fractions – it just does. You are usually going to be less open-minded to ideas that conflict with what you already believe even if the evidence is clear and obvious. Those are just a few examples of how your thinking gets distorted – and there are many others. Here to explain them is James Zimring, Professor of Experimental Pathology at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and author of the book Partial Truths: How Fractions Distort our Thinking (https://amzn.to/3LxUj85). We may live on the same planet as other animals, but we live in very different worlds. The world animals experience is very different than ours. Largely, it is because the way they sense their surroundings is so different than ours. There are some animals that can see things we can’t. Other animals hear things or taste things we simply cannot. This is important because the more we know about all of this, the better we can understand how our own senses work. Joining me to discuss this is Jackie Higgins. She is a writer, producer and director of films about animals and she is author of a book called Sentient: How Animals Illuminate the Wonder of Our Human Senses (https://amzn.to/3OUqY9S). You may not realize this but if you struggle with your weight, it could be your allergy medicine to blame – at least partially. Research show that some common antihistamines seem to be linked to weight gain in some people. Listen to discover more. https://www.verywellhealth.com/do-antihistamines-cause-weight-gain-83094 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 We love the Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast! https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart-podcast NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com Luckily for those of us who live with the symptoms of allergies, we can Live Claritin Clear with Claritin-D! TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The season during which you were born may have an effect on your health. This episode begins by revealing a study from a few years ago that shows some interesting differences in children who were born in the summer versus those born in winter, spring and fall. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/babies-born-in-winter-are-bigger-brighter-and-more-successful-5336850.html Some new and fascinating technologies are already starting to change lives around the world and will soon be affecting you. These are not far off in the distance technologies – they are here right now - from sponge cities to meat grown in a laboratory, to all the things that AI can do. Here to reveal and explain some of these new technologies is Jay Ingram. He hosts 2 national science programs in Canada, “Quirks & Quarks” on CBC radio and “Daily Planet” on Discovery Channel Canada. Jay is author of 19 books including, The Future of Us: The Science of What We'll Eat, Where We'll Live, and Who We'll Be (https://amzn.to/3WdMNqX). Failure is no fun – but it is inevitable. Failure turns out to be an excellent way to learn and improve our skills and abilities. Still, failure carries a stigma. People often believe that when you fail, it makes you a failure. Parents often want to protect their kids from failure. That turns out to be a very bad idea. So, we are going to talk about how to fail well with my guest, Amy Edmonson. Amy is a professor of leadership and management at the Harvard Business School and she is author the bestselling book, Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well (https://amzn.to/3xRCxe0). How you handle and store the food you buy at the grocery store can lengthen or shorten the time before the food goes bad and you have to throw it away. Listen as I explain the best tips to keep food fresher longer. Source: Shop Smart magazine (no link) 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 We love the Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast! https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart-podcast NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is a good chance you have thought your cellphone was ringing or vibrating when it wasn’t. It seems weird and makes you wonder why it is such a common experience for people. This episode begins with an explanation.  https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20130701-why-you-feel-phantom-phone-calls Here are three things many of us wish were different in our lives are: We wish we had more friends; we wish we didn’t worry so much; we wish we were more confident. If any or all of those apply to you, you will want to hear my guest Helen Thomson. She is a writer and consultant who is author of This Book Could Fix Your Life. (https://amzn.to/3p2oERA). Helen researched these topics in depth and joins me to offer some very practical strategies to address these three common concerns. You most certainly have experienced awe and wonder in your life. It’s that feeling when you first see the Grand Canyon or you see an incredible rainbow or when you see your own child minutes after being born. That is awe. What we often don’t pay attention to is that there is wonder and awe in a lot of things we see and experience every day – if we just take time to notice. And when you do, that feeling contributes to your overall health and happiness. Allen Klein, author of The Awe Factor (https://amzn.to/3wGSwWh) explains how to capture that sense of awe and wonder in your everyday life and explains the interesting research that shows the benefits. Many of us are afraid of bees because we don’t want to get stung. That’s fair. And you probably should be afraid of killer bees or murder hornets. But what about those everyday honeybees? Are they dangerous? Listen as I reveal some truths and myths about bees and just how dangerous they really are. https://www.pestworldforkids.org/pest-guide/bees/ 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 We love the Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast! https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart-podcast NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While it may seem that life moves at a faster pace, we are the ones who set that pace. Many of us like to do things quickly but that doesn’t mean we have to. This episode begins by exploring what good things might happen if we just slow down a bit. Source, Debbie Mandel, author of Addicted to Stress (https://amzn.to/3v9JpzD). It seems almost impossible to have a civil political debate. Why is that? Why must things get so nasty? Is there a way to discuss our differences and still be kind to one another and not accuse the other person of being ignorant and uninformed? The answer is yes according to Monica Guzman. She is a journalist who wants to show people how to depolarize a conversation so people can talk in a way that fosters understanding without offending those who disagree. Monica is author of the book I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times (https://amzn.to/3LcQK7i)  Anxiety abounds. People just seem more anxious and worried than ever before. Of course, not all anxiety is bad. We have to worry about some things. Yet we often find that many of the things we worry about are never as horrible as we anticipate. So, how do we control our own anxiety so it doesn’t control us? Here with some insight is Ellen Vora. She is a psychiatrist and author of the book The Anatomy of Anxiety (https://amzn.to/3863pKp) If you want to sharpen up your memory a bit, you might try stepping outside. Listen as I reveal how nature can improve memory. https://www.spring.org.uk/2009/01/memory-improved-20-by-nature-walk.php 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 We love the Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast! https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart-podcast NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just how much pesticides residue is on the produce you buy? Should you be concerned? Should you buy organic? Consumer Reports recently did an investigation into pesticides on fruits and vegetables and I begin this episode with some of the surprising results. https://www.consumerreports.org/health/food-contaminants/produce-without-pesticides-a5260230325/ Luck is just around the corner. It may be good luck or it may be bad luck but chance and luck have a huge impact on how things turn out for you. When you understand how luck and chance work in your life, you can do things to improve your good luck and minimize the bad. Joining me to explain how all this works is Mark Robert Rank, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis and author of the book The Random Factor: How Chance and Luck Profoundly Shape Our Lives and the World around Us (https://amzn.to/3W1mDb4). Every living thing will die one day. What’s interesting is that some living things - for instance a butterfly - may live only a few days before it dies while a tortoise or whale might live hundreds of years. Why do something age quickly and others slowly. Can we somehow slow down human aging so we live longer than we do now? A lot is going on to understand the aging process and slow it down according to my guest Venki Ramakrishnan. He is a Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist and author of the book Why We Die (https://amzn.to/49KII0z) Listen as he offers some fascinating insight into how aging works and we can slow down the inevitable. You’ve probably heard the advice to, “Stop and smell the roses.” While that’s certainly a good idea, you may also want to stop and listen to the birds sing and chirp. Listen and I will explain how bird songs are good for your soul. https://www.treehugger.com/why-do-birds-sing-5179422 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 We love the Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast! https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart-podcast NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone knows it is dangerous to talk on the phone while driving – but it seems like it shouldn’t be. After all you talk to people in the car while you drive and that seems to be okay. This episode explains the reasons why driving and talking on the phone don’t mix – at all. https://www.kansashealthsystem.com/care/centers/trauma-center/resources/distracted-driving Do you know what visual intelligence is? It is how you look at all you see. What do you notice? What don’t you notice? It is how you look at the world. You can sharpen your visual intelligence if you know how and there are some real benefits to doing so. Here to explain it is Amy Herman, who has provided training to the FBI, Navy SEALs, NATO, the Peace Corps, Georgetown University Hospital, and executives at Microsoft and Google. She is author of the bestselling book Visual Intelligence (https://amzn.to/49LRD1U) There is also a new adaptation of that book for children called smART: Use Your Eyes to Boost Your Brain (https://amzn.to/49IX9T5) Pain is something we are all intimately familiar with. Consequently, it is important to understand how pain works, what it is telling you and how to control it. That is precisely what Dr. Aneesh Singla is here to discuss. He is a physician who specializes in treating pain and a leading expert on the topic of pain. Aneesh serves on the physician faculty at Harvard Medical School, and he is author of the book, Why It Hurts: A Physician's Insights on The Purpose of Pain (https://amzn.to/3W26jHc). People smile when they are happy. It’s natural. However, it may also be a good idea to smile even when you are not happy. It turns out there are some real benefits to simply smiling that you may not be aware of. Listen and I will tell you what they are. https://www.verywellmind.com/top-reasons-to-smile-every-day-2223755 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 We love the Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast! https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart-podcast NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It matters who your friends are. This episode starts with some interesting Gallup research that shows how the people you hang out with affect who you are in both good and bad ways. Source: Tom Rath author of Well Being (https://amzn.to/3EekZb7) Ever feel stuck? Most of us have, whether it’s stuck in a job or a love relationship – or just a general feeling of being stuck in life. So how do you get unstuck? That’s the important question I explore with Britt Frank. She is a therapist and author of the book, The Science of Stuck: Breaking Through Inertia to Find Your Path Forward (https://amzn.to/3Efv33v). Many alternative therapies are looked down upon – and sometimes, rightfully so. After all, there isn’t a lot of proof they work. Still, some things that have been labeled “woo-woo” or mystical do seem to have benefits even though no one is exactly sure how they work. These include things such as visualization, massage, aroma therapy, nature, kindness and so on. Sometimes the promises made regarding the power of these therapies are overstated. Still, there may still be something to them. Here to talk about this is Dr. David Hamilton. He is a writer and speaker and author of several books including Why Woo Woo Works (https://amzn.to/3JLtBXI). It is pretty clear that people who eat fast tend to eat more. Seldom is that a good thing. There is a simple technique to help fast eaters slow down and eat less and maybe end up losing weight. Listen and I will tell you what it is. https://arstechnica.com/science/2010/12/imagine-eating-an-mm-taking/ 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 NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow 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 love the Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast! https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart-podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A lot of people have autographs from someone famous. Could the one you have be worth anything? What makes an autograph valuable? How much do rare autographs sell for? This episode begins with a brief overview of autographs and some examples that sold for a lot of money. https://www.investopedia.com/most-valuable-autographs-5218552 We have all been told to be careful when we are online. We need secure passwords, we need to be careful what links we click on – that kind of thing. But have you ever wondered who is behind all the cyber crime that is requiring us to be so careful? How has cyber crime changed? Is there any progress in the fight against it? Joining me to help understand the bigger picture of this huge global threat to all of us who go online is Jessica Barker. She is one of the world’s leading experts on cyber crime and is often seen in the media talking on the topic. She recently received an award (MBE) from Prince William for her service to cyber security. Jessica is author of the book, Hacked: The Secrets Behind Cyber Attacks (https://amzn.to/4cO868z). It may sound like science fiction but there are actually scientists exploring outer space (via very advanced telescopes) looking for life on other planets. This search has actually been going on for several years and while they have yet to discover actual evidence of life, what they have discovered is quite amazing. Joining me is one of the people involved in this search for life, Dr. Lisa Kaltenegger Director of the Carl Sagan Institute to Search for Life in the Cosmos at Cornell University where she is also an associate professor of astronomy. In addition, she is author of the book Alien Earths: The New Science of Planet Hunting in the Cosmos (https://amzn.to/3vMH9S1) The next time you are having trouble writing something, try changing the font or ink color to one specific hue. Listen and I’ll tell you which one and why it seems to help. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/green-colors-creative_n_1386190 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 NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow 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 love the Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast! https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart-podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Where do you do your best work and think your best thoughts? Probably not at your workplace. This episode begins with some expert advice on how to optimize your thinking and performance, so you think and work at your very best. Source: Edward Hallowell author of Driven to Distraction (https://amzn.to/3PQgv1u). You likely perform rituals every day of your life – even if you aren't aware of it. From shaking hands when you meet someone, to the rituals of religion to things you do to try and bring luck. Rituals are something humans seem to love and need to have. Why? What do they do for us? A lot, according to Michael Norton, a professor of business administration at the Harvard Business School. and author of The book The Ritual Effect (https://amzn.to/3U65Zpn). Listen as Michael explores the importance of rituals and what they do for us. Much of the science about health is confusing and often contradictory. But if you would like some really good, scientifically proven, straight forward and simple advice on how to get and stay healthy, listen as I speak with Jacob Sager Weinstein. He is a writer whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, and on HBO, and the BBC . Jacob is author of the book, Be Healthier Now: 100 Simple Ways to Become Instantly Healthier (https://amzn.to/4cZedXV). No medical jargon – just great ideas to be healthy that are surprisingly easy to do.   You have heard the saying, revenge is sweet. What is so sweet about it? Listen as I explain why just the thought of getting revenge on someone feels good, even if actually doing it may not be so wise. https://theconversation.com/revenge-isnt-always-sweet-but-it-can-be-beautiful-73653 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 NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow 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 love the Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast! https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart-podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If your freezer has an ice maker then your freezer has a heater. This episode begins with an explanation of why your ice maker needs a heater in the first place, how it is costing you a lot of money and what you can do about it. https://lifehacker.com/save-some-energy-and-money-by-turning-off-your-ice-ma-5792410 We would probably all like to be more influential. That is, to have people listen to us and take our ideas more seriously. So how do you do that? Give a listen to my guest Zoe Chance. She is teacher and researcher who teaches the most popular course at the Yale School of Management called “Mastering Influence and Persuasion “and she is author of the book Influence is Your Superpower: The Science of Winning Hearts, Sparking Change, and Making Good Things Happen (https://amzn.to/3jhWIas). Listen if you want to have more clout and be influential.  It is impossible to get too far in life with feeling grief at the death or a friend or loved one. Since it is inevitable, you might want to listen to this segment with my guest Mary Frances O’Connor. She is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Arizona, where she directs the Grief, Loss and Social Stress (GLASS) Lab, and she has some valuable insight into grief and what we can all learn from it. It’s a topic people don’t like to talk about much but this is really worth a listen. Mary is author of the book The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss (https://amzn.to/3NV3wc9).  There is a HUGE difference between a good restaurant and a great one. I have an article from a long time ago (not sure where it was published) that offers up some great insight that determines what an excellent restaurant does that a lesser one does not. Listen as I share what this insightful article says.  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 NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow 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 Listen to TED Talks Daily https://www.ted.com/about/programs-initiatives/ted-talks/ted-talks-daily Wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apologizing is often difficult. Why though? It seems like doing the right thing and saying you’re sorry should make you feel great. Well, it may make you feel a little better but there is something else that feels MUCH better. Listen as I explain. https://www.npr.org/2013/04/01/175714511/why-not-apologizing-makes-you-feel-better We have a lot of strange and unusual superstitions in this country. But did you know that every culture on earth has superstitions? By definition, superstitions are irrational beliefs. So why do we cling to them and cherish them? Here to discuss and explain is Heather Alexander, author of The Good Luck Book: A Celebration of Global Traditions, Superstitions, and Folklore (https://amzn.to/3TUWIAe). There are always new things to learn in science. Sometimes useful things like the only real way to cure a hangover or why we use maggots to help wounds heal or how a cup of tea changed the way science is done. Well, those are just a few things you will discover when you listen to my guest, Chris Balakrishnan. He is co founder of Nerd Nite. For over 20 years, Nerd Nite has delivered interesting, live presentations about science, history, the arts, pop culture, around the world. He is also author of the book How to Win Friends and Influence Fungi: Collected Quirks of Science, Tech, Engineering, and Math from Nerd Nite (https://amzn.to/3TXVrIK) What should you do if you see an egg on the ground that has fallen from a nest? There are a lot of theories. But I will tell you what bird experts say you should do. https://www.torontowildlifecentre.com/wildlife-emergency-rescue-hotline/how-to-help-orphaned-baby-wild-animals/what-should-i-do-with-eggs 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 NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow 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 Listen to TED Talks Daily https://www.ted.com/about/programs-initiatives/ted-talks/ted-talks-daily Wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you approach a table where you are going to sit with a group of people, which chair do you take? This episode begins with a strategy to choose the best seat at the table whether it’s round or square – 4 chairs or 6 or 8. https://lifehacker.com/always-choose-the-best-seat-at-any-multi-person-table-5990596 Despite your best efforts not to - you have certain biases that you cannot escape. And these biases affect how you think, the decisions you make and the actions you take. So, it might be good to understand what these biases are and how they affect you. Here to explain this is Alex Edmans, professor of finance at London Business School whose TED talk "What to Trust in a Post-Truth World" https://www.ted.com/talks/alex_edmans_what_to_trust_in_a_post_truth_world has been viewed two million times. Alex is author of the book, May Contain Lies: How Stories, Statistics, and Studies Exploit Our Biases―And What We Can Do About It (https://amzn.to/3vprIz3). Most of us probably wish we had a little more mental toughness. When you think of elite athletes or Navy SEALs, these people are able to focus with laser-like precision, ignore distractions and act fearlessly. Who couldn’t use a little more of that?. Here to explain how it works is Eric Potterat. He is a clinical and performance psychologist and retired commander from the US Navy. During his tenure with the navy, he helped create the mental toughness curriculum used during Navy SEALs training. Eric is author of the book Learned Excellence: Mental Disciplines for Leading and Winning from the World’s Top Performers (https://amzn.to/3TV4Qka). Toothpicks are handy and seemingly harmless little pieces of wood. But in truth, they are can also be trouble. In fact, they can be dangerous. When you listen you may just decide to use a fork instead. https://acedentaloftexas.com/why-are-toothpicks-a-danger-for-your-oral-health 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 NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow 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 Listen to TED Talks Daily https://www.ted.com/about/programs-initiatives/ted-talks/ted-talks-daily Wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, this sucks… it turns out that nice people make less money than mean people. That hardly seems fair. This episode begins with an explanation of why this happens and how much more mean people make. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424053111904823804576502763895892974 How you expect your life to go is a very powerful indicator of how it actually will go. Whether it is your health, happiness, how much you weigh or even how long you think you will live, your expectations have a lot to do with the final result. This is according to David Robson, an award-winning science writer who has researched the science of expectations. He is author of the book The Expectation Effect (https://amzn.to/3KfXZKR) and he joins me to reveal how having positive expectations can make your life a lot better. Do you know when and where was the first pizza made? Why couldn’t anyone make a decent frozen pizza until 1995? And what ever happened to Round Table Pizza or Godfather’s Pizza? I explore these any many questions about pizza with food writer Mark Masker author of the book Totally Pizza: The Wild Story of the World’s Most Famous Food. (https://amzn.to/3712smr). There is an assumption that if you are doodling, you are not paying attention. Many students have been reprimanded by teachers for that exact reason. Well, that is just plain nonsense. Listen as I explain the truth about doodling and why you should do it. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090226210039.htm# 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 NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow You can get a ticket for texting while driving. Put the phone away or pay! Paid for by NHTSA Listen to TED Talks Daily https://www.ted.com/about/programs-initiatives/ted-talks/ted-talks-daily Wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The percentage of depressed people who smoke is higher than the general population. Way higher. When you dig a little deeper, it turns out there is an interesting connection between depression and smoking that you’ll find interesting. This episode starts with a brief explanation. https://www.oprah.com/health/quitting-smoking-and-depression Companies are constantly collecting data on you. Everything from what you watch online to what you buy, where you go, your affiliations – all sorts of things. Often that information is sold to data brokers who can then sell that data to other marketers. However, it appears they are also selling it to governments. Government agencies in the U.S and in other countries are acquiring data about you from data brokers. Why would they do that? Should you be worried. That is what Byron Tau is here to discuss. Byron is a journalist based in Washington, D.C., where he writes about law, courts and national security and he is author of the book Means of Control: How the Hidden Alliance of Tech and Government Is Creating a New American Surveillance State (https://amzn.to/49gEf5v). We know a lot more about habits than we used to. This information can be very useful if you ever want to break a bad habit or create a new good one. Someone in the forefront of habit research is Dr Gina Cleo. She has a PhD in habit change and is an assistant professor at Bond University in Australia. She is author of the book The Habit Revolution: Simple Steps to Rewire Your Brain for Powerful Habit Change (https://amzn.to/3PZjFQH). Listen as she reveals how you got those habits in the first place, how to ditch them and then how to get better ones.  We all get the concept of second-hand smoke. It is a health risk for sure. Well, so is second-hand television. In other words, having a television turned on somewhere else in the house that you can hear can be bad for your brain and your kids' brains. Listen as I explain how and why. https://www.cnn.com/2012/10/01/health/kids-background-tv/index.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 NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow You can get a ticket for texting while driving. Put the phone away or pay! Paid for by NHTSA Listen to TED Talks Daily https://www.ted.com/about/programs-initiatives/ted-talks/ted-talks-daily Wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you go to Disneyland or Disney World, something happens in the parking lot when you get there and when you leave that is worth paying attention to. Listen as I explain a little secret that Walt Disney knew and you can use in your life as well. Source: Tom Peters author of The Little Big Things https://amzn.to/4cmUMaZ You have heard about the chemistry of love and today you will hear about the biology of love. The fact is our desire for love is driven by biology and how that biology works (and sometimes doesn’t) is fascinating according to my guest Dr. Liat Yakir. She is a biologist specializing in genetics and science communication and speaks frequently on the topics of the biology of human emotions. She is author of the book, A Brief History of Love: What Attracts Us, How We Fall in Love and Why Biology Screws it All Up (https://amzn.to/3vkyiqn). Listen as she explains all this and offers a prescription for a successful relationship you may not have heard before.  It is possible to keep more of your money... if you just ask. You can ask to have fees waived; you can ask for a better deal – there are all sorts of ways to save money. Here to explain how why and where to do it Matt Schulz, chief credit analyst at LendingTree who has written for Bankrate, Business Insider, CBS MoneyWatch, and USNews.com. Matt is author of the book, Ask Questions, Save Money, Make More: How to Take Control of Your Financial Life (https://amzn.to/4a1xIgt) There is something about going barefoot that many of us enjoy. However, there are others who insist it is a horrible idea. Humans have worn shoes for 40,000 and perhaps for good reason. Listen as we explore the pros and cons of walking barefoot through the life. https://time.com/6284245/walking-barefoot-health-risks/ 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 NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow You can get a ticket for texting while driving. Put the phone away or pay! Paid for by NHTSA Listen to TED Talks Daily https://www.ted.com/about/programs-initiatives/ted-talks/ted-talks-daily Wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What makes a food – a comfort food? Are you actually comforted by these foods? This episode begins by revealing why people crave certain comfort foods and what eating those foods does for you. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/04/why-comfort-food-comforts/389613/  Is it really possible to slow down the aging process and increase how long you live? There are a lot of products offered that supposedly do that. And while some of it may be hype, there is a lot of serious research into how to increase lifespan by slowing the process of aging. One of the people on the cutting edge of this research is Dr. David Sinclair. He is a leading longevity expert, professor at Harvard University and author of the book Lifespan: Why we Age and Why We Don’t Have To (https://amzn.to/3KXpzN8). Listen to our conversation as he explores proven ways to turn back the clock and add years to your life. A day is 24 hours long. Humans have 5 senses. It is lack of gravity that allows astronauts on the International Space Station to float in the air. These are a few examples of things most people believe to be true that are not. Or, they may have a little truth to them but not as much as you think. That is what Philip Bouchard is here to discuss. He is a software engineer, educator and author of the book The Stickler’s Guide to Science in the Age of Misinformation: The Real Science Behind Hacky Headlines, Crappy Clickbait, and Suspect Sources (https://amzn.to/3tH5swJ).  Your stomach growls when you are hungry. But hunger is not the reason it growls. In fact, it isn’t even your stomach that is growling. Listen as I explore what is really going on to make all that noise at exactly the wrong time. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/319901 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 We love the Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast! https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart-podcast Go to https://uscellular.com/TryUS and download the USCellular TryUS app to get 30 days of FREE service! Keep you current phone, carrier & number while testing a new network! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell TechFest starts now! To thank you for 40 unforgettable years, Dell Technologies is celebrating with anniversary savings on their most popular tech. Shop at https://Dell.com/deals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Taking your shoes off before you enter a home is a thoughtful gesture and something many people have done for a long time. And it really is good idea. Why? Listen as I explain what people track in on the bottom of their shoes besides dirt. It's really pretty disgusting. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/07/03/my-shoes-dirty-studies-suggest-theyre-covered-fecal-bacteria/1637780001/ Whether you like Amazon or not, you have to admire the incredible success that company has achieved with Jeff Bezos at the helm. How did Amazon get to be such a giant company so fast? You see their trucks everywhere, many of us send or receive products and do a lot of shopping on Amazon. Beyond that there is Alexa, Kindle, Whole Foods, and much more to Amazon. Is Jeff Bezos just a genius? Why didn’t someone else think of this before or at least try to compete better? Someone who understands Amazon well is Brad Stone, senior executive editor for global technology at Bloomberg News and the author of Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire (https://amzn.to/3hxau9u). Listen as he takes us inside the workings at Amazon and explains how Jeff Bezos did what he did – the good and bad.  Speaking and listening. You do those two things more than any others all day long. Yet, you were probably never taught how to speak or how to listen – at least not in any formal way. However, the better you are at these skills, the more interesting people will think you are and the more effective you will be in life according to my guest Julian Treasure. He is a leading expert in communication and sound and is author of the book How to be Heard: Secrets for Powerful Speaking and Listening (https://amzn.to/3hEMyBk). Listen as he explains the science of how we talk and listen and how all of us can improve our skills to be more effective communicators in any situation. Julian’s TED Talks can be found at: https://bit.ly/2QA27yP & https://bit.ly/3hGPayh  In just about every grocery store you go into, there are no windows except in the front of the store. Why? Listen as I explain the reasons why. https://bit.ly/2RCz7XH 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 We love the Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast! https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart-podcast Go to https://uscellular.com/TryUS and download the USCellular TryUS app to get 30 days of FREE service! Keep you current phone, carrier & number while testing a new network! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell TechFest starts now! To thank you for 40 unforgettable years, Dell Technologies is celebrating with anniversary savings on their most popular tech. Shop at https://Dell.com/deals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One huge important milestone in any relationship is when someone says, “I love you.” So how long does that take? Listen as I reveal how long it takes for a man vs a woman and who usually says it first. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2289562/I-love-Men-88-days-say-girlfriend-women-134-days-say-boyfriend.html Laughter is nothing to laugh at. We all need laughter because the benefits of laughing a lot are tremendous – both physically and mentally. And after all, who doesn't love a good laugh. Joining me to explain the science of laughter is Ros Ben-Moshe. She is an internationally recognized laughter, wellness, and positivity expert, adjunct lecturer at La Trobe University, where she has taught positive psychology and health promotion and she is author of the book, The Laughter Effect: How to Build Joy, Resilience, and Positivity in Your Life (https://amzn.to/3ICQCy5) Is multi-level marketing a legitimate way for people to earn extra money or is it really just a pyramid scheme? Listen as we take a look inside the MLM world and get a better understanding of how Amway, Mary Kay, Shaklee and others actually work. My guest for this discussion is Peabody and Emmy winning journalist Jane Marie who is a former producer of the podcast This American Life and currently hosts a podcast called The Dream (https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/the-dream). She is also author of the book on multi-level marketing called Selling the Dream: The Billion-Dollar Industry Bankrupting Americans (https://amzn.to/43iVu4O) Something very interesting can happen when you ask someone to do a favor for you. In fact, doing so can draw you closer to that person. Listen as I explain how this works. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-initiative/201605/the-power-merely-requesting-favor 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 We love the Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast! https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart-podcast Go to https://uscellular.com/TryUS and download the USCellular TryUS app to get 30 days of FREE service! Keep you current phone, carrier & number while testing a new network! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell TechFest starts now! To thank you for 40 unforgettable years, Dell Technologies is celebrating with anniversary savings on their most popular tech. Shop at https://Dell.com/deals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every home has batteries sitting around in a drawer somewhere waiting to be used. This episode begins with some interesting advice about how to use and store batteries – and how NOT to. Listen and you will understand why it really does matter. https://www.kickassfacts.com/battery-facts/ Artificial intelligence keeps creeping into our lives more and more every day. While AI can be pretty cool and helpful, there is a downside. In fact, there are several downsides. That’s according to Jacob Ward, NBC News technology correspondent, and author of the book The Loop: How Technology is Creating a World Without Choice and How to Fight Back (https://amzn.to/3JBMmh2). Jacob joins me to explain how artificial intelligence is used in medicine, retail, government, and other areas and how it provides benefits as well as creates problems. Do you know what the word “tribology” means? If not, you are about to as you listen to my conversation with physicist Laurie Winkless author the book Sticky: The Secret Science of Surfaces (https://amzn.to/3JwTg7i). Simply put, tribology is the science of surfaces and how they interact with other surfaces. For example, why some surfaces stick together, and some don’t and why some things feel good to the touch and others do not. This is all part of physics and Laurie explains how it works and how it affects your life.  Getting something you want is good. But you know what’s even better? Not LOSING something. This is an important principle that is often used in advertising. It can also work in your attempts to persuade someone. Listen and I will tell you how. Source: Noah Goldstein author of The Little Book of Yes (https://amzn.to/3ipi4SW). 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 We love the Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast! https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart-podcast Go to https://uscellular.com/TryUS and download the USCellular TryUS app to get 30 days of FREE service! Keep you current phone, carrier & number while testing a new network! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell TechFest starts now! To thank you for 40 unforgettable years, Dell Technologies is celebrating with anniversary savings on their most popular tech. Shop at https://Dell.com/deals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all know that we need to drink a lot of water. But have you ever wondered why? This episode begins with exactly how drinking lots of water helps and how drinking too little hurts. https://www.eatingwell.com/article/17435/why-drink-water-how-water-and-health-are-connected/ What determines the content of your dreams? Is it true that people come up with great solutions or ideas in their dreams? What does science tell us about the importance of dreams and is there is a way to actually put them to work for you? Listen as I speak with Deirdre Barrett, a dream researcher at Harvard Medical School, past president of the International Association for the Study of Dreams and frequent media guest on the topic of dreaming. She is author of the book The Committee of Sleep: How Artists, Scientists, and Athletes Use Their Dreams for Creative Problem Solving-And How You Can Too (https://amzn.to/3Tzr0bv) What you put in your stomach affects your brain. Think about it – when you have a headache, you take a pill (that goes to your stomach) and it makes your head feel better. The same thing appears to be true with the food you eat. What you eat can affect how you think, how you feel and even your level anxiety. That’s the message from Dr. Uma Naidoo, board-certified Harvard nutritional psychiatrist, professional chef, and nutritional biologist. She serves on the faculty at Harvard Medical School, the Harvard Department of Nutrition, and is author of the book Calm Your Mind with Food (https://amzn.to/3vcQx0V) From the time humans first invented and used tools, humans have wanted and needed stuff. Tools were our first “stuff” – and owning the best tools gave you status and prestige. Now we have so much stuff and we simply can’t live without it. Our stuff is part of our identity. How we got here is a fascinating story which you are about to hear from Chip Colwell. Chip is an archaeologist, former museum curator, and author and editor of twelve books. His latest book is So Much Stuff: How Humans Discovered Tools, Invented Meaning, and Made More of Everything (https://amzn.to/43euNyr) Watching movies can be good for you. Whether in a theater or at home, comedies, thrillers, romance or family films can all have a positive effect. Listen as I reveal just how good a movie can be. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/07/040722085905.htm 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 We love the Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast! https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart-podcast Go to https://uscellular.com/TryUS and download the USCellular TryUS app to get 30 days of FREE service! Keep you current phone, carrier & number while testing a new network! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell TechFest starts now! To thank you for 40 unforgettable years, Dell Technologies is celebrating with anniversary savings on their most popular tech. Shop at https://Dell.com/deals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’ve probably heard this old rock & roll legend… that when Van Halen performed in concert, they used to ask for M&Ms in their dressing room but all the brown ones had to be removed. Why in the world would they want that? Listen as I reveal the amazingly practical reason. https://www.safetydimensions.com.au/van-halen/ A lot of people suffer from too much anxiety. But anxiety is not the problem according to Dr. John Delony. Rather than focus on reducing your anxiety, John’s advice has more to do with handling whatever it is that is causing the anxiety in the first place. Much like when a smoke alarm goes off in your house, do you just try to figure out how to turn off the alarm or do you try to put out the fire? Listen and you will get a very different approach to dealing with anxiety in your life. Dr. John Delony is a mental health and wellness expert who hosts The John Delony Show podcast (https://www.ramseysolutions.com/shows/the-dr-john-delony-show) and he is author of the book Building a Non-Anxious Life. (https://amzn.to/4aabU1G). Do you believe in the paranormal? Many people not only believe but insist they have had actual experiences with ghosts, or psychic ability or telepathic powers – even alien encounters. While the proof for all of this is sketchy, many very intelligent people swear by their beliefs. Why? The "why" is what's so fascinating according to Chris French, Emeritus Professor and Head of the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit in the Psychology Department at Goldsmiths, University of London and author of the book, The Science of Weird Sh**: Why Our Minds Conjure the Paranormal (https://amzn.to/3PdKnVd). Could the believers be on to something? Listen as we explore this. Do you hate to get out of bed in the morning? Is it just hard to pull off the covers and actually get up? There are some things you can do to make that experience a little less dreadful. Listen as I explain. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/tricks-waking-up-sleep_n_2718257#slide=2125100 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 We love the Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast! https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart-podcast Go to https://uscellular.com/TryUS and download the USCellular TryUS app to get 30 days of FREE service! Keep you current phone, carrier & number while testing a new network! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell TechFest starts now! To thank you for 40 unforgettable years, Dell Technologies is celebrating with anniversary savings on their most popular tech. Shop at https://Dell.com/deals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You have likely noticed that in meetings, there are often 1, 2 or 3 people who tend to dominate the meeting and eat up a lot of time. In fact, did you know that the larger the number of people attending a meeting, the fewer of them actually say anything or participate. This episode begins by exploring why this happens and to get more people involved and to participate in important meetings. Source: Kevin Coyne author of Brainsteering (https://amzn.to/36pCqc1). People tend to conform to a group. That’s just human nature. We want to peacefully coexist with the members of our tribe. However, conforming to a group can be problematic according to Dr. Todd Rose, Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and author of the book Collective Illusions: Conformity, Complicity, and the Science of Why We Make Bad Decisions (https://amzn.to/3CZz6AF). One of the problems is, you may think you are part of the majority on certain issues when you are not. You see, we are wired to believe that the loudest voices represent what most people believe. That is where the trouble begins. This fascinating conversation will get you thinking… Have you ever wondered why there are so many different languages? What do languages have in common and how do they differ? And why do they differ? Does our language actually do an adequate job in communicating what we are trying to say? Here to explore this and to explain how language has helped humans thrive is N.J. Enfield, a professor of Linguistics at the University of Sydney and author of the book, Language vs. Reality: Why Language Is Good for Lawyers and Bad for Scientists (https://amzn.to/3way7vK). Cover letters for a job application can be hard to write. And in the back of everyone’s mind who writes one is – Is anyone actually going to read this? Well, there is a little trick that will increase the odds of your letter being read by as much as 75%! Listen as I explain how this works. Source: Skip Freeman, author of Headhunter Hiring Secrets (https://amzn.to/3JjsJdM). 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 We love the Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast! https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart-podcast Go to https://uscellular.com/TryUS and download the USCellular TryUS app to get 30 days of FREE service! Keep you current phone, carrier & number while testing a new network! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell TechFest starts now! To thank you for 40 unforgettable years, Dell Technologies is celebrating with anniversary savings on their most popular tech. Shop at https://Dell.com/deals Always find what you love and love what you find at Total Wine & More ! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you know that going to get a hair cut can make you look years younger? And it apparently has absolutely nothing to do with the haircut at all. Listen as I explain the magic of how this happens. https://www.youbeauty.com/beauty/psychology-of-hair/ There are times in everyone’s life when you have to decide to stay or go. Whether it is a job, a friendship, a romance, where you live – there are all kinds of situations where we have to choose to stay where we are or make a change. But how do you make that kind of decision? Maybe something doesn’t feel right in the present but that doesn’t mean you should bail out completely – or does it? Here to discuss this with me is Emily P. Freeman. She is host of the podcast The Next Right Thing (https://emilypfreeman.com/podcast/) and she is author of 5 books. Her latest is called How to Walk into a Room: The Art of Knowing When to Stay and When to Walk Away (https://amzn.to/43a6d1p). A lot of songs become hits. But once in a while, a song comes along that is not only a hit but also helped to shape rock & roll. “Good Vibrations” by The Beach Boys, “Rocket Man” by Elton John, “What a Fool Believes” by The Doobie Brothers are just a few of those songs that fall into that category, and are some of the songs we are going to discuss with Marc Myers. Marc is regular contributor to the Wall Street Journal, where he writes about music and the arts. He is also author of the critically acclaimed books Anatomy of a Song, Why Jazz Happened, and Rock Concert and his latest book is called Anatomy of 55 More Songs: The Oral History of Top Hits That Changed Rock, Pop and Soul (https://amzn.to/3TrynC4) In the attempt to get you to buy things, retailers try to appeal to your senses – ALL your senses, including your sense of smell. How the store smells, how the products smell all influence you. Listen as I explain what’s going on here. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091214143732.htm 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 We love the Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast! https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart-podcast Go to https://uscellular.com/TryUS and download the USCellular TryUS app to get 30 days of FREE service! Keep you current phone, carrier & number while testing a new network! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell TechFest starts now! To thank you for 40 unforgettable years, Dell Technologies is celebrating with anniversary savings on their most popular tech. Shop at https://Dell.com/deals Always find what you love and love what you find at Total Wine & More ! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most offices have a coffee area and some spare coffee cups sitting around for anyone who needs one. This episode begins with an explanation for why you want to stay away from those coffee cups and what you need to do with the cup you use every day. https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2013/02/23/Expert-Coffee-mug-on-desk-a%20germ-machine/UPI-72401361679514/ Our government spends millions of dollars guarding secrets and other classified information. Why? What are they keeping secret? Are there secrets about you in there? Who decides what is and isn’t secret – or top secret. When you look inside the world of government secrets, it is truly strange. And that is exactly what we do in this episode with Matthew Connelly professor of international and global history at Columbia University and author of the book The Declassification Engine: What History Reveals About America's Top Secrets (https://amzn.to/49CjlyR). Our working definition of productivity seems wrong. The idea of getting more done in less time may work for some factory and farm type work. However, many of us today work with knowledge and information. The “just being busy” model of productivity really doesn’t work because the busyness gets in the way of actual results. Here to discuss another way to approach productivity is Cal Newport professor of computer science at Georgetown University and author of several best selling books. His latest is called Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout (https://amzn.to/49wvV2M). Men tend to take more risks than women. It may partly be hormones, but evolution also has a role to play. This is especially true when the risk involves a woman. Listen as I explain. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130211090844.htm 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 We love the Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast! https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart-podcast Go to https://uscellular.com/TryUS and download the USCellular TryUS app to get 30 days of FREE service! Keep you current phone, carrier & number while testing a new network! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare & find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, & more https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell TechFest starts now! To thank you for 40 unforgettable years, Dell Technologies is celebrating with anniversary savings on their most popular tech. Shop at https://Dell.com/deals Always find what you love and love what you find at Total Wine & More ! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Could drinking water make you smarter? Actually no one is really sure, but it does seem to be so. This episode begins by explaining how we know this is true and what some possible explanations might be. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/minding-the-body/201205/can-sipping-water-make-you-smarter# Humans are strange creatures who act in weird ways. For example, we often compare ourselves to others. We exaggerate our stories to make us look better. And we do unusual things to make ourselves happy. All of this makes you wonder – why? Joining me with some fascinating explanations is William Von Hippel, a professor of psychology at the University of Queensland in Australia and author of the book, The Social Leap: The New Evolutionary Science of Who We Are, Where We Come from, and What Makes Us Happy (https://amzn.to/3pVYaCZ ). From the time you were little it has been drilled into your head to take care of your teeth and mouth by brushing and flossing every day. While that’s a good start, it may not be enough according to dentist Dr. Kami Hoss, who sits on the Board of Counselors at the UCLA School of Dentistry and is the CEO of The Super Dentists (https://www.thesuperdentists.com) and he is author of the book If Your Mouth Could Talk (https://amzn.to/3MGtU8V) . Listen as Dr. Hoss reveals how your oral health can have a significant impact on your physical and mental health. You have probably heard of the 7-year itch. It’s the theory that at around the 7th year of a marriage or romantic relationship things can start to fall apart. Is it a real thing? Maybe. But it often doesn’t take 7 years. Listen as I reveal some interesting insight.. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/seven-year-itch-now-down-to-three-years-why/ 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 We love the Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast! https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart-podcast Go to https://uscellular.com/TryUS and download the USCellular TryUS app to get 30 days of FREE service! Keep you current phone, carrier & number while testing a new network. Try us out and make your switch with confidence! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare and find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, and more today at https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell TechFest starts now! To thank you for 40 unforgettable years, Dell Technologies is celebrating with anniversary savings on their most popular tech. Shop at https://Del.com/deals to access great deals on leading-edge technology & free shipping! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m sure you have been hit in the head. Maybe you fell and bumped it, or someone accidentally hit you or you got a baseball thrown at you – something. Sooner or later, we all take a shot to the head and often we shrug it off. That may be a mistake. Listen as I explain why. Source: Daniel Amen, M.D. author of “Change Your Brain Change Your Body” (https://amzn.to/3P3Dtld) Every day you have to navigate through life by talking and negotiating and resolving disputes with all the people you encounter. Since we could all likely use a little help with this, I want you to listen to my guest William Ury. He is considered one of the leading authorities on negotiation and conflict. He has worked with the White House, the State Department, the Pentagon, and dozens of Fortune 500 companies. His approach to dealing with people and handling conflict is just brilliant and something everyone should hear. William is author of the book Possible: How We Survive (and Thrive) in an Age of Conflict. (https://amzn.to/3T7issl). Profanity is considered offensive, shocking rude and disrespectful. But could swearing also have benefits? Why do people swear in the first place? And why, since swearing is so common, do people still find it shocking. All these things are tackled in my discussion with Rebecca Roache. She is a senior lecturer in philosophy at Royal Holloway, University of London and author of the book, For F*ck's Sake: Why Swearing is Shocking, Rude, and Fun (https://amzn.to/48DxH0t) Want to keep your kids out of jail? Then you might want to pay attention to how much time they spend doing this one very common and seemingly innocuous activity. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2280397/Can-letting-children-watch-TV-turn-criminals.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 We love the Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast! https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart-podcast Go to https://uscellular.com/TryUS and download the USCellular TryUS app to get 30 days of FREE service! Keep you current phone, carrier & number while testing a new network. Try us out and make your switch with confidence! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare and find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, and more today at https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell TechFest starts now! To thank you for 40 unforgettable years, Dell Technologies is celebrating with anniversary savings on their most popular tech. Shop at https://Del.com/deals to access great deals on leading-edge technology & free shipping! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Distractions while driving can be dangerous. Good drivers know they need to minimize distractions. However, some things that are intended to deliberately distract drivers, such as billboards. And it turns out certain types of billboards can be REALLY distracting. Listen as I explain. Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2280521/ It would seem that being an optimist would be better than being a pessimist. But is it something you can really change? And why do some people see the glass half empty, and some see it half full? It turns out that the science of optimism is fascinating and there is a lot we can do to become more optimistic about the world and our lives. Joining me to explain how is Dr. Sue Varma. She is a board-certified psychiatrist in private practice and a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at New York University. She is also author of a book called Practical Optimism: The Art, Science, and Practice of Exceptional Well-Being (https://amzn.to/3TbPjv5). When you search online for something whether it’s a movie on Netflix or a screwdriver on Amazon, the choices you see are determined by an algorithm. In other words, you don’t see every screwdriver in the world, you see the ones the algorithm has determined you might like. While that may be good for a screwdriver, it may be very limiting when it comes to other things. Here to explain why this is important is Kyle Chayka. He is a staff writer at The New Yorker, where he writes a column on digital technology and the impact of the Internet and social media on culture and he is author of the book, Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture (https://amzn.to/4bSgpj6). Everyone knows that it is dangerous to drive if you have been drinking. However, driving when you're sick may be even more dangerous. Listen as I reveal how even a slight cold can affect your body and put you at risk when you drive. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2283323 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 We love the Think Fast, Talk Smart podcast! https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/business-podcasts/think-fast-talk-smart-podcast Go to https://uscellular.com/TryUS and download the USCellular TryUS app to get 30 days of FREE service! Keep you current phone, carrier & number while testing a new network. Try us out and make your switch with confidence! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare and find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, and more today at https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell TechFest starts now! To thank you for 40 unforgettable years, Dell Technologies is celebrating with anniversary savings on their most popular tech. Shop at https://Del.com/deals to access great deals on leading-edge technology & free shipping! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A person’s first name can have a profound impact on their life. This episode begins as I describe how people instantly get preconceived ideas about you based solely on your name – some good ideas and some not so good. It seems your name can shape who you are for the rest of your life. https://www.theifod.com/how-does-your-name-shape-who-you-are/ Some people can just walk into a room and exude charisma. I am sure you have seen it happen. People are attracted to charismatic people. But it is sometimes hard to figure exactly what makes someone charismatic. Listen as my guest Vanessa Van Edwards, reveals the ingredients of charisma and explains how anyone can express more of that quality that people find so attractive. Vanessa is founder and lead investigator at Science of People (https://www.scienceofpeople.com), she is a sought after speaker and author of the book Cues: Master the Secret Language of Charismatic Communication (https://amzn.to/3vFoLZ0). What science has discovered about genetics and DNA in just the last few decades is amazing. Remember it wasn’t all that long ago when we started using fingerprints as a crime solving tool. Today DNA evidence is helping to solve decades-old cold case crimes with incredible accuracy. Plus, we now know so much about our genetics and how it all relates to our health. Joining me to discuss this is Dr. Joshua Rappoport. Joshua is a cellular biology expert who teaches at Boston College and is author of the book Mapping Humanity: How Modern Genetics is Changing Criminal Justice, Personal Medicine and Our Identities (https://amzn.to/35RY6wT). Could it be that shopping actually has health benefits? Listen as I describe one study that equates shopping with physical exercise. Plus, it also seems to offer emotional benefits as well – depending on how you shop. https://business.time.com/2013/04/16/is-retail-therapy-for-real-5-ways-shopping-is-actually-good-for-you/ 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://uscellular.com/TryUS and download the USCellular TryUS app to get 30 days of FREE service! Keep you current phone, carrier & number while testing a new network. Try us out and make your switch with confidence! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare and find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, and more today at https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Shop at https://Dell.com/deals now, to get great deals on leading-edge technology to match your forward-thinking spirit, with free shipping on everything! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone loves getting flowers – but of course they don’t last very long. To make them last as long as possible, what works best, the flower food that comes with the flowers, or maybe aspirin in the water or maybe something else? This episode begins by revealing a surprising additive that will keep your flowers perky – longer. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-12981249/ No matter how excited you get about something or someone – it is impossible to stay excited for very long. It’s just how humans are wired. We get used to things no matter how great they are at first. It is called habituation. Still, there are ways to “resparkle” some of that excitement and appreciate things again that you have come to take for granted, as you will hear from my guest Tali Sharot. She is a professor of cognitive neuroscience at University College, London and at MIT. She is the founder and director of the Affective Brain Lab and co-author of the book Look Again: The Power of Noticing What Was Always There (https://amzn.to/49F5vLD). I bet you know someone who is simply a joy to talk to. They make you feel smart, they listen to what you say and you just feel better speaking to them. That person is what Charles Duhigg calls a “super communicator” And really anyone can master the skill and Charles is here to explain how and why it is so important for your personal and professional success. Charles is the author of a new bestselling book called Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection (https://amzn.to/3wmhwHv). Next time you are trying to figure out a problem or come up with a solution, you might want to switch your body position. Listen and I’ll tell you which position appears to be best. https://phys.org/news/2005-05-creative-lying.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 Go to https://uscellular.com/TryUS and download the USCellular TryUS app to get 30 days of FREE service! Keep you current phone, carrier & number while testing a new network. Try us out and make your switch with confidence! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare and find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, and more today at https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Shop at https://Dell.com/deals now, to get great deals on leading-edge technology to match your forward-thinking spirit, with free shipping on everything! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why are there so many different shampoos? Does it really matter which one if all you want is clean hair? This episode begins by explaining which shampoo is best for you. https://theconversation.com/does-the-price-of-your-shampoo-affect-how-clean-your-hair-is-heres-the-science-71597 We live in a colorful world. Color matters to us. We care what color our clothes are and what color our walls are painted and what color car we drive. We also love the colors found in nature. We admire the colorful leaves in autumn and a beautiful blue sky. Why do colors matter to us? Are there other colors we just cannot see? Are the colors I see the same ones you see? Joining me to take you on a colorful journey is Adam Rogers, s senior correspondent at Wired and author of the book Full Spectrum: How the Science of Color Made Us Modern (https://amzn.to/3hlKmhH). We are all expected to recycle. After all, it is the right thing to do. However, there is a lot of confusion and misunderstanding about how recycling works and what you should and should not recycle. What about plastic forks, or plastic grocery bags or loose bottle caps? Should those be recycled? The answer is no for all three. You might also wonder just how much of what we put in our recycle bin actually gets recycled into something else. Listen and be surprised by my guest Jennie Romer. She is an attorney and leading expert on single-use plastics, and she author of the book CAN I RECYCLE THIS? A Guide to Better Recycling and How to Reduce Single-Use Plastics (https://amzn.to/32BfVeS). How great would it be to find something stored away in your attic or basement that is actually valuable? Listen as I reveal some items that could actually be in your home that you could turn into cash. Source: Brian Kathenes author of Betcha Didn’t Know That! (https://amzn.to/3xaJn9A) 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://uscellular.com/TryUS and download the USCellular TryUS app to get 30 days of FREE service! Keep you current phone, carrier & number while testing a new network. Try us out and make your switch with confidence! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare and find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, and more today at https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Shop at https://Dell.com/deals now, to get great deals on leading-edge technology to match your forward-thinking spirit, with free shipping on everything! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With all the advances in automobile technology, it seems they still haven’t solved the problem of that terrible thumping noise that happens when you are driving with one of the back windows rolled down. Listen as I explain why it happens in almost every car. https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/wind-buffeting-how-to-stop-it/ Like it or not, we are all delusional. Interestingly, it turns out to be a good thing – for the most part That’s according Stuart Vyze, a behavioral scientist, teacher and author of a book called The Uses of Delusion: Why It’s Not Always Rational to be Rational (https://amzn.to/3HhzJG7). Stuart reveals why being just a bit delusional helps us all in ways you never imagined.  We humans may be at the top of the food chain but certainly not without our flaws. Particularly, physical flaws. Vision problems, back pain, foot trouble and more are rampant throughout the world’s population. Are people just designed poorly, or maybe we haven’t yet evolved into the creatures we will one day be? That’s what I discuss with Alex Bezzerides. Alex is a professor of biology and author of the book Evolution Gone Wrong: The Curious Reasons Why Our Bodies Work (Or Don’t) (https://amzn.to/3I2WS1P). Listen as Alex takes you on an journey into the world of human evolution and reveals why we are built the way we are and what we may become one day in the future. Your silverware gets beaten up over time and can come out of the dishwasher looking less than sparkly. Listen to this very simple tip I saw on a TikTok video that will make your silverware look better than it has looked in a long time. https://www.rd.com/article/aluminum-foil-dishwasher-hack/ 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://uscellular.com/TryUS and download the USCellular TryUS app to get 30 days of FREE service! Keep you current phone, carrier & number while testing a new network. Try us out and make your switch with confidence! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare and find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, and more today at https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Shop at https://Dell.com/deals now, to get great deals on leading-edge technology to match your forward-thinking spirit, with free shipping on everything! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are the things in your kitchen laid out efficiently? We often place kitchen items randomly – or wherever they fit. This episode begins with a quick little test you can do that could ultimately save you hours in the kitchen. Source: Mary Collette Rogers author of Take Control of Your Kitchen (https://amzn.to/4bGts7q). What does it mean to be mentally healthy? Is it possible to have outstanding mental health or are we all a bit flawed? To get a better understanding about your mental health, I’d like you to listen to Camilla Nord. She leads the Mental Health Neuroscience Lab at the University of Cambridge and she is author of the book The Balanced Brain – The Science of Mental Health (https://amzn.to/3SK1IpA). She offers some great insight into how a mentally healthy brain handles the ups and downs of life. Just because you remember something doesn’t mean that is how it happened. While the human memory is amazing and serves us well, it can be amazingly inaccurate. The fact is you forget a lot more than you remember and over time those memories blur, fade and distort. Yet without your memory, you wouldn’t be able to function. To bring this all into focus is Charan Ranganath. He is a professor of psychology and neuroscience and director of the Dynamic Memory Lab at the University of California at Davis and author of the book Why We Remember: Unlocking Memory's Power to Hold on to What Matters (https://amzn.to/42Lp8zt) Is it true that having a large and bold signature says something about your personality? Maybe so according to a study of 605 bosses with big signatures. Listen as I explain why working for one of those types of bosses might be challenging. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2275180/Does-boss-sign-flourish CEOs-big-signatures-likely-narcissists-study-reveals.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 Go to https://uscellular.com/TryUS and download the USCellular TryUS app to get 30 days of FREE service! Keep you current phone, carrier & number while testing a new network. Try us out and make your switch with confidence! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare and find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, and more today at https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Shop at https://Dell.com/deals now, to get great deals on leading-edge technology to match your forward-thinking spirit, with free shipping on everything! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you drink something and start choking, people often say, “Oh it must’ve gone down the wrong pipe.” This episode begins by explaining what the wrong pipe is and why it’s there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYsz2Od5jDQ A lot of health advice is just plain wrong. Myths abound when it comes to taking care of yourself. Here to explode some of those myths and offer some sound advice on your health is Dr. Karan Rajan. He is a surgeon who has millions of followers on social media where he dispenses solid, high quality health advice. He is also author of the book, This Book May Save Your Life: Everyday Health Hacks to Worry Less and Live Better (https://amzn.to/48fnVlh). Listen as he offers suggestions on maintaining your gut, your heart, your nose and ears and so much more. Here is a link to his YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/@DrKaran All of us frequently find ourselves in conflict with other people. You can’t escape it but you can get better at dealing with the conflict. Joining me to offer some excellent advice on just how to do that is Jayson Gaddis He is one of the world’s leading authorities on interpersonal conflict. For almost two decades, Jayson has helped individuals, couples, and teams get to the bottom of their deepest conflicts. Jayson is author of the book Getting to Zero: How to Work Through Conflict in Your High-Stakes Relationships (https://amzn.to/3Uzll6k). Heating your home in the winter can be very expensive. One big reason is that a lot of your expensive heat leaks out. Listen as I reveal some of the places heat seeps out that you may not realize. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/lifestyle/home/where-heat-leaves-your-house/index.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 Go to https://uscellular.com/TryUS and download the USCellular TryUS app to get 30 days of FREE service! Keep you current phone, carrier & number while testing a new network. Try us out and make your switch with confidence! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare and find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, and more today at https://NerdWallet.com TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Shop at https://Dell.com/deals now, to get great deals on leading-edge technology to match your forward-thinking spirit, with free shipping on everything! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Gotta big decision to make? Before you make it, you might want to wash your hands first. This episode begins with the explanation for why it is such a good idea. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/100506-health-brain-wash-hands-choices-decisions# Can you really smell fear from someone ? Why do some odors make you feel sick while others are extremely pleasant? Why do some smells trigger vivid memories? These are just some of the questions I tackle with Jude Stewart author of the book Revelations in Air: A Guidebook to Smell (https://amzn.to/3Jxae55) . When you hear what she has to say, you will have renewed respect for your sense of smell.  You often hear people talk about being “burned out.” What does that mean? Is burnout a real thing or just a vague complaint. What are the actual symptoms? Perhaps most importantly, what causes burnout and what is the cure? For some important insight into all of this, listen to my guest, Jonathan Malesic. He was once a tenured professor who got burned out. So, he quit. Afterwards he studied burnout and wrote a terrific book about it called The End of Burnout: Why Work Drains Us and How to Build Better Lives (https://amzn.to/354CJID). If you have ever felt burned out, you need to hear this conversation.  “Listen to your gut.” That is common advice for people who have an important decision to make. Is it good advice or are there situations when your gut instinct may lead you down the wrong path? Listen as I discuss this. Source: Wray Herbert author of On Second Thought: Outsmarting Your Mind's Hard-Wired Habits (https://amzn.to/3I1PPVl) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Go to https://uscellular.com/TryUS and download the USCellular TryUS app to get 30 days of FREE service! Keep you current phone, carrier & number while testing a new network. Try us out and make your switch with confidence! Zocdoc is a FREE app and website where you can search and compare highly-rated, in-network doctors near you AND instantly book appointments with them online. Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare and find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, and more today at https://NerdWallet.com Indeed is offering SYSK listeners a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The concept of body language is based on the idea that what you do with certain body parts sends a message to other people. This apparently holds true for your belly button. Today’s episode begins by explaining what message your belly button sends to others and what theirs sends to you. Source : Source: Janine Driver author of You Say More Than You Think (https://amzn.to/3SPYVwt) Have you ever eaten food when you weren’t actually hungry? Or continued to eat even though you were full – and then regretted it? I imagine we all have. What if there was a way to stop that and actually enjoy the food you eat even more? That’s what you are going to hear from Dr. Jud Brewer. He is a professor at Brown University’s School of Public Health author of the book The Hunger Habit: Why We Eat When We're Not Hungry and How to Stop (https://amzn.to/49sbiEw). If you have ever eaten for a reason other than hunger, you need to hear what he has to say. His app is called Eat Right Now and is available wherever you get your apps. Generally, people don’t understand how randomness or coincidences really work and how they affect predictions we make about our own futures. It seems that coincidences happen a lot more often than you think and randomness doesn’t look as random as you would expect. How all this works together is fascinating as you will hear from my guest Kit Yates. He is a senior lecturer of mathematical science in the UK and author of the book How to Expect the Unexpected: The Science of Making Predictions―and the Art of Knowing When Not To (https://amzn.to/3Ur3PRM). Kit Yates' last appearance here was episode 362 about the math of life and death. Hear it here https://www.somethingyoushouldknow.net/362-the-interesting-math-of-life-and-death-understanding-the-science-of-consciousness/ Back in 2008 a list came out from Oxford University of the 10 most overused and despised words and phrases in the English language. Listen as I tell you what they are and hear how familiar they still sound 16 years later. https://www.wired.com/2008/11/oxford-research/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Go to https://uscellular.com/TryUS and download the USCellular TryUS app to get 30 days of FREE service! Keep you current phone, carrier & number while testing a new network. Try us out and make your switch with confidence! Zocdoc is a FREE app and website where you can search and compare highly-rated, in-network doctors near you AND instantly book appointments with them online. Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare and find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, and more today at https://NerdWallet.com Indeed is offering SYSK listeners a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kissing has a lot of benefits you likely never knew. And it appears that the more you kiss – the more the benefits. This episode begins with several really good reasons why you should kiss someone more often. https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/14/opinion/the-kiss-of-life.html People who have their own business are often revered. Being an entrepreneur is considered a worthy accomplishment. And many people think it is the best path to career success. Is it though? While there are certainly perks to being self-employed, there are also some dangers and pitfalls. Joining me to explain the good and the bad of owning your own business is Benjamin Waterhouse He is a professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and author of the book, One Day I'll Work for Myself: The Dream and Delusion That Conquered America (https://amzn.to/3OyaOV5). Creativity is often misunderstood. Just because something is different or unusual doesn’t make it creative. And have you ever wondered what is the difference between creativity and innovation? Can you make yourself more creative? These are just a few of the questions I discuss with Barry Kudrowitz. He is a professor of product design at the University of Minnesota and has taught toy design for over a decade. In fact, he co-designed a Nerf toy amongst other things. Barry is the author of the book Sparking Creativity: How Play and Humor Fuel Innovation and Design (https://amzn.to/484SlXg). Space heaters can be extremely useful in the cold winter months, but they can also be a serious hazard. If you use a space heater to stay warm, listen as I reveal some important precautions that will keep you safe. https://www.cnet.com/home/kitchen-and-household/how-to-safely-run-your-space-heater/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Go to https://uscellular.com/TryUS and download the USCellular TryUS app to get 30 days of FREE service! Keep you current phone, carrier & number while testing a new network. Try us out and make your switch with confidence! Zocdoc is a FREE app and website where you can search and compare highly-rated, in-network doctors near you AND instantly book appointments with them online. Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare and find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, and more today at https://NerdWallet.com Indeed is offering SYSK listeners a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is usually very difficult to talk your way out of getting a traffic ticket. Usually, the police are just doing their job and part of their job is to give out tickets. When you try to explain your way out of it, you have no real power in the conversation. So more often than not, you are going to lose. Still, there is one strategy that might just work to convince the officer to cut you some slack. Listen to find out what it is. Source: Frank Luntz author of Words That Work (https://amzn.to/37Ay5A8) You might think your immune system is this great protector that fights off enemies in order to keep you alive. However, that characterization is all wrong. The truth is your immune system is a very elaborate and complicated system in your body that most of us don’t understand. That’s according to Phillip Dettmer, science writer and author of Immune: A Journey into the Mysterious System That Keeps You Alive (https://amzn.to/35QaY6W). Have you ever wondered why you can’t get some illnesses like the measles more than once? Did you know your immune system can actually kill you in under 5 minutes? Listen as Phillip explains all this and much more. Phillipp also has a very popular science channel on YouTube. You can access it at: https://www.youtube.com/c/inanutshell If your boss tells you he or she wants to give you some feedback, you know that usually means you are about to get criticized for something you’ve done. And who wants that? Actually, feedback can be a very effective way to get people to change their behavior if it is done correctly, according to LeeAnn Renninger. Leann is an expert in behavior change, who has a great TED talk on feedback (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtl5UrrgU8c). She’s co-founder of Life Labs Learning (https://lifelabslearning.com) and co-author of the book The Leader Lab (https://amzn.to/3rwtSYF). Listen as she joins me to explain why most feedback we get has the opposite of the intended effect – and how to give feedback the right way so it has a positive impact. When you or your child has to take liquid medicine, there is an excellent chance the dose that is given is wrong. And the wrong dose of any medicine can result in a bad outcome. Listen as I explain the problem and the simple solution. https://www.vox.com/2014/7/15/5902329/medicine-teaspoon-tablespoon-milliliters-study-errors PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is a FREE app and website where you can search and compare highly-rated, in-network doctors near you AND instantly book appointments with them online. Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare and find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, and more today at https://NerdWallet.com Indeed is offering SYSK listeners a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you put a child in a car seat, you may be doing something wrong that could put your child in danger – particularly in the winter. And it has to do with what the child is wearing. This episode begins with a wintertime caution when you take your child out for a drive. https://cafemom.com/parenting/108322-9_lifesaving_car_seat_rules You probably know someone who is a great story teller. You may also know of people who are not very good at it at all. Great story telling is an art, but it is also a science. It’s not only about what you say, it is also about what you don’t say. And how you say it. Here to explain the anatomy of great story telling is Karen Eber. She is the CEO and Chief Storyteller of Eber Leadership Group and she is author of the book The Perfect Story: How to Tell Stories That Inform, Influence, and Inspire (https://amzn.to/482JuVU). Do you understand how copyrights work? Most people don’t. As you are about to hear, the world of copyrights is so confusing I am not sure anyone really understands it all. Still, it is important to have some understanding in order to stay out of trouble. You don’t want to get caught infringing on someone else’s copyright. And it turns out EVERYTHING is copyrighted. As soon as you write a sentence, a poem, a song – even a grocery list, it is instantly copyrighted and you own it. So, what does it all mean? Listen to my guest, David Bellos, a professor at Princeton University, and author of the book Who Owns This Sentence : A History of Copyrights and Wrongs (https://amzn.to/3Opgyk2).  Who would you say most people believe is more trustworthy, someone with brown eyes or blue eyes? Listen and discover which one and why. The answer is weird because it actually has nothing to do with the eye color. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23326406/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is a FREE app and website where you can search and compare highly-rated, in-network doctors near you AND instantly book appointments with them online. Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare and find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, and more today at https://NerdWallet.com Indeed is offering SYSK listeners a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Supposedly, women are attracted to men who can make them laugh. Is that really true? And if it is, why? This episode begins with an explanation. Source: Alan & Barbara Pease authors of Why Men Want Sex & Women Need Love (https://amzn.to/496hAtL) We seem to have a weird fascination with twins. Why is that? What is it like to be a twin? Can twins read each other’s minds or do they have some other mystical connection? Although we may perceive twins as being different – are they really any different than anyone else? That’s what Helena de Bres is here to talk about. Helena is an identical twin and she researched some of the truths, myths and misconceptions about twins. Helena is a professor of philosophy at Wellesley College, and author of the book, How to Be Multiple: the Philosophy of Twins (https://amzn.to/3HCmH8E) We have all heard the standard money advice – save, invest, live below your means, etc. In this episode you will hear some fresh, different and even a little unusual advice about money from Vivian Tu. She is a financial guru who made her first $1M by age 27 and is the CEO & Founder of Your Rich BFF Media LLC. You can see her on TikTok and other social media platforms and she is author of the book RichAF: The Winning Money Mindset That Will Change Your Life (https://amzn.to/42oltaH)  You grab a pen to write something, and the ink doesn’t come out. It is one of life’s little and frequent frustrations. As long as there is still ink in there, you can use one of the techniques I will explain to get the ink rolling again. https://artltdmag.com/get-a-ballpoint-pen-to-work-again/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is a FREE app and website where you can search and compare highly-rated, in-network doctors near you AND instantly book appointments with them online. Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare and find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, and more today at https://NerdWallet.com Indeed is offering SYSK listeners a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You may have heard the advice to not allow your gas tank to get too low before refueling. Is that really necessary? What’s the harm if you let it go to E? And can’t you just go by the thing on your dashboard that tells you how many miles until empty? This episode begins with an important explanation. https://www.bostonherald.com/2021/07/27/2386931/ Do you have things in your home you never use? Who doesn’t? Clothes, appliances, books you will never read, and the list goes on. You probably even have boxes of things and you don’t even remember what’s inside those boxes. Getting rid of old stuff is hard for many of us – even if we never plan to use it. It turns out though, that if you could just get started you will likely find the experience rather satisfying according to Matt Paxton. Matt has spent over 20 years helping people confront their stuff. He was a featured cleaner on the TV show Hoarders and hosts the PBS series “Legacy List with Matt Paxton”. Matt is also author of the book Keep the Memories Lose the Stuff (https://amzn.to/3tWDiyj). Listen as he joins me to offer some great advice. We all experience the passage of time. Yet how we measure time has changed a lot. For most of human history, knowing the precise time wasn’t all that that important. Today however, we use amazingly sophisticated instruments to keep very precise time all around the world. It is an absolute necessity. Joining me to explain why and discuss the fascinating story of how we keep time is Chad Orzel. He is an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Union College in Schenectady, NY and author of the book A Brief History of Timekeeping: The Science of Marking Time, from Stonehenge to Atomic Clocks (https://amzn.to/3H9lVOI) Sometimes when you look at the front of a car, it seems to resemble a human face which sort of gives it a sense of personality. Some cars look happy while other cars have a more serious - almost intimidating or aggressive “faces.” You may have wondered if that was intentional or just a coincidence? Listen as I give you the explanation. http://www.fsu.edu/news/2008/11/26/car.personality/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare and find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, and more today at https://NerdWallet.com Indeed is offering SYSK listeners a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Human touch can certainly feel good, but does it actually have lasting biological effects? This episode begins with a look at how the body responds to deliberate touch like massage as well as more casual and supportive touch between friends and family. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/everyone-top/202108/the-vital-importance-human-touch It can be mind boggling to think how any one thing can have a huge impact on your life. For example, if you stayed in bed 2 minutes longer today or had an egg instead of cereal for breakfast, your entire day might have been completely different. Of course, there is no way to tell if it would’ve been better or worse or how much different. Still, the fact that everything can influence everything else is something you can use in your own life strategy to improve the outcome of so many things. This is according to Dr. Brian Klaas, Associate Professor in Global Politics at University College in London, a contributing writer for The Atlantic and author of the book Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters, (https://amzn.to/3SrRj31). Listen to our conversation and you’ll realize how fluke-y your life is, and that just may alter how you see your future.  When you hear the term “Big Tech,” you likely think of Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon and other large tech companies that seem to wield a lot of power and control over our lives. There is surprisingly little government regulation of the big tech organizations and that has a lot of people concerned. One of those people is Tom Wheeler. Tom was the Chairman of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) during the Obama administration. He is now a venture capitalist and author whose latest book is called Techlash: Who Makes the Rules in the Digital Gilded Age? (https://amzn.to/47OunPU). Could eating fast food cause respiratory allergies? Listen as I reveal some interesting research that links children who eat junk food and things like asthma, eczema and other allergic conditions. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.3005803 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare and find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, and more today at https://NerdWallet.com Indeed is offering SYSK listeners a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a job interview, there is one question you are likely to be asked that many people are not prepared to answer. I begin this episode by revealing what the question is and how to craft a powerful response. https://www.forbes.com/pictures/lml45mmjg/why-should-i-hire-you-2/?sh=4c5a502c53d8 Robots seem to have us all mystified. We can’t help but relate to them as conscious beings and we tend to think they are smarter than we are, even when we know a robot is just a machine. If you think about that for a moment, you’ll realize - that could cause a lot of problems. Here to explain those problems, why they are so interesting and what we can do to solve them is Eve Herold. She is an award-winning science writer and consultant in the scientific and medical nonprofit world and she is author of a book called Robots and the People Who Love Them: Holding on to Our Humanity in an Age of Social Robots (https://amzn.to/3ObcBzb) Who wouldn’t like to have a bit more confidence? Actually, you may already have all the confidence you need according to Viv Groskop. Viv is a writer, comedian and executive coach and she is author of the book Happy High Status: How to Effortlessly Be Confident (https://amzn.to/3vQYj0h). Listen as she explains why confidence is a bit elusive and how to use the confidence you already have to project a better you.  Has it been a while since you last went to have your eyes checked? An eye exam does more than just check your prescription for glasses or contacts. Listen as I reveal how a good eye exam can actually help identify other serious medical problems. https://www.allaboutvision.com/eye-exam/cost-and-how-often/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare and find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, and more today at https://NerdWallet.com Indeed is offering SYSK listeners a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every mom knows, when a child (or an adult for that matter) gets a small cut, you put a little antibiotic ointment on to prevent infection. But maybe that’s not such a great idea. Listen as I begin this episode by explaining why. https://www.mindfood.com/article/the-risk-of-overusing-antibiotic-creams-and-ointments/ Don’t you just hate it when you are in an argument with someone when you know you are 100% right and the other person couldn’t be more wrong? There is something you can do in these cases and come out a winner. Listen as I talk with Xavier Amador a clinical psychologist, teacher and author of the book I’m Right, You're Wrong, Now What? Break the Impasse and Get What You Need (https://amzn.to/3KqUDpc). Xavier reveals a very simple technique that will help you resolve any disagreement, no matter how difficult.  In the morning, some people jump out of bed, greet the morning with enthusiasm and are ready to take on the day. Others of us start the day with dread. No matter where you fall on that scale, there is something simple you can do as part of your morning routine that will improve the way you face the world each day. To discover what it is, listen to my discussion with Mel Robbins, an attorney, speaker, and host of The Mel Robbins Podcast (https://www.melrobbins.com/podcast). She is also author of the bestselling book The High Five Habit (https://amzn.to/3FDuTlG). What could possibly be the connection between your earlobes and your heart health? Next time you are near a mirror, you may want to look for one specific feature on your earlobes. It just might reveal something important. Listen as I explain. https://myheart.net/articles/earlobe-crease-and-heart-disease-fact-or-myth/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare and find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, and more today at https://NerdWallet.com Indeed is offering SYSK listeners a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is a newborn baby more likely to resemble mom or dad – or is it a toss-up? This episode begins by explaining why a baby is more likely to look like one parent and not the other and why that is.  https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/22/health/the-claim-babies-tend-to-look-like-their-fathers.html When people talk about the "culture" – why do they mean? What is culture. You probably use the word in conversation and you have a sense of what it means but it is actually a difficult word to define. Here to define it and explain why it is so important to understand what culture is and how it changes is Marcus Collins. He is a clinical assistant professor of marketing at the Ross School of Business, at the University of Michigan and recipient of Advertising Age's 40 Under 40 award. He is also author of the book, For the Culture: The Power Behind What We Buy, What We Do, and Who We Want to Be (https://amzn.to/3tOT4On). It is a little strange that there is such a fitness craze in America yet so many people are not physically fit at all. The medical evidence is pretty clear that being physically fit and keeping your weight under control is so important to a long and healthy life. So why are so many people not motivated to do it and how can you find the motivation to start if you are not feeling inclined? Joining me to talk about this is Natalia Petrzela. She is an historian of contemporary American politics and culture as well as a fitness instructor and she is author of the book Fit Nation: The Gains and Pains of America's Exercise Obsession (https://amzn.to/48V5LGb) Is it ever too late to change your life or must you set your course early if you are ever to make something of yourself? Interestingly, researchers followed 350 students for decades – all the way into adulthood to see how they turned out. Listen as I explain how people tend to change and how those goof-offs you remember from high school are likely to end up doing pretty well. Source: Susan Krause Whitborne author of The Search for Fulfillment (https://amzn.to/3O9XuWP). PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare and find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, and more today at https://NerdWallet.com Indeed is offering SYSK listeners a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How your food tastes depends on a lot of things that have nothing to do with the food itself. I begin this episode by revealing how things such as the lighting, the weight of utensils and the color of the plate can impact how much you enjoy your meal. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/12/31/370397449/food-psychology-how-to-trick-your-palate-into-a-tastier-meal# When you recognize a person, chances are it is the face you recognize. How does that work exactly? What is it about the face? How much of a person’s face do you have to see in order to recognize them? Some people are really good at recognizing a face while others are totally face blind. Have you ever wondered how facial recognition software works? Well, all of this is tackled by my guest Sharrona Pearl, an associate professor of medical ethics and history at Drexel University and author of the book Do I Know You?: From Face Blindness to Super Recognition (https://amzn.to/3TWc0VX).  When you put your mind to it, you probably think quite clearly. However, much of the time our brain is on autopilot and our clear thinking suffers. So how can you think more clearly, make better decisions, and do the right thing? Here with some insight and advice on that is Shane Parrish. He is an entrepreneur whose insights are used by Fortune 500 companies and many major professional sports teams. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes and others. He hosts a podcast called The Knowledge Project https://fs.blog/knowledge-project-podcast/ and he is author of the book, Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results (https://amzn.to/3Hl0FHj) There are people who claim they can drink coffee before bed and it doesn’t affect their sleep at all. Can that be true? Listen as I explain what one top sleep specialist has to say about that. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/shift-worker-alert-curb-t_b_386058 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare and find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, and more today at https://NerdWallet.com Indeed is offering SYSK listeners a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As everyone who is a garlic lover or knows a garlic lover knows, garlic can make your breath stink. This episode begins with some easy and effective strategies from the Institute of Food Technologists that will neutralize that garlic smell from your breath as well as from your hands, so you won’t have to worry about offending anyone while you eat all the garlic you want. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/02/130204142609.htm Weird to think, but humans actually enjoy suffering – to some extent. It has been said that it is the suffering we endure that makes life meaningful. In fact, if you didn’t suffer at least a little, life would be pretty boring according to Paul Bloom, a professor of psychology at Yale and author of the book The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning (https://amzn.to/3K5Zdci) . Listen as he explains how the pain of suffering makes pleasure more pleasurable.  You likely learned in school that the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees people the right to free speech. But what does that mean exactly? Can you say anything you want? How has this right evolved over time? That’s what I tackle with attorney Ian Rosenberg. Ian serves as legal counsel for ABC News, teaches media law at Brooklyn College and is author of the book Free Speech Handbook: A Practical Framework for Understanding Our Free Speech Protections (https://amzn.to/3HZ8W25).  Most popular breakfast cereals have a lot of added sugar. And certainly sugar consumption is something a lot of parents worry about. However, there is some good news about kids and cereal that you might find surprising. Listen as I explain what it is. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/breakfast-cereal-surprise-kids-ok-with-less-sugar-study-says/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare and find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, and more today at https://NerdWallet.com Indeed is offering SYSK listeners a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Keeping track of passwords can be a real pain. If you use a simple one or use the same one for everything, that makes you easy to be hacked. If you use a complicated one or lots of different ones, it’s hard to remember. This episode starts with a strategy to create good passwords that you will remember. Source: Sid Kirchheimer, author of Scam-Proof Your Life (https://amzn.to/3SeWhA5) Men and women are different, obviously. However, some of the most interesting differences you may not know. For example, how men and women hear differently; the real reason women live longer than men, and how hormones affect behaviors differently in men and women. Joining me to discuss this is is Cat Bohannon. Cat is is a researcher with a Ph.D. from Columbia University and author of the book Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution (https://amzn.to/3SgBUlO).  The world is full of pests: rats, insects, bees, deer, spiders – there are lots of them. So, what is it that makes a pest a pest? In some cases, what you consider a pest may not be to someone else. Generally, though, pests are something we strive to get rid of. What is the best way to do that? Maybe pests are really trying to tell us something. Here to discuss this is Bethany Brookshire. She is an award-winning science writer, a contributor to Science News magazine and a host on the podcast Science for the People (http://www.scienceforthepeople.ca/) and she is author of a book called Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains (https://amzn.to/3vzlpZt). Most drivers don’t take the time to adjust the headrest in their car. In fact, many of us don’t even think about doing it and aren’t sure of the best position for it anyway. If you are ever in a crash, the position of your headrest can make a big difference. Listen as I explain how to adjust it. https://www.adlergiersch.com/provider-blog/how-to-properly-adjust-your-headrest-to-prevent-whiplash/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare and find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, and more today at https://NerdWallet.com Indeed is offering SYSK listeners a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A lot of people have different size feet. Sounds weird right but there is a good reason for it – and it usually the left foot that is bigger. This episode begins with the explanation for why this happens and how big an issue it is for most people. https://www.feetbypody.com/blog/is-it-normal-for-one-foot-to-be-bigger-than-the-other/ I’m certain you have pondered why the moon sits there in the sky at night. Where did it come from? What does it do? Why doesn’t it crash into the earth? What would life be like on earth if there was no moon. Joining me to answer these and a lot of other fascinating questions about the moon is Rebecca Boyle. She is a columnist at Atlas Obscura and a contributor to Scientific American,  The New York Times, Popular Science, Smithsonian’s Air & Space Magazine, and others. She is author of the book Our Moon: How Earth's Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are (https://amzn.to/3O1xn4s) In this segment you are going to meet someone who loves to clean the house. Now while that may sound weird, imagine how good he must be at it and imagine how many cool tips and tricks he has developed. Meet Patric Richardson. He is the star of The Laundry Guy on HGTV and Discovery Plus and author of the book House Love: A Joyful Guide to Cleaning, Organizing, and Loving the Home You're In (https://amzn.to/3vidAao). Listen, and by the time this segment is over, you will want to run out and buy some really cheap vodka! Here are some links to some of the products he mentioned: Scrubbers that attach to drill https://amzn.to/47vgd6h Cool waste baskets: https://vipp.com/en-us/shop/bins Laundry soap (not detergent): https://laundryevangelist.com/products/laundry-evangelist-laundry-soap-flakes You or someone you know likely vowed to lose weight as a New Year’s resolution. While admirable, most people fail at that one. Listen as I explain how to craft a New Year’s resolution – such as losing weight - to make it more likely to happen – and to stick. Source: Kent Sasse M.D. author of Doctor’s Orders (https://amzn.to/48AhFFm) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! NerdWallet lets you compare top travel credit cards side-by-side to maximize your spending! Compare and find smarter credit cards, savings accounts, and more today at https://NerdWallet.com Indeed is offering SYSK listeners a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you don’t have one yet, one great New Year’s resolution is to tackle the clutter in your house. This episode begins by explaining how clutter negatively affects your brain and how you can fix the problem. http://www.timetoorganize.com/wp-content/uploads/realsimple-article.pdf More and more we are hearing about “lifestyle medicine.” Essentially, it is how things like diet and exercise and other choices impact your health and longevity for better or worse. While you probably already know that - what you may not know is how big a deal it really is. For decades Dr. Dean Ornish has been at the heart of lifestyle medicine and his research has proven how small changes in how you live can have a huge impact on your health and can even reverse chronic illness. He is here to explain these changes - and there are only 4 changes! Dr. Ornish is author of the book UnDo It! : How Simple Lifestyle Changes Can Reverse Most Chronic Diseases (https://amzn.to/3qYaSB7). Here is the link to his website for information on his program: https://www.ornish.com/undo-it/ The human brain isn’t always good at grasping numbers. For example, if 1 million seconds equals 12 days, how many days is 1 billion seconds? You will have to listen to this episode to find out, but I bet your guess is way off! Here to explain why the brain has trouble with numbers and how you can better understand them is Chip Heath. Chip teaches at Stanford, has authored several books including Making Numbers Count (https://amzn.to/3t3AMpG).  Just about every food has an expiration date or “sell by” date or “best if used by” date on it. But in some cases, they can be very misleading. A lot of foods will last a lot longer than those dates would have you believe. The point is you may be throwing away food that is just fine. Listen to hear a list of foods you can likely hang on to a little longer. https://www.webmd.com/diet/features/do-food-expiration-dates-matter#1 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 TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m sure you’ve gotten a song stuck in your head. It happens to all of us. And once it gets in your head, it is hard to get rid of. It turns out there are some ways that have researched that do seem to work to get that song out of your head the next time it seeps in and just won't leave. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/03/21/heres-how-get-song-out-your-head/99264896/ You have probably done something to someone out of spite. Most people have. Interestingly, humans are just about the only creature on earth that acts out of spite. According to psychologist Simon McCarthy-Jones. Simon says spite comes from a feeling of being wronged – of not being treated fairly. Often people will go to great lengths to get revenge. That’s spite. Still, spite may not be all bad. It can actually be useful. Listen as Simon reveals why we do things out of spite and why spite may be an important tool we use to keep each other honest. Simon is author of the book Spite: The Upside of Your Dark Side (https://amzn.to/2OO8FJu)  Human memory is full of flaws. For example, most things we simply don’t remember at all. Other things we don’t remember very well and a lot of what we do remember gets distorted over time. So how do we make sense of our memory? Here to help explain it is Lisa Genova. She is a neuroscientist, writer and speaker who has appeared on The Today Show and PBS NewsHour, and she is author of the book Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting (https://amzn.to/3ccv2B7). Ever have a bad day? Sure, you have. And it seems that the worse the day gets – the worse it gets. Well, you can actually turn that spiral off. Listen as I reveal this simple technique that will stop you from focusing on the bad things happening so your day can get back on track. Source: Dr. Judith Orloff author of Positive Energy (https://amzn.to/3dZ323w). 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 TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Choking under pressure. No one wants to do that yet when the stakes are high, it can be hard to rise to the occasion and easy to choke. This episode begins with a technique that has proven to help people in high pressure situations to NOT choke when there is a lot riding on the outcome. http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2012/09/choking-pressure.aspx You likely know people you are tightwads or spendthrifts. Perhaps you are one of them. How is it that some people become one or the other? Why does it seem that they are attracted to each other (and apparently they really are)? What’s the difference between being a tightwad and being frugal – or cheap? Here to explain the world of tightwads and spendthrifts is Scott Rick He is a marketing professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, and author of the book, Tightwads and Spendthrifts: Navigating the Money Minefield in Real Relationships (https://amzn.to/47oFOxt). Interestingly, Scott is a spendthrift who is married to a tightwad so he is truly on the front lines of this discussion.  Here in the USA, people like the idea of buying products that are “Made in America.” Still, over the last several decades, a lot of things that used to be made here have been outsourced to other countries. Now there is an effort to bring more manufacturing back to the United States. Joining me to explain why so much manufacturing left in the first place, how it is coming back and the benefits of doing so is Rachel Slade. Rachel teaches political science at Tufts University, she is an award winning writer and she is author of a book called Making It in America: The Almost Impossible Quest to Manufacture in the U.S.A. (And How It Got That Way) (https://amzn.to/3NPlezt). There is no one secret to happiness. However, there are some necessary ingredients to having an overall sense of happiness. Listen as I explain what they are and how to create them in your life. https://www.biopsychiatry.com/happiness/ 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 TurboTax Experts make all your moves count — filing with 100% accuracy and getting your max refund, guaranteed! See guarantee details at https://TurboTax.com/Guarantees Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scientists have studied what is the perfect temperature in an office or work environment. And the magic number is 77 degrees Fahrenheit. What’s so magical about 77 degrees? I begin this episode with the explanation and what happens if temperature gets too far off from there. https://heatmyjob.com/office-temperature-can-play-part-employee-output/  The beginning of the year is when people set new goals for themselves. And it turns out that the process you use to set your goals will make a difference in how successful you are in reaching them. That’s the message from Michael Bungay Stanier. Often described as one of the top coaches in the world, Michael is author of a book called, How to Begin: Start Doing Something That Matters (https://amzn.to/3qL3UiH). When you follow his advice, you will most likely improve the chances that your goals will be reached.  It seems pretty random how we categorize people into groups depending on when they were born. We have baby boomers, millennials, Gen Xers and a few others I imagine. But is that fair? Is their any reason to think that people born in a certain generation share traits and characteristics? Should we be generalizing about a group based on when they were born? Here to discuss this is Bobby Duffy, professor of public policy and director of the Policy Institute at King’s College in London and author of the book, The Generation Myth: Why When You’re Born Matters Less Than You Think (https://amzn.to/3eUyIrL).   Germs can spread throughout a household in many different ways - and one is through your toothbrush. Listen as I explain how this happens and how you can prevent those toothbrush germs from infecting others. Source: Dr. Philip M. Tierno, author of The Secret Life of Germs (https://amzn.to/3HBF4bV). PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Zocdoc is a FREE app and website where you can search and compare highly-rated, in-network doctors near you AND instantly book appointments with them online. Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Generally, women seem to have a better, more sensitive sense of touch than men do. Yet, it isn’t gender that really determines that. This episode begins with an explanation of why some people’s sense of touch is better than others and why most (but not all) of them are women. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091215173017.htm When your work is fun and enjoyable, you do better work. It doesn’t have to be totally fun – even making it a little more fun can pay big dividends according to Ali Abdaal. Ali is one of the most followed productivity experts and he is author of the book Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You (https://amzn.to/47AZajf). If you’ve always thought that success and productivity only come from discipline and hard work, I think you will find this conversation to be liberating.  Here is the link to Ali’s YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@aliabdaal Much of what determines how long you live and how healthy you remain as you get older – is pretty well known and is not that difficult to do if you make it a priority. That’s according to Michael Greger, MD, who is a founding member and Fellow of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and author of the book, How Not to Age: The Scientific Approach to Getting Healthier As You Get Older (https://amzn.to/3tCR1g2). Listen as he reveals some of the simple ways you can live long and stay healthy and active from now all the way through your golden years. A lot of people say they feel stuck – stuck in their job or marriage or in some other way they just feel stuck in life. Interestingly, this is a fairly new phenomenon. Listen as I explain why there is so much stuckness in the world and what you can do to get unstuck. Source: Anneli Rufus author of the book Stuck (https://amzn.to/47ftboo) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Zocdoc is a FREE app and website where you can search and compare highly-rated, in-network doctors near you AND instantly book appointments with them online. Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever wonder what the life expectancy is for that house fly buzzing around your kitchen? Or what’s the fastest insect on earth? Do you know how many kinds of insects there are in the world? This episode begins with some interesting facts about bugs and insects you likely don’t know – including the difference between a bug and an insect. https://gohannan.com/common-pests/amazing-but-true-interesting-facts-about-bugs/ You must be afraid of something. In fact, you are probably afraid of several things. Fear is a good thing. It keeps us safe from harm. And understanding how fear works can really help you navigate the world better. Joining me to discuss what fear is and where it comes from is Helen Odeskky, a licensed clinical psychologist, anxiety expert and author of the book Stop Fear from Stopping You: The Art and Science of Becoming Fear-Wise (https://amzn.to/3qBprt2). Listen to our conversation and you may just view fear in a whole new light.  Nature can be beautiful and wonderful. It can also be gross and disgusting. Still, disgusting can also be very interesting according to Erika Engelhaupt. She is a writer and editor for National Geographic and author of the book Gory Details : Adventures from the Dark of Science (https://amzn.to/39v0IQn). Listen as she explains some really gross but fascinating things like how tiny bugs live in the pores on you face; how “fatbergs” (like icebergs except made of fat and sludge) flow under our cities; how gross peeing in the pool really is; what ants really taste like should you need to eat some and a lot more. Everyone who uses credit has a credit score – sometimes called a FICO score. A lot of people don’t really understand where that score comes from or what the number means. Listen as I reveal how your score is determined and how to keep your FICO score as high as possible. https://www.thebalance.com/understanding-credit-utilization-960451 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Zocdoc is a FREE app and website where you can search and compare highly-rated, in-network doctors near you AND instantly book appointments with them online. Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When the sun hits it just right, you can sometimes see just how dirty your computer screen gets. And it can get pretty filthy. So, what’s the best way to clean it? Not with window cleaner, that’s for sure. Listen as this episode begins with the right way to clean your monitor so you don’t cause damage https://www.rd.com/article/how-to-clean-a-computer-screen/ We all know exercise is good for you. Any exercise is good whether it is cardio or lifting weights - it’s all great! But it doesn’t have to be formal, strenuous exercise. In this episode, you’ll hear how simply moving your body can do wonders. Your body is designed to move – not sit around. And when you move it in the right way, the benefits are spectacular, according to Caroline Williams, a science journalist who is a regular contributor to New Scientist and author of the book Move: How the New Science of Body Movement Can Set Your Mind Free (https://amzn.to/3Jsjlot). Is privacy dead? After all, you hear a lot of people talking about how so much of our information is floating around, it is impossible to expect much in the way of privacy. Not true, according to Neil Richards. Neil is a leading expert in privacy law. He is Professor of Law at Washington University School of Law, and author of the book, Why Privacy Matters (https://amzn.to/32xsxaG). Listen as he discusses how privacy works, how the laws must change and how privacy is not dead – yet. But it is definitely in need of repair.  Are you one of those people who eats lunch at their desk? A lot of people like to keep working as they eat lunch – particularly if you work from home. While it may seem like an efficient thing to do, it’s actually a terrible idea. Listen as I explain why. https://www.businessinsider.in/heres-why-you-should-stop-eating-lunch-at-your-desk-every-day/articleshow/45464205.cms PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! MasterClass makes a meaningful gift this season! .Right now you can get two Memberships for the price of one at https://MasterClass.com/SOMETHING PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Getting a paper cut sucks. It looks like nothing but it sure hurts like crazy. This episode starts with a look at why paper cuts hurt so much and the best way to treat one. http://www.menshealth.com/health/why-are-paper-cuts-so-painful You might think your personality is pretty well determined already. However, it is actually changing all the time whether you like it or not. Organizational psychologist Benjamin Hardy joins me to reveal how your personality evolves throughout your lifetime and how you can influence those changes to become the person you want to be. Benjamin Hardy is a contributor to Inc., and Psychology Today and he is author of the book Personality Isn’t Permanent (https://amzn.to/3GS1ebv) The pace of life just seems faster than it used to be. And while you might long for the good old slower days, they are likely not coming back. A better approach may be to learn to manage the faster speed of life and make it work for you. Joining me to discuss how to do that is Vince Poscente, former Olympic speed-skier and author of bestselling book, The Age of Speed (https://amzn.to/2UGj8Gm). Don’t you hate it when you can’t remember where you put your keys or wallet or glasses? What is it that makes them so easy to lose in the first place? Listen as I explain WHY you likely misplaced them and the best way to figure out where they are? http://lifehacker.com/the-two-factors-that-make-you-forgetful-1563418168 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! MasterClass makes a meaningful gift this season! .Right now you can get two Memberships for the price of one at https://MasterClass.com/SOMETHING PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can never say, “I love you” enough to your partner. They are the 3 magic words of love. Yet, there are three other words you may also want to say more often to help forge a closer and stronger bond. Listen as I reveal what those three words are. https://truetowords.blogspot.com/2010/02/i-me-us-we-little-words-big-impact.html It feels good to help someone in need. However, it can feel really uncomfortable if you are the one asking for the help. However, it doesn’t need to be difficult, according to Heidi Grant, author of the book, Reinforcements: How to Get People to Help You (https://amzn.to/2MRA4Ep). She has some great advice that explains how to ask and who to ask that will make it easier to make the request and make it much more likely that people will say yes. Listen and learn to become a much better asker when you really need help.  Everyone has lucky moments in life. However, it is what you do with your luck when it strikes that determines how lucky you really are. That’s according to Christian Busch, PhD, Director of the Global Economy Program at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs and author of the book, The Serendipity Mindset: The Art and Science of Creating Good Luck (https://amzn.to/30VClYu). Really lucky people know how to capitalize on those lucky moments in life to maximize the benefits. Listen and you too will know how when those lucky moments come along.  Even the best cooks in the world are looking for better and more efficient ways to get things done in the kitchen. I found some great suggestions that I use myself from the website Epicurious.com. - from what kind of chicken to buy, where to keep your lemons to why you most certainly need a new ice tray for the freezer. https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/best-cooking-advice-ever-article PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! MasterClass makes a meaningful gift this season! .Right now you can get two Memberships for the price of one at https://MasterClass.com/SOMETHING PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you have a bad cough, prescription cough syrup is often the remedy of choice – particularly the kind with codeine. But what if chocolate works better? Seriously. This episode begins by discussing the best way to stifle that urge to cough. https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/chocolate-can-fight-coughs-better-than-some-cold-medicine/ Do you have a favorite Christmas movie? Maybe you like White Christmas or It’s a Wonderful Life or maybe Home Alone? Well, whatever it is, I suspect you will hear it discussed during my conversation Jeremy Arnold. Jeremy is a film historian who, along with Turner Classic movies, has put together a wonderful book called Christmas in the Movies: 30 Classics To Celebrate the Season. (https://amzn.to/3GzDZ3S). Listen and you will hear some of the backstories about many of the most iconic Christmas movies of all time. When you think about it, sarcasm is a really weird way to try to get your point across. Still, it can be extremely effective. It can also affect people in interesting and unusual ways that aren’t quite so obvious. Penny Pexman, a professor of psychology at the University of Calgary studies sarcasm and she joins me to offer some wonderful insight into how using sarcasm impacts your relationships and interactions as well as who tends to be more sarcastic and why. Penny has a coloring book for kids to help them understand sarcasm called Sydney Gets Sarcastic. You can download it for free at: https://ucalgary.ca/child-infant-learning-development/home-0 Could your Christmas tree be causing your allergy symptoms to flare up? IT is quite possible. Listen as I explain what the problem is and how best to deal with it. https://www.entandallergyspecialists.com/uncategorized/can-christmas-trees-cause-allergy-symptoms/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! MasterClass makes a meaningful gift this season! .Right now you can get two Memberships for the price of one at https://MasterClass.com/SOMETHING PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Spread holiday cheer this season with a new phone! Get any phone free, today at UScellular. Built for US. Terms apply. Visit https://UScellular.com for details.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is one word in the English language that has more meanings than any other. A lot more! And the word is only 3 letters long. I begin this episode by revealing which word it is – and there is a good chance you have said the word multiple times today. https://www.rd.com/article/most-complicated-word-in-english/ Can you really inherit your mother’s laugh or your father’s temper? It is a little confusing because some traits you can inherit genetically, but other traits you get from them may just be because you grew up in the same house. Height is something genetically passed down – still not all tall parents have tall children, so how does that work? Heredity is often misunderstood and there is a lot about heredity we just don’t know. Here to explain this fascinating topic so it all makes sense is Carl Zimmer. Carl writes for The New York Times and is author of the book, She Has Her Mother’s Laugh: The Powers, Perversions and Potential of Heredity (https://amzn.to/2IG8KKR). Does anyone know who made the first cellphone call? Not only do we know, we have him here as a guest and you are about to meet him. Martin Cooper is considered the father of the cellphone. He helped to develop the whole basis for cellular technology when he worked at Motorola and did in fact place the very first cellphone call. Martin joins me to recall the early days of the cellphone and has some great terrific insight on the future of cellular technology. Martin is the author of the book Cutting the Cord: The Cell Phone Has Transformed Humanity (https://amzn.to/38aXwIV). Sneakers or tennis shoes are the footwear of choice for many of us. So where did they come from? Interestingly, it took quite a while for them to cross over from the world of sports to everyday casual wear . Listen as I explain the history and who the players were that brought sneakers to the forefront. https://www.factmonster.com/culture-entertainment/fashion/history-sneakers PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! MasterClass makes a meaningful gift this season! .Right now you can get two Memberships for the price of one at https://MasterClass.com/SOMETHING PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Spread holiday cheer this season with a new phone! Get any phone free, today at UScellular. Built for US. Terms apply. Visit https://UScellular.com for details.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some of the most inspiring words can come from some unusual places - and people. This episode begins with some words of hope and inspiration that seem perfect for the holidays - from Mr. Rogers. Source: The World According to Mr. Rogers (https://amzn.to/3RKWfzC). The fight against aging is more complicated than most people think. It isn’t just about living longer, it is also about staying healthy as you get older. And while diet and exercise do seem to help, science is looking at some far more sophisticated ways to fight aging. There is some promising work in the lab that can make worms seem younger, live twice as long and improve their cognitive function. One person on the cutting edge of all this is Coleen Murphy. She is a professor at Princeton University, Director of Princeton’s Glenn Foundation for Research on Aging and author of the book, How We Age: The Science of Longevity (https://amzn.to/3GKDKF5) I bet there have been times in your life when you didn’t try something or take a risk because you were afraid of what other people would think of you – especially if you failed. It appears to be one of the most powerful forces that holds people back. Joining me to discuss why this is such a problem and what we can all do to push it out of the way is Michael Gervais. He is a high performance psychologist, host of the podcast Finding Mastery (https://findingmastery.com/podcasts/) and author of the book The First Rule of Mastery: Stop Worrying about What People Think of You (https://amzn.to/3RtsDoW). As the new year fast approaches, many people dust off their resumes and look for a new job. Listen as I reveal some of the most important traits employers are looking for in new employees. https://www.forbes.com/sites/meghancasserly/2012/10/04/top-five-personality-traits-employers-hire-most/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! MasterClass makes a meaningful gift this season! .Right now you can get two Memberships for the price of one at https://MasterClass.com/SOMETHING PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Spread holiday cheer this season with a new phone! Get any phone free, today at UScellular. Built for US. Terms apply. Visit https://UScellular.com for details.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Sitting is the new smoking” has been a popular expression for the last few years. But seriously, what could be so horrible about sitting? This episode begins with an explanation and advice on what to do differently if you sit a lot. https://www.cnn.com/2015/01/21/health/sitting-will-kill-you/index.html Something interesting has happened over the last few generations. There was a time when kids looked forward to growing up, becoming an grownup and leaving home. Today, not so much. Many young people dread the whole idea of adulthood. Why? Apparently, “adulting” just isn’t appealing because so many young people just aren’t prepared to handle it. That’s according to Julie Lythcott-Haims, a writer, former college dean, former attorney and author of the book Your Turn to Be an Adult. (https://amzn.to/3q89LOB). Listen as she joins me to explain what has changed and what needs to be done to help young people want to grow up.  Have you ever noticed that traffic sometimes seems to have a mind of its own? It’ll slow down in one spot for no apparent reason and then speed up in another spot – again for no apparent reason. And why is it that one lane of traffic moves fast but the one I am in tends to stand still? Besides the obvious accident or construction, what makes traffic flow well some of the time but then get all screwed up and backed up other times? Here to explain some of the science and nuance of traffic flow is Jonas Eliasson an internationally known expert on traffic patterns who is also Director of Transport Accessibility for the Swedish Transport Administration and has an interesting TED Talk on how to solve traffic jams that you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX_Krxq5eUI&t=360s Almost everyone loves at least one type of music. That’s a good thing because listening to music appears to be good for you. Listen as I explain the many benefits according to a lot of research on the topic. https://www.emedexpert.com/tips/music.shtml PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! MasterClass makes a meaningful gift this season! .Right now you can get two Memberships for the price of one at https://MasterClass.com/SOMETHING PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Dell’s Holiday Event is one of their biggest sales of the year! Shop now at https://Dell.com/deals to take advantage of huge savings and free shipping on everything! Spread holiday cheer this season with a new phone! Get any phone free, today at UScellular. Built for US. Terms apply. Visit https://UScellular.com for details.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is one important question that actually determines how healthy you will be and how long you will live – depending on your answer. This episode begins with that question. And it is certainly worth contemplating. Source: Dr. Paul Pearsall author of The Pleasure Prescription (https://amzn.to/41j3xO8). So much video gets shot around the holidays and much of it is frankly - pretty dull and doesn’t capture the moment the way people hope. Taking great video doesn’t require fancy equipment – your phone will do an excellent job. What makes great video is knowing how to use the camera. Joining me to explain some simple and effective techniques is Steve Stockman. Steve has directed hundreds of TV commercials and shows, and he is the creator of the video course and author of the book – both titled How To Shoot Video That Doesn’t Suck. Listen and you will soon be shooting stunning video.  Here is the link for Steve’s video course: https://stevestockman.com/ Here is the link for Steve’s book https://amzn.to/46Q7E5y When you hear the word extinction – as in some species goes extinct, you probably think that’s a bad thing and something probably went wrong to cause it. Actually, that usually is not the case. Extinction is a natural part of life and how it works is fascinating. Here to explain it so we can all understand is Michael J. Benton. He is a professor of Vertebrate Paleontology at the University of Bristol. He has written more than fifty books, and his latest is called Extinctions: How Life Survives, Adapts and Evolves (https://amzn.to/3GzqkMb). One of the things that makes holiday shopping at the mall so stressful and exhausting isn’t the shopping – it’s the parking hassle. Listen as explain how to remove that stress to make holiday shopping more fun. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052970204026804577098451316357124 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! MasterClass makes a meaningful gift this season! .Right now you can get two Memberships for the price of one at https://MasterClass.com/SOMETHING PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Dell’s Holiday Event is one of their biggest sales of the year! Shop now at https://Dell.com/deals to take advantage of huge savings and free shipping on everything! Spread holiday cheer this season with a new phone! Get any phone free, today at UScellular. Built for US. Terms apply. Visit https://UScellular.com for details.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Winter is cold and flu season – and sometimes, when you start feeling sick, you wonder if it is the flu or just a cold. This episode begins by explaining how early symptoms can help you figure it out quickly so you can seek the appropriate remedy. https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/is-it-cold-flu  During the holidays especially, people sense the need and importance of being connected to others. Perhaps one reason people often feel disconnected and isolated may just be that they don’t have the right social skills. Skills like, how to be a great conversationalist, how to ask for forgiveness, how to break up with someone without breaking their heart, how to sit with someone who is suffering, how to end a conversation gracefully.  These are the skills that allow people to get below the surface and really know a person. Joining me with some wonderful insight into this is David Brooks. He is an op-ed columnist, for the New York Times, a writer for The Atlantic and appears regularly on the PBS Newshour. David is author of the book How To Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen (https://amzn.to/483ge1N). People and dogs have been living together for centuries. It is a bond that seems to benefit everyone. So why is the human-dog relationship work so well? Why do so many people report that having a dog makes their life better? And why is it that having a dog seems to improve people’s mental and emotional well-being? One person who really understands this bond is Jen Golbeck. Her writing has appeared in Slate, The Atlantic, Psychology Today, and Wired. In addition, she and her husband rescue golden retrievers who are senior or who have special medical needs. She is author of the book, The Purest Bond: Understanding the Human–Canine Connection (https://amzn.to/3TeMhre). If you’ve ever wondered about what your dog thinks about you and why you get along so well, you should listen to Jen. Does it really work to put your wet phone in a bowl of uncooked rice to rescue it? Maybe but something else may work even better. Listen and find out what it is. https://gizmodo.com/how-to-rescue-wet-gadgets-5951415 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! MasterClass makes a meaningful gift this season! .Right now you can get two Memberships for the price of one at https://MasterClass.com/SOMETHING PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Dell’s Holiday Event is one of their biggest sales of the year! Shop now at https://Dell.com/deals to take advantage of huge savings and free shipping on everything! Spread holiday cheer this season with a new phone! Get any phone free, today at UScellular. Built for US. Terms apply. Visit https://UScellular.com for details.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People frequently choke when they drink something because – “it went down the wrong pipe.” Is there really a wrong pipe? Why do people sometimes choke when they swallow? I begin this episode by discussing the rather complicated process of swallowing and why sometimes things go awry. Source: Joel Herskowitz, author of Swallow Safely (https://amzn.to/3pXFjqv) Do you prioritize having fun in your life? Or is fun just something you do if there is time once the serious business is finished? Maybe we are looking at fun all wrong! Fun should not be a reward, it is a necessity that is essential to your well-being according to journalist and speaker Catherine Price author of the book The Power of Fun: How to Feel Alive Again (https://amzn.to/32113to) . Listen as she explains the importance difference between “fake fun” and true fun and how having more true fun will transform your life. Catherine’s website is https://howtohavefun.com/ Like most people you probably have a love/hate relationship with your email. Sure it is convenient but all of that incoming information can eat up your time, productivity and energy. Here to explain how to make sure that doesn’t happen is Maura Nevel Thomas author of The Happy Inbox (https://amzn.to/323ZUkt). Maura has some simple strategies that will help you tame all those messages and notifications so you can stay focused on what needs to be done yet still be available to the people who need you. You know the post office mottos that starts …”Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night…” Well, it turns out that isn’t actually the official motto or creed of the USPS. Listen as I explain where that “motto” came from and what actually WILL prevent your mail getting delivered if you are not careful https://about.usps.com/publications/pub100.pdf PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! MasterClass makes a meaningful gift this season! .Right now you can get two Memberships for the price of one at https://MasterClass.com/SOMETHING PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Shopify gives you everything you need to take control and take your business to the next level. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at https://shopify.com/sysk today! Dell’s Cyber Monday event is their biggest sale of the year. Shop now at https://Dell.com/deals to take advantage of huge savings and free shipping! Spread holiday cheer this season with a new phone! Get any phone free, today at UScellular. Built for US. Terms apply. Visit https://UScellular.com for details.  Planet Money is an incredible podcast with stories & insights about how money shapes our world. Listen to Planet Money https://npr.org/podcasts/510289/planet-money wherever you get your podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

One of the best parts of Christmas is the tree. There is so much lore, and history and fascinating facts about Christmas trees. Listen as this episode begins with some things you may not know. https://www.gertens.com/blog/christmas-fun-facts-and-trivia.html The sense of smell is the one most people say they could live without if they had to pick one. Really? There is a lot more to your ability to smell scents and odors than you may realize. Do you really know how your sense of smell works? What makes some scents wonderful and others disgusting? Did you know a lot of the odors here are on earth come from outer space? These are just a few of the things I discuss with Harold McGee, author of the best-selling book Nose Dive: A Field Guide to the World’s Smells (https://amzn.to/39yhOgx). Listen and you will have renewed respect for your sense of smell and you might not be so willing to give it up! What exactly is the Internet? Where did it come from and how did it get here? These are good questions and you will discover the answers by listening to my interview with James Ball. He is Global Editor at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, a former special projects editor at The Guardian and author of the book, The Tangled Web We Weave: Inside The Shadow System That Shapes the Internet (https://amzn.to/3tsaaMP) When you get the hiccups, what’s the best cure to get rid of them? It turns out not all cures work the same for everyone but there are some things worth trying and there is one thing that works every time. Listen as I explain that. Source: Nancy Snyderman author of Medical Myths That Can Kill You (https://amzn.to/3cUAR7d) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! MasterClass makes a meaningful gift this season! .Right now you can get two Memberships for the price of one at https://MasterClass.com/SOMETHING PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Shopify gives you everything you need to take control and take your business to the next level. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at https://shopify.com/sysk today! Dell’s Cyber Monday event is their biggest sale of the year. Shop now at https://Dell.com/deals to take advantage of huge savings and free shipping! Spread holiday cheer this season with a new phone! Get any phone free, today at UScellular. Built for US. Terms apply. Visit https://UScellular.com for details.  Planet Money is an incredible podcast with stories & insights about how money shapes our world. Listen to Planet Money https://npr.org/podcasts/510289/planet-money wherever you get your podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seems like there isn’t much your smartphone CAN’T do. However, one weakness it has is the inability to stand up to cold weather. This episode begins with an explanation of why and how your phone is so vulnerable to the cold and what to do about it. https://blog.gaiagps.com/how-to-keep-your-phone-alive-in-cold-weather/ What makes human intelligence superior to the intelligence of other creatures? What are the flaws in human thinking? Will AI ever really be able to think like a human brain or is that really impossible? Listen to my discussion with Max Bennett and you will come away with a very different understanding of both human and artificial intelligence. Max is cofounder and CEO of Alby, a start-up in the AI business. He has published numerous scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals and he has been featured on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Max is author of the book A Brief History of Intelligence (https://amzn.to/3N8mJbr). You probably aren’t paying attention to it – but right now you are likely hearing sounds. Maybe it is traffic noise or music or the washing machine. We are always hearing something. It turns out that sound plays a much bigger role in your life than you imagine -both good and bad. Here to help you understand why the sounds that surround you are so important is Caspar Henderson. He is a writer and journalist who covers topics such as energy, science and the environment and he is author of the book, A Book of Noises: Notes on the Auraculous (https://amzn.to/3t4vNY4). If you plan to take a lot of photos or videos of family around the holidays, you should be aware of something. You see, there is one thing people often forget to do that they later regret. Listen as I tell you what that is and how to make sure you don’t forget it this year. Source: Cheryl Lightle author of The Creative Memories Way (https://amzn.to/3T3pKh1) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! MasterClass makes a meaningful gift this season! .Right now you can get two Memberships for the price of one at https://MasterClass.com/SOMETHING PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Shopify gives you everything you need to take control and take your business to the next level. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at https://shopify.com/sysk today! Dell’s Cyber Monday event is their biggest sale of the year. Shop now at https://Dell.com/deals to take advantage of huge savings and free shipping! Spread holiday cheer this season with a new phone! Get any phone free, today at UScellular. Built for US. Terms apply. Visit https://UScellular.com for details.  Planet Money is an incredible podcast with stories & insights about how money shapes our world. Listen to Planet Money https://npr.org/podcasts/510289/planet-money wherever you get your podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I’m sure you’ve noticed those little silica gel packs in boxes of shoes or electronics. And if you look closely, you’ll see they typically have a warning to NOT eat them. Are they really that poisonous? What would happen if you did eat one? I begin this episode with an explanation. https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/what-to-know-silica-gel Every day we interact with manmade machines and those interactions have revolutionized modern life. Now with AI and more advanced robotics our relationship with machines is likely to grow deeper. One day we could actually be friends or even lovers with machines! Debra Spar believes our relationship with machines is important to look at and understand. Debra is a professor of business admin at Harvard Business school, former president of Barnard College and author of the book Work, Mate, Marry Love: How Machines Shape Our Human Destiny (https://amzn.to/3xMLhOo). Listen as she offers some fascinating insight into how machines have and continue to change us. Especially around the holidays, people with few friends or connections can feel particularly lonely. By most accounts, that sting of loneliness can only be relieved by being around other people. So how do you do it if you don’t find making friends to be easy? Psychologist Dr. Elicia Nademin joins me to offer simple yet effective ways to connect with the people around you that can dull the pain of loneliness and make you feel great. You might even make some really good friends. Dr. Nademin is author of the book Don’t Be A Stranger: Creating Connections & Memorable First Impressions in Every Day Life (https://amzn.to/2ZSRAUg). Santa is married. We know there is a Mrs. Claus. But her role in the whole Christmas thing is a bit mysterious and unknown. Listen as I explain who she is and why we seem to know so little about her and how she supports Santa and all the elves. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs._Claus PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! MasterClass makes a meaningful gift this season - for you and anyone on your list! Right now you can get two Memberships for the price of one at https://MasterClass.com/SOMETHING Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Dell’s Cyber Monday event is their biggest sale of the year. Shop now at https://Dell.com/deals to take advantage of huge savings and free shipping! Spread holiday cheer far and wide this season with a new phone! Everyone can get the gift of connection at UScellular. Get any phone free, today. UScellular. Built for US. Terms apply. Visit https://UScellular.com for details.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who doesn’t love the smell of a Christmas tree? It seems to be a smell everybody finds pleasing and it also turns out to have some benefits. This episode begins with some reasons why you should take the time to enjoy the scent of pine. https://www.foxnews.com/health/the-healing-power-of-pine Being part of an audience can be magical. Whether you are watching a play or a movie or a concert, the audience members can become a singular force – getting energy and emotion from one another. So, how did audiences come to be? How did audiences learn how to behave? Why do we applaud? Here to discuss all this and more is Robert Viagas. He is Editor-in-chief of Encore Monthly the national theatre magazine and spent much of his career working with Playbill. He is author of the book called Right This Way: A History of the Audience (https://amzn.to/46F8lOS). If there is one thing people like, it is certainty. We like to be sure of ourselves and we like people who seem certain about things. However, uncertainty has its benefits. When you are uncertain about something, it allows you to be curious and ultimately make better decisions. That’s according to journalist Maggie Jackson. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Business Week, Vanity Fair and Wired.com and she is author of the book, Uncertain: The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure (https://amzn.to/3Gli42b).  What if there were some very simple ways that would make sure you get more done in less time? Well, there are! Listen as I explain 3 easy yet powerful techniques from productivity expert Don Wetmore. https://productivity-institute.com/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! MasterClass makes a meaningful gift this season - for you and anyone on your list! Right now you can get two Memberships for the price of one at https://MasterClass.com/SOMETHING Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Dell’s Cyber Monday event is their biggest sale of the year. Shop now at https://Dell.com/deals to take advantage of huge savings and free shipping! Spread holiday cheer far and wide this season with a new phone! Everyone can get the gift of connection at UScellular. Get any phone free, today. UScellular. Built for US. Terms apply. Visit https://UScellular.com for details.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People say where you fall in the birth order compared to your siblings determines (or strongly influences) certain traits and outcomes. This episode begins with a look at whether the research backs this up or it is just a pop culture theory. https://psychcentral.com/blog/birth-order-and-personality#birth-order-and-personality The holidays bring back memories. Many of us get very nostalgic this time of year – longing for people, places and Christmases gone by. Being nostalgic was once thought to be a mental illness. Now, according to research, it can actually be good for you for many different reasons. Joining me to explain why longing for the past is good for your future is Clay Routledge, PhD, whose work has been featured in The New York Times, the Washington Post, the Guardian and CBS. He is author of the book Past Forward: How Nostalgia Can Help You Live a More Meaningful Life (https://amzn.to/3uC1sAs) Do you really like playing Monopoly? Lots of us play it but privately, we hate it. That’s one of the many fascinating things you will hear as I speak with Marcus du Sautoy . He is an award-winning mathematician, a math professor at Oxford and he has studied the history and popularity of games humans play from chess, to backgammon, tic-tac-toe to Monopoly. You will be fascinated by what he discovered. Marcus is author the book Around the World in Eighty Games (https://amzn.to/3MV5Lxm). Cats and Christmas trees don’t mix. Listen as I offer some strategies to help discourage your cat from climbing up and into your tree and maybe even knocking it down. A little prevention, some tin foil and some double-sided tape is all it takes. http://www.petmd.com/cat/seasonal/evr_ct_cats_and_christmas_trees PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! MasterClass makes a meaningful gift this season - for you and anyone on your list! Right now you can get two Memberships for the price of one at https://MasterClass.com/SOMETHING Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Dell’s Cyber Monday event is their biggest sale of the year. Shop now at https://Dell.com/deals to take advantage of huge savings and free shipping! Spread holiday cheer far and wide this season with a new phone! Everyone can get the gift of connection at UScellular. Get any phone free, today. UScellular. Built for US. Terms apply. Visit https://UScellular.com for details.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You have probably heard that poinsettia plants are poisonous to people and pets. Really? How poisonous? Can you die from eating them or what? Should you be concerned and keep them out of your home? This episode begins with an explanation of just how dangerous poinsettias are – and are not. https://www.stranges.com/are-poinsettias-poisonous/ Our keen human instincts have helped us survive all these years. However, some of those instincts are not so practical in today’s modern world. This is according to evolutionary biologist Dr. Rebecca Heiss, author of the book Instinct: Rewire Your Brain with Science-Backed Solutions to Increase Productivity and Achieve Success (https://amzn.to/3oxbQTq). Rebecca joins me to discuss how instincts such as the instinct for self-deception and variety and the fear of others can really sabotage your success. She also offers strategies to help override those instincts when you need to. What’s inside a black hole? What exactly is a multiverse? At what point will the sun stop burning? These are just a few of the fascinating questions I explore with Daniel Whiteson, professor of physics at UC Irvine and author of the book Frequently Asked Questions About the Universe (https://amzn.to/3oCeTtR). Listen as Daniel takes important and complex concepts about the universe and makes them interesting and understandable. Your sense of touch is more complicated than you realize. What you touch and how it feels can actually alter the way you think. Listen as I reveal some fascinating research about how your sense of touch works. https://news.yale.edu/2010/06/24/touch-how-hard-chair-creates-hard-heart PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! MasterClass makes a meaningful gift this season - for you and anyone on your list - because both of you can learn from the best to become your best - from leadership to effective communication to cooking. Right now you can get Two Memberships for the Price of One at https://MasterClass.com/SOMETHING PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Dell's Black Friday event is their biggest sale of the year! Shop now at https://Dell.com/deals to take advantage of huge savings and free shipping! Spread holiday cheer far and wide this season with a new phone! Everyone can get the gift of connection at UScellular. Get any phone free, today. UScellular. Built for US. Terms apply. Visit https://UScellular.com for details.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Food labels are full of claims. They say things like “All-Natural” or “Doctor Recommended” or “Made with Whole Grains.” Should you be impressed or are those words and phrases a lot of nothing and nonsense? I begin this episode by revealing why those phrases are worded the way they are and what they actually mean. https://www.cornucopia.org/2010/05/nutrition-buzzwords-make-hay-out-of-grains-of-truth/ Convincing people to do what you want can be a challenge. One of the best ways is to get people to do it because they WANT to do it rather than trying to coerce or convince them. This is according to Christopher Hadnagy who is a global security expert and author of the book Human Hacking Win Friends, Influence People, and Leave Them Better Off for Having Met You (https://amzn.to/3iMz58R) Listen as he shares some valuable insight into what motivates people to give you what you want, why it is so effective and exactly how to do it. You likely have trouble sleeping from time to time. In fact just about everyone does. There are plenty of reasons people don’t sleep. Sometimes your mind is racing, or you are worried about something or it could also be something you ate or drank or even how your bedroom is configured. Here to discuss why people have trouble with their sleep is health journalist Kim Jones author of the book Trick Yourself to Sleep: 222 Ways to Fall and Stay Asleep from the Science of Slumber (https://amzn.to/2MtdFS7). Listen today and tonight you just might sleep like a baby. One of the hardest things on your car’s engine is – when you start it. Listen as I explain why cold engine starts are so tough on your car and how to ease the strain. Source: Jack Gillis author of The Car Book (https://amzn.to/2Ym0DIX) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! MasterClass makes a meaningful gift this season - for you and anyone on your list - because both of you can learn from the best to become your best - from leadership to effective communication to cooking. Right now you can get Two Memberships for the Price of One at https://MasterClass.com/SOMETHING PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Dell's Black Friday event is their biggest sale of the year! Shop now at https://Dell.com/deals to take advantage of huge savings and free shipping! Spread holiday cheer far and wide this season with a new phone! Everyone can get the gift of connection at UScellular. Get any phone free, today. UScellular. Built for US. Terms apply. Visit https://UScellular.com for details.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Texting and email seem to have replaced the telephone as a primary means of communication. Still, the telephone is sometimes a better option. When it is – how can you make sure you get a call back or a response of some kind? Listen and I’ll tell you. Source: Bill Jensen author of Simplicity Survival Handbook (https://amzn.to/3MMDmt7). Have you ever accomplished a goal and thought – “Hey if I can do that, what ELSE can I accomplish?” It seems success is rarely totally satisfying. Instead, it creates an itch for more success. That place in your brain where that happens is what my guest calls “Wonderhell.” And it turns out to be a fascinating place to explore. Listen as I speak about it with Laura Gassner Otting. She is frequently featured on Good Morning America, The Today Show and Harvard Business Review and she is author of the book Wonderhell: Why Success Doesn’t Feel Like it Should and What to Do About It (https://amzn.to/40EycFi)  There are actually people who believe that you are not responsible for your actions or decisions. In other words, that you have no free will. They believe everything is predetermined – that it is unfair to punish criminals, for example, because whatever they did wrong was not their choice. Then there is the other side of the argument. Joining me to explain why we do have free will – and to help try to understand why some people believe we do not is Kevin Mitchell, an associate professor of genetics and neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin and author of the book, Free Agents: How Evolution Gave Us Free Will (https://amzn.to/49vncy2) Here is the link for the episode featuring Robert Sapolsky arguing against free will: https://www.somethingyoushouldknow.net/566-do-we-really-have-free-will-how-to-handle-rejection-better/ You frequently hear people say the phrase, "That's a whole nother story." But is nother a real word? That depends. Listen as I explain. https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/whole-nother PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! MasterClass makes a meaningful gift this season - for you and anyone on your list - because both of you can learn from the best to become your best - from leadership to effective communication to cooking. Right now you can get Two Memberships for the Price of One at https://MasterClass.com/SOMETHING PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Dell's Black Friday event is their biggest sale of the year! Shop now at https://Dell.com/deals to take advantage of huge savings and free shipping! Spread holiday cheer far and wide this season with a new phone! Everyone can get the gift of connection at UScellular. Get any phone free, today. UScellular. Built for US. Terms apply. Visit https://UScellular.com for details.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the holiday season, there are more occasions and opportunities to drink alcohol. So, it’s worth noting that not all drinks are created equal when it comes to how they affect you. This episode begins with some interesting information about the differences between beer, wine and hard liquor that could have a definite impact on you and how you feel the next morning. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1530-0277.2006.00190.x Are people born lucky? Or unlucky? What is it about some people that causes them to appear to be lucky a lot of the time? Here to explore the topic of luck is Richard Wiseman. He is one of the top researchers on the science of luck and author of the book, The Luck Factor (https://amzn.to/3EMLy6r). Richard is here to explain what makes lucky people lucky and how we might attract more luck. It’s not magic – it’s all in how you think. How can some people actually believe the earth is flat – and still others believe it is hollow? Some people believe we never landed on the moon – it was all a hoax. Still others are convinced that aliens walk among us. What causes people to believe what seems like nonsense to most of us? That’s why you will want to listen to my guest, Donald Prothero. Donald is a geology professor who has taught at Caltech, Columbia, and elsewhere and he is author of a book called Weird Earth: Debunking Strange Ideas about Our Planet (https://amzn.to/3GOsTc9). Listen to hear his explanation as to why some people cling to what appear to be very odd beliefs and why the problem appears to be growing.  Do you know what the word quantum actually means? Interestingly, 4 out of 5 people could not define it correctly when asked in a survey. Listen to discover what science and the dictionary say it actually means. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quantum#examples PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Dell's Black Friday event is their biggest sale of the year! Shop now at https://Dell.com/deals to take advantage of huge savings and free shipping! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Planet Money is an incredible podcast with stories & insights about how money shapes our world. Listen to Planet Money https://npr.org/podcasts/510289/planet-money wherever you get your podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you are getting less than 7 hours of sleep per night (and most people are), that can be a real problem. And the problem is more than just feeling a little sleepy the next day. This episode begins with a stark example of how just a little more sleep each night can make a world of difference and how too little sleep is affecting your life in a negative way. https://www.sleep.com/sleep-health/15-minutes-extra-sleep Simple is better than complicated - every time, every place and in everything. Yet, people tend to complicate things. Listen to my guest and you will understand why clear and simple messaging works best and exactly how to do it. Joining me is Ben Guttmann, a marketing entrepreneur and educator who has helped hundreds of clients, ranging from the NFL to Nobel Laureates, and he is the author of the book Simply Put Why Clear Messages Win—and How to Design Them (https://amzn.to/3udtVwz). Chances are the clothes you are wearing have pockets. And you probably have something in those pockets. Hard to imagine life without them. Yet, pockets are only about 500 years old. So where did they come from? How hard are they to add to clothes? Why do they come in different sizes and put in weird places on clothes? Here to discuss the fascinating history of pockets is Hannah Carlson she is an authority on the history of clothing and author of the book POCKETS: An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close (https://amzn.to/3SUzmef). The next time you get angry, you might want to use that anger to accomplish something important and difficult. Listen as I explain the power of anger and how to use it to your advantage. https://www.nbcnews.com/health/feeling-angry-may-help-people-achieve-goals-study-finds-rcna123611 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Dell's Black Friday event is their biggest sale of the year! Shop now at https://Dell.com/deals to take advantage of huge savings and free shipping! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Planet Money is an incredible podcast with stories & insights about how money shapes our world. Listen to Planet Money https://npr.org/podcasts/510289/planet-money wherever you get your podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A kiss can be very powerful. It can make you feel wonderful and connect you to a person – or it can really mess things up. This episode begins with some interesting intel about the power of a kiss, both good and bad. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-we-kiss/ Change is sexy and exciting – and it can also be your worst enemy. On the other hand, there are some things that never change. You can count on them. And perhaps paying more attention to things that stay the same can be a huge benefit to your life and well-being. It is likely better than trying to predict what changes are coming since humans are particularly horrible at such predictions. Here to make the case for embracing things that stay the same is Morgan Housel. He is a partner at The Collaborative Fund and author of the book Same as Ever: A Guide to What Never Changes (https://amzn.to/3SwWn6u). This is a conversation that will bring you a new perspective on how the world works and how people live. Complaining about the healthcare system is easy. Many people feel it is really hard to develop much of a relationship with their doctor when visits are so short and it’s often hard to get an appointment. So perhaps it is up to us – the patients - to squeeze out as much as we can from the healthcare system to get better care and a stronger doctor/patient bond. Joining me to explain how to best do that is Ken Redcross, MD. He is author of the book, Bond: The 4 Cornerstones of a Lasting and Caring Relationship with Your Doctor (https://amzn.to/461Zh6l) and founder of Redcross Concierge, a personalized medical practice designed to enhance the patient-doctor relationship. Listen and you will be much better equipped to interact with the healthcare system. Having little kids is actually good for your immune system. In fact, the more kids the better. How can that be? Listen as I explain. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120703142858.htm PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Dell's Black Friday event is their biggest sale of the year! Shop now at https://Dell.com/deals to take advantage of huge savings and free shipping! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Planet Money is an incredible podcast with stories & insights about how money shapes our world. Listen to Planet Money https://npr.org/podcasts/510289/planet-money wherever you get your podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you have siblings, they have had an important impact on you, even if you don’t realize it. This episode starts with a discussion about how brothers and sisters affect your personality and character throughout your life. https://www.tlc.com/life---relationships/study-says-having-a-sister-makes-you-more-optimistic-kinder-and-happier You have probably had at least one experience of déjà vu – maybe several. It’s that feeling that what is happening now, you have experienced before. What causes it? Here to discuss this with me is Anne Cleary, a professor at Colorado State University where she studies the phenomenon of déjà vu. She is also author of a book called The Déjà Vu Experience (https://amzn.to/3ErC6Fm) and has a TED Talk on the subject that you can access here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFAvUkjba-Q.  As you know, you should brush and floss your teeth every single day. Do you? It is a worthwhile exercise because it appears to be good for your brain. Listen as I explore the connection between mental health and dental health. https://www.babylondentalcare.com/flossing-your-teeth-may-protect-against-cognitive-decline/ It turns out that almost every action you take is driven by your emotions. Whether it’s what food you eat, what movie you watch or what job you decide to take – these things are largely driven by how you feel. And that has been true for every decision by everyone throughout history. Human history is really a history of emotions. Richard Firth-Godbehere is a leading expert on emotions and he is the author of a book called A Human History of Emotion: How the Way We Feel Built the World We Know (https://amzn.to/3Bqp9K3) . Listen and you will be amazed by how your emotions truly govern your life. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Shopify gives you everything you need to take control and take your business to the next level. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at https://shopify.com/sysk today! Dell's Black Friday event is their biggest sale of the year! Shop now at https://Dell.com/deals to take advantage of huge savings and free shipping! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever notice how restaurant kitchens have huge exhaust fans over the stove? They have to have them. It’s the law. You have an exhaust fan over your stove too. Listen as I begin this episode by explaining why you need to use it more often – a lot more often. https://polk.ces.ncsu.edu/2023/04/how-and-why-to-use-your-kitchen-exhaust-fan/ “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” “Drinking wine is good for your heart.” “you should really cut back on red meat.” These are examples of some popular and sincere beliefs about food - but are they really true? We will examine these and other strongly held beliefs about the foods we eat with cardiologist Dr. Christopher Labos. He is the co-host of a podcast called, The Body of Evidence (https://www.bodyofevidence.ca/) and he’s the author of the book Does Coffee Cause Cancer?: And 8 More Myths about the Food We Eat https://amzn.to/3sjzetM Imagine our world without the common nail or the wheel or springs. These humble human inventions have had profound impacts on the development of the modern world. Joining to explain what those profound changes are and where these inventions originated is Roma Agrawal. Roma is a structural engineer who has designed bridges and skyscrapers and she is the author of a book called Nuts and Bolts: Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World in a Big Way (https://amzn.to/3Sr5cyF). If you ever suspect someone is telling you a tall tale or lying about something that happened, there is an interesting clue to look for in the way they tell the story, according to people who spot liars for a living. Listen and I’ll tell you what to look for. Source: https://lifehacker.com/true-or-false-pay-attention-to-a-storys-structure-and-5959543 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Shopify gives you everything you need to take control and take your business to the next level. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at https://shopify.com/sysk today! Dell's Black Friday event is their biggest sale of the year! Shop now at https://Dell.com/deals to take advantage of huge savings and free shipping! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why are the numbers 1, 2 and 3 across the top of a telephone keypad but across the bottom of a calculator? That’s one of three interesting questions that get answered as I begin this episode. The other 2 have to do with portholes and time. Source: Ivan Semeniuk, co-author of Why Don't Penguins' Feet Freeze? (https://amzn.to/3sf8muM) There is nothing wrong with achievement. But if you believe that you are only as valuable as your achievements, that can be a problem. If we let our success or lack of success define who we are at any point in time, it can demotivate you and make you feel as if you don’t matter. Joining me to talk about this is Jennifer Wallace. She is an award-winning journalist and social commentator and frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. She is author of a book called Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic—And What We Can Do About It (https://amzn.to/49jkdIQ) What goes on beneath the surface of the ocean is amazing - much of which I bet you never knew. The oceans cover 70% of the planet and yet most of us know little about what goes on down there. Here to give a fun and interesting tour of the workings of our oceans is Helen Czerski is a physicist and oceanographer at University College London’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and author of the book The Blue Machine: How the Ocean Works (https://amzn.to/3scCyXo). Listen as she explains why the ocean is so salty, why there is really only one ocean and so much more. What if there was one simple thing any woman could do to motivate the man in her life? Well there is according to one marriage expert. In fact, he says this one little thing works every single time if women would just try it. Source: David Clarke PhD, author of The Total Marriage Makeover (https://amzn.to/3QoIvZD) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Shopify gives you everything you need to take control and take your business to the next level. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at https://shopify.com/sysk today! Dell's Black Friday event is their biggest sale of the year! Shop now at https://Dell.com/deals to take advantage of huge savings and free shipping! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You often hear the terms antique, collectible and vintage used interchangeably. However, they do have different meanings that have to do with the age and value of an item. I begin this episode with a brief and helpful explanation. https://www.antique-hq.com/the-difference-between-antique-vintage-and-collectible-item-127/ We don’t swear here on Something You Should Know, so we won’t actually say the word that BS stands for. But everyone knows what it means because we hear BS from people all the time. People toss it around in an effort to make themselves look good or maybe try to sell you something. Being able to tell the truth from BS is a helpful skill and one John Petrocelli is going to teach us. He is a professor of psychology at Wake Forest University and author of a book called The Life Saving Science of Detecting BullSh*t (https://amzn.to/3vNOyfl). John is what you would call an expert on BS after you hear what he has to say, you will be much better equipped to detect BS when you hear it. Wouldn’t it be great if people could just get along? Today more than ever, it seems people are less forgiving and easily upset by the actions of others. So how can we fix this – at least in our own lives? A good starting point is to listen to my guest Bill Eddy. He is an attorney and mediator and author of the book Calming Upset People With EAR (https://amzn.to/3Ch58qm.) Bill is the kind of person who doesn’t get upset. People rarely rattle him or make him mad. Instead, he just tries to resolve whatever the problem is. Listen and he will teach you how. And it’s not that hard.  There are friends and then there are friends with “refrigerator rights.” Those are real friends. Given that we live in a time when people have fewer friendships and feel more isolated, friends with refrigerator rights are precious and rare. Listen and discover what it means and why these friends are important. Source: Dr. Will Miller author of Refrigerator Rights (https://amzn.to/3Ch0jxh). PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Offer good for a limited time. U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is. That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It might sound odd but the weather can have a significant impact on your purchase decisions. Some things you are likely to buy on a warm sunny day you wouldn't even think of buying on a cloudy and dreary day. This episode begins with an explanation of how this works. https://lifehacker.com/how-the-weather-can-influence-our-car-and-house-buying-5933701 Have you ever felt like an imposter? It’s that feeling of self-doubt that you are in over your head and that other people overestimate your competence and ability. It doesn’t feel very good but it could just be an indication that you are on the right track, according to my guest Dr. Jill Stoddard. She is a mental health care provider and author of the book, Imposter No More : Overcome Self-Doubt and Imposterism to Cultivate a Successful Career (https://amzn.to/3QeIRSj). Listen and discover why feeling like an imposter may just mean you are exactly where you should be No one ever said love was easy. Or maybe they did – but they were wrong. Successful relationships take work. But the work doesn’t have to be all that difficult according to Alexandra Solomon. She is a licensed clinical psychologist at The Family Institute and a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Psychology at Northwestern University. She is also author of a book called Love Every Day  (https://amzn.to/3FxMX30)  Can someone actually die from being frightened? People often use the phrase, “Scared to death” but is it really possible? Listen and find out. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/its-true-we-can-be-scared-to-death/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Offer good for a limited time. U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is. That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your grandmother probably told you to sit up straight – and boy was she right! Good posture can do wonders for all kinds of things from your self-esteem to your math skills. I begin this episode with an explanation. https://www.deseret.com/2023/10/24/23930242/dont-slouch-minding-your-posture-good-mental-health-productivity What could be wrong with creativity? Nothing actually, but creativity may not be all it has been cracked up to be. That’s according to Samuel Franklin. He is a cultural historian who has earned awards and fellowships from the Smithsonian Institution’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation and is author of the book The Cult of Creativity: A Surprisingly Recent History (https://amzn.to/3MiaJUC). Samuel explains how this idea that we all need to be more creative in our work and in everyday life is a fairly recent phenomenon that often makes no sense in a world where so much of what we do does not require creativity – it just requires getting something done. What is it about horror films at Halloween? It is weird to think that we spend time and money to sit and watch a movie that makes us feel uncomfortable and scares the bejesus out of us. Still, many people love it. When you dissect them, horror films are fascinating, yet there is a snobbery about them that says they aren’t as good or as important as “real” movies. Here to discuss all this is science writer Nina Nesseth author of the book Nightmare Fuel: The Science of Horror Films (https://amzn.to/46Let9l). How often do you take a shower? A lot of us can’t imagine starting the day without one. But are daily showers really healthy? Is there a downside to being so clean? Listen as I explain the science of showers. Source: http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/daily/tips/daily-shower-skin1.htm PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Offer good for a limited time. U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is. That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Becoming a homeowner is an important goal for a lot of people. After all, home ownership is part of the American dream. However, owning isn’t always better than renting in all situations. Listen as I explain why renting may be the way to go. https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/so-you-think-owning-a-home-will-make-you-happy-dont-be-too-sure/. Also, here is the link to the home ownership/rental calculator: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/upshot/buy-rent-calculator.html What does it mean to be you? What makes you different than everyone else? Is it your consciousness? Listen to my guest Anil Seth. He is a professor of cognitive and computational neuroscience at the University of Sussex and author of the book, Being You: A New Science of Consciousness (https://amzn.to/3DvkibU). What he has to say will make you pause and think about how you experience life in your day-to-day world and why your experience is so different than everyone else’s. Human lifespan continues to increase but some breeds of dogs are actually living shorter lives than they used to. If that surprises you, listen to my guest, veterinarian Dr. Karen Becker author of The Forever Dog: Surprising New Science to Help Your Canine Companion Live Younger, Healthier, and Longer (https://amzn.to/3aBK0yQ). It turns out the way we treat our dogs can really impact their longevity for better or worse. You will also enjoy her story of how she found a dog that lived to be 30 years old.  What do air fresheners do exactly? Do they clean the air and actually eliminate odors or is there something else going on. And have you wondered if they are really safe? Listen as I reveal what the EPA says about commercial air fresheners and what you need to know to keep your family safe. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360132316304334 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/50something and use code 50something for 50% off plus free shipping! BetterHelp is truly the best way to make your brain your friend. Give it a try. Visit https://BetterHelp.com/Something today to get 10% off your first month! Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While some people take pride in being a perfectionist, the fact is no one is perfect, so it is a somewhat pointless quest to try. Being a perfectionist can also be bad for your health and longevity in a big way. Listen as I begin this episode explaining the dangers of perfectionism. http://www.livescience.com/6724-dark-side-perfectionism-revealed.html In school, we are taught to write well. However, when we communicate in the real world today, effective writing – the kind that people will actually read and respond to - is often not the writing you learned in English class. Research has proven that if you want people to read what you write you need to write using certain principles and discard some of the rules you learned in school. Here to help you understand the science of writing, so people will read it is Todd Rogers. Todd is a behavioral scientist, a professor at Harvard and author of the book Writing for Busy Readers: Communicate More Effectively in the Real World (https://amzn.to/48VFmsF). Have you ever wished you were a better person? Well, if so, here is some good news - it doesn't take much to be better and make a difference. That is the contention of my guest Kate Hanley. Kate is the host of the How to Be a Better Person podcast (https://katehanley.com/podcast/). And author of the book How to Be a Better Person (https://amzn.to/46BGyzD). She is here to explain how just a few little actions could make you feel better about yourself while actually making a difference in the world. And what could be wrong with that.  Trick or treating can be serious business for some people. It’s all about getting the most candy in the least amount of time. If you or your kids subscribe to the “more candy the better” school of trick or treating, listen as I offer some proven strategies that can help you fill that bag up fast! https://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/holiday/best-trick-treat-times/mKtXzk7AlhBtG9vh8IXDyK/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/50something and use code 50something for 50% off plus free shipping! BetterHelp is truly the best way to make your brain your friend. Give it a try. Visit https://BetterHelp.com/Something today to get 10% off your first month! Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can search online for information on just about any topic. Recently there was an interesting article posted on the Reader’s Digest website regarding some topics you probably shouldn’t search. This episode begins with a fun look at some of those topics that might be better the less you know. https://www.rd.com/list/things-never-google-search/ You likely have a sense that when you watch TV or a movie, it has an impact on you. What you probably didn’t realize is how big a deal those influences are. They not only affect you mentally and emotionally, they can cause physical changes in your body. TV and movies also influence the culture at large as well as the economy, science and even the future. To discover how, listen to my guest Walt Hickey. Walt is a Pulitzer prize winning writer and author of a fascinating book called, You Are What You Watch: How Movies and TV Affect Everything https://amzn.to/3Qpymgs) What goes on in your mouth can make a big difference in your overall health and happiness. How you brush, the way your tongue sits in your mouth, if you have your wisdom teeth removed – all these things matter more than you might realize. Here to explain how is Tersa Yang, DDS. She is an award winning dentist and educator who has taught clinical dentistry at the UCLA School of Dentistry, and she is author of the book Nothing But the Tooth (https://amzn.to/490LQGq) Listen and you will discover new things that are going on in your mouth you never knew. It may just be a good idea to set an alarm to go off every work day at 2pm. Why? Well according to one time management expert, there is something you can do then that can make your whole day more rewarding. Listen and I’ll explain what that is. https://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/time-management/how-to-stop-procrastinating-00000000055280 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/50something and use code 50something for 50% off plus free shipping! BetterHelp is truly the best way to make your brain your friend. Give it a try. Visit https://BetterHelp.com/Something today to get 10% off your first month! Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Seems like everyone hates passwords. If they are too random, you forget them. If they are too obvious, you could be hacked. This episode begins with a quick and easy formula to create passwords that are easy to remember and no one else will ever guess. Source: Eran Katz author of Where Did Noah Park The Ark (https://amzn.to/3at5fmx). When you make a choice – any choice, your decision is influenced by so many factors. For example, the order the options were presented to you and who presented them has an influence on your choice. There is a name for this. It is “choice architecture” and it is fascinating and important to understand. One of the leading experts on choice architecture is Eric Johnson, Director of the Center for Decision Sciences at The Columbia Business School and author of the book The Elements of Choice: Why the Way We Decide Matters (https://amzn.to/3mK49bN). Listen as Eric reveals how other people and situations influence what you choose and how you influence the choices other people make – even if you don’t realize it. Most of us probably think that being selfish is wrong. However, that may be a false belief. In fact, maybe we should all be a little more selfish a little more often. That’s according to Michelle Elman. Michelle is a coach and speaker who has been named 1 of the 50 most inspirational women in the UK. Her book is called The Joy of Being Selfish (https://amzn.to/3AvyQq8) and she joins me to discuss the benefits of taking better care of your needs and desires and setting up boundaries for others. We all know everyone lies sometimes. And we all do it for the same reasons. Listen as I explain why we lie, how lying works and how it starts very early in life. https://www.ted.com/speakers/kang_lee PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/50something and use code 50something for 50% off plus free shipping! BetterHelp is truly the best way to make your brain your friend. Give it a try. Visit https://BetterHelp.com/Something today to get 10% off your first month! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Planet Money is an incredible podcast with stories & insights about how money shapes our world. Listen to Planet Money https://npr.org/podcasts/510289/planet-money wherever you get your podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wi-Fi being what it is, sometimes it slows down and things get glitchy – shows stop streaming, games glitch out and other weird things seem to happen. Wouldn’t it be great if you could prioritize which devices in your house get first dibs on the bandwidth? Well actually there is a way. This episode begins with an explanation of how to do it. https://www.popsci.com/diy/prioritize-devices-on-your-wifi-network/ What is the difference between joy and happiness? They are definitely not the same thing. You can make the case that joy is what creates happiness. There is so much to joy and those special moments in life that create it, that it is worth understanding how joy works. For instance, there are things that are universally joyful around the world. Things like balloons and bright colors bring joy to virtually everyone. Ingrid Fetell Lee is an expert on joy and has a blog called The Aesthetics of Joy (https://aestheticsofjoy.com) . She is also author of the book Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness (https://amzn.to/3a4f8GM). She joins me to discuss how we can all bring more joy into our lives and why it is so important to understand the science of joy. Most of us spend more time on our electronic devices than we realize – way more time. The statistics are staggering. What’s worse is that all the time you spend on your phone or other devices is time you are NOT spending doing something else and not spending time with other people. Joseph McCormack has studied this, and he is author of a book called Noise: Living and Leading When Nobody Can Focus (https://amzn.to/3cbgeTS). Listen as he explains the ways technology has become a “weapon of mass distraction” that negatively impacts our lives. He also then offers some simple strategies to help combat the problem. Do you rinse off all the food from the peanut butter jar and other recyclables before you put them out for collection? Should you? Do you have to? Listen as I explain just how clean it has to be and how some recyclables (like pizza boxes) actually can’t be recycled. https://residentialwastesystems.com/blog/do-i-have-to-rinse-my-recyclables/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/50something and use code 50something for 50% off plus free shipping! BetterHelp is truly the best way to make your brain your friend. Give it a try. Visit https://BetterHelp.com/Something today to get 10% off your first month! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Planet Money is an incredible podcast with stories & insights about how money shapes our world. Listen to Planet Money https://npr.org/podcasts/510289/planet-money wherever you get your podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every PC owner has probably wondered what the difference is between RESTART and SHUTDOWN – or if there really is a difference. Actually, there is. And if you are having trouble and need to reboot your PC, one is a much better option than the other. Listen as I explain. https://computer.howstuffworks.com/restarting-shutting-down-computer.htm What stops you from doing the important things you say you want to do? If they are so important, why do they remain undone? And how does that impact the rest of your life? To help you understand this and to give you some great motivation to get things done and live the way you want to live is Rob Dial. Rob is host of The Mindset Mentor podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mindset-mentor/id1033048640 and author of the bestselling book Level Up: How to Get Focused, Stop Procrastinating, and Upgrade Your Life (https://amzn.to/48QRV8j). Listening to Rob will get you motivated! What does it mean to be in denial? Basically, it means you refuse to see the truth about people and instead believe what you want to be true. And man does that cause problems. Interestingly, it is easier to spot when others are in denial, a bit harder to see it in ourselves. Joining me to bring some really valuable insight into the whole issue of denial is Jane Greer, a nationally known marriage and family therapist, who has appeared on The Today Show, Oprah, , CBS News, , Dateline NBC, 20/20, and others… She is the author of six books about relationships. Her latest is Am I Lying to Myself?: How To Overcome Denial and See the Truth (https://amzn.to/48QvCzV). Negotiating intimidates a lot of people. Still, you can use some very simple tactics that are easy to do yet extraordinarily powerful. And they come from one of the great negotiators of our time. Listen, I will tell you what these tactics are and how to use them. Source: Herb Cohen author of Negotiate This! By Caring, But Not That Much (https://amzn.to/3rXYnK6). PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game that's super easy to play. Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/50something and use code 50something for 50% off plus free shipping! BetterHelp is truly the best way to make your brain your friend. Give it a try. Visit https://BetterHelp.com/Something today to get 10% off your first month! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Planet Money is an incredible podcast with stories & insights about how money shapes our world. Listen to Planet Money https://npr.org/podcasts/510289/planet-money wherever you get your podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is taking a daily multivitamin a good idea? It seems to make a lot of sense – like an insurance policy. This episode begins with a discussion about what the science says about taking a multivitamin and what it does or doesn’t do for you. https://www.fredhutch.org/en/news/releases/2009/02/multivitamins.html Dating is hard. So you might think dating apps would make it easier. After all, you can meet an endless number of people you would likely never meet otherwise. And therein lies the problem. Maybe the old fashioned way of dating is better. Or perhaps there is an even better way. Listen to my discussion with Jon Birger, an award-winning magazine writer and author of the book Make Your Move: The New Science of Dating and Why Women Are in Charge (https://amzn.to/3ApiNKe).  Seems like people have been talking about and proposing a 4-day work week for a long time. Still, it is not the norm in most places. That may change soon, according to Joe Sanok. Joe has researched the origins of the 5-day work week and explains why a shorter week can actually be good for business and employees. Joe joins me to explain why circumstances today might be perfect to usher in the 4-day work week. Joe Sanok is author of the book Thursday Is The New Friday (https://amzn.to/3oGQBjL). Flipping a coin may seem like a rather ridiculous way to make a decision. But maybe not. Listen as I explain why flipping a coin can actually be a very good way to choose what to do when you can’t decide and the stakes aren’t too high https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703694204575518200704692936 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/50something and use code 50something for 50% off plus free shipping! Shopify gives you everything you need to take control and take your business to the next level. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at https://shopify.com/sysk today! BetterHelp is truly the best way to make your brain your friend. Give it a try. Visit https://BetterHelp.com/Something today to get 10% off your first month! Bring smiles to all when shopping online with Dell Technologies’ Gift Guide. Whether it’s for the artist, entrepreneur, student, streamer or gamer, you will find the perfect gift for everyone on your list! https://Dell.com/GiftGuide Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you went to your backyard and took a pinch of dirt in your fingers, you would be holding a piece of a shocking underground world you never knew about. Listen as I explain what lives in that world. Source: David W. Wolfe author of Tales From The Underground” (https://amzn.to/3tvUBIk) Whether you are talking to people in a small group or at a large formal event, it can be intimidating and sometimes scary. However, with some simple techniques, you can make speaking less stressful and make your message more impactful, according to Matt Abrahams. Matt is a leading expert in communication and is a lecturer in Organizational Behavior at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business. He is author of the book Think Faster: Talk Smarter (https://amzn.to/3Q6zMev). Listen to his simple advice and you will instantly improve your speaking ability and your confidence.  When you think of breakfast cereal you probably think of the stuff that comes in a box in the supermarket. Actually breakfast cereal has been eaten for centuries. But boxed breakfast cereal from Kellogg’s and Post and General Mills, that started in the late 1800s with corn flakes being the first cold, boxed cereal. The story of cereal is fascinating and filled with interesting events and quirky characters. Here to tell that story is Kathryn Cornell Dolan. She is an associate professor of English at the Missouri University of Science and Technology and author of the book, Breakfast Cereal: A Global History (https://amzn.to/3ZKV0Tz). It's weird to think, but just in the last few decades human feet have been getting bigger – both men and women’s feet. Why? Listen as I explain the prevailing theory of bigger feet. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1239975/Female-feet-getting-larger-size-10s-demand.html PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/50something and use code 50something for 50% off plus free shipping! Shopify gives you everything you need to take control and take your business to the next level. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at https://shopify.com/sysk today! BetterHelp is truly the best way to make your brain your friend. Give it a try. Visit https://BetterHelp.com/Something today to get 10% off your first month! Bring smiles to all when shopping online with Dell Technologies’ Gift Guide. Whether it’s for the artist, entrepreneur, student, streamer or gamer, you will find the perfect gift for everyone on your list! https://Dell.com/GiftGuide Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you are buying candy for Trick or Treaters this year, what kind will it be? Well, if you want to hand out the candy that kids really want, listen as I start this episode with the Top 10 list of the most popular Halloween candies. https://www.cincinnati.com/story/entertainment/2023/10/03/blow-pops-win-title-ohio-favorite-halloween-candy/71041875007/ Believe it or not, there is an oyster that has lived over 500 years. There is another creature that doesn’t seem to age at all – ever! What if we could somehow isolate whatever that is to lengthen human longevity? There is research looking into that right now. And Steven Austad is one of the leading researchers. Steven is a Distinguished Professor of Biology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and author of the book Methuselah's Zoo: What Nature Can Teach Us about Living Longer, Healthier Lives (https://amzn.to/3Q5Zj8L). Misbelief is when someone believes something that is just not so – or something for which there is no reason to believe. Some people believe the earth is flat. That is an example of misbelief. While that is a fairly benign example, other kinds of misbelief can have serious consequences as you are about to hear from Dan Ariely.  Dan is a professor of psychology and behavioral economics at Duke University and author of several bestselling books. His latest is Misbelief: What Makes Rational People Believe Irrational Things (https://amzn.to/3ZNNOpB). Dan himself was and is the subject of misbelief. The story will fascinate you. When a prescription runs out, you probably just toss the bottle in the trash. That could be a problem which could come back to bite you. Listen as I explain how and what you should do with those bottles instead. https://www.securshred.com/securshred-news/is-your-prescription-bottle-a-security-risk/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/50something and use code 50something for 50% off plus free shipping! Shopify gives you everything you need to take control and take your business to the next level. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at https://shopify.com/sysk today! BetterHelp is truly the best way to make your brain your friend. Give it a try. Visit https://BetterHelp.com/Something today to get 10% off your first month! Bring smiles to all when shopping online with Dell Technologies’ Gift Guide. Whether it’s for the artist, entrepreneur, student, streamer or gamer, you will find the perfect gift for everyone on your list! https://Dell.com/GiftGuide Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you heard of the Pink Tax? It’s when the women’s version of a product (like razors) costs more than men’s even though they are the same – except maybe the packaging and the color. It happens with a whole host of products from children’s toys to clothes to deodorant and yes, razors. Listen to hear why this “tax” exists and why women might be smart to pick the men’s version of the same thing instead. https://www.voanews.com/a/usa_all-about-america_does-pink-tax-force-women-pay-more-men/6177789.html We like to get around. People like to go places . Whether it’s to go to the store or on vacation or to work or to grandma’s house, we like to be mobile. For thousands of years, humans have tried to find faster and more efficient ways to get from Point A to Point B. Listen to my guest, Tom Standage as he explains the fascinating history of human transportation and how it is changing in a major way right now . In fact, he reveals why one of the latest and most significant innovations in transportation today is the smartphone! Tom is deputy editor of The Ecomomist – and author of A Brief History of Motion: From the Wheel to the Car, to What Comes Next (https://amzn.to/3A8G2s9). You have probably been in a situation where you thought about speaking up and saying something, but you held back, even though you knew you had something important to contribute. If that has happened to you, I want you to listen to my guest, Mary Nestor. Mary is a communications expert, award-winning speaker, business consultant, and author of the book Say It Now! Say It Right (https://amzn.to/39Mybpe) She joins me to explain how to muster up the courage and the words to speak up when you have something important to say. Do you know what a burglar looks like? Would you know one if you saw one? Most of them don’t look like the ones in the movies. Listen as I explain what burglars really look like, how they operate, what they are looking for and how you should protect yourself. Source: Richard T. Wright, author of Burglars on the Job (https://amzn.to/3utSXmU) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game. You pick 2-6 players and if they will go more or less than their PrizePicks projection. It's that simple! Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/50something and use code 50something for 50% off plus free shipping! BetterHelp is truly the best way to make your brain your friend. Give it a try. Visit https://BetterHelp.com/Something today to get 10% off your first month! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you are faced with a tough decision, some common advice is to “sleep on it." By sleeping and waking up you may have a new and different perspective that will make your decision easier. Is that true? Is it good advice to sleep on it? This episode begins with a brief discussion. https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/does-sleeping-on-it-really-work Are you a victim of your circumstances or can you build the life you want? According to Arthur Brooks and Oprah Winfrey, your life is yours to create! Arthur is a social scientist, a professor of Management Practice at the Harvard Business School. He has authored several books and his latest he wrote with Oprah titled Build the Life You Want (https://amzn.to/45eihhQ). Listen as he explains how to cultivate happiness, contentment, and fulfillment in your life no matter where you are right now.  Eggs are amazing. For many species, they are the beginning of life. They also make modern cooking possible. They are even essential in making our flu vaccine supply. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! Listen to my guest Lizzie Stark who knows more about eggs than anyone and you will have a better appreciation for the incredible, edible egg. Lizzie is author of the book Egg: A Dozen Ovatures (https://amzn.to/46dU7VW). If you have ever been tempted to buy a trampoline, be aware there is more to that decision than you may realize. Listen as I explain some important considerations and why many people believe it is a bad idea. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-insurance-homeowners-trampoline/trampoline-for-the-kids-check-your-insurance-first-idUSBRE8BJ0ZE20121220 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game. You pick 2-6 players and if they will go more or less than their PrizePicks projection. It's that simple! Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/50something and use code 50something for 50% off plus free shipping! BetterHelp is truly the best way to make your brain your friend. Give it a try. Visit https://BetterHelp.com/Something today to get 10% off your first month! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How many married couples sleep in separate beds? A lot more than you may think. This episode begins with a discussion about why couples sleep separately and how it used to be a common and recommended practice not so long ago. https://www.newsweek.com/marriage-couple-sleeping-separately-husband-wife-1742874 The interesting thing about fear is that it is an emotion that serves us well. Without fear, we’d all be dead. Yet, sometimes fear gets in the way. We can often be more afraid than a situation warrants. We can be fearful and anxious about so many things it can prevent us from living a full and happy life. Joining me to help explore what human fear is all about and how to control it when it gets in the way is Dr. Arash Javanbakht. He is a psychiatrist and neuroscientist who is director of the Stress, Trauma, and Anxiety Research Clinic at Wayne State University School of Medicine and author of the book Afraid: Understanding the Purpose of Fear and Harnessing the Power of Anxiety (https://amzn.to/3LDJ93K). Our world is full of chemicals – many of them are harmless while many others are dangerous. Where do new manmade chemicals come from? How do we know they are safe? Do we really understand the dangers of all the chemicals we surround ourselves with? Here to answer these and other important questions about chemicals in our environment Frank A. von Hippel. Frank is a professor of ecotoxicology at Northern Arizona University and author of the book The Chemical Age: How Chemists Fought Famine and Disease, Killed Millions, and Changed Our Relationship with the Earth (https://amzn.to/3tbzA5K) Certain words, when used to describe specific foods, can actually make you think the food tastes better than it really does. How can that be? Listen as I explain. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2302835/Organic-food-labels-trick-thinking-food-healthier-tastier.html PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game. You pick 2-6 players and if they will go more or less than their PrizePicks projection. It's that simple! Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/50something and use code 50something for 50% off plus free shipping! BetterHelp is truly the best way to make your brain your friend. Give it a try. Visit https://BetterHelp.com/Something today to get 10% off your first month! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why is the most popular pencil the #2 pencil? What happened to the #1 pencil? This episode begins with some interesting facts about pencils such as how the #2 pencil got so popular, how many words the average pencil will write, why yellow is the most popular pencil color and more. https://www.straightdope.com/21343238/how-come-you-see-2-pencils-but-no-1-pencils You often see stories in the news about people who “snap.” Sometimes it is road rage or some guy wrapping a golf club around a tree – we’ve all seen people snap. Neuroscientist Doug Fields joins me to explain why almost all of us under the right circumstances can snap and probably have at some point in life. He also explains why people who snap almost always regret it. Listen to discover what you can do to make sure you don’t snap even when provoked. Doug is author of two books, Why We Snap (https://amzn.to/3kL5A9Y) and Electric Brain (https://amzn.to/3ufCe6O).  A broken heart produces a special kind of horrible pain. And you may have wondered why it hurts so much and is there a way to get over it faster? That’s what Ziella Byars is here to discuss. She researched the science and wrote a book called How to Mend a Broken Heart (https://amzn.to/3EVT5ka). Listen as she explains the best ways to heal a broken heart.  You have likely been told more than once that you shouldn’t eat too much salt because it can cause high blood pressure. Is that really true? Listen as I explain the science regarding the link between salt and blood pressure and why you may not need to feel guilty about adding a little salt to whatever you are eating https://www.menshealth.com/weight-loss/a19539739/truth-behind-5-food-myths/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Offer good for a limited time. Now, your ideas don't have to wait, now, they have everything they need to come to life. Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is. That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What makes happy people so happy? It is partly due to their attitude and behavior. This episode begins with some of the essential ingredients to create a general sense of happiness. They definitely work if you give them a try. http://www.biopsychiatry.com/happiness/ Who doesn’t love accomplishing all the things on their to-do list? But there is also a cost to doing that when it becomes your primary focus. It just may be that being a little less efficient will actually make you more content according to Tony Crabbe. He is a business psychologist who has worked with companies like Microsoft, News Corporation, Disney, HSBC and the World Bank and he is author of the book Busy: How to Thrive in a World of Too Much (https://amzn.to/2XsxTxD) . Listen as Tony reveals the benefits of changing your focus from efficiency to contentment while still tackling the important things. Not to be morbid but one day your life will come to an end. Even though it is a certainty, many of us are not prepared for it and it can cause real headache for the people you leave behind. When you are gone people need to know things like: Where are your passwords, bank accounts and important papers? Who will take care of your kids? Who gets your possessions? Here to discuss all the things you need to take care of that you may not have even thought about is Adam Seifer. Adam is founder of Everplans (https://www.everplans.com) a life and legacy planning company and he is author of the book In Case You Get Hit by a Bus (https://amzn.to/2Xv70t4). Did you know that your eyes have over 2 million working parts? That is only one fascinating feature about your eyes you likely never knew and that that I explain at the close of today’s episode that https://www.hexarmor.com/posts/12-fascinating-eye-facts PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Offer good for a limited time. Now, your ideas don't have to wait, now, they have everything they need to come to life. Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is. That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As people age, they may have trouble remembering recent events. If you know older people who seem to forget things, it is important to realize that memory loss isn’t all inevitable. There are a couple of reasons people become forgetful that you can do something about. This episode begins with an explanation and strategies that can really help. Source: William Cone, PhD author of Stop Memory Loss (https://amzn.to/3PNKIOX). Your negative emotions get triggered by a lot of things in life. How you handle and channel those emotions in difficult times determines your “emotional power.” According to some interesting science, it seems many of us can use some help with those emotions by first understanding how they work in the brain. This is according to Julia DiGangi, a leading neuropsychologist and author of the book ENERGY RISING: The Neuroscience of Leading with Emotional Power (https://amzn.to/463rDhu) Listen and you will get a better understanding of why you do what you do when your emotions kick in. Elevators are strange little places. Still, they changed urban history. Just think, there wouldn’t be tall buildings if we didn’t have elevators. Yet, when you are in one, it can sometimes feel uncomfortable or even creepy. And even though we know they are safe, there is always that worry that the one you are in is not. So how did elevator technology start and just how advanced is it. Here to discuss all the things you have ever wondered about elevators is Dr. Lee Gray, professor of architectural history at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte and author of a book called From Ascending Rooms to Express Elevators: A History of the Passenger Elevator (https://amzn.to/44ZLtsM). Having trouble sleeping? It may not be you, it could be your room. Listen as I explain how to quickly and easily improve your chances of getting a good night’s sleep by moving a few things in your bedroom. https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/understanding-sleep-problems-basics PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Offer good for a limited time. Now, your ideas don't have to wait, now, they have everything they need to come to life. Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is. That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know when you call a customer service number and you hear, “Your call is very important to us…”? What that usually says to me is – “Get comfortable, this is going to take a while.” Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a way to make your customer service experience shorter and less frustrating? Listen as I begin this episode with some solid advice. frustrating experience. So, this episode begins by discussing how to make that experience a little bit smoother. https://www.wired.com/story/how-to-call-customer-service/ Can you ever really know pleasure if you don’t experience pain? Do humans actually want and need pain? Pain is a fascinating topic, as you will hear from my guest Leigh Cowart. She has purposely put herself through some very painful experiences such as, being a ballerina to eating the world’s hottest chili pepper. Listen as she discusses her research on pain and explains why some of us actually seek out pain. And yes, it turns out we all likely need some pain in our lives. Leigh is a journalist and author of the book, Hurts So Good: The Science and Culture of Pain on Purpose (https://amzn.to/3lHYF0F) While humans can be selfish, we also have to cooperate with each other because we simply can’t do everything for ourselves. The ways in which humans cooperate turn out to be very complicated because while we cooperative we also compete with each other. We can be very compassionate and cooperative with some people but not others. Evolutionary biologist Nichola Raihani has examined how our ability and desire to cooperate with each other (or not) has helped guide the development of modern civilization. Listen as she explains this fascinating topic. Nichola is a professor of evolution and behavior at University College in London and author of the book The Social Instinct: How Cooperation Shaped the World (https://amzn.to/2XwTKr8).   Do women apologize more than men? Actually, yes but why is that? Listen as I explore some interesting findings on why men and women tend to apologize differently. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/46381418_Why_Women_Apologize_More_Than_Men_Gender_Differences_in_Thresholds_for_Perceiving_Offensive_Behavior PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game. You pick 2-6 players and if they will go more or less than their PrizePicks projection. It's that simple! Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Try HelloFresh. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/50something and use code 50something for 50% off plus free shipping! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Anxious thoughts? Give BetterHelp a try. It’s entirely online, so it’s convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist. Get a break from your negative thoughts with BetterHelp Visit https://BetterHelp.com/SOMETHING today to get 10% off your first month! Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is. That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! Listen to Planet Money https://npr.org/podcasts/510289/planet-money wherever you get your podcasts! With GOLO you will safely and effectively control sugar cravings, hunger, and minimize muscle loss allowing you to feel good and inspired to reach your goal weight. Go to: https://golo.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is conventional wisdom for people taking a test that if you are stuck – go with your first answer. Listen as I begin this episode by explaining why that is such terrible advice Source: Joseph T. Hallinan author of Why We Make Mistakes (https://amzn.to/44PV4SQ) We have all felt awkward and embarrassed at times. It feels terrible. Still, it happens to everyone and so often it isn’t as big deal a deal as YOU think it is and maybe it isn’t a big deal at all. That’s the message from Henna Pryor. She has researched what that feeling of embarrassment is really all about and I think you will find what she has to say to be very liberating. Henna is a keynote speaker with two great TEDx talks (https://www.ted.com/talks/henna_pryor_why_awkwardness_is_your_secret_weapon_for_risk_taking_at_work) and she is author of the book, Good Awkward: How to Embrace the Embarrassing and Celebrate the Cringe to Become The Bravest You (https://amzn.to/45Ksgwh) Most plants come from seeds. And I bet you don’t really understand how that really works. And how it works is truly amazing, as you will discover from listening to my guest Jennifer Jewell. She is a gardening educator and advocate and hosts a podcast called Cultivating Place (https://www.cultivatingplace.com/blog-1). She is also author of the book What We Sow (https://amzn.to/3EKxv3f). If you have ever wondered things like how they grow seedless watermelon when there are no seeds, you will like this discussion.  Some people have real trouble when it comes to parallel parking. But there is a secret or two that can make it much easier. Listen as I explain this simple technique. Source: Jason Roberts author of The Learn 2 Guide (https://amzn.to/3PnPNfH) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game. You pick 2-6 players and if they will go more or less than their PrizePicks projection. It's that simple! Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/50something and use code 50something for 50% off plus free shipping! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Anxious thoughts seem to happen at the worst time. It's important to try and get out of those negative thought cycles. If you’re thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It’s entirely online, so it’s convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist. Get a break from your negative thoughts with BetterHelp Visit https://BetterHelp.com/SOMETHING today to get 10% off your first month! Now, your ideas don't have to wait, now, they have everything they need to come to life. Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is. That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! Planet Money is an incredible podcast with entertaining stories and insights about how money shapes our world. Listen to Planet Money https://npr.org/podcasts/510289/planet-money wherever you get your podcasts! With GOLO you will safely and effectively control sugar cravings, hunger, and minimize muscle loss allowing you to feel good and inspired to reach your goal weight. Learn more at https://golo.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why do people get hiccups and what is the best way to get rid of them? This episode begins with an exploration into the causes and cures of hiccups - some that work and some that don't. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hiccups/symptoms-causes/syc-20352613 One thing is for sure – your life is going to change in ways you never expected or planned for. Unexpected change happens to everyone and by its nature can really cause turmoil in your life. So how do you plan for the unexpected changes that inevitably come? That is what Brad Stulberg is here to discuss. Brad is a researcher and writer who was here on an earlier episode talking about the passion paradox. Today the topic is coping change. Brad’s latest book is called Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything Is Changing – Including You (https://amzn.to/3EzQYn2). When you hear the word slime, I doubt it makes you feel warm and fuzzy. People generally hate the thought, the idea or mention of slime. And yet the world is covered in slime, we humans are full of slime and slime serves many important functions – including holding your body together. In short, we would not be alive if it wasn’t for slime. Joining me to give you a new and enlightened appreciation for slime is Susanne Wedlich, a freelance journalist in Munich, Germany and author of the book Slime: A Natural History (https://amzn.to/45QaUOq) Dark glasses can make you look mysterious or maybe a little shady. And they may also make you act a little shady and make you do things you might not otherwise do. Listen and I’ll explain how. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100301122344.htm PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game. You pick 2-6 players and if they will go more or less than their PrizePicks projection. It's that simple! Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/50something and use code 50something for 50% off plus free shipping! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Anxious thoughts seem to happen at the worst time. It's important to try and get out of those negative thought cycles. If you’re thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It’s entirely online, so it’s convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist. Get a break from your negative thoughts with BetterHelp Visit https://BetterHelp.com/SOMETHING today to get 10% off your first month! Now, your ideas don't have to wait, now, they have everything they need to come to life. Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is. That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! Planet Money is an incredible podcast with entertaining stories and insights about how money shapes our world. Listen to Planet Money https://npr.org/podcasts/510289/planet-money wherever you get your podcasts! With GOLO you will safely and effectively control sugar cravings, hunger, and minimize muscle loss allowing you to feel good and inspired to reach your goal weight. Learn more at https://golo.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A lot of prescription pill bottles come with a ball of cotton inside, on top of the pills. What’s it for and should you take it out or leave it in there? This episode begins with an explanation. https://www.businessinsider.com/why-huge-cotton-ball-comes-pill-bottles-medicine-health-pharmacy-prescription-2017-5 There has likely been a time in your life when you wanted to ask someone to do something for you were reluctant and decided not to. It seems almost human nature to hate to ask people for things. Even when we do ask, we sometimes say, “Gee I hate to ask this but…” We should all try to get over that reluctance and ask anyway according to Vanessa Bohns, PhD. She is a social psychologist, a professor of organizational behavior at Cornell University and author of the book, You Have More Influence Than You Think: How We Underestimate Our Power of Persuasion, and Why It Matters (https://amzn.to/3Emj83G). Listen to what she has to say and you’ll probably feel better about asking for what you want. For this episode, I would like you get out a $1 bill because we are going to take a look at it together and you will discover how fascinating it is and what all those symbols mean. https://www.rd.com/list/dollar-bill-symbols/ What makes someone or some thing beautiful? Is beauty all about physical attractiveness or are there other elements that can create or enhance beauty? Listen to my conversation with Anjan Chatterjee, Professor of Neurology, Psychology, and Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania who has done some great research on beauty and has an excellent TED Talk on the topic which you can link to here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wgt8QUHQjw8 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/50something and use code 50something for 50% off plus free shipping! Shopify gives you everything you need to take control and take your business to the next level. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk today! Anxious thoughts seem to happen at the worst time. It's important to try and get out of those negative thought cycles. If you’re thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It’s entirely online, so it’s convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist. Get a break from your negative thoughts with BetterHelp Visit https://BetterHelp.com/SOMETHING today to get 10% off your first month! Now, your ideas don't have to wait, now, they have everything they need to come to life. Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen - right now! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is. That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do you define love? What is it exactly? Listen to the beginning of this episode and you will hear one of the best definitions of love ever. Knowing this definition will make it clear as a bell what you have to do to get more love in your life. Source: Dr. Pat Love author of The Truth About Love (https://amzn.to/3r7Rzcu) While we all know humans are social creatures, we have actually become much less social than in previous generations. People have fewer friends, more people than ever do not have a best friend, many of us claim to feel lonely and don’t know our neighbors. And certainly politics has created a lot of division and isolation. We are simply less connected. This is a real problem according to Geoffrey Cohen, professor of psychology and organizational studies at Stanford University and author of the book, Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides (https://amzn.to/3r82Nhi). Listen as he explains why human connection is so important and offers practical suggestions for creating more connections in your life.  There are 40 million miles of roads in the United States. While you probably don’t think much about them, they are vital to our way of life. They get us from here to there. Yet, there is a price to pay for having the convenience of all these roads. Animals pay a big part of that price. Roads are hazardous to them. And when your car hits an animal it is hazardous and often expensive for you. There are other important consequences to having our network of roads you may not have considered. Here to explain it all is Ben Goldfarb. He is a writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, National Geographic and other publications and he is author of the book Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet (https://amzn.to/44OpLI6) Could the shoes you wear reveal something about your personality? There was a study done about this and I will tell you what this study claims your shoes are telling the world about you. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092656612000608 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/50something and use code 50something for 50% off plus free shipping! Shopify gives you everything you need to take control and take your business to the next level. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk today! Anxious thoughts seem to happen at the worst time. It's important to try and get out of those negative thought cycles. If you’re thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It’s entirely online, so it’s convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist. Get a break from your negative thoughts with BetterHelp Visit https://BetterHelp.com/SOMETHING today to get 10% off your first month! Now, your ideas don't have to wait, now, they have everything they need to come to life. Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen - right now! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is. That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is a perceived advantage to reading fast. However, reading slower may actually be more beneficial for a lot of reasons. This episode opens with some important reasons to slow down your reading for maximum impact. https://www.bustle.com/p/7-reasons-slow-reading-is-actually-a-good-thing-because-being-a-speed-reader-is-overrated-73092 The average person has 22 goals they want to accomplish. So what’s the best way to go after them? Here with a refreshing and exciting take on setting and achieving goals is Jon Acuff. He is a speaker and author of 9 books. His latest is called All It Takes is a Goal (https://amzn.to/3PtSiOF). Listen to Jon and you will be inspired to tackle those goals you’ve been thinking about but have yet to achieve and you’ll feel good about letting go of goals that are not that important and weighing you down. We all use weird words and phrases like, “it’s raining cats and dogs” “I went cold turkey”, “You need to know the ropes.” And what in the world is a “white elephant”? Here to explain where these colorful words and phrases come from and why they are important is Caroline Taggart . She has worked in the publishing business for many years and has written several books including Humble Pie and Cold Turkey: English Expressions and Their Origins (https://amzn.to/3ZazBTw)   How do you win an argument? Well, most of the time you don’t but if you want to improve your chances, there is one thing you need to know according to Mike Nichols author of The Lost Art Of Listening (https://amzn.to/3ErzkSy). Listen as I explain.  PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/50something and use code 50something for 50% off plus free shipping! Shopify gives you everything you need to take control and take your business to the next level. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk today! Anxious thoughts seem to happen at the worst time. It's important to try and get out of those negative thought cycles. If you’re thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It’s entirely online, so it’s convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist. Get a break from your negative thoughts with BetterHelp Visit https://BetterHelp.com/SOMETHING today to get 10% off your first month! Now, your ideas don't have to wait, now, they have everything they need to come to life. Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen - right now! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is. That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Every day, you make a countless number of decisions, from what to have for dinner to what detergent to buy. This episode begins by looking at how humans make decisions and choices in life and how to recognize which ones you are probably wasting too much time on. https://fs.blog/2014/09/the-history-of-cognitive-overload You likely spend a good portion of your day in conversation with other people. Yet, we seldom detect what is happening “under the radar” in those conversations – and there is a lot going on. Listen and meet Elizabeth Stokoe, a social psychologist who spent 20 years transcribing and analyzing real conversations people have and discovered some rather amazing things that happen when we people talk with each other. What she discovered will surprise you and help you be a better conversationalist. Elizabeth is author of the book, Talk: The Science of Conversation (https://amzn.to/3A2ShXQ). Deadlines are interesting. Without them a lot of things would never get done. Yet, some of us wait until the very last minute to do what needs to be done even though we could’ve started it a lot sooner. There must be a better way to meet deadlines and according to Christopher Cox – there is! Christopher is author of the book The Deadline Effect: How to Work Like It’s the Last Minute―Before the Last Minute (https://amzn.to/3ty01P3). As a former magazine editor for many years, Christopher was constantly dealing with deadlines. Listen to what he discovered so that you might just change your ways the next time a deadline is looming. Like everyone else, you probably talk to yourself. So, is it a good idea to listen to whatever you tell yourself when you talk to yourself? Listen as I discuss the benefits of talking to yourself and why it is even better if you do it out loud. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/09/100921110956.htm PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game. You pick 2-6 players and if they will go more or less than their PrizePicks projection. It's that simple! Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Anxious thoughts seem to happen at the worst time. It's important to try and get out of those negative thought cycles. If you’re thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It’s entirely online, so it’s convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist. Get a break from your negative thoughts with BetterHelp Visit https://BetterHelp.com/SOMETHING today to get 10% off your first month! Now, your ideas don't have to wait, now, they have everything they need to come to life. Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen - right now! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow Planet Money is an incredible podcast with entertaining stories and insights about how money shapes our world. Listen to Planet Money https://npr.org/podcasts/510289/planet-money wherever you get your podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am certain that many times in your life you have had “one of those days.” Those are the days when nothing seems to go right, everything seems to be a problem and you tend to dwell on how horrible everything is. This episode begins with a quick and effective technique for the next time you have “one of those days” that will help you snap out of it. Source: Judith Orloff, M.D. author of Positive Energy (https://amzn.to/2KHzr3K) It's hard to imagine anyone going through life without being embarrassed. It’s a horrible feeling that actually serves an important purpose. Listen as I speak with Charise Harper author of the book So Embarrassing: Awkward Moments and How to Get Through Them (https://amzn.to/35uLpFZ). She explains why we get embarrassed, why it feels so horrible and how best to handle it in the moment when it happens.  Wouldn’t you love to hear the story of how a parrot solved a murder or how someone was so gullible they actually believed that investing in an idea from a prince from Venus was a smart thing to do or the story about how the same woman survived the sinking of the Titanic as well as accidents on Titanic’s 2 sister ships? Well those are just three of the tales you are going to hear from Steve Silverman, host of The Useless Information podcast (https://uselessinformation.org) and author of the book The Flip Side of History (https://amzn.to/3l7htEb).   No one likes to clean, so I have three tips from a top cleaning expert that will actually reduce the amount of time you spend cleaning and ensure you do a better job. Source: Don Aslett author of No Time to Clean. (https://amzn.to/3fy5i2f)    PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game. You pick 2-6 players and if they will go more or less than their PrizePicks projection. It's that simple! Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Anxious thoughts seem to happen at the worst time. It's important to try and get out of those negative thought cycles. If you’re thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It’s entirely online, so it’s convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist. Get a break from your negative thoughts with BetterHelp Visit https://BetterHelp.com/SOMETHING today to get 10% off your first month! Now, your ideas don't have to wait, now, they have everything they need to come to life. Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen - right now! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow Planet Money is an incredible podcast with entertaining stories and insights about how money shapes our world. Listen to Planet Money https://npr.org/podcasts/510289/planet-money wherever you get your podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Walking is good exercise and the pace at which you walk can make it even better. This episode begins with a brief discussion on the rather remarkable benefits of a brisk walk over a casual stroll. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/people-who-walk-faster-tend-to-live-longer How do you get good at something? Some people think it takes experience or lots of practice. Well, there is another way – a more effective way to improve your abilities at anything you choose to do. That is what Eduardo Briceño is here to explain. Eduardo has a wonderful Ted talk about this called How to Get Better At The Things You Care About (https://www.ted.com/talks/eduardo_briceno_how_to_get_better_at_the_things_you_care_about) and he is author of the book The Performance Paradox: Turning the Power of Mindset into Action (https://amzn.to/45Hs4NY) You may not yet be aware of it yet but there is a movement in the United States that is encouraging people to own less AND feel good about it. Imagine the freedom of not being burdened by home ownership or ownership of just about anything else. Wouldn’t that feel great? For many people the answer is NO. Ownership is the primary path to wealth creation. One of those people sounding the alarm about this is Carol Roth who is author of the book You Will Own Nothing (https://amzn.to/44wDGCr). Listen as she explains who is behind this movement and why it is something to better understand and be concerned about.  Is chewing gum good for you? Well it’s not going to cure a disease or make you healthy, however there are a few actual benefits to chewing gum. Listen as I explain what some of them are. https://selecthealth.org/blog/2017/04/surprising-benefits-of-chewing-gum PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! PrizePicks is a skill-based, real-money Daily Fantasy Sports game. You pick 2-6 players and if they will go more or less than their PrizePicks projection. It's that simple! Go to https://prizepicks.com/sysk and use code sysk for a first deposit match up to $100 Anxious thoughts seem to happen at the worst time. It's important to try and get out of those negative thought cycles. If you’re thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It’s entirely online, so it’s convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist. Get a break from your negative thoughts with BetterHelp Visit https://BetterHelp.com/SOMETHING today to get 10% off your first month! Now, your ideas don't have to wait, now, they have everything they need to come to life. Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen - right now! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow Planet Money is an incredible podcast with entertaining stories and insights about how money shapes our world. Listen to Planet Money https://npr.org/podcasts/510289/planet-money wherever you get your podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Admit it, you have likely snooped or eavesdropped on someone at some point in your life. In fact everyone has done it. This episode begins by discussing why humans and most other creatures on the planet eavesdrop and the important purpose it serves. Source: John Locke author of the book Eavesdropping (https://amzn.to/3l7rIud) When you think about all the tasks you do each day, there are likely some you could do better and easier. And if you listen to my guest, you will discover how. Erin Ruddy interviewed some top experts to learn their secrets and put that information in her book, The Little Book of Life Skills (https://amzn.to/3l4ypxc). Listen as she reveals how to do everyday tasks a little better than you are probably doing them now - from getting up in the morning, to starting your day with a better attitude, to writing a great email, how to clean any room in 10 minutes or less and more. Without water, we wouldn’t be here. It is crucial to our survival. Yet, it seems water is the cause of a lot of problems. In some places on the planet, there isn’t enough of it and in other places there is too much. The story of water is fascinating. Listen as Giulio Boccaletti joins me to tell this riveting tale. Giulio is a globally recognized expert on natural resource security and environmental sustainability and author of the book Water: A Biography (https://amzn.to/38UwBBq). We are all aware of the risks and dangers of drinking and driving. What you may not know is that driving when you are tired is also dangerous – really dangerous. Listen to hear why you shouldn’t drive when you are tired and if you have to, what you can do to reduce the risks. Source: Matthew Edlund, M.D. author The Power of Rest (https://amzn.to/3hioMd6)  PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Delete Me helps you keep your personal info private by removing it from hundreds of data broker websites that sell our data online. You tell Delete Me exactly what info you want deleted, and their privacy experts take it from there! It’s really that simple to protect yourself. DeleteMe makes it easy! Right Now get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to https://joindeleteme.com/something and use promo code SOMETHING20 Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Offer good for a limited time. Now, your ideas don't have to wait, now, they have everything they need to come to life. Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen - right now! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow If you want to lose weight and keep it off, increase your metabolic efficiency and prevent or reverse health conditions you need to know the truth about why dieting has failed and how to take back control of your body and health! With GOLO you will safely and effectively control sugar cravings, hunger, and minimize muscle loss allowing you to feel good and inspired to reach your goal weight. Learn more at https://golo.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Take a guess… how many times does the average American check their cellphone in 2023? I don’t know your guess, but I bet you are way off. This episode begins with some amazing stats regarding how and how much we use our phones. https://www.reviews.org/mobile/cell-phone-addiction/ We spend a lot of time agonizing over decisions that really don’t matter. That’s just one of the revelations I discuss with Annie Duke. She is a speaker and consultant on the topic of decision making, a former professional poker player and author of the book, How To Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices (https://amzn.to/3OQgGIF). Listen as Annie looks at the whole process of decision making through a very enlightening lens. The advances in the science of weather in just the last few years are astounding. Here to tell you all about them is James Marshall Shepherd. He is the Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Georgia and host of the Weather Geeks podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/weather-geeks/id1373312240. He also explains how weather forecasting works and the difference between partly cloudy and partly sunny and other meteorological terms. You are not supposed to drink alcohol when you take antibiotics. Most people think it will neutralize the effects of the antibiotic but that’s not the reason. Listen as I explain what the real reason is. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/expert-answers/antibiotics-and-alcohol/faq-20057946 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Delete Me helps you keep your personal info private by removing it from hundreds of data broker websites that sell our data online. You tell Delete Me exactly what info you want deleted, and their privacy experts take it from there! It’s really that simple to protect yourself. DeleteMe makes it easy! Right Now get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to https://joindeleteme.com/something and use promo code SOMETHING20 Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Offer good for a limited time. Now, your ideas don't have to wait, now, they have everything they need to come to life. Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen - right now! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow If you want to lose weight and keep it off, increase your metabolic efficiency and prevent or reverse health conditions you need to know the truth about why dieting has failed and how to take back control of your body and health! With GOLO you will safely and effectively control sugar cravings, hunger, and minimize muscle loss allowing you to feel good and inspired to reach your goal weight. Learn more at https://golo.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People who are confident and powerful tend to exhibit a few critical behaviors to create that impression of power and confidence. This episode begins with a quick list of things anyone can do to present the image of power to others. Source: Robert Greene author of The 48 Laws of Personal Power (https://amzn.to/3EaogJs) There is compelling evidence that your mind and your thoughts can impact your physical health. It isn’t all mystical and magical as you might think. In fact, a lot of it is quite logical and practical – yet it is still amazing, as you are about to discover when you listen to my guest Ellen Langer. She is the first ever tenured female professor at Harvard University and is considered the “mother of mindfulness.” She is author of the book The Mindful Body: Thinking Our Way to Chronic Health (https://amzn.to/45gn1UO) Wildfires seem to be more destructive than ever before. Flames in forests are scorching about twice as many trees as they did two decades ago, and nearly 100,000 homes, barns, and other structures have gone up in smoke. Plus, wildfires seem to occur in places that never used to have to worry. What is going on and what do we all need to know to protect ourselves? That is what Nick Mott is here to discuss. Nick is a Peabody Award winning journalist, podcast producer and author of the book This is Wildfire: How to Protect Yourself Your Home and Your Community in the Age of Heat (https://amzn.to/3P3nO5W). When someone say, “This goes with out saying…” Why are they saying it if it goes without saying? That is one of several phrases people often use that they probably shouldn’t. Listen as I reveal some other phrases that we should all avoid if we want to make the right impression on people. Paul Yeager author of “Literally The Best Language Book Ever (https://amzn.to/45CUcBM) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Delete Me helps you keep your personal info private by removing it from hundreds of data broker websites that sell our data online. You tell Delete Me exactly what info you want deleted, and their privacy experts take it from there! It’s really that simple to protect yourself. DeleteMe makes it easy! Right Now get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to https://joindeleteme.com/something and use promo code SOMETHING20 Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Offer good for a limited time. Now, your ideas don't have to wait, now, they have everything they need to come to life. Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen - right now! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow If you want to lose weight and keep it off, increase your metabolic efficiency and prevent or reverse health conditions you need to know the truth about why dieting has failed and how to take back control of your body and health! With GOLO you will safely and effectively control sugar cravings, hunger, and minimize muscle loss allowing you to feel good and inspired to reach your goal weight. Learn more at https://golo.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s become trendy to fill your car tires with nitrogen instead of plain old compressed air. In fact, there are now green caps for the valve stems to indicate that a tire has nitrogen in it. It can cost over $10 to fill up a tire with nitrogen so this episode begins with a quick discussion on whether it not it is worth it. https://www.consumerreports.org/tire-buying-maintenance/should-you-use-nitrogen-in-car-tires-a6260003694/ Science is learning more and more about human DNA. And the latest research indicates that almost everything about you has some inherited, genetic, DNA-ish component to it, whether that be biological or psychological or anything else. As an example, how well you do in school may largely be inherited but not necessarily in the way you think. This is according to Robert Plomin, Professor of Behavioral Genetics at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience at King’s College in London and author of the book, Blueprint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are (https://amzn.to/3gV9GtR) . Listen as he reveals the very latest in how your genes influence so much of who you are.  Some people claim to have a good sense of direction while others claim to have a lousy one. Is “sense of direction” a real thing? Is it really a sense at all? And if it is, why do some people have a good one and others not? That’s exactly what Michael Bond set out to discover. Michael is a science writer, former Senior Editor at New Scientist and author of the book, From Here to There: The Art and Science of Finding and Losing Our Way (https://amzn.to/3DOY8Cu). Michael is here to discuss with me why some of us are better than other at getting from here to there.  Pear season runs from late summer into early winter. And if you like pears, you know that knowing when they are ripe can be tricky. However, there is a reliable test to tell a pear’s ripeness and if you listen to this episode, you too will know it. https://www.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/in-season/2011/10/how-can-you-tell-if-a-pear-is-ripe PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Delete Me helps you keep your personal info private by removing it from hundreds of data broker websites that sell our data online. You tell Delete Me exactly what info you want deleted, and their privacy experts take it from there! It’s really that simple to protect yourself. DeleteMe makes it easy! Right Now get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to https://joindeleteme.com/something and use promo code SOMETHING20 Sometimes in life we’re faced with tough choices, and the path forward isn’t always clear. If you’re thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It’s entirely online, so it’s convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist. Let therapy be your map, with BetterHelp Visit https://BetterHelp.com/SOMETHING today to get 10% off your first month! With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/50something and use code 50something for 50% off plus free shipping! Your business was humming, but now you're falling behind. Teams buried in manual work. NetSuite gives you the POWER of having all of your information in one place to make better decisions and now has an UNPRECEDENTED offer to make that possible! Right now, download NetSuite’s popular KPI Checklist, designed to give you consistently excellent performance - absolutely free, at https://NetSuite.com/SYSK ! U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is. That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is this weird thing that happens to a lot of people (including me) and that is, we often wake up on our own just before the alarm goes off. Why is that? Listen as this episode begins with the interesting reason why this seems to happen to so many people. https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/why-do-we-wake-up-right-before-our-alarm/ There is so much you never knew about your neighborhood - From the phone poles that hold up your power lines, to the cement your sidewalks are made out of, to the traffic lights that keep people safe, there are fascinating backstories to every single one. After listening to this episode, you will see your neighborhood quite differently. Joining me to explain all this is Spike Carlsen author of the book A Walk Around the Block (https://amzn.to/378CyuL).  Can you be sued if you grab an image off of Google and put it up on your website? If so, what’s the penalty? This is just one of the important areas of intellectual property law that people often do not understand. Here to simplify the confusing world of copyrights, patents and trademarks is attorney Devin Miller, CEO of Miller IP Law (www.milleripl.com) and host of The Inventive Journey podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-inventive-journey/id1499417283. Devin explains how to protect your intellectual property and what you can and cannot do with other people’s.  Have you ever wondered if there is a formula for getting rich? Actually, there is. It isn’t thrilling or sexy, but it is how most rich people get rich. Listen as I explain how the formula works. https://consumerfed.org/press_release/how-americans-view-personal-wealth-v-how-financial-planners-view-this-wealth/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Delete Me helps you keep your personal info private by removing it from hundreds of data broker websites that sell our data online. You tell Delete Me exactly what info you want deleted, and their privacy experts take it from there! It’s really that simple to protect yourself. DeleteMe makes it easy! Right Now get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to https://joindeleteme.com/something and use promo code SOMETHING20 Sometimes in life we’re faced with tough choices, and the path forward isn’t always clear. If you’re thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It’s entirely online, so it’s convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist. Let therapy be your map, with BetterHelp Visit https://BetterHelp.com/SOMETHING today to get 10% off your first month! With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/50something and use code 50something for 50% off plus free shipping! Your business was humming, but now you're falling behind. Teams buried in manual work. NetSuite gives you the POWER of having all of your information in one place to make better decisions and now has an UNPRECEDENTED offer to make that possible! Right now, download NetSuite’s popular KPI Checklist, designed to give you consistently excellent performance - absolutely free, at https://NetSuite.com/SYSK ! U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is. That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can doing something embarrassing in front of people be good for you? This episode begins by explaining how making a fool of yourself can actually have benefits and make you happier. Maybe not in the moment but overall. https://exploringyourmind.com/making-fool-yourself-makes-you-happier/ When you tell a lie, there are consequences – especially if you get caught. Because if you are caught lying, you are now a liar and that can be a difficult label to shake. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. Lying is fraught with all kinds of danger. Yet, everyone lies at some point in their life. Here to help you understand why people lie, and some of the consequences of lying you may have never even considered before is Drew Curtis. He is a licensed psychologist in Texas and is on the faculty at Angelo State University. He is author of the book Big Liars: What Psychological Science Tells Us About Lying and How You Can Avoid Being Duped (https://amzn.to/47PmsmP) Not all that long ago, it was only governments that had the money and technology to launch rockets into space. Not anymore. Today private companies are launching rockets and satellites into space almost daily! And ultimately, it is all about money. People like Elon Musk with his company SpaceX are leading the way and there are dozens of other companies collectively trying to conquer space and make a profit. Joining me to explain what is going on here is Ashlee Vance. He wrote a bestselling book about Elon Musk, he is also a feature writer at Bloomberg Businessweek and he is author of the book When the Heavens Went on Sale: The Misfits and Geniuses Racing to Put Space Within Reach (https://amzn.to/44gavDB) You can predict the weather with your morning cup of coffee – sort of. This is likely not the way the National Weather Service does it but the bubbles in your coffee can actually tell you what kind of day it is going to be. Listen as I explain. https://www.instructables.com/Predict-weather-with-a-cup-of-coffee/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Delete Me helps you keep your personal info private by removing it from hundreds of data broker websites that sell our data online. You tell Delete Me exactly what info you want deleted, and their privacy experts take it from there! It’s really that simple to protect yourself. DeleteMe makes it easy! Right Now get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to https://joindeleteme.com/something and use promo code SOMETHING20 Sometimes in life we’re faced with tough choices, and the path forward isn’t always clear. If you’re thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It’s entirely online, so it’s convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist. Let therapy be your map, with BetterHelp Visit https://BetterHelp.com/SOMETHING today to get 10% off your first month! With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/50something and use code 50something for 50% off plus free shipping! Your business was humming, but now you're falling behind. Teams buried in manual work. NetSuite gives you the POWER of having all of your information in one place to make better decisions and now has an UNPRECEDENTED offer to make that possible! Right now, download NetSuite’s popular KPI Checklist, designed to give you consistently excellent performance - absolutely free, at https://NetSuite.com/SYSK ! U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is. That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As relationships mature, holding hands seem to become less of a priority. And that could be a big mistake. There are real benefits to holding hands and this episode begins by explaining what those benefits are. https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/05/fashion/05hands.html We may not like to admit it, but just about everyone enjoys a juicy bit of gossip. In fact, we all gossip at least once in a while and that turns out to be a good thing. Gossip serves a lot of useful purposes in life. Frank McAndrew, a leading researcher on gossip joins me to reveal just how gossip works, why most gossip really isn’t all that nasty. He also has some advice on how to gossip better. Frank is a professor of psychology at Knox College in Illinois (https://www.frankmcandrew.com/) During a busy day, you likely jump from one task to the next with hardly any room to breathe. If that is true, you could be missing out on a great opportunity according to Juliet Funt founder and CEO of The Juliet Funt Group (https://www.julietfunt.com/) who advises Fortune 500 companies. Listen as she explains the importance of creating “white space” in between all the things you do and the benefits of doing so. Juliet is author of the book A Minute to Think (https://amzn.to/3mmsXIv). Rejection hurts - a lot. Why? Listen as I explain some interesting research that reveals why romantic rejection can be so devastating and how to handle it better if it happens to you. Source: Helen Fisher author of the book Why We Love (https://amzn.to/3g7Ctel) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Sometimes in life we’re faced with tough choices, and the path forward isn’t always clear. If you’re thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It’s entirely online, so it’s convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist. Let therapy be your map, with BetterHelp Visit https://BetterHelp.com/SOMETHING today to get 10% off your first month! With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/50something and use code 50something for 50% off plus free shipping! Shopify gives you everything you need to take control and take your business to the next level. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk today! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Your business was humming, but now you're falling behind. Teams buried in manual work. NetSuite gives you the POWER of having all of your information in one place to make better decisions and now has an UNPRECEDENTED offer to make that possible! Right now, download NetSuite’s popular KPI Checklist, designed to give you consistently excellent performance - absolutely free, at https://NetSuite.com/SYSK ! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is. That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! We really like the Masters of Scale podcast! Check it out at https://mastersofscale.com OR search for it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How many times have you heard that exercise is good for you? But specifically, how? This episode starts with an explanation of precisely how exercise benefits you physically and mentally – and they are pretty compelling benefits. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise/art-20048389 When you worry, it is often because you are expecting the worst. We imagine trouble and danger are brewing about something that has yet to happen. Often times that worry is completely unwarranted. Still, the anxiety that drives the worry is a powerful force. How can you get a handle on your worry? Here to discuss that and offer some proven advice that can turn down the volume on worry is David Carbonell, he is a clinical psychologist and therapist who specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders, and he is author of the book The Worry Trick: How Your Brain Tricks You Into Expecting the Worst (https://amzn.to/44b5MTJ). There are zillions of fonts you can use when you type an email or letter or report . And according to some solid research, the font you choose can have a significant impact on the reader. Everyday you are influenced by the typefaces used on menus, products, signs, posters, everything! And you probably don’t even know it. Joining me to discuss the science of fonts is Sarah Hyndman. She is a graphic artist and author of the book Why Fonts Matter. (https://amzn.to/3DTCvlA).  Is it possible to be addicted to music? Apparently so! At least in the sense that music can make you feel good in much the same way as a drug. Listen as I explain what it is about music that creates such powerful feelings in us. https://www.dancemusicnw.com/study-proves-music-addiction/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Sometimes in life we’re faced with tough choices, and the path forward isn’t always clear. If you’re thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It’s entirely online, so it’s convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist. Let therapy be your map, with BetterHelp Visit https://BetterHelp.com/SOMETHING today to get 10% off your first month! With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/50something and use code 50something for 50% off plus free shipping! Shopify gives you everything you need to take control and take your business to the next level. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk today! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Your business was humming, but now you're falling behind. Teams buried in manual work. NetSuite gives you the POWER of having all of your information in one place to make better decisions and now has an UNPRECEDENTED offer to make that possible! Right now, download NetSuite’s popular KPI Checklist, designed to give you consistently excellent performance - absolutely free, at https://NetSuite.com/SYSK ! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is. That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! We really like the Masters of Scale podcast! Check it out at https://mastersofscale.com OR search for it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone has loose batteries somewhere in the house. And if you keep those batteries in your junk drawer, that could be dangerous. Listen as I explain why and a better way to store batteries. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/612670/never-store-batteries-your-junk-drawer Did French fries really originate in France? Why do we call them hot dogs? Why is there no cream in cream soda? And what’s the deal with chicken fingers? Joining me with the fun origins of some of your favorite foods is Kim Zachman author of  There's No Cream in Cream Soda: Facts and Folklore About Our Favorite Drinks (https://amzn.to/3QA1bay) and There's No Ham in Hamburgers (https://amzn.to/47pasrQ). Listen and you will discover things about the foods you eat that you probably never knew.  Have you ever seen something on social media and felt outraged? It happens a lot. Is that by design? What is it about social media posts that often trigger very emotional reactions? That turns out to be a fascinating topic and one that affects us all in some surprising ways. Tobias Rose Stockwell is a writer and researcher who looked into this important topic and joins me to reveal what he discovered. His work has been featured in The Atlantic, WIRED, NPR, the BBC and he is author of the book Outrage Machine: How Tech Amplifies Discontent, Disrupts Democracy―And What We Can Do About It (https://amzn.to/3QxXLVs). Getting your groceries from the store to your kitchen on a hot summer day is a race against time. Listen as I reveal how much time you have and a way to buy yourself more time to keep your food from spoiling.  https://www.consumerreports.org/food-safety/keep-groceries-food-safe-in-hot-car/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Sometimes in life we’re faced with tough choices, and the path forward isn’t always clear. If you’re thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It’s entirely online, so it’s convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist. Let therapy be your map, with BetterHelp Visit https://BetterHelp.com/SOMETHING today to get 10% off your first month! With HelloFresh, you get farm-fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and seasonal recipes delivered right to your doorstep. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/50something and use code 50something for 50% off plus free shipping! Shopify gives you everything you need to take control and take your business to the next level. Sign up for a $1 per month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk today! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Your business was humming, but now you're falling behind. Teams buried in manual work. NetSuite gives you the POWER of having all of your information in one place to make better decisions and now has an UNPRECEDENTED offer to make that possible! Right now, download NetSuite’s popular KPI Checklist, designed to give you consistently excellent performance - absolutely free, at https://NetSuite.com/SYSK ! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is. That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! We really like the Masters of Scale podcast! Check it out at https://mastersofscale.com OR search for it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Fragrance” is a common ingredient listed on perfumes, colognes, soaps, and lotions. Clearly, just the word "fragrance" doesn’t tell you very much. This episode begins with a discussion on why manufacturers can be so vague about this and why you should be at least a little concerned. https://www.safecosmetics.org/get-the-facts/chemicals-of-concern/fragrance/ Ever wonder why you get a headache? Or bad breath? Ever wonder how vomiting actually works? Or why people get jet lag? And what causes bad breath and what’s the best way to get rid of it? Here with some answers is Dr. Sarah Holper author of the book What’s Wrong With You? An Insider’s Guide to Your Insides (https://amzn.to/3ilE0hs). Listen as she takes us all on a tour inside the human body and reveals how it works and how you can make yours work better. Do you actually know for sure how much money your coworkers make? If not, I bet you have surely wondered about it. Organizational psychologist David Burkus believes we should all know what other people make. Listen as he joins me to explain the intriguing reasons why. David has a TED Talk on this subject you can see here: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvcNw4F0Y4Y). He is also author of the book Leading From Anywhere (https://amzn.to/3Bak89q).  Seems like everyone loves cute things? And interestingly we react to cute things like babies and kittens very differently than how we react to everything else? Listen as I explain why that is. https://www.brainson.org/episode/2016/12/06/what-makes-cute-things-cute PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Sometimes in life we’re faced with tough choices, and the path forward isn’t always clear. If you’re thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It’s entirely online, so it’s convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist, and switch therapists any time for no additional charge. Let therapy be your map, with BetterHelp Visit https://BetterHelp.com/SOMETHING today to get 10% off your first month! Your business was humming, but now you're falling behind. Teams buried in manual work. NetSuite gives you the POWER of having all of your information in one place to make better decisions and now has an UNPRECEDENTED offer to make that possible! Right now, download NetSuite’s popular KPI Checklist, designed to give you consistently excellent performance - absolutely free, at https://NetSuite.com/SYSK ! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is, so they’ve made it their mission to help them establish good digital habits early on! That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! We really like the 99% Invisible podcast! Check it out at https://99percentinvisible.org OR search for it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just because you are a good driver doesn’t protect you from bad drivers. And there are a lot of those bad drivers on the road. So how do you protect yourself? This episode begins with some potentially life-saving advice on where and how serious traffic accidents happen and how to avoid being in one. Source: Reader’s Digest article titled “How Good Drivers Get Killed” A lot goes on in your neighborhood grocery store you likely never knew. For example, did you know that some of the “fresh produce” could actually be more than a year old? Or that selling you groceries isn’t the only way your store makes money - not by a long shot? And what about Trader Joe’s? Why are their customers so fanatically loyal? Joining me to explore all this and much more is Benjamin Lorr, author of the book The Secret Life of Groceries (https://amzn.to/2RVd0Iy). We all would like to know what is going to happen in the future. That’s precisely why we look to experts to predict the stock market or why we try to choose “winning” lottery numbers. The fact is, most predictions are usually wrong because the future is unpredictable. So instead of trying to predict the future, maybe there is a better way. Here to tell you what that is John Kay, a leading British economist and author of the book Radical Uncertainty: Decision-Making Beyond the Numbers (https://amzn.to/32WqnP6). He offers advice on how to prepare for the future when you can’t predict it and he reveals the important difference between risk and uncertainty. I’m sure you’ve heard someone say that a dog’s mouth is cleaner than a human mouth. Seriously? Listen and discover if that could possibly be true. https://www.broadstreetvet.com/site/blog/2023/06/15/is-dogs-mouth-cleaner-than-mine PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Sometimes in life we’re faced with tough choices, and the path forward isn’t always clear. If you’re thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It’s entirely online, so it’s convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist, and switch therapists any time for no additional charge. Let therapy be your map, with BetterHelp Visit https://BetterHelp.com/SOMETHING today to get 10% off your first month! Your business was humming, but now you're falling behind. Teams buried in manual work. NetSuite gives you the POWER of having all of your information in one place to make better decisions and now has an UNPRECEDENTED offer to make that possible! Right now, download NetSuite’s popular KPI Checklist, designed to give you consistently excellent performance - absolutely free, at https://NetSuite.com/SYSK ! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is, so they’ve made it their mission to help them establish good digital habits early on! That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! We really like the 99% Invisible podcast! Check it out at https://99percentinvisible.org OR search for it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More and more people are opting to remove their shoes before they come into the house and asking guests to do it as well. Is it really necessary? Does it do any good? This episode begins with a look at what your shoes actually track into your home and whether or not it is dangerous. https://www.sharp.com/health-news/should-shoes-be-removed-at-home When you throw something into the trash or the recycle bin, you likely feel confident that it goes where it is supposed to go. But does it? Where exactly does it go? Do the recyclables really get recycled? Is household trash really the problem or is there something else taking up most of the space in landfills? That is what Oliver Franklin-Wallis is here to discuss. He is an award-winning journalist and currently the features editor of British GQ. He is author of the book Wasteland: The Dirty Truth About What We Throw Away, Where It Goes, and Why It Matters (https://amzn.to/44S7Jpf). Whatever systems or techniques you use to keep your house clean are probably the ones you learned from your parents. Maybe it is time to question some of those techniques. Perhaps there is a better, more efficient – even fun way to clean. There is also a better way to think about housework, so it doesn’t leave you feeling drained and feeling as if it never ends and is never good enough. Here to reveal a whole new approach to housework is KC Davis. She is a therapist and author of the book How to Keep House While Drowning (https://amzn.to/3OjfwoN). Once you hear her take on housework, it may just change your life. Not all honey you buy at the store is created equal. In many store-bought honey jars, some very important things are missing. Listen as I explain what they are and why this is important. https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/11/tests-show-most-store-honey-isnt-honey/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Sometimes in life we’re faced with tough choices, and the path forward isn’t always clear. If you’re thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It’s entirely online, so it’s convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. Just fill out a brief questionnaire to get matched with a licensed therapist, and switch therapists any time for no additional charge. Let therapy be your map, with BetterHelp Visit https://BetterHelp.com/SOMETHING today to get 10% off your first month! Your business was humming, but now you're falling behind. Teams buried in manual work. NetSuite gives you the POWER of having all of your information in one place to make better decisions and now has an UNPRECEDENTED offer to make that possible! Right now, download NetSuite’s popular KPI Checklist, designed to give you consistently excellent performance - absolutely free, at https://NetSuite.com/SYSK ! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is, so they’ve made it their mission to help them establish good digital habits early on! That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! We really like the 99% Invisible podcast! Check it out at https://99percentinvisible.org OR search for it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Doodling – it is just something people do, particularly when listening to a boring speaker. While people often think of it as a distraction, doodling can actually help your memory. Listen as I begin this episode by explaining how that works. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090226210039.htm The Internet is messing with your mind according to Nicholas Carr. He took a close look at the research on this for his book The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains (https://amzn.to/2VasqO6) ( by the way, his work on this made him a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize). Listen as Nicholas makes the case that always being connected and available online takes a toll. Sure the Internet makes life convenient and offers other conveniences, there is a price we all pay that you may not realize. Being a bit weird may actually be one of your greatest strengths. In fact, your weirdness can propel your personal and professional success according to Chris Williamson who gave a TED Talk on Embracing Your Weirdness (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Murw1YnFfiw&t=205s). He joins me to explain just how unique you really are and what you can do for yourself and the world by expressing it. Chris is also the host of the podcast Modern Wisdom (https://apple.co/2MNqIgw) Everyone’s life is full of problems. While you may not know what problems lie ahead, you can be sure they are there waiting out there somewhere. Listen to hear some interesting advice that will help you better handle those troubles and crises when they do show up. And they will show up. Source: Brain Tracy author of Crunch Point (https://amzn.to/3zJaGs0) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Offer good for a limited time. Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is, so they’ve made it their mission to help them establish good digital habits early on! That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! We really like the Freakonomics Radio podcast! Check it out at https://freakonomics.com/podcasts OR search for it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An amazing number of dogs get stolen every year. And it’s all about the money. This episode begins with a look at this growing crime and why you should keep a close eye on your pet. https://petkeen.com/dognapping-dog-theft-statistics/ When people are told they are too sensitive, it is usually not a compliment. Being sensitive is often looked at as a weakness – a character flaw. What sensitive people need to do is toughen up. Well, not so fast, says Jenn Granneman. While being sensitive can have challenges, that sensitivity is also a super power. Listen as she champions those who are labeled sensitive with research to back up her beliefs. Then she offers some terrific advice to help sensitive people deal with a not-so-sensitive world. She also has excellent advice if you are not highly sensitive but have sensitive people in your life. Jenn is author of the book Sensitive: The Hidden Power of the Highly Sensitive Person in a Loud, Fast, Too-Much World (https://amzn.to/456D3Qu). Think of how much recorded sound plays a role in your life. Music, podcasts, radio, movie and TV sound – recorded sound is important to us. From Thomas Edison’s first cylindrical recordings to digital downloads and streaming, the history of recorded sound is fascinating. Joining me to tell that story is Jonathan Scott author of the book Into the Groove :The Story of Sound From Tin Foil to Vinyl (https://amzn.to/3Kh1d2Q). I bet most people still use paper checks to pay for things - at least occasionally. If you do, there is something you might want to consider the net time you order new checks. Listen as I explain. https://www.idtheftcenter.org/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Offer good for a limited time. Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is, so they’ve made it their mission to help them establish good digital habits early on! That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! We really like the Optimal Daily Living podcast! Check it out at https://oldpodcast.com OR search for it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On a hot summer day, lots of things can get dangerously hot. Your street, the dashboard and steering wheel inside your car, even your patio furniture can get hot enough to burn you. Listen as I explain just how hot. https://www.rd.com/article/things-that-get-dangerously-hot/ Why are some things harder to learn than others? Why do some people seem to learn things faster? Are there ways to make learning something easier? Joining me to explain all this and other aspects of the science of learning is Daniel Willingham. He is a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia and author of several books including Outsmart Your Brain: Why Learning is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy (https://amzn.to/43Lkb8N). Arguments happen – a lot. Yet, what do they accomplish really? The fact is they often leave people more polarized and upset than before. What if people could resolve problems without arguing? What if we could prevent arguments from happening in the first place? That is what Linda Bloom specializes in. Linda and her husband Charlie are veteran marriage counselors and seminar leaders who have authored several books including An End to Arguing: 101 Valuable Lessons for All Relationships (https://amzn.to/3Y5J5yR).  There is this old advice I’m sure you have heard that when you are really upset, you should count to ten before you say or do anything because that will calm you down and prevent you from doing something you later regret. Is that really good advice? Listen as I explain some interesting research. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2168645/Angry-Counting-worst-thing--makes-furious.html PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Offer good for a limited time. Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is, so they’ve made it their mission to help them establish good digital habits early on! That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! We really like the Freakonomics Radio podcast! Check it out at https://freakonomics.com/podcasts OR search for it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Isn’t salt – salt? I’ve always thought so. Sure there is kosher salt and sea salt and regular salt but now there are all these different colored designer salts? Does it really matter or make a difference This episode begins with a salty explanation. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/sea-salt/faq-20058512 We crave to have love in our lives, yet love can also be the source of immense pain, misery and sadness. It seems odd sometimes that as much as we need love and care about it – we are often not particularly good at it. That’s according to Laura Mucha author of the book, Love Understood: The Science of Who, How and Why We Love (https://amzn.to/3AZIdjm). Laura has spent most of her adult life researching love and relationships. Listen as she joins me with her insights on the topic that will hopefully inspire you to love better. Do you like making small talk with strangers? A lot of people don’t because they think it is a waste of time or because they simply hate small talk, or they figure -what’s the point? Well, Joe Keohane has another perspective. He there is great value in talking with strangers and has proof to back it up. Joe is author of the book The Power of Strangers: The Benefits of Connecting in a Suspicious World (https://amzn.to/3hzh1QK) and he lays out a compelling case for why you should be more willing to talk with people you don’t know, because the benefits are numerous. Integrity is defined as, “The perceived pattern of alignment between words and actions.” Living a life of integrity seems noble and is something to strive for. Listen as I explain how living with integrity can really pay off. Literally! Source: Tony Simons author of The Integrity Dividend (https://amzn.to/3kedPeY) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Take a bite out of summer with HelloFresh! From chef-crafted seasonal recipes to their new Fresh & Fit summer menu, HelloFresh brings flavor right to your door. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/something50 and use code something50 for 50% off plus free shipping! For the first time in NetSuite’s 25 years as the #1 cloud financial system, you can defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months! If you’ve been sizing NetSuite up to make the switch then you know this deal is unprecedented - no interest, no payments - take advantage of this special financing offer at https://NetSuite.com/SYSK ! Now, your ideas don't have to wait, now, they have everything they need to come to life. Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen - right now! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is, so they’ve made it their mission to help them establish good digital habits early on! That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People claim to get great ideas in the shower. But is that a real thing? Is there something about taking a shower that can actually generate ideas and solutions? Listen as this episode begins with some interesting research about the power of a shower. https://www.headspace.com/articles/shower-epiphanies You are about to amazed at some of the unusual and random things that can affect your health in significant ways. Things like your birthday, if there is EZ Pass on a highway nearby, if there is a parade or a race through the streets of your town – all these things can impact your health and wellbeing in ways you can’t imagine. How so, you ask? That is what Anupam B. Jena is here to explain. Bapu, as he is called, is a medical doctor, economist, Harvard professor, host of the podcast Freakonomics M.D. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-m-d/id1577556965 and author of the book Random Acts of Medicine: The Hidden Forces That Sway Doctors, Impact Patients, and Shape Our Health (https://amzn.to/3Y54hF4). You can certainly make the case that we are and have been a career-focused culture. So much of our identity and self-worth gets wrapped up in what we do for a living – our job. Is that a good thing? Maybe for some but not for everyone according to Simone Stolzoff. He is a journalist whose work has appeared in The Atlantic, WIRED and numerous other publications. He is also author of the book The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work (https://amzn.to/44MYZjI). Listen as he explains the downside of always looking for the perfect job sacrificing other aspects of your life for the sake of your career. He then offers an alternate way to look at work and life. How can brushing your teeth help you lose weight? It’s all about WHEN you brush them. Listen as I explain how good dental hygiene can reduce the size of your waistline. https://www.popsci.com/does-brushing-your-teeth-affect-your-appetite/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Take a bite out of summer with HelloFresh! From chef-crafted seasonal recipes to their new Fresh & Fit summer menu, HelloFresh brings flavor right to your door. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/something50 and use code something50 for 50% off plus free shipping! For the first time in NetSuite’s 25 years as the #1 cloud financial system, you can defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months! If you’ve been sizing NetSuite up to make the switch then you know this deal is unprecedented - no interest, no payments - take advantage of this special financing offer at https://NetSuite.com/SYSK ! Now, your ideas don't have to wait, now, they have everything they need to come to life. Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen - right now! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is, so they’ve made it their mission to help them establish good digital habits early on! That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is it true that a bee will die after it stings you? Or that YOU can die after a black widow spider bites you? This episode begins with a look at some facts and myths about summertime bugs and pests. https://www.ledfordspestcontrol.com/blog/pest-facts/7-common-pest-myths/ There are a lot of bad people who want to steal and scam you out of your money. While most of us like to think we are too smart to fall for scams, it’s just not true. Some of the smartest people have fallen victim to some very clever scams – and you might too! Here to discuss what the latest scams are ad how to protect yourself is Daniel Simons a psychology professor at the University of Illinois and author of a new book called Nobody's Fool: Why We Get Taken In and What We Can Do About It (https://amzn.to/3OvpjK1). Drinking coffee, standing on one foot, taking an early morning walk – all these things are actually proven to be good for your health and longevity. Joining me to discuss these and lots of other very simple things you can do to improve your overall wellbeing is Dr. Michael Mosley, host of the podcast Just One Thing (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/just-one-thing-with-michael-mosley/id1560369423) and author of the book Just One Thing: How Simple Changes Can Transform Your Life (https://amzn.to/3rBVnTv). The best time to clean your oven may just be in the middle of summer. Sounds weird but there is actually a really good reason to do it then. Listen as I explain Source: Appliance Handbook for Women (https://amzn.to/43wGlLY) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Take a bite out of summer with HelloFresh! From chef-crafted seasonal recipes to their new Fresh & Fit summer menu, HelloFresh brings flavor right to your door. Go to https://HelloFresh.com/something50 and use code something50 for 50% off plus free shipping! For the first time in NetSuite’s 25 years as the #1 cloud financial system, you can defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months! If you’ve been sizing NetSuite up to make the switch then you know this deal is unprecedented - no interest, no payments - take advantage of this special financing offer at https://NetSuite.com/SYSK ! Now, your ideas don't have to wait, now, they have everything they need to come to life. Dell Technologies and Intel are pushing what technology can do, so great ideas can happen - right now! Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/WelcomeToNow Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match U.S. Cellular knows how important your kid’s relationship with technology is, so they’ve made it their mission to help them establish good digital habits early on! That’s why they’ve partnered with Screen Sanity, a non-profit dedicated to helping kids navigate the digital landscape. For a smarter start to the school year, U.S. Cellular is offering a free basic phone on new eligible lines, providing an alternative to a smartphone for children. Visit https://USCellular.com/BuiltForUS ! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever noticed that aluminum foil has a shiny side and a dull side? Why do you suppose that is? Maybe it is significant – after all some recipes call for it to be either shiny side up or shiny side down. But how much difference could it possibly make? Listen and find out. https://culinarylore.com/food-science:aluminum-foil-shiny-side-up-or-down/ Bet you didn’t know that radio technology helped to create the quartz watch. Or that railroad technology reshaped how we celebrate Christmas. And how in the world did the telegraph change the way we speak? These are just a few of the fascinating ways older technologies have had an significant impact on how we live today. Ainissa Ramirez, is a material scientist and author of the book The Alchemy of Us: How Humans and Matter Transformed One Another (https://amzn.to/2UyQkCy) . Listen as she takes us on a journey through some of the fascinating technologies that continue to shape how we live our lives.  Humans are one of a very few species that actually sweat through the skin. The purpose of sweating is to help you stay cool. And how this cooling system works inside your body is really interesting. You have millions of sweat glands and what kind of climate you spent your toddler years in likely affected how many of your sweat glands were activated and how efficiently they work today. There’s a lot to the story of human perspiration. Science writer Sarah Everts has gone deep into the research on sweating for her book, The Joy of Sweat: The Strange Science of Perspiration (https://amzn.to/3AwyPTX) and she is here to explain.  You know if you have ever flown on an airplane, there are oxygen masks in the event of an emergency. So where do they keep the oxygen? And why do they tell you to tug on the mask to begin the flow of oxygen? Listen because the answer to that question is really going to surprise you. https://www.scienceabc.com/eyeopeners/do-airplanes-really-carry-oxygen-for-the-oxygen-masks.html PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. For the first time in NetSuite’s 25 years as the #1 cloud financial system, you can defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months! If you’ve been sizing NetSuite up to make the switch then you know this deal is unprecedented - no interest, no payments - take advantage of this special financing offer at https://NetSuite.com/SYSK ! The Dell Technologies’ Black Friday in July event has arrived with limited-quantity deals on top tech to power any passion. Save on select XPS PCs and more powered by the latest Intel® Core™ processors. Plus, get savings on select monitors and accessories, free shipping and monthly payment options with Dell Preferred Account. Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL ! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match Keep American farming and enjoy the BEST grass-fed meat & lamb, pastured pork & chicken and wild caught-Alaskan salmon by going to https://MoinkBox.com/Yum  RIGHT NOW and get a free gift with your first order! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Somehow blue jeans, which are basically just work clothes, became this worldwide fashion staple, and have remained so for decades. How did that happen? This episode begins by discussing the origins of jeans and how they became such a big deal. Source: James Sullivan, author of Jeans: A Cultural History of an American Icon (https://amzn.to/2F0wyID) Do coincidences happen for a reason or are they just quirky random events? Why is it so hard to find a 4-leaf clover – or any other plant with 4 leaf clusters? Is there a better day to buy lottery tickets than another day? These are just some of the fascinating life questions tackled by Rob Eastaway, author of the book Why Do Buses Come in Threes?: The Hidden Mathematics of Everyday Life (https://amzn.to/2FEWfib) Where do you come from and what are you made of? It appears we are made from recycled atoms that have come from parts of stars, dinosaurs and even other people. Science writer Brian Clegg author of the book What Do You Think You Are? The Science of What Makes You You (https://amzn.to/35TifRq) joins me to discuss the latest science about what goes in to making you what you are. And he explains how and why you are uniquely different from everybody and everything else in the universe. You probably know that laughing is good for you and crying is as well. In fact, laughing and crying are really very similar. Listen as I discuss the fine line between laughing and crying and the many benefits of both. https://www.brainpickings.org/2012/09/07/curious-behvaior-provine/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. For the first time in NetSuite’s 25 years as the #1 cloud financial system, you can defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months! If you’ve been sizing NetSuite up to make the switch then you know this deal is unprecedented - no interest, no payments - take advantage of this special financing offer at https://NetSuite.com/SYSK ! The Dell Technologies’ Black Friday in July event has arrived with limited-quantity deals on top tech to power any passion. Save on select XPS PCs and more powered by the latest Intel® Core™ processors. Plus, get savings on select monitors and accessories, free shipping and monthly payment options with Dell Preferred Account. Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL ! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match Keep American farming and enjoy the BEST grass-fed meat & lamb, pastured pork & chicken and wild caught-Alaskan salmon by going to https://MoinkBox.com/Yum  RIGHT NOW and get a free gift with your first order! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is the best (or worst) seat on a commercial airliner? That kind of depends on whether you mean safest, healthiest, or most comfortable seat. This episode begins with a look at how to choose the best airplane seat for you. https://www.menshealth.com/health/a19536853/the-worst-place-to-sit-on-a-plane/ Albert Einstein was a cultural rock star. He was arguably one of the most popular people on the planet for much of his life. He was Time magazine’s Man of the Century. Even today, most people know who he is. His likeness is everywhere – even Doc Brown’s dog in Back to The Future was named Einstein. Albert Einstein has 20 million followers on social media even though he has been dead for almost 70 years. What was it about him that made him so popular and what are some of his many contributions to our modern lives? Here to discuss this Benyamin Cohen who actually manages all of Albert Einstein’s social media accounts and he is author of the book The Einstein Effect: How the World's Favorite Genius Got into Our Cars, Our Bathrooms, and Our Minds (https://amzn.to/44moatD). Most of us were taught to be ambitious. After all, ambition is the road to success in life. However, there may be another way to use your ambition that is less about just working harder at your job but rather diversifies your ambition into other areas of your life. This is according to Rainesford Stauffer. She is a journalist, speaker and author of the book All The Gold Stars: Reimagining Ambition and The Way We Strive (https://amzn.to/3DbQ5QR). Listen as she shines a different kind of light on personal ambition. How could the color of your hair affect how much money you make? Listen as I reveal the surprising results of a 27-year study about hair color and salary, that may make you want to lighten your hair. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S016517651000114X PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. For the first time in NetSuite’s 25 years as the #1 cloud financial system, you can defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months! If you’ve been sizing NetSuite up to make the switch then you know this deal is unprecedented - no interest, no payments - take advantage of this special financing offer at https://NetSuite.com/SYSK ! The Dell Technologies’ Black Friday in July event has arrived with limited-quantity deals on top tech to power any passion. Save on select XPS PCs and more powered by the latest Intel® Core™ processors. Plus, get savings on select monitors and accessories, free shipping and monthly payment options with Dell Preferred Account. Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL ! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match Keep American farming and enjoy the BEST grass-fed meat & lamb, pastured pork & chicken and wild caught-Alaskan salmon by going to https://MoinkBox.com/Yum  RIGHT NOW and get a free gift with your first order! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you order something online, do you then track the package to see where it is and when it is coming? This episode begins with the results of a survey about how people track their orders and why and how they hate it when a package is late. https://blog.4over.com/delivery-tracking-consumers-statistics Do you know how soap works to get the dirt out – or how moisturizers work? What is it about caffeine that keeps you awake? The answer is - chemistry! With everything you do and anywhere you go there is a lot of chemistry working in the background. Here to explain how it all works is chemist Kate Bibendorf. Kate is a chemist and author of the book It’s Elemental: The Hidden Chemistry in Everything (https://amzn.to/3ycoZEK). You are going to hear things you never knew before and you will likely never drink a flaming shot of vodka again in your life! Doesn’t it seem that science should have a pretty solid definition of what life is. Actually though, it is a mystery. Even though we all have a pretty good sense or understanding of life – it remains undefinable. Why? That’s what Carl Zimmer set out to find out. Carl writes the Matter column for The New York Times and is author of 13 books including Life’s Edge: The Search for What It Means to Be Alive (https://amzn.to/3yhCBP1) He joins me to explain what we do know, what we don’t know and how some things you might think are alive – actually are not. Maybe. Who hasn’t had a swig of water from a garden hose on a hot day? But it is probably a very bad idea. Listen as I explain why you are much better off going into the house and getting a glass of water and leave the garden hose water in the garden. https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2010/06/do-you-suppose-it-s-safe-to-drink-from-a-hose/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! For the first time in NetSuite’s 25 years as the #1 cloud financial system, you can defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months! If you’ve been sizing NetSuite up to make the switch then you know this deal is unprecedented - no interest, no payments - take advantage of this special financing offer at https://NetSuite.com/SYSK ! The Dell Technologies’ Black Friday in July event has arrived with limited-quantity deals on top tech to power any passion. Save on select XPS PCs and more powered by the latest Intel® Core™ processors. Plus, get savings on select monitors and accessories, free shipping and monthly payment options with Dell Preferred Account. Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL ! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match Keep American farming and enjoy the BEST grass-fed meat & lamb, pastured pork & chicken and wild caught-Alaskan salmon by going to https://MoinkBox.com/Yum  RIGHT NOW and get a free gift with your first order! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A lot of people still send checks in the mail. Increasingly that is becoming a bad idea. Listen as I reveal why postal authorities and banks are recommending you not use the U.S. Mail to send money anymore. https://www.businessinsider.com/post-office-check-fraud-mailing-be-careful-usps-scam-2023-6 The world is full of strange and bizarre stories. And if you listen to this episode, you will hear a bunch of them, such as how one U.S. President prevented his own assassination; how The Beatles drummer Ringo’s unique drumming style is the result of exorcisms, how the Los Angeles Dodgers paid a guy to beam positive messages to players during games from 3000 miles away and many more. These all come from my guest Dan Schreiber. Dan hosts a podcast called There is No Such Thing As a Fish (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/no-such-thing-as-a-fish/id840986946) and he is author of the book The Theory of Everything Else: A Voyage Into the World of the Weird (https://amzn.to/43eruph) Athletes who perform at the top of their game can teach us all a thing or two about life and how to do our best at what we do. Joining me to offer her unique and compelling perspective on this is Sally Jenkins. She has been a columnist and feature writer for The Washington Post for more than twenty years. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2020 and in 2021 was named the winner of the Associated Press Red Smith Award for Outstanding Contributions to Sports Journalism. She is the author of 12 books including The Right Call: What Sport Teaches Us About Work and Life (https://amzn.to/44wtc6y). Why do the people who work at Trader Joe’s wear different colored Hawaiian shirts? Why are they so friendly and why do they keep ringing that bell? Listen as I reveal a few behind the scenes secrets from Trader Joe’s. https://www.businessinsider.com/trader-joes-slang-terms-only-employees-know-2023-7?utm PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! For the first time in NetSuite’s 25 years as the #1 cloud financial system, you can defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months! If you’ve been sizing NetSuite up to make the switch then you know this deal is unprecedented - no interest, no payments - take advantage of this special financing offer at https://NetSuite.com/SYSK ! The Dell Technologies’ Black Friday in July event has arrived with limited-quantity deals on top tech to power any passion. Save on select XPS PCs and more powered by the latest Intel® Core™ processors. Plus, get savings on select monitors and accessories, free shipping and monthly payment options with Dell Preferred Account. Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL ! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match Keep American farming and enjoy the BEST grass-fed meat & lamb, pastured pork & chicken and wild caught-Alaskan salmon by going to https://MoinkBox.com/Yum  RIGHT NOW and get a free gift with your first order! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is it bad to charge your phone overnight? Is it okay to use your phone while it is charging? We start this episode with some of the facts and myths about charging your smartphone and how to improve the life and performance of the battery.  https://www.makeuseof.com/myths-misconceptions-charging-your-phone-debunked/ Your brain is constantly making predictions. For example, when your doctor is about to give you a shot, your brain predicts how painful it will be. If you predict it will hurt a lot – it will likely hurt more than if you predicted that it won’t hurt at all. In other words, your predictions help to shape your reality. And it happens with many of our experiences. Here to dig deeper into this and explain why this is so important is Andy Clark. He is a professor at the University of Sussex and author of six books including The Experience Machine: How Our Minds Predict and Shape Reality (https://amzn.to/3JJPUjH). Do you consider yourself to be a calm person? Of course we all have moments when we are calm and some of us are better able to remain calm in stressful situations than others. But have you ever wondered – what is calm? Is it a feeling, a skill or a state of mind? How can you get better at it? What are the benefits of remaining calm? Well, it seems there are a lot of benefits according to my guest Chris Bailey. As a writer, Chris has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, GQ, The Huffington Post, and he is author of the book How to Calm Your Mind (https://amzn.to/44cmGSu). Flip-flops are pretty standard summertime footwear for many of us. As easy and comfortable as flip-flops are, there are concerns that many foot specialists have. If you are one of those people who wear flip-flops a lot, listen as I explain just what those concerns are. https://www.ipfh.org/images/research_materials/2012_National_Foot_Health_Assessment_June_2012.pdf PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! For the first time in NetSuite’s 25 years as the #1 cloud financial system, you can defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months! If you’ve been sizing NetSuite up to make the switch then you know this deal is unprecedented - no interest, no payments - take advantage of this special financing offer at https://NetSuite.com/SYSK ! The Dell Technologies’ Black Friday in July event has arrived with limited-quantity deals on top tech to power any passion. Save on select XPS PCs and more powered by the latest Intel® Core™ processors. Plus, get savings on select monitors and accessories, free shipping and monthly payment options with Dell Preferred Account. Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL ! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match Keep American farming and enjoy the BEST grass-fed meat & lamb, pastured pork & chicken and wild caught-Alaskan salmon by going to https://MoinkBox.com/Yum  RIGHT NOW and get a free gift with your first order! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have probably all gotten a little more conscientious at washing our hands more frequently. Still, a lot of us are not washing correctly or with proper technique. This episode begins with some expert hand washing advice to make sure your hands are really clean. https://www.readersdigest.com.au/healthsmart/tips/10-ways-youre-washing-your-hands-wrong Don’t you just hate it when businesses tack on fees to the price? In many cases, like concert tickets, or hotels or airline fares, the stated price is meaningless. Very often what you pay is the stated price PLUS anything else they want to add on. Bob Sullivan has been one of the people leading the charge about the stupidity and unfairness of these excessive fees. He is author of the book Gotcha Capitalism (https://amzn.to/2x9R2aR) and he is here to explain why fees have become such a problem and how we can all fight back! Ever wonder where slang words come from? It seems some slang words come and go while others stick around. Some slang words become so popular they stop being slang and become acceptable English. Tom Dalzell has been studying slang for years and has written several books about it including The Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang and Unconventional English (https://amzn.to/2p2ksDi). Listen as he reveals the importance of slang in our language and how some slang words make it and some don’t. Do overweight people face discrimination in the workplace? We like to think we judge people by their character but there is some interesting research that proves that is not always true. Listen as I discuss this and reveal why, in most cases this type of discrimination is perfectly legal. http://www.businessinsider.com/science-overweight-people-less-successful-2015-9 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Keep American farming and enjoy the BEST grass-fed meat & lamb, pastured pork & chicken and wild caught-Alaskan salmon by going to https://MoinkBox.com/Yum  RIGHT NOW and get a free gift with your first order! The Dell Technologies’ Black Friday in July event has arrived with limited-quantity deals on top tech to power any passion. Save on select XPS PCs and more powered by the latest Intel® Core™ processors. Plus, get savings on select monitors and accessories, free shipping and monthly payment options with Dell Preferred Account. Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL ! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People often complain they get sick when they fly on an airplane. And they claim the problem is the recirculated air passengers breathe. That’s actually not quite right. This episode begins with an explanation of what does cause people to get sick from air travel and why it is likely not the air. https://www.rd.com/article/recirculated-air-on-airplanes/ You are about to be amazed when you hear how often we miscommunicate with each other. It happens when we speak, when we send a text or email, on the phone – everywhere. Often, what we say is not what people hear and that causes all kinds of trouble. Here to explain how this happens and how we can prevent all this miscommunication is Roger Kreuz, an associate dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Memphis and a professor in the university's psychology department. He is also author of the book Failure to Communicate: Why We Misunderstand What We Hear, Read, and See (https://amzn.to/44lnHaE) Your clothes are full of chemicals. They are in there to make clothes anti-wrinkle, anti-odor, stain resistant and a bunch of other reasons. The problem is those chemicals aren’t all that effective and they can be harmful. Hear to explain why this is going on and why you probably haven’t heard much about it is Alden Wicker. She is an award-winning journalist and author of the book To Dye For How Toxic Fashion is Making us Sick (https://amzn.to/3pt4Vzj). Do you get food cravings? If so and you want to try to curb them, it seems pickles can help. Listen as I explain how. http://www.wisegeek.com/why-do-some-pregnant-women-crave-pickles-and-ice-cream.htm PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Keep American farming and enjoy the BEST grass-fed meat & lamb, pastured pork & chicken and wild caught-Alaskan salmon by going to https://MoinkBox.com/Yum  RIGHT NOW and get a free gift with your first order! The Dell Technologies’ Black Friday in July event has arrived with limited-quantity deals on top tech to power any passion. Save on select XPS PCs and more powered by the latest Intel® Core™ processors. Plus, get savings on select monitors and accessories, free shipping and monthly payment options with Dell Preferred Account. Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL ! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you know that all people with blue eyes are related to each other? That is just one of the fascinating things we explore as I begin this episode with a look at how your eyes work and how they help you navigate your world. http://www.buzzfeed.com/acuvue/impossibly-cool-facts-you-may-not-know-about-yo#.kjpwxlkvO It often seems that great new ideas and inventions come out of the blue. However, that’s not usually true. There is actually an innovation process according to Matt Ridley. Matt is a journalist, businessman and author of the book How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom (https://amzn.to/2D6syWe). Matt has studied how great ideas are created, developed and accepted and he joins me to explain the process and where the next big thing is likely to come from. Doctors are human so of course they make mistakes. However, the consequences of medical mistakes can be serious and even life threatening. Some reports have said that medical errors are the third leading cause of death in America. Could that really be true? Are errors just part of the system or could most of them be prevented? Joining me to discuss this is Dr. Danielle Ofri, clinical professor of medicine at the New York University School of Medicine and practicing physician at New York’s Bellevue Hospital for more than two decades. She is author of the book When We Do Harm: A Doctor Confronts Medical Error (https://amzn.to/3hVGku9). Perhaps you have noticed that the more money you have in your wallet, the more likely you are to spend it. Actually, it is a little more complicated than that. It seems what kind of money you have in your wallet is a big factor in whether you spend it or keep it. Listen as I explain how this works and how you can use this knowledge to keep more of your own money. http://www.forbes.com/video/4061993829001/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Keep American farming and enjoy the BEST grass-fed meat & lamb, pastured pork & chicken and wild caught-Alaskan salmon by going to https://MoinkBox.com/Yum  RIGHT NOW and get a free gift with your first order! The Dell Technologies’ Black Friday in July event has arrived with limited-quantity deals on top tech to power any passion. Save on select XPS PCs and more powered by the latest Intel® Core™ processors. Plus, get savings on select monitors and accessories, free shipping and monthly payment options with Dell Preferred Account. Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL ! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A lot of health and beauty advice has been passed down over many generations. And a lot of it is just plain wrong! Listen as this episode begins with a little myth busting when it comes to some of the things mom told you to do and not do to stay healthy and beautiful. https://www.everbeautiful.com/2010/1622/ten-popular-beauty-myths-debunked Are there actual benefits to watching sports? Yes – several, according to Larry Olmsted author of the book Fans: How Watching Sports Makes us Happier, Healthier and More Understanding (https://amzn.to/2T6YUs1). Listen as Larry explains how and why being a sports fan has so many physical, mental and social benefits. Even if you are not a sports fan, you may want to become one after you listen to Larry.  What causes relationships to sour? It turns out that it isn’t so much the big arguments and fights – it’s really the little things. Or, to be more precise, the lack of little things that wears down any romantic relationship, family relationship or friendship. Carol Bruess is a social scientist who studies relationships and she is here to explain why relationships need lots of small doses of positivity to succeed and thrive. Listen as she explains exactly how to do it. Carol has a TED Talk on messy relationships you can watch here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOnl76UqUcw&t=14s . She is also author of the book What Happy Couples Do (https://amzn.to/3A8yLcU). How much of your life do you think or talk about the weather? A lot more than you realize because weather is important to us all. In fact, more important than you think. Listen as I explain. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1278257/We-spend-SIX-MONTHS-lives-just-talking-weather.html PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Offer good for a limited time. Keep American farming going by signing up at https://MoinkBox.com/SYSK  RIGHT NOW and listeners of this show get FREE filet mignon for a year! Now your ideas don’t have to wait. Dell Technologies and Intel are creating technology that loves ideas, expanding your business & evolving your passions. Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/welcometonow ! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Want to significantly improve your chances of a getting a good night’s sleep? This episode begins with a simple technique you can do today that can improve your sleep tonight. https://sleepopolis.com/news/make-bed-better-sleep/ In every language and in every culture, people swear. While we were all taught from an early age, not to say “bad words,” we all know what those words are, whether we choose to say them or not. Is swearing really so bad? Are there actual benefits to using curse words? Apparently so - at least sometimes according to Timothy Jay who is considered one of the leading authorities on swearing. Timothy is psychology professor emeritus at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and author of a couple of books on this topic - Cursing in America (https://amzn.to/3CMIs36) and Why We Curse (https://amzn.to/46hZ2FN). Listen as he discusses the origins of swear words and the role swearing plays in our culture.  Confidence is attractive when we see it in other people. And many of us wish we had more self-confidence so we could project it in our dealings with other people. Here to offer some very solid and simple strategies for building up your confidence quickly is Selena Rezvani. Selena is a speaker, journalist, and author – her latest book is Quick Confidence: Be Authentic, Create Connections and Make Bold Bets On Yourself. (https://amzn.to/43WVJ59). If you want to boost your mood, there is something you can do to your face right now that can help. Listen as I explain this simple technique and why it works so well. Source: Dr. Stephanie McClellan, author of The Ultimate Stress Relief Plan for Women (https://amzn.to/3NLj04s). PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Offer good for a limited time. Keep American farming going by signing up at https://MoinkBox.com/SYSK  RIGHT NOW and listeners of this show get FREE filet mignon for a year! Now your ideas don’t have to wait. Dell Technologies and Intel are creating technology that loves ideas, expanding your business & evolving your passions. Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/welcometonow ! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever wonder how spiders get into your house? This episode begins with an explanation and some ideas on how to make your home less appealing to spiders. https://www.prevention.com/life/a32332424/how-to-get-rid-of-spiders/ Probably a day doesn’t go by when you don’t laugh at something. So what is it that makes something funny? What do humor and laughter do for us? Is laughter really the best medicine? Why do we seek out comedy in movies, TV shows and standup comedy shows? Believe it or not, there are researchers who study all this and the role humor and laughter play in our lives. What they have discovered will fascinate you. Joining me to discuss is Caleb Warren, an assistant professor at the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona, former assistant professor at Texas A&M University and lead author of a study titled, What Makes Things Funny (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1088868320961909). Water is everywhere yet it is also a precious resource. Without it, there would be no life, no you or me. While the amount of water on earth remains constant, the population has grown to the point where it puts a strain on the water supply. Extreme weather can also threaten water as does pollution and contamination from a lot of different sources. Is bottled water really better than the water that comes out of your tap. So it is important to know how water on our planet works. Why, for example, can’t we just take the salt out of ocean water and solve all the water problem forever? Joining me to discuss all this is Peter Gleick ,co-founder, president-emeritus, and Senior Fellow of the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security in Oakland, California and author of the book The Three Ages of Water: Prehistoric Past, Imperiled Present, and a Hope for the Future (https://amzn.to/431foQo). When is the best time to exercise, morning or evening? It actually depends on a number of factors, including what kind of exercise, what type of person you are and a few other things. Listen as I explain. https://www.livestrong.com/article/447879-morning-vs-evening-cardio/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Offer good for a limited time. Keep American farming going by signing up at https://MoinkBox.com/SYSK  RIGHT NOW and listeners of this show get FREE filet mignon for a year! Now your ideas don’t have to wait. Dell Technologies and Intel are creating technology that loves ideas, expanding your business & evolving your passions. Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/welcometonow ! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before the mid 60s, a can of beer on a hot summer day was worthless without a can opener. Then along came the pop-top can. This episode begins with the interesting story of how the pop-top can changed our world.  https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Ermal_Fraze No doubt, you have a secret. Everyone has a secret – perhaps more than one. The problem is that carrying around secrets can cause real harm according to Michael Slepian, one of the leading researchers on the psychology of secrets and a professor at Columbia Business School. Listen as Michael reveals how to lessen the burden of keeping secrets and tells you how to feel better for having them. Michael’s website is http://www.keepingsecrets.org/ We have probably all sent a text or email and when the expected response didn’t come right away, we start to wonder why. Maybe you said something you shouldn’t have. Maybe something terrible happened to the person you texted. Maybe your boss didn’t respond because he plans to fire you soon. Why do we think the worst just because someone doesn’t reply as quickly as we like? Listen to my guest Sam George, a digital marketing expert and author of the book I’ll Get Back to You: The Dyscommunication Crisis: Why Unreturned Messages Drive Us Crazy and What to Do About It (https://amzn.to/2Uof14w). Sam explains why those thoughts are irrational and how to get people to respond to email and texts faster so you aren’t left wondering. Do you have loose items sitting in the back of your car like toys, shoes, pens or maybe even your laptop? Having those kinds of loose items in your car can be a real safety hazard. Listen as I explain the problem and how to fix it so people don’t get hurt. https://www.consumerreports.org/content/cro/en/health/pack-your-car-safely.print.html PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Offer good for a limited time. Keep American farming going by signing up at https://MoinkBox.com/SYSK  RIGHT NOW and listeners of this show get FREE filet mignon for a year! Now your ideas don’t have to wait. Dell Technologies and Intel are creating technology that loves ideas, expanding your business & evolving your passions. Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/welcometonow ! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A common recommendation for people trying to control their weight is to get enough sleep. Why? What could sleep have to do with losing weight? This episode begins with an explanation. https://www.webmd.com/obesity/features/cant-shed-those-pounds “Cut to the chase.” “ Made from scratch.” Close but no cigar.” Where did these phrases come from? That’s just one of the things I discuss with Erin McCarthy, VP/Editor-in-Chief of MentalFloss.com author of the book Mental Floss: The Curious Compendium of Wonderful Words (https://amzn.to/443Ihfz). Listen as she also discusses words people hate the most – but use anyway and tells the story of how McDonalds went to war with the dictionary. Ever wonder what your future self will be like? You will probably be a very different person 10 or 20 years from now. So perhaps you should prepare for the future you because he/she is coming. To help you understand who your future self will be and what that person may need or want from you now is Hal Hershfield, professor of marketing, behavioral decision making and psychology at the Anderson School of Management at UCLA and author of the book Your Future Self: How to Make Tomorrow Better Today (https://amzn.to/42Y2G4V) People have been using honey to treat burns and wounds for centuries. Does it work? Actually, it is a little more complicated than you might think. Listen as I explain. https://www.uclahealth.org/news/medical-grade-honey-is-viable-tool-in-wound-care# PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Offer good for a limited time. Keep American farming going by signing up at https://MoinkBox.com/SYSK  RIGHT NOW and listeners of this show get FREE filet mignon for a year! Now your ideas don’t have to wait. Dell Technologies and Intel are creating technology that loves ideas, expanding your business & evolving your passions. Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/welcometonow ! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People who blush know it can be embarrassing. That begs the question – why do people blush in the first place? This episode begins with a brief discussion about why people blush and the purpose it serves. https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/bering-in-mind/why-we-blush-the-social-purpose-of-showing-embarrassment/ Have you ever found yourself hurrying to do something, even when there is no need to hurry? Many of us are just stuck in that mode. No matter what we are doing, we try to do it quickly. That turns out to be a big problem. Doing things fast often comes at a price and doing things slower can have immense benefits according to Carl Honore author of the book In Praise of Slowness (https://amzn.to/43GRlXN). Listen as Carl makes the case for turning down the speed of life so that life itself becomes much more enjoyable.   You are surrounded by music. You intentionally listen to music you enjoy but you also hear it in the store and on the elevator. It’s in TV shows and movies – music is everywhere. And people seem to want it and love it. So, what does music do for us? That is what Larry Sherman is here to reveal. Larry is professor of neuroscience at the Oregon Health and Science University and has given lectures on music and the brain throughout the world. He is author of a book called Every Brain Needs Music: The Neuroscience of Making and Listening to Music. (https://amzn.to/3JdFDf8). If you have silver jewelry or silver anything, you should probably keep some blackboard chalk around. Listen as I explain why and what you should do with it. https://www.thelist.com/1235914/why-you-should-store-a-piece-of-chalk-in-your-jewelry-drawer/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Offer good for a limited time. Keep American farming going by signing up at https://MoinkBox.com/SYSK  RIGHT NOW and listeners of this show get FREE filet mignon for a year! Now your ideas don’t have to wait. Dell Technologies and Intel are creating technology that loves ideas, expanding your business & evolving your passions. Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/welcometonow ! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most of us have had déjà vu – that feeling that what you are experiencing now, you have somehow experienced before. This episode begins with some interesting insight into what it is, why it happens and when it is most likely to occur. Source: Marie Jones author of The Déjà Vu Enigma (https://amzn.to/3xB94j3). Humans have the need to own things according to psychologist Bruce Hood, author of the book Possessed: Why We Want More Than We Need (https://amzn.to/3iRBpxv) Even when you were a child, you knew that your teddy bear or blanket belonged to you and only you. You owned it. As adults we not only like to own things, we like to own nice things and the more the better – which can sometimes get us in trouble. Listen as Bruce explains what it means to own something and why it feels good to be an owner. Does America have a cuisine? Sort of but it’s really made up of foods from other cultures that we have adapted and incorporated into our culture to suit our tastes according to David Page, author of the book Food Americana (https://amzn.to/3xy0EZO). David, who is an Emmy-award winning producer of food television programs takes us on a journey to explore the origins of some of our most popular American foods including pizza, ice cream, barbecue – and why the reason there is likely a Mexican restaurant not too far from you is all because of Taco Bell. Some days you just know you look fantastic. And have you ever noticed that on those days, life tends to go better for you? Listen as I explain why you do better when you look good. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0092656610000279 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Keep American farming going by signing up at https://MoinkBox.com/SYSK  RIGHT NOW and listeners of this show get FREE filet mignon for a year! Now your ideas don’t have to wait. Dell Technologies and Intel are creating technology that loves ideas, expanding your business & evolving your passions. Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/welcometonow ! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you think how much your smartphone costs to buy and maintain, it’s a smart idea to try to make it last as long as possible. This episode begins with some simple ways to extend the life of your phone and battery. https://www.popsci.com/diy/how-to-make-your-phone-last-longer/ Some of the very best and most successful ideas are the result of lateral thinking. Uber and Airbnb are two examples and there are many more that you will hear from my guest Paul Sloane. Paul is a recognized authority on innovation and creativity and author of several books including Lateral Thinking for Every Day: Extraordinary Solutions to Ordinary Problems (https://amzn.to/3Nl5ynz). If you could use a new way to solve problems and look for solutions, you need to hear what Paul has to say.  Do you ever avoid certain conversations because it is just not worth it? Or ever find yourself in a conversation that is going nowhere or disintegrates into an argument? It happens to all of us. However, there are ways to have those conversations and control them in a way that is actually productive and leaves people feeling heard. That is what Sam Horn is here to discuss. Sam is founder of Tongue Fu! Training Institute (https://www.tonguefu.com/) that promotes stronger communication in corporations, government agencies, schools, and nonprofits. She is also the author of the book Talking on Eggshells: Soft Skills for Hard Conversations (https://amzn.to/45SbYBT). There is a theory that says you should buy gasoline in the morning when the weather is cooler. That way you will get more for your money. Listen as we explore the theory and whether it is worth getting up early to fill your tank. https://drivinvibin.com/2022/03/17/morning-fuel/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Keep American farming going by signing up at https://MoinkBox.com/SYSK  RIGHT NOW and listeners of this show get FREE filet mignon for a year! Now your ideas don’t have to wait. Dell Technologies and Intel are creating technology that loves ideas, expanding your business & evolving your passions. Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/welcometonow ! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are all pretty clear on the dangers of driving while intoxicated. But there also appears to be some danger in driving while dehydrated. Who knew? This episode begins with some fascinating research that shows a link between dehydration and driver error – and the results will surprise you. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/driving-while-dehydrated-can-be-just-as-dangerous-as-drinkdriving-study-suggests-10187670.html  How do you get a lot of things done without the feeling of being overwhelmed? Part of the problem is understanding why you feel overwhelmed. When you do, it is easy to stop it according to my guest, time management expert Sam Bennett author of the book Start Right Where You Are: How Little Changes Can Make a Big Difference for Overwhelmed Procrastinators, Frustrated Overachievers, and Recovering Perfectionists (https://amzn.to/2ZKmwDs). Listen as she reveals how to take control of your day and accomplish the important tasks – and how NOT to be one of those people who is always complaining about how busy and overwhelmed they are.  If you don’t have enough confidence in yourself and your abilities, it is hard to succeed. Yet having too much confidence can also get in the way. So how do you get the right amount of confidence and use it to your advantage? Here to discuss that is Don Moore, professor of management at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and author of the book Perfectly Confident (https://amzn.to/3cuzZTr). Have you ever felt really intense loneliness. It can be excruciatingly painful. And that turns out to be a good thing. Listen as I reveal how to use the pain of loneliness to not feel lonely anymore. Source: Dr. Pat Love author of Never Be Lonely Again (https://amzn.to/2TKC3zq) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Keep American farming going by signing up at https://MoinkBox.com/SYSK  RIGHT NOW and listeners of this show get FREE filet mignon for a year! Now your ideas don’t have to wait. Dell Technologies and Intel are creating technology that loves ideas, expanding your business & evolving your passions. Find out how to bring your ideas to life at https://Dell.com/welcometonow ! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are a lot of good reasons to be more optimistic. Interestingly, it also seems simply pretending to be an optimist has many of the same benefits. This episode starts with a discussion on how real or pretend optimism can be good for everyone and why even the most hardened pessimist might want to try looking at the bright side of life. Source: Michael Mercer, PhD author of Spontaneous Optimism (https://amzn.to/3vo7oc9). To be successful typically requires skill, practice and hard work. However, one often overlooked strategy to being successful is - reverse engineering. In other words, by taking apart and analyzing what others have done to be successful, you can find a better path for yourself, according to psychologist Ron Friedman. Ron is author of the book Decoding Greatness: How the Best in the World Reverse Engineer Success (https://amzn.to/2REVhc7). Listen as he reveals how some of the top people in their field use this technique to achieve greatness and how you can too. Few of us are fans of houseflies. I'm sure you don't like them buzzing around your head or landing on your food or ruining your outdoor picnic. As pesky as they are though, we couldn’t survive with flies. There are about 20 million flies on the planet for every human and they actually do some very beneficial things for us, according to biologist Jonathan Balcombe author of the book SUPER FLY: The Unexpected Lives of the World’s Most Successful Insects (https://amzn.to/3bVgqp3). Listen as he takes you on a tour into what it is like to be a fly and all the gross yet beneficial things flies do.  Growing up I am sure you were told to go play outside. We have all heard that it is good to be outdoors. How good is it? Listen as I explain the very concrete benefits of being outside in nature for all of us – and especially for kids and teens. https://positivepsychology.com/positive-effects-of-nature/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! The Dell Technologies’ Summer Sale Event is on, with limited-quantity deals on top tech! It’s the perfect season to power your passions during Dell’s Summer Sale Event. Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL. Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match 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!  Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you want to take a nap, it might be a good idea to find a hammock. This episode begins with an explanation for why hammocks can help just about anyone sleep better.  https://www.livescience.com/14680-hammock-rocking-improves-sleep.html Saying no can be difficult. You certainly don’t want to disappoint others and you worry people will think you are not a team player if you say no. Still, we have all said yes to things we wish we hadn’t. Now, there is some great research that shows that HOW you say no is what really matters. You can say no to just about anything and people will generally accept it without pushback. Joining me to explain how you can say no and not feel bad about it is Professor Vanessa Patrick from the University of Houston and author of the book The Power of Saying No: The New Science of How to Say No That Puts You in Charge of Your Life  (https://amzn.to/3MUs6KE). With so much emphasis on finding happiness today, why do so many people (40%) say they are unhappy? Can you really lead a happy life? After all, happiness is a fleeting emotion – it comes and goes. Maybe we should be seeking a life of satisfaction rather than a life of happiness. Here to explain the important distinction between happiness and satisfaction and how you can lead a more satisfied life is Dr Jennifer Guttman. She is psychologist in private practice and author of the book Beyond Happiness: The 6 Secrets of Life Satisfaction (https://amzn.to/43mzyoB). Eye contact can be very powerful in any relationship. Listen as I explain a simple eye contact technique that triggers just the right hormones that will make you more intriguing to the person you are looking at. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/26704066 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! The Dell Technologies’ Summer Sale Event is on, with limited-quantity deals on top tech! It’s the perfect season to power your passions during Dell’s Summer Sale Event. Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL. Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match 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!  Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you ever turn your phone off? I mean ALL the way off. This episode begins by explaining why it is a good idea to do it and how often you should. https://www.batteriesplus.com/blog/tech/should-you-turn-off-your-phone Asking someone for something can be hard. After all, you might not like the answer. Still, as the saying goes, “It doesn’t hurt to ask.” Whether you are asking for a job or for help or money or a favor, asking can be stressful. What if there was a formula to follow that would make asking for anything a lot easier and a lot more likely to result in a “yes”? Here to share that formula is Laura Fredricks. Laura is a lawyer who has asked and raised more than $1 billion for nonprofits, businesses, and individuals. She is author of the book Hard Asks Made Easy: How to Get Exactly What You Want (https://amzn.to/3WJhAu0) It’s hard to imagine life without ice. We use it for so many things. In fact, even before there were freezers, people used ice. In the early days of the ice industry, it was harvested and shipped all over the world – which sounds strange because you would think it would melt before it got there. But it didn’t. Joining me to tell the amazing story of ice is Amy Brady. She is the executive director of Orion magazine and author of the book Ice: From Mixed Drinks to Skating Rinks—a Cool History of a Hot Commodity (https://amzn.to/3MKX7Rc). If you ever have to go to the hospital, there is one month out of the year that you really want to try to avoid going at all costs. Listen as I explain which month that is and why you want to stay away. https://www.fox2detroit.com/sponsored/bernstein-july-effect PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! The Dell Technologies’ Summer Sale Event is on, with limited-quantity deals on top tech! It’s the perfect season to power your passions during Dell’s Summer Sale Event. Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL. Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match We really like The Mel Robbins Podcast! https://melrobbins.com/podcast You can change your life and Mel Robbins will show you how, so search for it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Back when grocery stores started charging for new plastic bags, there was a concern that using reusable grocery bags could be dangerous because of the germs and bacteria that accumulate in those bags when you use them over and over again. You don’t hear so much about this concern today like you used to. Should you be worried about your reusable grocery bags? This episode begins with an exploration into that. https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/how-clean-are-your-reusable-shopping-bags-the-truth-will-shock-you/ You and every other human being engages in a lot of self-deception. We tell ourselves stories about how wonderful we are or how great our kids are, or how skilled we are at something. While it may seem silly, it turns out that self-deception serves an important purpose in our ability to navigate through life according to Shankar Vadantam author of the book Useful Delusions: The Power and Paradox of the Self-Deceiving Brain (https://amzn.to/3gfTNgI). Shankar joins me to explain this fascinating quirk of human behavior and how to make the most of our own self-deception. Shankar’s podcast Hidden Brain can be found here: https://hiddenbrain.org/ Flirting can be fun. It might even lead to romance. On the other hand, it could get you in trouble depending on who you flirt with and where. Jean Smith is a social and cultural anthropologist who has studied flirting and written a book called Flirtology (https://amzn.to/3pzec4u). Jean joins me to discuss what flirting is and how to do it well. Her website is www.Flirtology.com A lot of people voluntarily refuse to take a vacation. Yet, the benefits of taking a vacation are impressive and numerous. Listen as I explain how “all work and no play” is a bad for your mental and physical health and why you must take your summer vacation this year and why it’s important to actually enjoy the experience. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/take-back-your-time-10-reasons-why-vacations-matter-keith-salwoski/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Offer good for a limited time. Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus 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

Everyone has secrets. And that can be a problem. The burden of keeping a secret has a ripple effect in your life you likely don’t realize. This episode begins with an explanation. http://now.tufts.edu/articles/how-burdensome-are-secrets The world of work and career is changing in a lot of interesting ways. More of us are looking for meaning in what we do rather than just climbing the ladder and making money. A lot of people today have more than just one job – sometimes more than two! And there seems to be a shift in how people relate to their work and their employer. Bruce Feiler has been watching and researching these changing trends in the workplace and he is here to discuss how all this change impacts you and opens up opportunities for all of us. Bruce is the author of six consecutive New York Times bestsellers and his latest is called The Search: Finding Meaningful Work in a Post-Career World (https://amzn.to/3OKgwUI) Doesn’t it seem like a lot more people have allergies today than in the past? Why do we get allergies? What causes them to start in some people but not others? For so many of us, allergies are a real nuisance and for others a serious health risk. Here to discuss what you need to know about allergies is Theresa MacPhail. She is a medical anthropologist, and associate professor of science and technology. She is also author of the book Allergic: Our Irritated Bodies in a Changing World (https://amzn.to/43d9uwb) Of course, you know that exercise is good for your health. It also turns out to be good for your sex life. Listen as I reveal how people who exercise regularly have a lot more fun in the bedroom and feel better about their own sex appeal. https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/health/a776324/can-exercise-lead-to-a-better-sex-life/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Offer good for a limited time. Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus 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

Ever wonder why mosquitoes are attracted to some people more than others? I begin this episode by discussing 5 factors that make you so irresistible to those pesky insects. https://theweek.com/articles/462191/5-things-that-make-irresistible-mosquitoes Consumer behavior is a fascinating area of research. While people like to think they make objective decisions about what to buy or not buy, there are a lot of factors that influence those decisions such as description, price, ease of use and many more. And they influence you in ways that are not so obvious. Joining me to explain these factors is Richard Shotton. He is a behavioral scientist and author of the book The Illusion of Choice: 16 ½ Psychological Biases That Influence What We Buy (https://amzn.to/3q2Vne9). What do you think of when you hear the word data? Doesn’t it seem that data has an air of certainty, authority and objectivity. It’s hard to argue with data, right? That’s what concerns Chris Wiggins who is here to take a hard look at the history of data, algorithms and statistics and how they have come to drive so much of our lives. Should we accept data simply because, well, it’s data? Or should we be a bit more skeptical? Chris Wiggins is an associate professor of applied mathematics at Columbia University and he is the New York Times’s chief data scientist and co-author of the book How Data Happened: A History from the Age of Reason to the Age of Algorithms (https://amzn.to/3luS1Pb). Ever pull a green potato chip out of the bag and wonder if it is safe to eat? What about the occasional dark brown chip? What’s the deal with that one? Listen as I explain what to do with these off-color chips. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/30746/whats-those-green-potato-chips-you-sometimes-find PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Offer good for a limited time. Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ask people what their favorite or lucky number is, and you will get a lot of different answers. But if you ask enough people and you start to notice that one number emerges as the clear winner above the others. This episode begins with that number and why it is so popular. Source: Alex Bellos author of Here’s Looking at Euclid (https://amzn.to/3wgjt3z)  We are all afraid of something . Maybe it is spiders or the dark or public speaking. Whatever it is, that creates that feeling of fear in you can be very powerful. Where do fears come from? Why are some people more afraid than others? Do fears last a lifetime or can you eliminate or reduce them? If you have ever wondered about these things, you should listen to my guest Eva Holland. Eva is a writer who had some very strong fears that held her back. As a result, she decided to research the topic in preparation to write her book Nerve: Adventures in the Science of Fear (https://amzn.to/3pK2rrW). Listen as she offers some great insight and advice about all the things that make you afraid. There are so many skills and factors that go into how you communicate to connect, influence and persuade others. There is a good chance you aren’t using all the skills at your disposal according to David JP Phillips. David studied over 5,000 speakers to discover the skills that make them such great communicators. Listen as he joins me to explain some of these skills that you can easily use to make you more influential and better able to speak with others. To learn more about David’s 110 communication skills go to: www.HeadGain.com. His TED Talk is here: https://bit.ly/3cDctG9 Doesn’t it seem weird when you are stuck in a traffic jam then it turns out there was no real reason for it? Why do these phantom traffic jams happen? Is there a way to stop them from happening? Listen as I explain. https://www.livescience.com/61862-why-phantom-traffic-jams-happen.html PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. The Dell Technologies’ Summer Sale Event is on, with limited-quantity deals on top tech! It’s the perfect season to power your passions during Dell’s Summer Sale Event. Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL. Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here’s some good advice: SLOW DOWN! This episode begins with a list of things you do every day that you would actually do better if you did them slower. Source: Debbie Mandel, author of Addicted to Stress https://amzn.to/45kCGDc Traveling today can be difficult. Still, people like to travel. So, if you are heading off on vacation or taking a trip of any kind, you will enjoy hearing my guest, Patricia Schultz. She is a veteran travel journalist who has accumulated a knowledge base of travel hacks and tricks and otherwise great advice that she joins me with to share with you. And a lot of what she has to say, you probably haven’t heard before. Patricia is author of the book Why We Travel: 100 Reasons To See The World (https://amzn.to/45twsAW) Is there intelligent life elsewhere in the universe? People have been asking that question for a long time. And the answer seems to be – we just don’t know. Still, the idea of alien life captures our imagination. If it has captured your imagination, you are really going to like listening to my guest, Jaime Green. She is a science writer, editor, and teacher, and author of the book The Possibility of Life: Science, Imagination, and Our Quest for Kinship in the Cosmos (https://amzn.to/45iVumb) How many times have you heard that you should never wash your good kitchen knives in the dishwasher? Why? What’s the worst that could happen? Actually, that’s just one of several pieces of kitchen wisdom that I tackle in this episode and the explanations may come as a surprise. https://www.consumerreports.org/dishwashers/things-to-never-put-in-dishwasher/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. The Dell Technologies’ Summer Sale Event is on, with limited-quantity deals on top tech! It’s the perfect season to power your passions during Dell’s Summer Sale Event. Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL. Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As you know, you can’t tickle yourself. But if you are ticklish, anyone else can tickle you. So why is that? Even if you know someone is about to tickle you, it still tickles. Listen as this episode begins with an explanation of how tickling works. http://www.livescience.com/3882-tickle.html Our culture – in fact the whole world lives on schedule of a 7-day week. Yet, the week is a totally artificial, man-made invention. Other ways of measuring time such as days, hours, months and years are related to the sun, the moon, the rotation of the earth and other things – but the week is all just made up. Yet it works so exquisitely well! Imagine life with the week. Your schedule would be a disaster. Here to discuss how the week came into being and why it is so important is  David Henkin, a professor of history at the University of California at Berkley and author of book The Week: A History of the Unnatural Rhythms That Made Us Who We Are (https://amzn.to/3InCDwl) Are you a cat lover? There are millions of them. And even if you are not, you have probably lived in or spent time in a home with cats. Where did cats come from? How did they get to be household pets? And what’s really interesting is that having an indoor cat didn’t actually become a thing until the 1930’s. That’s an interesting story. And here to discuss all this is Jonathan B. Losos an evolutionary biologist at Washington University and author of the book The Cat’s Meow: How Cats Evolved from The Savanna to Your Sofa (https://amzn.to/41PpAe1). If you have valuables in your home, where is the best place to hide them? The freezer? A dresser drawer? No. There’s another place that burglars almost never look. Listen and I will tell you where that is. https://www.rd.com/list/where-do-burglars-look/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. The Dell Technologies’ Summer Sale Event is on, with limited-quantity deals on top tech!  It’s the perfect season to power your passions during Dell’s Summer Sale Event. Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL. Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you have a smart phone, you can take pictures of anything, anytime, anywhere. This episode starts with one very simple piece of advice that can make the pictures you take more interesting and more memorable. And it is really, really simple. https://daystarvisions.com/Docs/Tuts/Comp/ Love isn’t always easy. In fact, it can be really hard sometimes. That’s because despite our desire and need for love – we are not especially good at it. Perhaps that is because we are looking for the wrong characteristics in a partner according to Ty Tashiro. Ty is a psychologist, social scientist and author of the book, The Science of Happily Ever After: What Really Matters in the Search for True Love (https://amzn.to/3o3IWtO). Listen as he explains what turns out to be really important but is often overlooked in creating a lasting love relationship. We are all taught from an early age that it is important to learn and think. Yet just as important as learning and thinking are - UN-learning and RE-thinking are also critical. Adam Grant is an organizational psychologist, host of the very successful TED podcast called Work Life with Adam Grant https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/worklife-with-adam-grant/id1346314086?mt=2) and his latest book is called Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know (https://amzn.to/3o51NVk). Adam joins me to explain how to unlearn and rethink and what happens when you do it well.  Does it actually matter what brand of gasoline you put in your car? After all, gasoline is gasoline – right? Listen and find out why that is not exactly true. https://www.thoughtco.com/does-it-matter-where-get-gas-607905 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! The Daily Boost Podcast is the most popular and longest-running personal growth podcast in the world - for a good reason. Every episode delivers a positive boost of daily motivation and coaching designed to help you get what you want - no matter what gets in the way! Be sure to get your Daily Boost at https://motivationtomove.com today! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! 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

Where and when did someone come up with the idea for sunglasses? This episode begins with a brief history that goes way back in time to the very first sunglasses and how our modern-day sunglasses came about not so long ago. http://www.glasseshistory.com/glasses-history/history-of-sunglasses/ You know what wonder is. It’s that feeling you get when you see the Grand Canyon for the first time or a double rainbow or a beautiful sunset. The problem is we tend to lose our sense of wonder over time. Still, it is an emotion worth developing according to Monica Parker. She is a world-renowned speaker who has spent decades helping people discover how to lead and live wonderfully. She is also author of the book The Power of Wonder (https://amzn.to/3I5F5Y4). Listen as she explains the amazing mental, emotional and physical benefits of finding wonder in your world – and exactly how to do it.  What is money and how does it work? There is a lot of misunderstanding about this topic. For example, people worry about the federal government running out of money or not being able to pay its bills. That can’t happen according to L. Randall Wray, a professor of Economics at Bard College, Senior Scholar at the Levy Economics Institute and author of Money for Beginners: An Illustrated Guide (https://amzn.to/42BuPPG). Listen as he discusses how money works, how it has changed and what the future of money is.  You know those people who say they can get by with 4-5 hours of sleep? Really? What happens when you test people who sleep so little compared to people who sleep a full 8 hours? Listen as I explain what happens to people who try to perform on very little sleep. https://www.restoringhealth.center/how-many-hours-of-sleep-do-you-actually-need PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! The Daily Boost Podcast is the most popular and longest-running personal growth podcast in the world - for a good reason. Every episode delivers a positive boost of daily motivation and coaching designed to help you get what you want - no matter what gets in the way! Be sure to get your Daily Boost at https://motivationtomove.com today! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! 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

You know that if you don’t drink enough water you get dehydrated. Still, there are other factors that can accelerate dehydration you may not be aware of. This episode begins by explaining what situations can bring this on, even if you think you are taking in plenty of water.  https://www.eatingwell.com/article/8034255/sneaky-reasons-youre-dehydrated-nothing-to-do-with-water/ We all get stuck in life. Whether it is a job, relationship, a project or just trying to come up with a new idea, it is common to get stuck. Fortunately for over twenty years, Adam Alter has been studying “stuckness” to better understand how and why it happens and most importantly how to get unstuck. Adam is professor of marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He also holds an affiliated professorship in social psychology at NYU’s psychology department and he is author of the book Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most (https://amzn.to/3O2uH7d). Adam joins me to offer some great advice to help you and everyone else for the next time you feel stuck. Everyone has heard that the way to live a long and healthy life is to eat right, exercise, get enough sleep...etc. That’s been the advice for a long time and frankly, it is a bit vague. That’s why you need to listen to my guest Peter Atia, MD. Peter serves on the editorial board for the journal Aging. He is the host of The Drive, one of the most popular podcasts covering the topics of health, medicine, and longevity. And he is the author of a monster best-selling book called Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity (https://amzn.to/3VTaWBa). If you want to know how to improve the quality and length of your life, you need to hear what Peter Atia has to say.  When someone gets motion sickness in the car – what do you do? Listen as I explain what works to help prevent motion sickness and what alleviates the symptoms once someone starts to feel that horrible feeling. https://www.ahchealthenews.com/2016/05/13/tips-preventing-treating-motion-sickness/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! The Daily Boost Podcast is the most popular and longest-running personal growth podcast in the world - for a good reason. Every episode delivers a positive boost of daily motivation and coaching designed to help you get what you want - no matter what gets in the way! Be sure to get your Daily Boost at https://motivationtomove.com today! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! 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

Timing is important, especially when it comes to the big life decisions you make. In fact, the time of day you make a big decision matters a lot. This episode begins with an explanation of how timing can impact decisions you make and what is the best time of day to decide anything. http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-make-better-decisions-2016-11 Human beings tend to think they are smarter than they actually are. We also have a tendency to believe things that are simply not true. This is according to Philip Fernbach associate professor at the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado in Boulder and author of a book called The Knowledge Illusion (https://amzn.to/3toAk1J). Listen as he explains why we think this way and what the ramifications are for all of us. You might think that with so much emphasis on healthy eating that restaurants would be serving up some healthier and more nutritious food today. But that doesn’t seem to be the case. Dariush Mozaffarian, MD is a professor of Medicine at the Tufts University School of Medicine and Editor-in-Chief, Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter. (https://www.nutritionletter.tufts.edu/). He conducted some fascinating research into how nutritious restaurant meals are and the findings will likely surprise you. If you are concerned about your health, you will want to hear what he has to say. Pretty much every car on the road has parking lights. But why? What purpose do they serve? Listen as I explain why your car is equipped with parking lights in the first place, why they are likely amber colored (at least in the U.S.) and when you should never use them. https://www.infobloom.com/what-are-parking-lights.htm PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Don’t spoil the ending!” It seems no one wants to know how a story or movie ends until they see it end in real time. But maybe knowing the ending first could make the experience better. Is that possible? Listen and find out. alerts. https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/spoiler-alert-spoilers-make-you-enjoy-stories-more Remember when computers and other electronic devices came with huge instruction manuals? Not anymore. Today we expect things to be user-friendly, so we don’t need instructions. The whole concept of the “user-friendly” and the demand for a good “user experience” actually traces back to a point in time not so long ago. Cliff Kuang is a user experience designer and author of the book User Friendly: How the hidden rules of design are changing the way we live, work, and play (https://amzn.to/37T1Vi0). Listen as he discusses the evolution that has gone from teaching people how to use complicated machines to making complicated machines easy for people to use. Trying to change someone’s mind is often a waste of time. Clearly, arguing doesn’t work nor does rational explanation. Perhaps there is a better way. Or maybe it just isn’t worth the effort. Maybe people should believe whatever they wish. Eleanor Gordon Smith has researched this and written a book about it called Stop Being Reasonable: How We Really Change Our Minds (https://amzn.to/2R9OxQQ). She joins me explain her fascinating research on why changing someone’s mind is amazingly difficult. In almost every workplace people complain that it is either too hot or too cold. So how do you make sure you are comfortable no matter where the thermostat says? Listen for a quick and simple secret to feeling just right no matter what the temperature is. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/09/office-too-cold-shoes/502184/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Drinking coffee in the morning is a pleasant habit for many of us. However, this episode begins by explaining why you might want to smell your coffee as well as drink it to help you think better and be more productive. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6881620/ In many metropolitan areas, parking is the number one land use. The U.S. has 4 parking spaces for every car on the road! So why is it so hard to find a spot when you need one? That is what Henry Grabar is here to explain and discuss. Henry is a staff writer at Slate, and author of the book Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World (https://amzn.to/3HG2xLg). Listen and you will understand why parking is a much bigger deal than you ever realized.  Microbes are those little tiny organisms that you can’t see without a microscope -things like germs, bacteria, fungi. We have a tendency to think of them as dangerous or things that cause illness and disease. Yet, actually most of them don’t cause any harm and some are even good for you. And by the way, you have trillions of microbes on you and inside of you. Here to take us on a tour into the invisible world of microbes is Jake Robinson Jake is a microbial ecologist and author of the book Invisible Friends: How Microbes Shape our Lives and the World Around Us (https://amzn.to/44pGRwR) While some people do have food allergies, there aren’t as many as you might think. A lot of people who claim to be allergic to certain foods actually have an intolerance to the food. But that is not an actual allergy. Listen as I explain the difference. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/food-allergy/expert-answers/food-allergy/faq-20058538 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Doctors are supposed to know medical truth from myth. Yet a lot of doctors are misinformed – at least on some things. This episode begins with some information about a survey that showed how many pediatricians believe in some common parenting advice that has been proven to be untrue. Source: Andrew Adesman, M.D. author of Baby Facts (https://amzn.to/3h0oPLw) We all use digital means of communication because it makes it easy to keep in touch with people. Still there are some drawbacks. Often, emails, texts, chats and other electronic messages can be misinterpreted. Erica Dhawan is a speaker and trainer who is author of a book called Digital Body Language (https://amzn.to/3nIkKNc). Listen as she explores how to best use digital communication and avoid the missteps that so often happen that can lead to misunderstanding. The food we eat today is very different than what humans ate when we were hunter gatherers. Today, much of our food is farmed. In fact, farming changed everything as did the development of cooking. Even herbs and spices changed the way we prepare and eat our food. Jonathan Silvertown professor of evolutionary ecology at the University of Edinburgh and author of the book Dinner with Darwin: Food, Drink, and Evolution (https://amzn.to/3xHpfMx) joins me for an interesting discussion about how our food has changed over our history and what it has done to help humans evolve. Do you know how often you are supposed to replace things like toothbrushes, pillows or kitchen sponges? Listen to hear some expert advice on when to throw the old one out and bring a new one in. And some of the recommendations may surprise you. https://designmom.com/how-often-should-you-replace-your-stuff/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Offer good for a limited time. Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most cars today are “connected cars.” That means that automakers and vendors can send and receive information directly with your car. Sounds like a great thing. But this episode begins with an explanation on how it can also cause trouble for drivers as well as cost them more money. Source: Automotive journalist Peter Bohr writing in Westways magazine (AAA) Summer 2023 issue. Listen and you will hear some things about your blood and how to take care of it that you have likely never heard before. For example, that your blood is an organ; that you should avoid getting a transfusion if at all possible; that there are things you should be doing to test and maintain your blood and much more. All of this comes to you from my guest Aryeh Shander. M.D. Dr Shander is Emeritus Chair, Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine, Pain Management and Hyperbaric Medicine at Englewood Hospital & Medical Center in Englewood, NJ and is one of the authors of the book Blood Works: An Owner’s Guide: What Every Person Needs to Know Before They Are a Patient (https://bloodworksbook.com/) You often hear people say they are “burned out" but what does that mean? Is it just something people say because they are tired or exhausted or is burnout a real, identifiable thing? According to my guest it is very much a real thing that is getting worse and worse and the fallout is devastating. Joining me to explain this is Jennifer Moss. She is an award-winning journalist, speaker and author of the book The Burnout Epidemic, (https://amzn.to/3Nx7Dx9) Since Covid, most of us are more careful about germs around us and on surfaces. Still there are some surfaces that have the potential to spread illness if you touch them because so many other people touch them too. Listen and I will give you the list from one study that will make you more careful about what you touch Source: Charles Gerba author of The Germ Freak’s Guide to Outwitting Colds and Flu (https://amzn.to/41YTh) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Offer good for a limited time. Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is beginner’s luck a real thing or just some weird occurrence that happens occasionally? This episode starts with a brief explanation of beginner’s luck and why it often isn’t really about luck at all. Source: Sian Beilock author of Choke (https://amzn.to/3Nj53uE) “No one likes a quitter.” “You should finish what you start”. We have somehow allowed this to be drummed into our consciousness - that quitting is bad and that grit and perseverance are good. But now wait a minute! Maybe, in some cases, quitting is the very best option and persevering makes no sense. That is something my guest Julia Keller firmly believes. Julia is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, teacher and author of the book, Quitting: A Life Strategy: The Myth of Perseverance―and How the New Science of Giving Up Can Set You Free (https://amzn.to/41LAWR9)  You probably like being around water. It seems humans are naturally drawn to water. That’s why we enjoy going to the beach or to lakes and rivers. It is why waterfront property is so expensive – people want to be near the water. But why? What is the connection between people and water that makes water so appealing to us? That is what you are about to hear when you listen to my guest Wallace J. Nichols, PhD. Wallace is a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Blue Economy in Monterey, a research associate at the California Academy of Sciences and author of the book, Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do (https://amzn.to/3NfkZy8) If your love life could use a little sprucing up, what you do outside the bedroom can make a big difference in how your partner views you. Listen and I’ll give you a few simple suggestions that will have a big impact. Source: Lou Paget author of The Great Lover Playbook (https://amzn.to/3Ni0uke) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Indeed is the hiring platform where you can Attract, Interview, and Hire all in one place! Start hiring NOW with a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to upgrade your job post at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING Offer good for a limited time. Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Decent sunglasses are a must. Otherwise, you are asking for trouble. If you doubt that, just ask any eye doctor. We know that ultraviolet light is bad for your eyes – and sunglasses can be a big help but you have to get the right kind of sunglasses. This episode begins with a description of what makes for a decent pair. https://www.aao.org/eye-health/news/how-to-choose-best-sunglasses You are the person you have always been - right? Actually that’s only partly true. It may seem like you are the same person you were 5 or 10 years ago – but you really very different now. That’s according to David Eagleman, a neuroscientist who teaches at Stanford and is author of the book Livewired (https://amzn.to/2PH6eIX). David joins me to explain the things that make you who you are and how those things continually change. People talk a lot about the importance of eating the right food but what about drinking the right drinks? After all, drinks can have a big impact on health and well-being. The sugar in soda and juice, the alcohol in cocktails or the caffeine in coffee – they all impact your life. Alexis Willett, author of the book Drinkology: The Science of What We Drink and What It Does to Us, from Milks to Martinis (https://amzn.to/3gPZ7ck) has researched many of the common beverages we consume. She joins me to discuss some fascinating findings you really need to hear. How much money you spend in a restaurant can depend in part on the menu. Menus are often engineered to encourage you to spend more. Listen as I explain some of the things to watch out for. https://www.pmq.com/menus-that-sell/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Alma helps therapists work with major insurance companies to make therapy more accessible & affordable. Over 96% of therapists at Alma take insurance, so people can find in-network care & save an average of 77% on the cost of therapy! Alma has a diverse network of therapists to fit your unique needs in the easy-to-use directory, you can filter for gender, sexual orientation, race, etc. It’s easy to get started, so find a therapist with Alma today at https://helloalma.com Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. 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!  Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is spring fever a real thing? This episode begins with a brief discussion on what spring fever is, what the symptoms are and if there is a cure. https://www.newswise.com/articles/spring-fever-blossoms-in-warm-weather-but-is-it-a-real-ailment Why do we name generations? We have baby boomers, millennials, Gen Z, Gen X – what is the point of grouping people based solely on when they were born? Well, it turns out that it helps to explain a lot of what is going on in our culture. There are some interesting trends occurring that you can link to certain generations. And it is also fascinating to see how generations change over time. Joining me to explain all this is Jean Twenge, a professor of psychology at San Diego State University. Jean is the author of more than a hundred scientific publications and books based on her research. Her latest book is called Generations: The Real Differences between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents―and What They Mean for America's Future (https://amzn.to/3Amq2VH). There have been many major medical advancements in the last 150 years or so. When you look closely, the stories behind how those breakthroughs happened are often not what you would expect. Many medical advancements are the result of accidents, chance and crazy ideas. And some of the people behind those breakthroughs are frankly - a little odd. Here to tell some of these fascinating stories is Andrew Lam, M.D. Andrew is a retinal surgeon, an assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and author of the book The Masters of Medicine: Our Greatest Triumphs in the Race to Cure Humanity's Deadliest Diseases (https://amzn.to/41BwqED). Do you use a bar of soap in the shower or at your sink? If so, there may be a problem. Listen and I’ll explain what it is. https://www.bathbombfizz.com/does-bar-soap-clog-drains-complete-answer/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Alma helps therapists work with major insurance companies to make therapy more accessible & affordable. Over 96% of therapists at Alma take insurance, so people can find in-network care & save an average of 77% on the cost of therapy! Alma has a diverse network of therapists to fit your unique needs in the easy-to-use directory, you can filter for gender, sexual orientation, race, etc. It’s easy to get started, so find a therapist with Alma today at https://helloalma.com Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. 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!  Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People with names that are difficult to pronounce are often discriminated against. It is not intentional necessarily, but it happens. The result can be that you don’t advance personally and professionally as quickly as someone who has a name that is easy to pronounce. This episode begins with a look at this problem and what you can do to help yourself. https://www.newyorker.com/tech/annals-of-technology/the-power-of-names Some of the most successful and approachable people you meet, seem to have a lot of confidence. It’s attractive when we see it in other people. Many of us wish we had more of it. So where does confidence come from? How can you build it up? That is what Lydia Fenet is here to tell you. Lydia is an ambassador for Christie’s (the auction people) and is herself an auctioneer and professional speaker. She is also author of the book Claim Your Confidence (https://amzn.to/3GQu8ZS). Procrastination seems to be a normal human tendency. There is something very easy about just NOT doing something and putting it off until later. Yet, often that is not the best strategy. From our earliest school homework to that big project at work, there is always that tempting option to do it later. To understand how to stop procrastinating, you first have to understand the real reasons why you do it. And that is what Hayden Finch PhD, is here to discuss. Hayden is a licensed clinical psychologist, behavior change expert, and CEO of Master Your Mental Health (https://masteryourmh.com/), an educational platform and author of the book The Psychology of Procrastination (https://amzn.to/41Ik0ua). When you see someone talking to themselves, you might think they are a little odd. But there are some real benefits in talking to yourself out loud. Listen and I will explain one of the important ones. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120417221613.htm PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Alma helps therapists work with major insurance companies to make therapy more accessible & affordable. Over 96% of therapists at Alma take insurance, so people can find in-network care & save an average of 77% on the cost of therapy! Alma has a diverse network of therapists to fit your unique needs in the easy-to-use directory, you can filter for gender, sexual orientation, race, etc. It’s easy to get started, so find a therapist with Alma today at https://helloalma.com Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. 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!  Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can too much noise make you less generous? As we have discussed here in the past, noise levels are increasing, and all that noise can have negative effects on your health as well as your happiness. This episode starts by explaining the negative impact of too much noise and what you can do to protect yourself. https://www.sehn.org/sehn/noise-pollution-takes-toll-on-health-and-happiness-everyday-noise-can-overstimulate-the-bodys-stress-response What is the best way to achieve a big goal? People have a lot of theories and ideas on this and there is also some pretty good research on the topic. If you want to know what the research says, listen to my guest Katy Milkman. She is a professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, host of Charles Schwab’s popular economics podcast Choiceology https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id1337886873?mt=2- and author of the book How to Change (https://amzn.to/3gyCGYX). Listen and you will have some new ways of thinking for the next time you want to tackle a big goal. What is life? I am not sure we can completely answer that question in one segment of this podcast, but we can take a stab at it with my guest Sir Paul Nurse. Paul won a Nobel prize in 2001 for his work in science and he is author of the book What Is Life?: Five Great Ideas in Biology (https://amzn.to/3dVHxC5). He explains what makes something “living” and has some great insights into what life is all about and why some things are still a big mystery. Ever have a bee that just won’t leave you alone? It could be that the bee thinks you are a flower. Listen as I explain how to make sure every bee is aware you are not a flower and how to stop them from following you around this summer. http://insects.about.com/od/antsbeeswasps/a/10-tips-to-avoid-bee-stings.htm PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Never cry at work!” has been common, long-standing advice for employees. Still, people DO cry at work sometimes – so what do other people think of those people? This episode begins with how people perceive their colleagues when they see them crying on the job. https://time.com/4513209/cry-crying-at-work-tears/ Some people are just more persuasive than others. If you would like to be one of those more persuasive people, listen to my guest Brian Ahearn. Brian Ahearn is here to talk about how to apply the science of influence and persuasion in your everyday life so people will do what you ask them to. Brian is author of the book, Influence PEOPLE: Powerful Everyday Opportunities to Persuade that are Lasting and Ethical (https://amzn.to/2oH9xlu). The world seems a lot more cautious than it used to be. All you have to do is look at all the warning labels on a new step ladder to understand what I mean. Certainly kids today are taught to be far more cautious than in earlier generations. Sure, it’s good to be careful, but there are some unintended consequences to living in a world where there are so many rules and warnings. Tracey Brown has researched our overly cautious society and found some very surprising things which are in her book Playing By The Rules: How Our Obsession with Safety is Putting Us At Risk (https://amzn.to/2nUUSTJ). Tracey joins me to reveal that the world today is not as dangerous as people think and how all these rules are harming our children and our way of life.  Have you ever taken a drink straight from the milk carton? Of course you have!  And if you have ever gotten caught by someone, they likely told you how gross it is. So exactly how gross is it? Listen and find out as we explore the science of drinking from the carton and how it affects other people who drink from that same carton and also what it does to the milk. https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/we-debunked-the-5-second-rule-double-dippingand-other-food-myths/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is hard to get through life without writing things down on a yellow legal pad. You probably have some of those writing pads in your home right now. So, why are they yellow? And what makes them “legal”? Listen as I start this episode with the story. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/30325/why-are-legal-pads-yellow You probably take your five senses for granted. That’s about to change when you hear my discussion with Gretchen Rubin. Gretchen had an experience in a doctor’s office that caused her to reassess her understanding and appreciation of her 5 senses. That, in turn, led her on a journey that we can all learn from and participate in. And it just might make you a happier person in the process. Gretchen Rubin is the host of the hit podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin https://gretchenrubin.com/podcasts/, she has written several books on happiness and her latest book is titled Life in Five Senses (https://amzn.to/41q1BCg). There’s a pretty good chance you’ve had your heart broken by someone at some point in your life If so, you know how horrible it can feel. Some people are devastated and can barely function while others are able to deal with it and move on. What is a broken heart exactly? Why is the pain so intense? Can you actually die from a broken heart? And what is the best way to get over it? Joining me to discuss that is Florence Williams. She is a contributing editor at Outside magazine, and author of the book Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey (https://amzn.to/3KWFDRX). A lot of us start our day with a hot cup of coffee. Maybe too hot. Listen as I reveal why one recognized coffee expert reveals what is the best temperature for a cup of coffee and why. https://www.coffeedetective.com/what-is-the-correct-temperature-for-serving-coffee.html PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you want to be happy, it helps that you have happy friends. And it helps even more if your friends’ friends are happy too. I begin this episode discussing how social connections can influence our health and happiness. Source: Tom Rath author of Well Being (https://amzn.to/3xcMYUM)  You probably think you know what your physical limits are. For example, when you exercise, you know when to stop because you “hit the wall.”  Actually though, that may not be such a good indicator. You could likely do more. That’s according to Alex Hutchinson. He says human endurance is flexible. After all, people break records all the time. People can achieve what was once thought to be impossible. How does that all work? Listen to this fascinating discussion with Alex who is author of the book Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance (https://amzn.to/3n9j7I7) You could define rest by what you are NOT doing. We often look at rest as something we do to take a break from something else. However, that may be looking at rest all wrong. Rest turns out to be more complicated than that. Board-certified internal medicine physician Saundra Dalton-Smith says humans need different types of rest to restore different parts of ourselves. Even if you get plenty of sleep, there are other things that can mentally exhaust you and people who can leave you drained regardless of how much sleep you get. For those things you need a different kind of rest. In fact, Sandra has identified 7 kinds. She joins me to explain rest in a whole new way. Saundra is author of the book Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity (https://amzn.to/2RA9t5w). Spring can be very uncomfortable if you have allergies. Listen as I reveal some simple yet effective strategies to fight back against those allergy symptoms that make you miserable so you can enjoy the pleasures of spring. The website I mention to check the pollen count in your area is www.aaaai.org. Source: https://www.consumerreports.org/allergy/how-to-ease-seasonal-allergy-symptoms/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is likely something you are worried about right now. After all, humans worry. This episode begins with some good news for you regarding whatever it is you are worried about https://www.huffpost.com/entry/85-of-what-we-worry-about_b_8028368 It is easy to find advice on how to be successful. The problem is one size does not fit all. For you to be successful and creative in what you do, you have to find what works for you. That is why Ozan Varol is here. Ozan has some interesting insight into what will make you more successful in whatever you choose to do. Ozan is a former rocket scientist, lawyer, and professor and he is author of a book called Awaken Your Genius: Escape Conformity, Ignite Creativity, and Become Extraordinary (https://amzn.to/3Gx4qtl). Would you want to change any part of your personality, or do you love everything about it – just as it is? Most people have at least some part of their personality they wish was different and the good news is, you can change it. That’s according to my guest Christian Jarrett a cognitive neuroscientist and author of the book Be Who You Want to Be: Unlocking the Science of Personality Change (https://amzn.to/40Y5BKD). Next time you want to pitch an idea to someone – maybe you shouldn’t call it an idea. Listen as I reveal a better word that tends to get people to pay more attention to you. Source: Dan O’Connor author of Say This Not That https://amzn.to/3KC0Sam PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You would have a hard time finding someone who doesn’t like the smell of freshly cut grass. In fact, some people love that scent. Why? What’s so special about it? This episode begins with an explanation why it is so universally loved and why that scent may actually be good for you. https://www.prevention.com/life/a20432070/spending-time-outside-relieves-stress/ Whether it is a warm hug, a simple handshake or a passionate embrace, when people touch each other, something special happens. What is it about physical human contact that we seem to crave? Is it true that touch is actually good for your health? If so, how does that work? Here to explain the latest science about the importance and the impact of touch is Michael Banisey, an award winning professor and author of the book Touch Matters: Handshakes, Hugs, and the New Science on How Touch Can Enhance Your Well-Being (https://amzn.to/40HlNjl). Saturn’s rings are vanishing. Black holes can sing. It’s raining diamonds on Neptune. These are just a few of the interesting things about outer space that you probably haven’t heard before that my guest Dr. Jillian Scudder is here to discuss. Jillian is an assistant professor of physics & astronomy at Oberlin College in Ohio and author of the book The Milky Way Smells of Rum and Raspberries: ...And Other Amazing Cosmic Facts (https://amzn.to/3GmAm3E). Oven fires are one of the leading causes of house fires, yet many people don’t know what to do if it happens. Listen as I explain the recommended protocol if your oven or microwave catches on fire. https://www.usfa.fema.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/cooking_fire_safety_flyer.pdf PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match If you own a small business, you know the value of time. Innovation Refunds does too! They've made it easy to apply for the employee retention credit or ERC by going to https://getrefunds.com to see if your business qualifies in less than 8 minutes! Innovation Refunds has helped small businesses collect over $3 billion in payroll tax refunds! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Music can affect us in lots of ways. You may not know that the music playing in a store can impact your spending behavior. This episode begins by looking at how different types of music can steer you to spend more or less. https://www.psychologistworld.com/behavior/ambient-music-retail-psychological-arousal-customers Finding true love can be tricky. Sometimes it seems impossible. Here to the rescue is behavioral scientist turned dating coach Logan Ury. She has the latest research on what will and won’t work if you want to find love in the 21st century. Logan is author of the book How Not to Die Alone (https://amzn.to/3cWniDK). Humans are the only mammal on earth that can speak words to communicate. That ability to speak words and thoughts and relay messages has been a key reason for our success as a species. Yet, could human speech also be the thing that ultimately destroys us? Listen to my guest John Colapinto a writer for The New Yorker and author of the book This Is The Voice (https://amzn.to/2PBA9m5). When you hear what he has to say, you will have a new appreciation for how amazing human speech is. Estimates are that more than half of working people don’t like their job or the place where they work. And while that’s a shame for those who are unhappy, what really matters is how much YOU like YOUR job or place of employment Listen as I reveal a way you can discover just how satisfied you are in your work. The website I mention is https://www.iopenerinstitute.com/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is an art and science to flattery This episode starts with a look at how powerful it can be if you know how to give and take a compliment and offers advice on how to execute a great compliment. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evidence-based-living/202109/the-psychology-compliments-nice-word-goes-long-way Americans buy a lot of cheap crap. Knick-knacks, souvenirs, gadgets and who knows what else. What is the lure of this cheap crap? Why are our closets and drawers full of it? That turns out to be a fascinating topic for discussion with my guest Wendy Woloson, an associate professor of history at Rutgers University-Camden and the author of the book Crap: A History of Cheap Stuff in America (https://amzn.to/3M9M9WM). Listen as she explains what encourages us to buy these things and why they are often so very disappointing. We’ve long heard about how artificial intelligence will replace humans in many jobs. What about your job? Certainly there must be some careers that are immune from this. What are the ramifications of AI replacing workers? That is what Kevin Roose is here to discuss. Kevin is a technology columnist for The New York Times, host of the Rabbit Hole podcast https://rabbitholepodcasts.com/ and author of the book Futureproof: 9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation (https://amzn.to/42U861T). Why would it be more dangerous to drive on the day your income taxes are due? Listen as I explain the reason and reveal the other days of the year that are more dangerous than most. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/more-people-die-in-fatal-car-crashes-on-tax-day-study-finds/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you a doodler like me? I often doodle when I listen to a talk or a presentation – even when I interview people for the podcast. And it seems there is a real benefit when you doodle. This episode begins with the explanation. https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-power-of-the-doodle-improve-your-focus-and-memory-1406675744 You may be looking at exercise all wrong. Health and fitness may be less about going to the gym for an hour or other formal exercise and more about fitting more movement into your day – all day long. That’s according to Juliet Starrett attorney, professional athlete, and podcaster who has worked in the health and fitness industry for over 20 years. She offers up the latest proven research that shows how small movements are so important to health, longevity and your overall level of fitness. And she explains easy ways to do it. Juliet is co-author of the book Built To Move (https://amzn.to/3ZwADHH) and her podcast is The Ready State (https://thereadystate.com/podcasts/). Every manmade thing you see or touch today was invented and engineered to work by someone. When you think about it, there is something amazingly creative about that process according to Bill Hammack. Bill is known as The Engineer Guy on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@engineerguyvideo) and is a professor of engineering at the University of Illinois. He joins me to take a peek into the fascinating world of invention and engineering to see how the things you use every day to make your life better, came to be. His book is titled The Things We Make: The Unknown History of Invention from Cathedrals to Soda Cans (https://amzn.to/3zhGpm3). As the weather warms up, poison ivy, oak and sumac will start showing up and causing irritating rashes on people who come in to contact. Listen as I explain a few myths and facts about these plants to help you protect yourself. https://www.aad.org/public/everyday-care/itchy-skin/poison-ivy/who-gets-contagious PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Using a public bathroom is usually not the highlight of your day. However, when it comes to choosing which stall or urinal to use, there is a way to minimize your potential exposure to germs and bacteria. I begin this episode by telling you which one you should choose – and if that one is taken, what should be your second choice. https://www.womansday.com/health-fitness/wellness/a58568/cleanest-bathroom-stall/ Sure, we’ve all heard how amazing the human brain is. Yet, it actually is rather lousy at many things. For instance, memories get distorted, your brain makes a lot of mistakes and misjudgments and there are plenty of other things is does not do particularly well. What’s interesting is those flaws are actually a good thing according to Henning Beck, a neuroscientist and author of the book Scatterbrain: How the Mind’s Mistakes Make Humans Creative, Innovative and Successful (https://amzn.to/31EemMJ). Listen as he describes how these brain deficiencies actually help make your life better, even though it is sometimes hard to see.  The Internet can make your life a lot easier, however you do pay a price. And that price is your privacy, according to Firmin DeBrabander, professor of philosophy at the Maryland Institute College of Art. He is also author of the book Life After Privacy (https://amzn.to/3fzlORx). Listen as Firmin reveals what the potential dangers are and why so many people are gladly willing to give up their privacy anyway.  You may have noticed that most pencils are not round and instead have six sides. Why? Some people believe it is to prevent the pencil from rolling off the table. That may be a benefit – but it is not the reason. Listen as I explain the real reason. Source: Douglas B. Smith author of “Ever Wonder Why?” https://amzn.to/2OcdGuU PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Packed with industry-leading tools ready to ignite your growth, Shopify gives you complete control over your business and your brand without having to learn any new skills in design or code. Sign up for a $1/month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk to take your business to the next level today! With Instant Match from Indeed, as SOON as you sponsor a job post, you get a shortlist of quality candidates whose resumes on Indeed match your job description, and you can invite them to apply right away. You only pay for quality applications that match your must-have job requirements! Visit https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING to start hiring now! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. The Dell Technologies’ Semi Annual Sale is on, with limited-quantity deals on top tech! Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can the clothes you wear influence your personality? You will be surprised to discover how different clothes and different colors change the way you act, the way others perceive you and even how you perceive yourself. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/03/science/clothes-and-self-perception.html There are all kinds of popular musical genres from rock, country, hip-hop, dance R&B, pop and more. And all that music came from somewhere. If you are a music lover you will want to hear the stories Kelefa Sanneh shares with me. Kelefa is a writer for The New Yorker, former pop music critic for the New York Times, contributor to the CBS Sunday Morning program and author of the book Major Labels: A History of Popular Music in Seven Genres (https://amzn.to/3npafT2). You will love how he reveals the backstories of popular music in a way you have never heard before.  One of the major reasons people have financial troubles is they don’t really examine how much money they make or what they spend it on. Even people who think they know – probably don’t according to my guest Jill Schlesinger. Jill is a certified financial planner, award winning business analyst for CBS News, host of the Jill on Money podcast and radio show and author of the book The Great Money Reset (https://amzn.to/3JGJ91e). Listen as she offers some great advice on how to get a crystal clear view of your financial situation and strategies to make you feel financially secure so that you can live the life you want.  Leftover pizza is always a disappointment. It’s weird because a lot of Italian food tastes better the next day. But not pizza. Listen as I reveal the perfect technique to reheat pizza to make it taste as good (or almost) as it did when it was first delivered. https://www.americastestkitchen.com/cooksillustrated/how_tos/6453-the-best-way-to-revive-leftover-pizza PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Packed with industry-leading tools ready to ignite your growth, Shopify gives you complete control over your business and your brand without having to learn any new skills in design or code. Sign up for a $1/month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk to take your business to the next level today! With Instant Match from Indeed, as SOON as you sponsor a job post, you get a shortlist of quality candidates whose resumes on Indeed match your job description, and you can invite them to apply right away. You only pay for quality applications that match your must-have job requirements! Visit https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING to start hiring now! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. The Dell Technologies’ Semi Annual Sale is on, with limited-quantity deals on top tech! Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you want to make the food you cook taste better – switch the plates, bowls and glasses. This episode begins by discussing how and why that works. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/06/30/196708393/from-farm-to-fork-to-plate-how-utensils-season-your-meal# You are probably a lot more mentally tough than you think you are. If you don’t believe me, you must hear my discussion with Amy Morin and she will convince you. Amy is a licensed clinical social worker, and psychotherapist who has a TED talk on mental toughness that is one of the most watched TED talks of all time with over 22 million views. She is host of The Verywell Mind podcast (https://www.verywellmind.com/the-verywell-mind-podcast-with-amy-morin-5115289) and author of the book 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do (https://amzn.to/3LEMfoO) Out of the 16,000 words you say today, you will probably mispronounce a couple. It’s not a big deal really, yet WHY we mispronounce certain words is really interesting. Joining me to explain all this is and why it is important to understand is Ross Petras, host of the podcast, You’re Saying It Wrong (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/youre-saying-it-wrong/id1434115608) and co-author (with his sister Kathryn) of the book You're Saying It Wrong: A Pronunciation Guide to the 150 Most Commonly Mispronounced Words--and Their Tangled Histories of Misuse (https://amzn.to/3LKS8B8). Remembering names is a struggle for many of us. If you would like to be better at it, listen as I explain a few techniques that will help you retain the names of people you meet. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201210/the-one-social-skill-can-change-your-life PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Packed with industry-leading tools ready to ignite your growth, Shopify gives you complete control over your business and your brand without having to learn any new skills in design or code. Sign up for a $1/month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk to take your business to the next level today! With Instant Match from Indeed, as SOON as you sponsor a job post, you get a shortlist of quality candidates whose resumes on Indeed match your job description, and you can invite them to apply right away. You only pay for quality applications that match your must-have job requirements! Visit https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING to start hiring now! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. The Dell Technologies’ Semi Annual Sale is on, with limited-quantity deals on top tech! Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you are into stories of success and what it takes to be the best, you will sometimes here someone quote a study about the importance of goal setting. The study happened at Yale University in 1953. You should NOT pay attention to that study and this episode begins with the reason why.. https://www.fastcompany.com/27953/if-your-goal-success-dont-consult-these-gurus  People may think they know what causes weight gain and weight loss – but what people think is often wrong according to my guest Herman Pontzer. He is one of the foremost researchers in the area of human metabolism and author of the book Burn: New Research Blows the Lid Off How We Really Burn Calories, Lose Weight, and Stay Healthy (https://amzn.to/3cdjiOQ). Herman joins me to explain how body weight works and why some people really are naturally thin while others seem destined to struggle with weight. He also explains why the role of exercise is often misunderstood when it comes to losing weight.  Certainly, on the surface, it seems that war is totally cruel and senseless. Still, for centuries, humans have fought and killed each other in war. And for what? There is no country or civilization that has ever gone to war without doing great harm to itself. And yet war persists all over the world and throughout history. To get a better understanding of this, I invite you to listen to my guest Mike Martin, visiting research fellow at the Department of War Studies, King’s College in London and author of the book, Why We Fight (https://amzn.to/3cf17s2)  To be a champion at anything, you need to have talent and ability. However, it takes more than that. In fact, no champion in sports or music – or anything has made it to the top of their game without following two simple rules. Listen and I will tell you what they are. Source: Daniel Coyle author of The Talent Code (https://amzn.to/3smZBd6) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus 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!  The Dell Technologies’ Semi Annual Sale is on, with limited-quantity deals on top tech! Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL Visit https://NJM.com/podcast for a quote to see how much you can save on your auto insurance! With With TurboTax, an expert will do your taxes from start to finish, ensuring your taxes are done right (guaranteed), so you can relax! Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is going to sound weird but a good time to make a decision is when you have the urge to go to the bathroom. You are probably wondering; how can that be? What’s the connection? This episode begins with a discussion that will make sense once you hear it. https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/full-bladder-better-decisions-controlling-your-bladder-decreases-impulsive-choices.html The world is noisy and getting noisier. We have noise coming at us from everywhere as well as from inside our own head. And all that noise can be trouble. The antidote? Silence! That’s according to Leigh Marz, a consultant and coach who is coauthor of a book called Golden: The Power of Silence in a World of Noise (https://amzn.to/3yKi203). Listen as she discusses the negative effects of noise that are sometimes hard to notice. She also has some great ways you can turn the volume down on that noise to enjoy the experience of silence and the benefits that result. Ever wonder why we get cravings? What causes them? Where do they come from? Can you stop them – or maybe you should just give in to them. Joining me to discuss the science of cravings is Amy Shah, MD. She is a board-certified medical doctor and nutrition expert with training from Cornell, Columbia, and Harvard Universities. She is also author of the book I'm So Effing Hungry : Why We Crave What We Crave – and What to Do About It (https://amzn.to/3JCOHL8) People tend to think their homeowner’s or renter’s insurance policy covers only things related to their home. However, you might be surprised to learn what else it likely covers – things that seem unrelated to your home. Listen to hear an explanation of some of those possible benefits. http://consumerist.com/2012/04/12/stuck-with-a-forged-check-homeowners-insurance-to-the-rescue PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus 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!  The Dell Technologies’ Semi Annual Sale is on, with limited-quantity deals on top tech! Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL Visit https://NJM.com/podcast for a quote to see how much you can save on your auto insurance! With With TurboTax, an expert will do your taxes from start to finish, ensuring your taxes are done right (guaranteed), so you can relax! Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is common for your mind to wander. That’s what people do, especially if they are not doing anything that requires deep thought or concentration. But letting your mind wander could be causing you harm Listen and I will explain why. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101111141759.htm You probably talk to yourself a lot. And often the things you say are self-critical and negative. You can change the things you say to yourself and there are a lot of good reasons why you should according to Dr. Rachel Goldsmith Turow, a psychotherapist, a research scientist, adjunct faculty member at Seattle University and author of the book The Self-Talk Workout: Six Science-Backed Strategies to Dissolve Self-Criticism and Transform the Voice in Your Head (https://amzn.to/3L6H5Sq). After hearing her, you will become more aware of your self-talk and realize how important it is to change that voice in your head to be much kinder.  Here is the link to the UCLA course Rachel mentioned at the Mindful Awareness Research Center: https://www.uclahealth.org/programs/marc Just because something is normal doesn’t make it right. That’s the message from Dr. Gabor Mate an acclaimed physician, speaker and author of the bestselling book The Myth of Normal (https://amzn.to/3lcqW3i). We follow much of our conventional wisdom because it has been deemed normal. For example, parents are taught not to pick up their crying baby, mothers often go back to work 2 weeks after giving birth. These things are normal. But are they the right thing to do? Listen to Gabor Mate and you may start to question - “What is normal?” I’m sure you come across people who love to talk about themselves. So, the next time that happens, I have a suggestion on what to say (assuming you can get a word in), that will help move the conversation in a better direction – or maybe just end it. https://www.uexpress.com/life/miss-manners/2014/09/02 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Let’s find “us” again by putting our phones down for five.  Five days, five hours, even five minutes. Join U.S. Cellular in the Phones Down For Five challenge! Find out more at https://USCellular.com/findus 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!  The Dell Technologies’ Semi Annual Sale is on, with limited-quantity deals on top tech! Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL Visit https://NJM.com/podcast for a quote to see how much you can save on your auto insurance! With With TurboTax, an expert will do your taxes from start to finish, ensuring your taxes are done right (guaranteed), so you can relax! Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

No one likes to throw away milk because it went bad. What you may not know is that there is a little trick that can help your milk last longer and I begin this episode by telling you what it is. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-7673247/The-ways-groceries-fresh-longer.html Have you ever asked those big questions like - Who are we? Why are we here? Are there aliens out there? Will the universe end one day? These are some of the very good questions I discuss with astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, Director of the Hayden Planetarium in NYC, host of the podcast StarTalk (https://www.startalkradio.net/) and author of the book Cosmic Queries (https://amzn.to/3bp2dkr). You may not realize it but your life is full of self-fulfilling prophecies. Listen as I explain how they work and how powerful they are in your life when it comes to your goals and dreams. Source: Dr. Frank Lawlis author of Retrain Your Brain (https://amzn.to/30jnju7) No one likes pain but it actually serves a very useful purpose. Sociologist Margee Kerr studies pain and she joins me to reveal what pain is, why some people have more tolerance for pain than others and how you can subjectively change the way you perceive pain. Margee is author of the book Ouch!: Why Pain Hurts, and Why it Doesn’t Have To (https://amzn.to/30lfa8F). PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! The Dell Technologies’ Semi Annual Sale is on, with limited-quantity deals on top tech! Save on select PCs powered by the latest 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors, like thin-and-light XPS 13 laptops, Inspiron laptops and 2-in-1s. Plus, get savings on select accessories, free shipping and monthly payment options with Dell Preferred Account. Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL Visit https://NJM.com/podcast for a quote to see how much you can save on your auto insurance! With With TurboTax, an expert will do your taxes from start to finish, ensuring your taxes are done right (guaranteed), so you can relax! Feels good to be done with your taxes, doesn’t it? Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions and manage your expenses the easy way by going to https://RocketMoney.com/something ! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Groceries are expensive. So this episode begins with a very effective and uncomplicated strategy that can save you a ton of money at the supermarket with just a little effort. Source: https://www.grocery.com/the-grocery-game/ When you want to communicate, connect or influence people, certain words are more impactful than others. In fact, there is a whole new science of language regarding this. At the forefront of it all is Jonah Berger, marketing professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and author of several fascinating books including his latest, Magic Words: What to Say to Get Your Way (https://amzn.to/3FctHIE). Listen and you will be amazed at how changing a few words when you speak or write can drastically change the effect of what you are saying.  We all get headaches from time to time. What causes them? What is it that actually hurts? What’s the difference between a regular headache and a sinus headache or a migraine? Are headaches trying to tell us something? Listen as all of this is explained by Amanda Ellison, a physiologist and neuroscientist at Durham University and author of the book Splitting: The Inside Story on Headaches (https://amzn.to/3FdrnRI). You wouldn’t think that a you can tell much of anything about a person’s health based on their handshake – but it seems you can, at least some of the time. Listen as I explain how the two are related and why a firm handshake is important. https://www.prevention.com/health/a20431307/weak-handshake-linked-to-stroke-risk/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! The Dell Technologies’ Semi Annual Sale is on, with limited-quantity deals on top tech! Save on select PCs powered by the latest 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors, like thin-and-light XPS 13 laptops, Inspiron laptops and 2-in-1s. Plus, get savings on select accessories, free shipping and monthly payment options with Dell Preferred Account. Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL Visit https://NJM.com/podcast for a quote to see how much you can save on your auto insurance! With With TurboTax, an expert will do your taxes from start to finish, ensuring your taxes are done right (guaranteed), so you can relax! Feels good to be done with your taxes, doesn’t it? Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions and manage your expenses the easy way by going to https://RocketMoney.com/something ! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you are having a bad day, you might want to try washing a particular body part. It appears it helps even though it makes no sense. Listen and I will tell you what it is. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21707206/ Imagine if marketers could tell things about you just by the sound f your voice? Well, it is not only possible, it is being done right now! Your voice can reveal your age, height, socio-economic status, ethnicity – all sorts of things. And marketers use it to sell you things. But that is just the tip of the iceberg according to Joseph Turow Professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication and author of the book The Voice Catchers: How Marketers Listen In to Exploit Your Feelings, Your Privacy, and Your Wallet (https://amzn.to/3YgUGJH) If you are concerned about your privacy, you should listen to what Joseph has to say.  Can you be sick and healthy at the same time? Actually, yes you can if you adapt to your illness. And humans have an amazing ability to adapt according to Tamen Jadad-Garcia coauthor of the book Healthy No Matter What: How Humans are Hardwired to Adapt (https://amzn.to/3L1POoR). Tamen joins me to explore what it really means to be healthy and how we can adapt to illness to improve the quality of life no matter what health issues you face. Want to sleep better tonight? There is something you can do that is amazingly simple yet dramatically increase the quality of your sleep. Listen to hear what it is. http://www.besthealthmag.ca/best-you/sleep/6-ways-to-improve-your-sleep-hygiene?slide=2#0QEJXJSRL7wAxmyT.97 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! The Dell Technologies’ Semi Annual Sale is on, with limited-quantity deals on top tech! Save on select PCs powered by the latest 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors, like thin-and-light XPS 13 laptops, Inspiron laptops and 2-in-1s. Plus, get savings on select accessories, free shipping and monthly payment options with Dell Preferred Account. Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL Visit https://NJM.com/podcast for a quote to see how much you can save on your auto insurance! With With TurboTax, an expert will do your taxes from start to finish, ensuring your taxes are done right (guaranteed), so you can relax! Feels good to be done with your taxes, doesn’t it? Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions and manage your expenses the easy way by going to https://RocketMoney.com/something ! Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s not too early to think about Mother’s Day. It’s not that far away. So, who started it? How did it all begin. Listen as I begin this episode with a brief explanation of the origins of Mother’s Day and how it got pretty nasty for a while. https://www.rd.com/list/history-of-mothers-day/ Who doesn’t enjoy a good laugh? And laughing also turns out to be really good for you. Laughing has been linked to a longer life and enjoy of host of other benefits. So incorporating more humor, laughter and lightness into your life is likely a really good idea says Naomi Bagdonas who is a lecturer at Stanford University School of Business, a media consultant and coach as well as author of the book Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life (https://amzn.to/3f32WKD). Listen as Naomi explains how humor is a learned skill and how we can all bring more humor and joy into our lives and enjoy the benefits that come from it. Have you ever met anyone who says when they fight with their spouse or partner, they are really good at it? Probably not. But you are about to. Listen as my guest Penn Holderness explains some great strategies that will empower you to fight better and get better outcomes when those inevitable disagreements come up in your relationship Penn, along with his wife are authors of the book Everybody Fights: So Why Not Get Better At It? (https://amzn.to/3cYf1Oz) I am sure you have noticed that your stomach tends to growl and gurgle at exactly the wrong time. Listen as I discuss what causes your stomach to make noise and how to make it less likely to happen in church or those other quiet moments when everyone can hear it. https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/why-does-my-stomach-growl PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! The Dell Technologies’ Semi Annual Sale is on, with limited-quantity deals on top tech! Save on select PCs powered by the latest 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors, like thin-and-light XPS 13 laptops, Inspiron laptops and 2-in-1s. Plus, get savings on select accessories, free shipping and monthly payment options with Dell Preferred Account. Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL Visit https://NJM.com/podcast for a quote to see how much you can save on your auto insurance! With With TurboTax, an expert will do your taxes from start to finish, ensuring your taxes are done right (guaranteed), so you can relax! Feels good to be done with your taxes, doesn’t it? Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At the start of a relationship, how important is that first kiss? This episode begins with some interesting statistics that show the significance and long-term potential of being a good kisser. Source: The Science of Kissing by Sheril Kirshenbaum (https://amzn.to/3J35RkN).  By now you have heard terms like cryptocurrency, blockchain technology, digital art, and NFTs (non-fungible tokens). But how important is it for you to really know and understand them? Maybe you should be buying them. After all, these digital assets do seem to be here to stay and some people are predicting they will transform the global financial system. Here to make these things simple and understandable is Ric Edelman. Barron’s ranked him the nation’s #1 Independent Financial Advisor. He has written several books on personal finance and holds two patents for financial product innovation. Ric is host of the radio show and podcast “The Truth About Your Future” (https://www.thetayf.com/) and his latest book is called The Truth About Crypto: A Practical, Easy-to-Understand Guide to Bitcoin, Blockchain, NFTs, and Other Digital Assets (https://amzn.to/3SHW8nu). Seems like there is always something to talk about when it comes to The Academy Awards. Controversies, rivalries, egos and ambition all come together on that one night and who knows what will happen. Joining me to talk about the fascinating and sometimes juicy history of the Oscars is Michael Shuman. He is a staff writer at The New Yorker and author of the book Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears (https://amzn.to/3YrrH6h). Do you have a middle name? Do you like it? Why do people have them in the first place? Listen as I explain what purpose they serve and how people feel about having or not having a middle name. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/13/fashion/theyre-dropping-like-middle-initials.html PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! The Dell Technologies’ Semi Annual Sale is on, with limited-quantity deals on top tech! Save on select PCs powered by the latest 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors, like thin-and-light XPS 13 laptops, Inspiron laptops and 2-in-1s. Plus, get savings on select accessories, free shipping and monthly payment options with Dell Preferred Account. Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL Visit https://NJM.com/podcast for a quote to see how much you can save on your auto insurance! With With TurboTax, an expert will do your taxes from start to finish, ensuring your taxes are done right (guaranteed), so you can relax! Feels good to be done with your taxes, doesn’t it? Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can trees fight crime? Apparently so - at least some types of crime. Although no one is exactly sure how. Listen and I’ll explain. https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2019/04/trees-crime-cincinnati-philadelphia-ida-b-wells-chicago/ Is it true that a goldfish has a 3 second memory? Or that lightning never strikes the same place twice? Of course, you know water conducts electricity, right? Actually no. In fact none of those things are true. There are so many myths in science that people believe and we are going to debunk several of them with my guest science writer Brian Clegg. Brian has written over 40 science books, one of which is titled Lightning Often Strikes Twice: The 50 Biggest Misconceptions in Science (https://amzn.to/41sY3jK) I’m sure you’ve seen a polygraph machine in movies or television shows. It is supposed to be able to tell if someone is lying. But does it really work? If it is so accurate, why are the results of polygraph tests not admissible in court? If it is so inaccurate, why is it still used? The story of the polygraph or lie detector is an interesting one. Joining me to explain it is Amit Katwala an award winning journalist, a senior writer at Wired and author of the book Tremors in the Blood: Murder, Obsession, and the Birth of the Lie Detector (https://amzn.to/3Zngu7C) Are men better drivers than women? I guess it depends on how you define “better.” But in terms of accidents, moving violations and parking ability, there is a difference between men and women. Listen and I’ll reveal which one scores higher. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/27/well/live/car-accidents-deaths-men-women.html PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! The Dell Technologies’ Semi Annual Sale is on, with limited-quantity deals on top tech! Save on select PCs powered by the latest 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors, like thin-and-light XPS 13 laptops, Inspiron laptops and 2-in-1s. Plus, get savings on select accessories, free shipping and monthly payment options with Dell Preferred Account. Save today by calling 877-ASK-DELL Visit https://NJM.com/podcast for a quote to see how much you can save on your auto insurance! With With TurboTax, an expert will do your taxes from start to finish, ensuring your taxes are done right (guaranteed), so you can relax! Feels good to be done with your taxes, doesn’t it? Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cat owners are well aware that cats like to hunt, kill and bring home birds and mice as a trophy. There is something cat owners can do to help reduce the number of times that happens. This episode begins with an explanation. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/02/210211113943.htm You must be afraid of something -right? In fact, we are all have fears and that’s a good thing. Fear helps keep us safe. So, what exactly is fear? Where does it come from? And what do you do if fear is keeping you from living a full and happy life? Join me as I discuss all of this with Helen Odessky, a licensed clinical psychologist, anxiety expert and author of the book Stop Fear from Stopping You: The Art and Science of Becoming Fear-Wise (https://amzn.to/3qBprt2). She will give a different perspective on the fears you face.  What if dogs could detect disease in people before a doctor or a medical test could? Actually, it is already happening. With the right training it is amazing what dogs can do to help doctors. Journalist Maria Godavage explores this fascinating field of medicine and she is author of the book called Doctor Dogs: How Are Best Friends are Becoming Our Best Medicine (https://amzn.to/3pLh9gT). She joins me to explain how dogs can smell cancer and detect seizures and other medical conditions before they occur. By the way, Maria has also written about military dogs and the dogs who work for the Secret Service guarding the president and she has a few really interesting stories to tell about that as well. You live your life based on a lot of assumptions. We count on things being a certain way. However, when you question your assumptions you can come up with some amazing ideas. Listen as I reveal some great ideas that were simply the result of questioning assumptions and conventional wisdom. Source: Joel Saltzman author of Shake That Brain (https://amzn.to/3pH2TWh).  PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! With Instant Match from Indeed, as SOON as you sponsor a job post, you get a shortlist of quality candidates whose resumes on Indeed match your job description, and you can invite them to apply right away! Visit https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING to start hiring now! Packed with industry-leading tools ready to ignite your growth, Shopify gives you complete control over your business and your brand without having to learn any new skills in design or code. Sign up for a $1/month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk to take your business to the next level today! Visit https://NJM.com/podcast for a quote to see how much you can save on your auto insurance! With With TurboTax, an expert will do your taxes from start to finish, ensuring your taxes are done right (guaranteed), so you can relax! Feels good to be done with your taxes, doesn’t it? Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Being left-handed or right-handed actually impacts how you make decisions. So how can that be? This episode begins with the explanation. http://casasanto.com/papers/Casasanto&Chrysikou_2011.pdf Many birds see colors you can’t see. Dogs smell things you can’t even imagine. Some animals can sense the magnetic fields of the earth - yet we couldn't possibly do that. These are a few of the fascinating ways that other creatures perceive the world differently than humans. And believe me, it gets even more interesting. Joining me to explain is Ed Yong, a Pulitzer prize winning science journalist, staff member at The Atlantic and author of the book An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden World Around Us (https://amzn.to/41vZ2Qa). It seems we are obsessed with productivity. It’s all about getting more things done faster and more efficiently. And when you don’t get everything done you hoped to, you feel guilty – as if you failed. Well, hang on a second. Maybe what you really need to do is stop obsessing about being productive and enjoy living your life instead. By doing that, you may be even more productive! That is what I discuss with Madeline Dore. She is host of the podcast Routines and Ruts and author of the book I Didn’t Do That Thing Today: Letting Go of Productivity Guilt (https://amzn.to/3ILawYE). Have you ever brought your own snacks to the movie theater because the snacks they offer are so expensive? Well, let’s talk about that. Is it right to do that? After all, you are not supposed to but seriously - the prices are ridiculous. Listen as I explain what you may not have considered about this. Source: David Callahan author of The Cheating Culture (https://amzn.to/3lYq1Ue) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! With Instant Match from Indeed, as SOON as you sponsor a job post, you get a shortlist of quality candidates whose resumes on Indeed match your job description, and you can invite them to apply right away! Visit https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING to start hiring now! Packed with industry-leading tools ready to ignite your growth, Shopify gives you complete control over your business and your brand without having to learn any new skills in design or code. Sign up for a $1/month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk to take your business to the next level today! Visit https://NJM.com/podcast for a quote to see how much you can save on your auto insurance! With With TurboTax, an expert will do your taxes from start to finish, ensuring your taxes are done right (guaranteed), so you can relax! Feels good to be done with your taxes, doesn’t it? Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Go to any drug store and somewhere you will see the initials Rx. You probably assume it has to do with medicine or prescriptions or something. But why Rx? What do those letters stand for. This episode begins with an explanation. https://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2014/06/rx-mean-come/ You are not the person you used to be. And you are not the person you will one day become. That’s the message from Paul Bloom, psychology professor at the University of Toronto and the Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Yale. Listen as he reveals what is likely the happiest years of your life, why you are different from everyone else and other fascinating insight into how your mind works to make you who you are. Paul is author of the book Psych: The Story of the Human Mind (https://amzn.to/3k524d5). The future is uncertain. And we tend not to like uncertainty. Yes, the future may be full of opportunity but it can also be full of danger and disappointment. So, let’s take a fresh look at uncertainty with Nathan Furr. Nathan is a professor and author of several books on innovation with his latest book titled The Upside of Uncertainty (https://amzn.to/3SbJBZ6). Listen as he explains how to face the unknown in a different way that minimizes the risk and amplifies opportunity.  Did you know there are very specific differences between a road a street an avenue and a boulevard? For example, all streets are roads but not all roads are streets. Listen and I’ll explain what the differences are https://www.rd.com/article/difference-between-streets-roads-avenues/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! With Instant Match from Indeed, as SOON as you sponsor a job post, you get a shortlist of quality candidates whose resumes on Indeed match your job description, and you can invite them to apply right away! Visit https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING to start hiring now! Packed with industry-leading tools ready to ignite your growth, Shopify gives you complete control over your business and your brand without having to learn any new skills in design or code. Sign up for a $1/month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk to take your business to the next level today! Visit https://NJM.com/podcast for a quote to see how much you can save on your auto insurance! With With TurboTax, an expert will do your taxes from start to finish, ensuring your taxes are done right (guaranteed), so you can relax! Feels good to be done with your taxes, doesn’t it? Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Discover Credit Cards do something pretty awesome. At the end of your first year, they automatically double all the cash back you’ve earned! See terms and check it out for yourself at https://Discover.com/match Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Think of all the batteries you use in your home for all your remotes and clocks and flashlights. We all go through a lot of batteries and as you are aware, they aren’t cheap. This episode begins with some interesting facts and myths about batteries you likely never knew. http://www.greenbatteries.com/ It does seem that most people don’t like their own voice and wish it sounded better. The good news is, you really can make it better. Your voice is really an instrument and like a musical instrument you must learn how to use it the right way. Here to tell you how is voice coach Caroline Goyder. She has worked with A-list actors, teachers and broadcasters to improve their voices and she has some very easy strategies that will have you loving the sound of your own voice. Caroline is the author of the book Find Your Voice: The Secret to Talking with Confidence in Any Situation (https://amzn.to/3vi3sKr) and she has a Ted Talk (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2MR5XbJtXU) that has been viewed over 9 million times. Are you concerned with the safety of the food in your kitchen? Do you follow expiration dates or trust your judgement? Have you ever gotten sick from eating food that went bad? A lot of people have which is why Robert Brackett is here. He is professor of food science at the Illinois Institute of Technology and Director of the Institute of Food Safety and Health. Robert offers some practical suggestions to keep your food safe and explains why it is actually a good thing when food spoils and smells bad. While it is easy enough to find advice on the secret to success, let me share some very simple wisdom from former advertising executive James Dale. Listen and I am pretty sure you will find what he says rings true for you. Source: James Dale author of The Obvious (https://amzn.to/3t6AsmP). PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions and manage your expenses the easy way by going to https://RocketMoney.com/something ! Visit https://NJM.com/podcast for a quote to see how much you can save on your auto insurance! Dell Technologies’ Presidents Day event is here! The savings start now on select sleek XPS laptops and more powered by 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors. Don't forget special pricing on the latest monitors, docks and accessories, plus free shipping on everything and monthly payment options with Dell Preferred Account.  Just call 877-ASK-DELL for these limited-time Presidents Day deals! With With TurboTax, an expert will do your taxes from start to finish, ensuring your taxes are done right (guaranteed), so you can relax! Feels good to be done with your taxes, doesn’t it? Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The simple act of touching other people – by hugging or a high five or putting your arm around someone – is very powerful. This episode begins by explaining the power of touch and how it improves all of our lives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R9qyWEJuDI Our memories are incredible… sometimes. And sometimes they fail us miserably. So how does memory work exactly? Why do we remember some things so well and other things, not at all. Why do memories get distorted over time? How can you make your memory work better when you want it to? Here to discuss all this is Andrew Budson M.D. Andrew is a professor of neurology at Boston University School of Medicine, and he is author of the book Why We Forget and How To Remember Better: The Science Behind Memory (https://amzn.to/3S45vND). You are made up of lots of atoms and molecules and cells that all come together to make you what you are. So where do those things come from? How do they work to make you a functioning human being? Joining me to reveal some interesting answers to this puzzle is Dan Levitt. Dan has been writing and producing award-winning science and history documentaries for the National Geographic, Discover, Science, and The History Channel and he is author of the book What's Gotten Into You : The Story of Your Body's Atoms, from the Big Bang Through Last Night's Dinner (https://amzn.to/3YuAWDb)   Whenever you meet someone, you make a first impression on them. And whatever impression you make tends to stick. People size you up in about 7 seconds. Listen as I explain how to make the best of those 7 seconds so people think you are absolutely wonderful! Source: Marianne LaFrance author of Why We Smile (https://amzn.to/31n2v8X) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions and manage your expenses the easy way by going to https://RocketMoney.com/something ! Visit https://NJM.com/podcast for a quote to see how much you can save on your auto insurance! Dell Technologies’ Presidents Day event is here! The savings start now on select sleek XPS laptops and more powered by 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors. Don't forget special pricing on the latest monitors, docks and accessories, plus free shipping on everything and monthly payment options with Dell Preferred Account.  Just call 877-ASK-DELL for these limited-time Presidents Day deals! With With TurboTax, an expert will do your taxes from start to finish, ensuring your taxes are done right (guaranteed), so you can relax! Feels good to be done with your taxes, doesn’t it? Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know when you see a really good dancer? What separates the good ones from the not-so-good ones? Well, it is all about one specific part of the body. I start this episode by telling which body part that is and why it is so important. http://www.nature.com/articles/srep42435 Ever wonder why some people are so much more likable than others? Nicholas Boothman knows. He has researched this and authored a book on the subject called How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less (https://amzn.to/3RVLybP) Listen as he joins me to explain what it is that will get people to like you and how to avoid doing and saying those things that turn people off. It seems like common sense that if you need something from someone else, you just ask them. Yet asking for help is hard for so many of us. We like to think we can and should do things for ourselves. However, asking others for help may be a really smart things to do for reasons beyond what you ever imagined. It not only does NOT make you look weak, it does just the opposite. And the truth is people like to help – but only if you ask. Listen as I talk about this with Wayne Baker, professor of Business Administration & Faculty Director of the Center for Positive Organizations at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. He is also author of the book All You Have to Do is Ask (https://amzn.to/2VMts12) and he joins me to explain the amazing power and benefits of asking for what you need. As we have discussed before, there is very little evidence that Vitamin C has much effect in preventing or curing the common cold. But there is conclusive evidence that Vitamin C is good for another problem that all of deal with from time to time. Listen and I will tell you what that is. https://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200304/vitamin-c-stress-buster PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions and manage your expenses the easy way by going to https://RocketMoney.com/something ! Visit https://NJM.com/podcast for a quote to see how much you can save on your auto insurance! Dell Technologies’ Presidents Day event is here! The savings start now on select sleek XPS laptops and more powered by 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors. Don't forget special pricing on the latest monitors, docks and accessories, plus free shipping on everything and monthly payment options with Dell Preferred Account.  Just call 877-ASK-DELL for these limited-time Presidents Day deals! With With TurboTax, an expert will do your taxes from start to finish, ensuring your taxes are done right (guaranteed), so you can relax! Feels good to be done with your taxes, doesn’t it? Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why are there potholes? Did you know there actually is a “pothole season” when they are more likely to occur? This episode begins with a discussion on one of every drivers’ nemesis – potholes! https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/642198/reason-roads-have-potholes We all have big events in life we need to prepare for. Whether it is a job interview, a speech or any other kind of performance, you have to be ready. So what is the best way to prepare? Listen as I talk to someone who knows a lot about preparing for a big event - Buzzy Cohen. He was a 9-game winner on Jeopardy who then went on to victory in the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions. As you will hear, Buzzy says it wasn’t that he was so smart; he was just better prepared. He is here to share his insight into the best ways to prepare for any big event or performance in your life. He also talks about his experience and gives a little “behind the scenes” info on Jeopardy. Buzzy is the author of the audio book Get Ready: A Champion’s Guide to Preparing for the Moments that Matter (https://amzn.to/3tSdp04). People often use data and statistics to make an argument or support their case because data is supposed to be convincing. However, it also seems that more of us are less trusting of data. Should we be? It sometimes seems that you can use data to support any side of any argument. So how can we better understand how data and statistics work and how can we use these to improve our understanding of the world? Joining me with some excellent advice is Tim Harford who has been called “the best popular economics writer in the world.” He is author of the book The Data Detective: 10 Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics (https://amzn.to/3jENog6). Have you ever forgotten something and worried that your memory maybe isn’t working right? It happens to people at every age. Often the reason it happens is simple and relatively easy to fix. Listen as I explore 3 things that can mess with your memory. Source: Scott Hagwood author of Memory Power (https://amzn.to/2LO2ofm). PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Listen to the All Ears English Podcast https://www.allearsenglish.com/ where ever you get your podcasts today! Visit https://NJM.com/podcast for a quote to see how much you can save on your auto insurance! Dell Technologies’ Presidents Day event is here! The savings start now on select sleek XPS laptops and more powered by 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors. Don't forget special pricing on the latest monitors, docks and accessories, plus free shipping on everything and monthly payment options with Dell Preferred Account.  Just call 877-ASK-DELL for these limited-time Presidents Day deals! With With TurboTax, an expert will do your taxes from start to finish, ensuring your taxes are done right (guaranteed), so you can relax! Feels good to be done with your taxes, doesn’t it? Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The freezer in your kitchen is not especially kind to the ice cream you store in it – or many other foods for that matter. This episode starts with the explanation and the reason there is often ice crystals on top of your ice cream - and how to get rid of them. Source: Professor Richard Hartel author of the book Ice Cream (https://amzn.to/3jNcVrY). Unlike other creatures on the planet, we have figured out how to take food and make it tastier and tastier. Why do we do that? What is it that makes some food taste better than others? Is it all personal preference or are we all programmed to like certain tastes? What is flavor exactly? All these are questions I discuss with Rob Dunn. Rob is an evolutionary biologist and professor at North Carolina State University and author of the book, Delicious: The Evolution of Flavor and How It Made Us Human (https://amzn.to/3RPAIUM). Quackery is when people tout medical cures or theories without real evidence. While you might think you can detect it when you see it, it can actually be hard to spot. While believing in some quack theories can be harmless, it also has the potential of being quite dangerous. Dr. Joe Schwarcz has spent his career shining a light on quackery and pseudoscience and he is here to discuss some common forms of it. If you believe Vitamin C can cure a cold or that herbs can treat cancer, you need to hear what he has to say. Joe is Director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society, and author of the book, Quack Quack: The Threat of Pseudoscience (https://amzn.to/40JILGO). Your dishwasher can do more than wash dishes. Listen as I reveal what else you can wash in there that you may not have ever thought of. https://www.womansday.com/home/organizing-cleaning/tips/a5539/10-things-you-can-clean-in-the-dishwasher-115717/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Listen to the All Ears English Podcast https://www.allearsenglish.com/ where ever you get your podcasts today! Visit https://NJM.com/podcast for a quote to see how much you can save on your auto insurance! Dell Technologies’ Presidents Day event is here! The savings start now on select sleek XPS laptops and more powered by 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors. Don't forget special pricing on the latest monitors, docks and accessories, plus free shipping on everything and monthly payment options with Dell Preferred Account.  Just call 877-ASK-DELL for these limited-time Presidents Day deals! With With TurboTax, an expert will do your taxes from start to finish, ensuring your taxes are done right (guaranteed), so you can relax! Feels good to be done with your taxes, doesn’t it? Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We start this episode with some interesting things worth knowing about your credit card including what your options are when the credit card company raises your interest rate. https://motuscc.com/credit-card-processing/9-interesting-credit-card-facts-and-stats/  No one likes to be scammed or taken for a fool. In fact we keep our antenna up so make sure that doesn’t happen. Maybe though, we are being too vigilant. By being so skeptical and wary of situations and opportunities, we may miss out on some very rewarding ones according to Tess Wilkinson-Ryan. She is a University of Pennsylvania law professor and psychologist and author of the book Fool Proof: How Fear of Playing the Sucker Shapes Our Selves and the Social Order--And What We Can Do About It (https://amzn.to/3jMqrfo). Listen as she explains how to put the fear of being taken for a sucker into perspective and feel a lot better for doing so.  Can you name a big project that has ever been finished on time and under-budget? Think about any construction project at home or even any government project to build a road or a bridge. It seems it always takes longer and costs more than was projected. Why is that? Why can’t anyone seem to get it right? Well, actually some people can. That is what Bent Flyvbjerg is here to explain. Bent is a professor at Oxford and considered one of the leading experts on topic. He has consulted on over one hundred projects costing $1 billion or more and he is author of the book How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors That Determine the Fate of Every Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration and Everything In Between (https://amzn.to/3YxwnHX). Why do kids who grow up in the same family, with the same parents and the same rules often turn out so differently? Listen as I explain one leading psychologist’s explanation that should come as good news to parents. Source: Dr. Wes Crenshaw author of the book Dear Dr. Wes: Real Life Advice for Parents of Teens (https://amzn.to/3RIO6dx). PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Visit https://NJM.com/podcast for a quote to see how much you can save on your auto insurance! Dell Technologies’ Presidents Day event is here! The savings start now on select sleek XPS laptops and more powered by 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors. Don't forget special pricing on the latest monitors, docks and accessories, plus free shipping on everything and monthly payment options with Dell Preferred Account.  Just call 877-ASK-DELL for these limited-time Presidents Day deals! With With TurboTax, an expert will do your taxes from start to finish, ensuring your taxes are done right (guaranteed), so you can relax! Feels good to be done with your taxes, doesn’t it? Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How much gold is on our planet? And have we found most of it? This episode begins with some fascinating intel on gold including how much gold is actually in an Olympic Gold Medal and how much more gold is on a Nobel Prize. https://www.rd.com/article/gold-facts/ If you own your home, how much of the sky above it do you own? Why is “tolerated theft” actually encouraged by some businesses? These are just some of the interesting questions about ownership you will hear discussed with Michael Heller, one of the world’s leading authorities on ownership. Michael is professor of real estate law at Columbia Law School and co-author of the book Mine! How the Hidden Rules of Ownership Control Our Lives (https://amzn.to/3uDMJkn) Where did money come from in the first place? Why do we (and must we) agree that pieces of paper and metal discs actually have value? Listen as Jacob Goldstein tells the fascinating story of money. Jacob is co-host of NPR’s Planet Money program and author of the book Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing (https://amzn.to/2P11CwB). Jacob discusses things about money you probably didn’t knew including why there are more $100 bills than $1in circulation and who is uses them mostly. A lot of people collect autographs – but what makes certain ones so much more desirable and valuable than others? Listen as I explain what type of autographs are really worth something and which ones are worth little more than the paper they are printed on – and why. https://www.worldcollectorsnet.com/features/autographs/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Dell Technologies’ Presidents Day event is here! The savings start now on select sleek XPS laptops and more powered by 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors. Don't forget special pricing on the latest monitors, docks and accessories, plus free shipping on everything and monthly payment options with Dell Preferred Account.  Just call 877-ASK-DELL for these limited-time Presidents Day deals! With With TurboTax, an expert will do your taxes from start to finish, ensuring your taxes are done right (guaranteed), so you can relax! Feels good to be done with your taxes, doesn’t it? Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why do you have eyebrows? Like everything else, they must have a purpose – there must be a reason. Well, actually there are three reasons. I begin this episode by explaining what they are. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/58424/why-do-we-have-eyebrows When you think about it, every relationship you have ever had, started with small talk. Whether personal or professional, every encounter starts this way if it is ever to develop into something. Still, a lot of people claim to hate small talk and many of us feel as if we are not very good at it. Here to fix that is Debra Fine. She is probably the number one expert on small talk, and she is author of the book, The Fine Art of Small Talk (https://amzn.to/3wSdl3t). Listen and she will explain some powerful yet simple techniques so you will never be uncomfortable making conversation with anyone, anywhere, anytime. Ever done something and later wondered why you did it? Or wondered why you reacted to something the way you did? A lot of what drives our actions and reactions is under the radar and may seem mystifying. Here to explain why that happens and how it works is Helena Boschi. She is a psychologist and author of a book called Why We Do What We Do (https://amzn.to/3RE47kL) . Listen as she explains some of the mechanisms of the brain that cause you to do things or react to things that may seem hard to understand. If you take a liquid medication, it is pretty easy to just grab a spoon out of your silverware drawer to measure it. Bad idea. Listen as I explain a couple of common mistakes people make when taking medicines at home that can really mess things up. https://www.hmpgloballearningnetwork.com/site/pln/blogs/pln/michael-cawley-pharmd-rrt-cpft-fccm/december-31-2014/medication-errors-among-children-are PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Dell Technologies’ Presidents Day event is here! The savings start now on select sleek XPS laptops and more powered by 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors. Don't forget special pricing on the latest monitors, docks and accessories, plus free shipping on everything and monthly payment options with Dell Preferred Account.  Just call 877-ASK-DELL for these limited-time Presidents Day deals! With With TurboTax, an expert will do your taxes from start to finish, ensuring your taxes are done right (guaranteed), so you can relax! Feels good to be done with your taxes, doesn’t it? Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You have likely had the experience of walking into a room for something – and then forgetting why. You probably feel foolish, yet it happens to everyone. What's the reason? This episode begins with an explanation. http://news.nd.edu/news/27476-walking-through-doorways-causes-forgetting-new-research-shows Should you be concerned about toxins in your home? And if so, how do you get rid of them and where do you even begin? That is what toxicologist Daniella Chace is here to discuss. Daniella works with clients to rid their homes of potential toxic hazards and she has written a book called HomeDetox: Make Your Home a Healthier Place for Everyone Who Lives There (https://amzn.to/3HmzKKU) . Listen as she offers a systematic approach to start to make your home less toxic.  If you have a pet dog or cat, you have questions – we all do. Here to answer some of the most important and often asked questions about keeping pets happy and healthy is veterinarian Dr. Carol Osborne author of the books, Naturally Healthy Cats and Naturally Healthy Dogs (https://amzn.to/3XPml54). Every pet owner needs to hear her advice.  Anyone who has felt lonely – REALLY lonely, knows it feels horrible. Almost painful. And that is for a very good reason. Listen as I explain how the pain of loneliness is actually a good thing. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/loneliness#:~:text=Loneliness%20is%20the%20state%20of,a%20deep%20and%20pervasive%20loneliness. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Dell Technologies’ Presidents Day event is here! The savings start now on select sleek XPS laptops and more powered by 12th Gen Intel® Core™ processors. Don't forget special pricing on the latest monitors, docks and accessories, plus free shipping on everything and monthly payment options with Dell Preferred Account.  Just call 877-ASK-DELL for these limited-time Presidents Day deals! With With TurboTax, an expert will do your taxes from start to finish, ensuring your taxes are done right (guaranteed), so you can relax! Feels good to be done with your taxes, doesn’t it? Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You have likely noticed that men – and teenage boys – will sometimes act foolishly in front of a pretty women. It is also true that men take more risks if they know a woman is watching. Why do they do that? This episode begins with an evolutionary explanation. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-03/sp-wdm031810.php You probably think the world is fairly predictable and there is probably a good explanation for why things happen. However, that’s not exactly true. For instance, why does one smoker die young while another lives to 100? Why do certain medications work for some people but not others? The answer is – no one knows. Journalist and broadcaster Michael Blastland believes that we need to face the fact that much of how the world works is a total mystery. Michael is the author of a book called The Hidden Half (https://amzn.to/3pCFvt8). Listen as he makes the case that there are unforeseen forces that influence much of what happens – and no one can explain it. News has always been treated as important. If there is a story in the news, it must be a big deal – or it wouldn’t be in the news. When you watch or read the news you get the impression that whatever is being discussed must really matter. But does it? Do people really care about what is in the news? You may be surprised to hear the answer from Rob Brotherton, a psychology and science writer who teaches at Barnard College in New York and is author of the book Bad News: Why We Fall for Fake News (https://amzn.to/3dySmKn). If you watch the news, you will find what he says to be fascinating. Did you know chocolateis partly responsible for the discovery of the microwave oven? Do you know how much caffeine is in chocolate? And what’s the link between chocolate and acne? Listen as I explain some fascinating facts about chocolate you may not know. http://justfunfacts.com/interesting-facts-about-chocolate/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Packed with industry-leading tools ready to ignite your growth, Shopify gives you complete control over your business and your brand without having to learn any new skills in design or code. Sign up for a $1/month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk to take your business to the next level today! Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions and manage your expenses the easy way by going to https://RocketMoney.com/something ! With With TurboTax, an expert will do your taxes from start to finish, ensuring your taxes are done right (guaranteed), so you can relax! Feels good to be done with your taxes, doesn’t it? Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How can dirt be good for you? This episode begins with the proven benefits of playing in the dirt – or even gardening if that is more your speed. https://loganhailey.medium.com/can-you-actually-get-high-on-soil-use-dirt-to-elevate-your-mood-8680d3eb8e00 Healthcare is big business. And as you may have noticed, doesn’t always seem to work so smoothly. What’s wrong with it? What are patients complaining about. More importantly, how can you make it work right for you? Dr. F. Perry Wilson studies this and has some fascinating insight into the workings of the healthcare industry and how to navigate it so it works for you and your family. Dr. Wilson is a nephrology and internal medicine specialist and is on the faculty at the Yale School of Medicine. He is author of the book How Medicine Works and When It Doesn't: Learning Who to Trust to Get and Stay Healthy (https://amzn.to/3iZcb2F). The restaurant business is fascinating. It is also a very difficult business to be in. After all, most new restaurants fail within a few years. So what is it that attracts people to that business? How do successful restaurants operate? How can you get a table when a restaurant is packed? Here with the inside scoop on the restaurant business is Michael Cecchi-Azzolina who has worked in the New York restaurant business for many years and is author of the book, Your Table Is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maître D’ (https://amzn.to/3kKzTQG). Your dog probably hates it when you leave your home without him or her. Separation anxiety is a real big deal for a lot of dogs. Listen as I explain why this happens and what you can do to reduce the anxiety Source: Marty Becker DVM author of From Fearful to Fear Free (https://amzn.to/3JjjEnP) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Packed with industry-leading tools ready to ignite your growth, Shopify gives you complete control over your business and your brand without having to learn any new skills in design or code. Sign up for a $1/month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk to take your business to the next level today! Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions and manage your expenses the easy way by going to https://RocketMoney.com/something ! With With TurboTax, an expert will do your taxes from start to finish, ensuring your taxes are done right (guaranteed), so you can relax! Feels good to be done with your taxes, doesn’t it? Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Human beings seek out novelty. That’s a good thing in many ways – but it is also troublesome. This episode begins with a look at why we seek out new things, places and experiences and how we quickly adapt to them so that we then need to seek out more new novelty. Source: Winifred Gallagher author of the book New (https://amzn.to/3XsAxRb) When you have a problem, you are often told to, “Use your head!” While that may be good advice, you can actually use things outside your head to help you think. Gestures are a good example. We often use gestures to help us figure out what we are trying to say. Computers help us think and so do pictures. But there is a lot more to this idea of thinking outside the brain which you will hear when you listen to my guest Annie Murphy Paul. Annie is science writer whose work has appeared in the New York Times, the Boston Globe, Scientific American, Slate, Time magazine and she is author of the bestselling book The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain (https://amzn.to/3Hp3k3R) What if you followed a group of people for decades and watched how they lived? Think of it - you could discover a lot about what makes people happy and healthy over a long period of time. Well, that’s exactly what happened. The Harvard Study of Adult Development has followed the lives of two generations of individuals from the same families for more than 80 years. And you will be fascinated by what they have found. Listen as I speak with Dr. Robert J. Waldinger, who directs the study and is author of the book, The Good Life: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness (https://amzn.to/3HpbFVc) Ever wonder where you fall on the introvert/extrovert scale? Listen as I explain the difference between extroversion and introversion and how to tell which one you are. I also discuss why being shy is not the same as being introverted. Source: Susan Cain author Quiet (https://amzn.to/3XQUH7d) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Packed with industry-leading tools ready to ignite your growth, Shopify gives you complete control over your business and your brand without having to learn any new skills in design or code. Sign up for a $1/month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk to take your business to the next level today! Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions and manage your expenses the easy way by going to https://RocketMoney.com/something ! With With TurboTax, an expert will do your taxes from start to finish, ensuring your taxes are done right (guaranteed), so you can relax! Feels good to be done with your taxes, doesn’t it? Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone makes mistakes. Still, it would be nice if we could all make fewer of them. This episode begins by revealing a few simple strategies to help people make fewer errors as they attempt to accomplish a task. (Source: Joseph Hallinan author of Why We Make Mistakes https://amzn.to/39OVFrM). When you have a problem, you need a solution. And maybe the best way to find one is to change or reframe the problem. That’s according to Thomas Wedell Wedellsborg, who is author of the book What’s Your Problem? To Solve Your Toughest Problems, Change the Problems You Solve (https://amzn.to/3bUChLN) . Listen as Thomas explains how to change the problem to find a better solution. Seems like whenever you are sick with almost any illness, part of the prescription to get better is bed rest. So, what is so special about bed rest? Listen as I discuss what bed rest actually does to help you get better – and the benefits are real. https://www.wsj.com/articles/fighting-the-flu-when-you-need-to-stay-home-and-in-bed-1423504355 Of course, you like to think that you see the world through objective eyes, but it just isn’t true. Humans have very distinct biases that color your view of things, events and people. While these biases can be helpful, they can also get in the way. Listen as I discuss this with Dr. Daniel Krawczyk, professor of behavioral and brain science at the University of Texas in Dallas. He is also the co-host of the Mental Models podcast (https://www.mentalmodelspodcast.com/) and co-author of the book Understanding Behavioral Bias (https://amzn.to/2vOw3MY). You’ll get some great insight into to how biases influence your thoughts and the decisions you make. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Then find and book a top-rated doctor today. Many are available within 24 hours! TurboTax experts can relieve you from the stress of taxes and file for you so you can do… not taxes! Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Could you be smarter, thinner and better looking than you think you are? This episode begins with a look at how people tend to underestimate some of their own characteristics. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/dating-and-mating/201801/3-reasons-youre-more-attractive-you-think-you-are When you think of hackers, you probably think of computer hackers doing bad things. However, there is a broader view of hacking that is really quite interesting. …. Bruce Schneier is a renowned security technologist, who has written more than a dozen books. He teaches at the Harvard Kennedy School and is latest book is called A Hacker's Mind: How the Powerful Bend Society's Rules, and How to Bend them Back (https://amzn.to/3HhdVgQ). Bruce joins me to explain how hacking goes on in all aspects of life from taxes to basketball and how it’s not always a bad thing. In fact hacking can be revolutionary.  Attention spans are shrinking – and that’s not a good thing. When you can’t stay focused for very long it leads to errors in judgement and other costly mistakes and problems. Here to explain what those problems are and how to stay focused and keep from being distracted is psychologist Gloria Mark. She is a professor at UC Irvine and author of the book Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity (https://amzn.to/3XmFCL4). The color of the plate or bowl you eat from can alter people’s perception of how the food tastes. Listen as I explain this interesting finding. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51841254 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Then find and book a top-rated doctor today. Many are available within 24 hours! TurboTax experts can relieve you from the stress of taxes and file for you so you can do… not taxes! Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why are they called marshmallows? Where did the name Spam come from? Is there alligator in Gatorade? This episode begins with the interesting origins of some iconic foods. https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/tagged/health/at-home/odd-facts-7-iconic-products-164000529.html Certain inventions throughout history have had a dramatic effect on how we all view the world. The mirror, photography, television, and the smartphone (amongst others) have all significantly altered how we see ourselves and our place on the planet. Listen to this intriguing tale as told by my guest Susan Denham Wade author of the book A History of Seeing in Eleven Inventions (https://amzn.to/3vZdj9k) Decisions about love and money are often the most difficult ones to make and ones we often get wrong. How can we improve our chances of making better love and money decisions? That is what Myra Strober is here to reveal. Myra is a labor economist, Professor Emerita at Stanford University and author of the book Money and Love: An Intelligent Roadmap for Life's Biggest Decisions (https://amzn.to/3H34xNO) From the time you were a child you have likely been told to stand up straight and suck in your gut. Part of that advice is good but the other part isn’t. Listen as I explain why. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/11/12/how-to-stop-holding-in-stomach/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Zocdoc is the only FREE app that lets you find AND book doctors who are patient-reviewed, take your insurance, are available when you need them and treat almost every condition under the sun! Go to https://Zocdoc.com/SYSK and download the Zocdoc app for FREE. Then find and book a top-rated doctor today. Many are available within 24 hours! TurboTax experts can relieve you from the stress of taxes and file for you so you can do… not taxes! Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Some people tend to over-apologize. They even apologize for things that are not their fault. I start this episode by explaining why we do it and why we need to stop. And when you do have to apologize, I will tell you how. (Source: Harriet Lerner author of the book Why Won’t You Apologize (https://amzn.to/37NoYug) Getting enough sleep is far more important than many people realize. It affects your health, mood, performance and longevity. Here to reveal just how important it is and how to make sure you are getting enough sleep is Dr. Jennifer Ashton, chief medical correspondent for ABC-TV and author of the book, The Self-Care Solution (https://amzn.to/2tlwDkw). Arguments and disagreements can be interesting, even fiery but often they are just an exercise in futility. That may be because we are approaching the process of arguing all wrong. Julia Dhar is a partner at Boston Consulting Group and author of the book The Decision Maker’s Playbook (https://amzn.to/36MlZkq). Listen as she offers some fascinating research on disagreements and some excellent strategies to use when you get into an argument so that the conversation is actually productive – or at the very least not destructive. Wash, condition, rinse. That’s the order of how you probably wash your hair. So what if you changed up the order a bit? Listen as I explain why that may be a good thing for your hair. https://www.healthline.com/health/beauty-skin-care/shampoo-or-conditioner-first PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! To match with a licensed therapist today, go to https://TalkSpace.com and use the promo code SYSK to get $100 off of your first month and show your support for the show! TurboTax experts can relieve you from the stress of taxes and file for you so you can do… not taxes! Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you see a construction site where there is sandblasting going on, you probably shouldn’t hang around. This episode begins with an explanation of the problem sandblasting poses to anyone nearby. Source: Dr. Paul Blanc author of “How Everyday Products Make People Sick” (https://amzn.to/3iug5Me) You have a voice inside your head. It talks to you all the time and tells you good things and bad things. It can be a positive coach or a negative critic. Where does that voice come from? How can you use that voice to your advantage? Find out by listening to my guest Ethan Kross. He is an award-winning psychologist, professor at the University of Michigan and author of the book Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why It Matters, and How to Harness It (https://amzn.to/38XXEwa) While meetings can be good and are often necessary, it does seem that a lot of meetings are a big waste of time. Wouldn’t it be great if you could make meetings better? You absolutely can according to my guest Mamie Kanfer Stewart. She is founder of a company called Meeteor (www.meeteor.com) which helps businesses improve the quality of meetings. Marnie is coauthor of the book Momentum: Creating Effective, Engaging and Enjoyable Meetings (https://amzn.to/2XXL2yT). Listen as she offers some easy ways to make your meeting more productive and engaging. When was the last time you checked your tires – REALLY checked them? You may not realize it, but your tires can lose half of the air in them before they even start to look flat. Having underinflated tires can cause all kinds of problems and cost a lot of money. Listen as I explain those problems and how to prevent them. Source: https://bit.ly/3oYpjmj PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! To match with a licensed therapist today, go to https://TalkSpace.com and use the promo code SYSK to get $100 off of your first month and show your support for the show! TurboTax experts can relieve you from the stress of taxes and file for you so you can do… not taxes! Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The pitch of your voice sends a message. Often when you are nervous or stressed, the pitch goes up and people can tell. This episode begins with some advice on how to tame your voice in stressful situations, so you sound great and are not betrayed by your own voice. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/communications-matter/202101/why-you-need-pitch-your-voice-lower Even though we all have one, there does seem to be a cultural mystery and fascination with the human butt. And by the way, only humans have actual butts. So what is it about butts and why do so many people hate the one they have? What makes an attractive butt? Here to shed some light on all this is Heather Radke author of a book that Amazon awarded one of the best books of 2022 - called Butts: A Backstory (https://amzn.to/3IDCndo)  There will always be times when we need to apologize. And how you deliver that apology can help make things better – or worse. So what is the anatomy of the perfect apology? And what makes a terrible one? To find out, listen to my guest Marjorie Ingall, co-author of the book Sorry, Sorry, Sorry: The Case for Good Apologies (https://amzn.to/3vTllk9). When you leave a tip at a restaurant, you are sending a message. How much should you leave? What if the service was bad? Listen as I explain some things to consider when deciding how much to leave and why. Source: Steve Dublanica author of Keep The Change (https://amzn.to/3GSS9Qw) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! To match with a licensed therapist today, go to https://TalkSpace.com and use the promo code SYSK to get $100 off of your first month and show your support for the show! TurboTax experts can relieve you from the stress of taxes and file for you so you can do… not taxes! Come to TurboTax and don’t do your taxes. Visit https://TurboTax.com to learn more. Intuit TurboTax.  Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever wondered to yourself, “Is it ever too late?” Perhaps there are goals in your life and career that you think have passed you by. That if you don’t set course early in life, maybe you will miss out. Often parents worry that if their kids don’t get on the right track early enough, others will pass them by. This episode begins with some interesting and optimistic research on why these worries may not be justified. Source: Susan Krauss Whitbourne author of The Search for Fulfillment (https://amzn.to/3bCL47h) Everyone makes blunders with their money from time to time. In fact, we just may be wired that way according to research conducted by Brad Klontz. Brad is a financial psychologist, a certified financial planner, an associate professor at Creighton University’s Heider College of Business in Nebraska and author of the book Money Mammoth: Unlocking the Secrets of Financial Psychology to Break from the Herd and Avoid Extinction (https://amzn.to/2LHWU5h). Brad joins me to discuss why people have so much trouble with money, why we never seem to save enough and how to get on the path that will make you feel good about your financial life. You’ll find his advice is pretty easy and painless. Where does all the lost and unclaimed luggage from airplanes go? Not only is this an interesting story, it turns out you can shop online and buy things left on airplanes and some of it is really amazing. https://www.unclaimedbaggage.com/ Of course you know what time is but try to define it. It is impossible really even though we know intuitively exactly what time is and how to measure it. It wasn’t always that way though. For most of history, it wasn’t all that important to know EXACTLY what time it was. But it all changed when the railroads came along. Listen as I discuss the fascinating history of time with Joseph Mazur professor emeritus of mathematics at Marlboro College and author of the book, The Clock Mirage: Our Myth of Measured Time (https://amzn.to/3oJ8qvI). PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions – and manage your expenses the easy way – by going to https://RocketMoney.com/something ! Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wouldn’t it be great if you had a way to turbocharge your will power when you are faced with temptation? Well, you do have such a way. This episode begins with a simple technique that will help you resist whatever is tempting you in the moment and keep you on the straight and narrow. http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/clenched-muscles-assist-self-contro-10-10-20/ Everyone wants to be happy but being happy isn’t something you do, it's the result of doing something you enjoy. You must first have fun, then happiness follows. This is according to organizational psychologist Mike Rucker author of a book on this called The Fun Habit (https://amzn.to/3inKGPT). Listen as Mike explains why fun is the key to happiness and why so many of us struggle with the idea of just playing and having fun. He reveals how the benefits of incorporating even just a little more fun in your life can be tremendous. Mike also offers some easy strategies to carve out time for fun. And he explains why everyone can and should do that as soon as possible.  The fact that we all have reliable electricity at the flip of a switch is really quite amazing when you think about it. It has only been in the last 120 years or so that having electricity in your home has been the norm. So how did scientists tame this force of nature so that it now powers so much of our lives? Here to tell the story is Kathy Joseph. She holds multiple advanced degrees in physics ad engineering and has a YouTube Channel called Kathy Loves Physics and History. https://www.youtube.com/c/KathyLovesPhysicsHistory. She is also author of the book The Lightning Tamers: True Stories of the Dreamers and Schemers Who Harnessed Electricity and Transformed Our World (https://amzn.to/3CqcyJY) Whenever you feel down or depressed, it is typically because you are regretting something in your past or you worry about something in your future – or both. Listen as I explain what you can do the next time that happens that should make you feel better in the moment. Source: Dr. Jeffrey Rossman author of The Mind-Body Solution (https://amzn.to/3QkommK) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions – and manage your expenses the easy way – by going to https://RocketMoney.com/something ! Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you are all stuffed up with a cold or the flu or Covid, it can be very hard to sleep because you can’t breathe. This episode begins with some excellent ways to open things up so you can breathe better and get some rest. http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/features/cold-relief-6-sleep-tips-to-help-youbreathe-easi There are a lot of ways to experience that sense of awe and wonder. And it turns out that the experience is really good for you both mentally and physically. Joining me to discuss the science of awe is Dacher Kelter. He is a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley and author of the book Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life (https://amzn.to/3YYVMvh). Listen and you will be seeking out and finding awe a lot more often. Here is the website he references in the interview: https://ggia.berkeley.edu/ Every song has a story – often several stories. Listen and hear the stories behind some of the most famous and loved songs including You’re So Vain, Yesterday, Satisfaction, I Am The Walrus and others. My guest is music critic David Cheal who works at The Financial Times in London and is coauthor of the book The Life of a Song: The Stories Behind 100 of the World’s Best Loved Songs (https://amzn.to/3jIUvbp) Sticking to New Year’s resolutions or to any big change is hard. And there’s actually a good reason why that is. Listen as I explain why change is hard and a better way to make a change that is more likely to stick. Source: Kelly Traver M.D. author of “ The Healthiest You (https://amzn.to/3G0oB1F). PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions – and manage your expenses the easy way – by going to https://RocketMoney.com/something ! Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You’ve heard about pheromones, right? Supposedly they can make you more appealing. In fact, some perfumes and colognes claim to have pheromones in them that will give you more sex appeal. This episode looks at those claims and whether they can really improve your love life. https://www.rd.com/article/do-pheromone-perfumes-really-work/ Does dessert taste sweeter on a round plate than it does on a square plate? Can candles on the table improve the taste of a meal? It seems that a lot of things can influence our perceptions of the food we eat. Joining me to discuss how this works and the research behind it is Nell McShane Wulfhart. She is a journalist and author of the audiobook Off Menu: The Secret Science of Food and Dining (https://amzn.to/3n2rbsC). How do you form a positive new habit or break an old bad one? It is something we would all probably like to know how to do. And here to discuss it is Wendy Wood, Provost Professor of Psychology and Business at the University of Southern California and author of the book, Good Habits, Bad Habits: The Science of Making Positive Changes That Stick. (https://amzn.to/34USXAW). Listen as she explains some effective yet simple ways to change habits to really improve your life. It's easy to spend a lot of time wishing people were different and trying to get them to change. Is it a waste of time or can you help people change? Listen as I explain one renowned psychiatrist take on changing how other people act and behave. Source: Dr. Steven Reiss author of Who Am I? (https://amzn.to/2WZY2DP). PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all want to be happy – but maybe not too happy. This episode begins by explaining how too much happiness can be a problem and how a little unhappiness can be a very good thing. https://www.businessinsider.com/on-a-scale-of-1-to-10-how-happy-should-you-aspire-to-be-2012-5 One of the most amazing things about your smartphone is the camera. And you likely haven’t taken the time to really understand all the amazing things it can do. Yes, it takes pictures and videos but it does so much more. Here to explain some of the things you never knew your smartphone camera can do is Scott Kelby. Scott is a is a photographer, photography teacher and author of The iPhone Photography Book (https://amzn.to/3vkgs3l). If you own a smartphone – iPhone or otherwise, you will really enjoy hearing what Scott has to say. Fasting has gotten a lot of attention lately. It has been touted as a treatment for many illnesses and ailments as well as a great way to lose weight. But is it all it is cracked up to be? After all, humans need to eat. So what is the science behind this idea of withholding food for long periods of time? Is it safe? Does it really have medical benefits? Joining me with a look at what fasting does and doesn’t do is journalist Steve Hendricks author of the book The Oldest Cure in the World: Adventures in the Art and Science of Fasting (https://amzn.to/3I38287). Hard to imagine anyone who doesn’t enjoy listening to music. Good thing too, because listening to music may help prevent a cold or the flu or other illnesses. Listen as I explain how this works. https://www.zmescience.com/science/does-listening-to-music-boost-your-immune-system/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you use a public restroom, is it better to use a paper towel or an air dryer to dry your hands? In terms of getting your hands really clean, there is really one clear choice. This episode begins with answer. http://lifehacker.com/5967976/ Everything you buy is the result of a decision you make. From breakfast cereal to a new car, you decide what to purchase. And there are a lot of things going on that influence that decision. Some of those things will surprise you. Listen to my guest, Phil Barden, who is a marketing expert and author of the book Decoded: The Science Behind Why We Buy (https://amzn.to/3v7If6P) He joins me to discuss the purchasing process we all go through to figure out what to buy and what not to buy.  Do you think of yourself as bold? Do you speak up and ask for what you want or are you more likely to sit back and take what you get? “Fortune favors the bold” is a phrase you often hear and it is something Jennifer Cohen certainly believes in. Jennifer has a brilliant TED talk on this topic (https://www.ted.com/talks/jen_cohen_the_secret_to_getting_anything_you_want_in_life_given_by_jennifer_cohen) and she is host of a podcast called Habits and Hustle (https://habitshustle.com/). She is also author of the book Bigger, Better, Bolder: Live the Life You Want, Not the Life You Get (https://amzn.to/3jlI6tO). If you have ever regretted not speaking up and asking for what you want, you need to hear this discussion. Have you ever had a waiter or waitress come to your table and ask how everything is going and you said it was great even though it wasn’t? Most people do because it is a hassle to complain. But NOT complaining could be costing you. Listen as I explain. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-squeaky-wheel/201112/telling-white-lies-comes-price PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why do we yawn? You might think it is because we are tired or bored. However, according to some research, yawning has nothing to do with either of those things. This episode begins with a look at the real reason we yawn and why yawning is contagious. http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3425960&page=1 If you have ever tried to make a significant change in your life, you know it can be very difficult. It’s why so many New Year’s resolutions don’t last very long. What makes change so hard? One of the big reasons is what executive coach Marshall Goldsmith calls “triggers.” Triggers are those things that can get in the way of achieving your goals. Listen as Marshall offers concrete advice for making lasting positive changes and achieving your goals by managing those triggers. Marshall is author of the book Triggers (http://amzn.to/2dWTWog). Why do you like the things you like? You probably have a favorite color or a favorite food – but why? It is interesting that one person can hate something that another person loves. It applies to clothes, cars, numbers, people – almost anything. What is it that influences our tastes and preferences? Listen as I speak with Tom Vanderbilt author of the book You May Also Like (http://amzn.to/2h8YecT ) and discover why you prefer some things over others and why you have a favorite color. What really matters when it comes to health and long life? Yes, exercise, diet and lifestyle are all important, but it actually may have even more to do with the kind of person you are. To find out if you are that kind of person who is likely to live a long and healthy life, you need to answer an important question. Listen and I will tell you what that question is. (Source: Dr. Paul Persall author of, Write Your Own Pleasure Prescription: https://amzn.to/2RdFqyU). PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions – and manage your expenses the easy way – by going to https://RocketMoney.com/something ! If you think you’re okay to drive after a few drinks, think again. Play it safe and plan ahead to get a ride. It only takes one mistake to change your life, or someone else’s, forever. Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.  PAID FOR BY NHTSA Did you know that driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal? If you feel different, you drive different. Drive high, get a DUI. PAID FOR BY NHTSA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You mother likely told you to drink a lot of fluids when you have a cold or the flu. So, what is the theory there? How does drinking water or juice or anything else fight off an illness? A lot of people think it flushes out your system but that’s not the reason. This episode begins with the actual reason why it is a good idea to keep drinking when you are sick – but not too much. https://www.realsimple.com/health/first-aid-health-basics/too-much-water-while-sick-can-be-dangerous Have you ever had a bad day or a difficult encounter with someone and you just can’t shake it off? The result can be that you keep thinking about it and that negatively impacts your performance the rest of the day. It happens to all of us I suspect and there is a technique that can really help. Dr. Adam Fraser author of the book The Third Space (https://amzn.to/35BAPub) explains how elite athletes, salespeople and peak performers everywhere don’t let a bad experience keep them down and you can do it too.  Here's a little test: Can you sit on the floor and then get up without using your hands? There is good news for those who can and bad news for those who cannot. Listen as I explain why. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2247402/Can-floor-using-hands-If-heading-early-grave.html How do you spot a trend? Where do trends come from? Rohit Bhargava has been trying to predict trends for a decade and has published a book about it each year for the last several years. He uses something called “Non-Obvious Thinking” which he says we should all do to help us spot new opportunities. Rohit joins me to explain how you do it and what the latest trends are. His latest book, which will be the last one in the series is called Non Obvious Megatrends: How to See What Others Miss and Predict the Future (https://amzn.to/36PG61q). PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions – and manage your expenses the easy way – by going to https://RocketMoney.com/something ! If you think you’re okay to drive after a few drinks, think again. Play it safe and plan ahead to get a ride. It only takes one mistake to change your life, or someone else’s, forever. Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.  PAID FOR BY NHTSA Did you know that driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal? If you feel different, you drive different. Drive high, get a DUI. PAID FOR BY NHTSA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is something about feeling appreciated that feels so very good. However, there is one big problem with appreciation. This episode begins with an explanation of how appreciation is often misused and is often a missed opportunity. http://ombudsfac.unm.edu/Article_Summaries/Beyond_Reason.pdf Laughter can be magical. Not just the act of laughter but the word itself. It seems just using the word in conversation can win you big points. That’s according to my guest Will Jelbert, a communications consultant who has spent the last several years researching how to best use the written and spoken word to connect with people. He is also the author of Word Wise: Say What You Mean, Deepen Your Connections, and Get to the Point (https://amzn.to/358ndaX). Will joins me to explain how using the right words in your communication can make you a much more powerful communicator. People like to procrastinate. Which is weird when you think about it. If you have something that needs doing, why not just do it? Here to explain why we procrastinate and to offer some great advice on how to get things done that you keep putting off is psychotherapist Matthew Boone. Matt is an instructor at the University of Arkansas and author of Stop Avoiding Stuff (https://amzn.to/2FyXTlw).  It seems pretty common for people who are about to get married to have second thoughts. But could those second thoughts be trying to tell you something important? Listen as I explain. http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/should-i-marry-him-238482.aspx PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Stop throwing your money away. Cancel unwanted subscriptions – and manage your expenses the easy way – by going to https://RocketMoney.com/something ! If you think you’re okay to drive after a few drinks, think again. Play it safe and plan ahead to get a ride. It only takes one mistake to change your life, or someone else’s, forever. Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.  PAID FOR BY NHTSA Did you know that driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal? If you feel different, you drive different. Drive high, get a DUI. PAID FOR BY NHTSA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There are a lot of theories and myths about alcohol and how not to fall victim to its effects. For example, mixing caffeine with alcohol will make you feel less sleepy or that light beers are healthier than regular beers. I begin this episode with an examination of which of these and other commonly held beliefs about alcohol are true or false. http://www.purewow.com/wellness/Alcohol-Myths Why do we dream at night? Do those dream serve a purpose or are they random thoughts that occupy your brain while you are asleep? Journalist Alice Robb, author of the book Why We Dream (https://amzn.to/2LmMMuy) explores the science of dreams and offers some proven ways that you can use your dreams to help you in your waking life. What is the best tasting ketchup? Is it some fancy organic gourmet ketchup or is it Heinz or Hunts or maybe Del Monte? When you test them side-by-side, there is an obvious winner. Listen and discover which ketchup is the best according to almost everyone. (The New Best Recipe cookbook by America’s Test Kitchen – (https://amzn.to/2LmL9gd) You probably have a lot more electronic friends on social media, texts and email than you have real friends. And while electronic friends are fine, having traditional friends and connections is probably more important than ever before. Susan RoAne author of the book How to Work a Room (https://amzn.to/2ElLcrk) explores the importance of friendships and offers practical ways to find and make new friends. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Shopify grows with your business anywhere. Thanks to their endless list of integrations and third-party apps - everything you need to customize your business to your needs is already in your hands. Sign up for a FREE trial at https://Shopify.com/sysk ! If you think you’re okay to drive after a few drinks, think again. Play it safe and plan ahead to get a ride. It only takes one mistake to change your life, or someone else’s, forever. Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.  PAID FOR BY NHTSA Did you know that driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal? If you feel different, you drive different. Drive high, get a DUI. PAID FOR BY NHTSA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Smiling is a universal expression of happiness. Even babies born blind smile. So, what does smiling do for you? Why are we attracted to another person’s smile? Listen as I begin this episode with a brief look at smiling. https://www.livescience.com/5254-smiles-innate-learned.html Our lives are full of rituals. We have religious rituals, family rituals, holidays rituals, personal rituals – rituals are everywhere. By definition rituals don’t really perform a function beyond being a ritual. So why do we have them? Why do we need them? Here to discuss the importance of human rituals is Dimitris Xygalatas. He is an anthropologist and cognitive scientist who runs the Experimental Anthropology Lab at the University of Connecticut. And he is author of the book Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living (https://amzn.to/3Pq7U4b). Even though everyone knows how important exercise is, a lot of people hate it. Why is that? Why is something so important to your health so despised and avoided by so many? It just may be that we never really evolved to exercise – at least not the way we do it today. That’s according to Daniel E. Lieberman. Daniel is a professor of biological sciences and a professor of the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. And author of the book Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding (https://amzn.to/3hoPQea). Listen and you won’t feel so guilty the next time you decide you really DON’T want to go out and exercise.  It is common wisdom that salt can elevate your blood pressure – and reducing the amount of salt will help lower it. Is that true? Listen as I explain the science of salt and blood pressure and why potassium is also a key player in the story. https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/relationships-between-salt-potassium-6609.html PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Shopify grows with your business anywhere. Thanks to their endless list of integrations and third-party apps - everything you need to customize your business to your needs is already in your hands. Sign up for a FREE trial at https://Shopify.com/sysk ! If you think you’re okay to drive after a few drinks, think again. Play it safe and plan ahead to get a ride. It only takes one mistake to change your life, or someone else’s, forever. Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.  PAID FOR BY NHTSA Did you know that driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal? If you feel different, you drive different. Drive high, get a DUI. PAID FOR BY NHTSA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Still need to get some holiday shopping done? One of the biggest stressors is trying to find a parking spot. So, this episode begins with some smart holiday parking strategies to help you score a spot quickly in a crowded parking lot. https://jalopnik.com/how-to-win-the-holiday-parking-game-5963162 Over the last several months there has been a lot of talk about a worldwide microchip shortage. These are the semi-conductor chips that control the workings of cars, electronics and just about everything else it seems. Why are they in such short supply? How hard are these chips to make? What is it they do exactly? These are some of the questions addressed by Chris Miller. He teaches International History at the Fletcher School at Tufts University and he is author of best selling book called Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology (https://amzn.to/3ULP20k). Ever notice when conditions are just right – very smart people can make very poor choices? This happens a lot when people are panicked but it also happens because of some other interesting and uniquely human factors. Why does this happen? Joining me to talk about this is Christopher J. Ferguson, professor of psychology at Stetson University in Florida and author of the book Catastrophe!: How Psychology Explains Why Good People Make Bad Situations Worse (https://amzn.to/3VKFHaF). If you have heated seats in your car, you need to be careful to avoid something called Toasted Skin Syndrome. Listen as I explain how it happens, what it looks like and what to do about it. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-beware-reports/beware-toasted-skin-with-heated-seats-reports-idUSTRE81M26P20120223 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Shopify grows with your business anywhere. Thanks to their endless list of integrations and third-party apps - everything you need to customize your business to your needs is already in your hands. Sign up for a FREE trial at https://Shopify.com/sysk ! If you think you’re okay to drive after a few drinks, think again. Play it safe and plan ahead to get a ride. It only takes one mistake to change your life, or someone else’s, forever. Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.  PAID FOR BY NHTSA Did you know that driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal?  If you feel different, you drive different.  Drive high, get a DUI. PAID FOR BY NHTSA   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are taught that jealousy and envy are not particularly productive emotions. Well, maybe – and maybe not. This episode begins with a look at how jealousy and envy can actually help you achieve your goals. Plus, you’ll hear what the difference is between jealousy and envy because they are not the same thing. https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a19918585/jealous/ Successful dog training is all about conditioning and giving rewards for good behavior. However, when we want people to change their behavior, we are more inclined to criticize and correct the negative more than we reward the positive. So what if we treated people the way a dog trainer trains a dog? That’s what Dr. Karen London advocates. Karen is an experienced dog trainer and behaviorist and she is author of a book called Treat Everyone Like a Dog (https://amzn.to/3m9y1w1). Listen as she explains how to take the principles of positive dog training and use them to get people to do what you want. Our language is constantly changing in some interesting and unusual ways. That is why the English of William Shakespeare sounds so strange compared to the English spoken today and while the English spoken in North America is different than the English spoken in the UK. How and why does it change? That is what David Shariatmadari is here to discuss. David is a writer and editor at the Guardian and author of the book, Don’t Believe a Word: The Surprising Truth About Language (https://amzn.to/3ngvp0x) Why is it that we get a runny nose when it is really cold outside, even when you aren’t sick? Listen as I explain how it is a by product of how your body works to actually keep you healthy and happy. http://archive.boston.com/news/globe/health_science/articles/2007/01/01/why_does_my_nose_run_in_the_cold/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Go to https://CozyEarth.com/SOMETHING to SAVE 40% now!  All backed by a 100-Night Sleep Guarantee. Tune in to Planet Money every week for entertaining stories and insights about how money shapes our world! Listen now to Planet Money from NPR -- wherever you get your podcasts.https://www.npr.org/sections/money/ Cancel unnecessary subscriptions with Rocket Money today. Go to https://RocketMoney.com/something - Seriously, it could save you HUNDREDS of dollars per year! Shopify grows with your business anywhere. Thanks to their endless list of integrations and third-party apps - everything you need to customize your business to your needs is already in your hands. Sign up for a FREE trial at https://Shopify.com/sysk ! Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. If you feel different, you drive different. Drive high, get a DUI. Paid for by NHTSA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you go to a restaurant, there are some things you may not want to touch. Why? Well, because they are crawling with germs and just kinda gross. This episode begins with a look at the germiest things in restaurants. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/19/germ-infested-areas-restaurants_n_2159281.html Christmas is chock full of traditions. We wrap Christmas gifts and put them under a tree, we eat Christmas foods, we sing Christmas songs, we send Christmas cards and on and on. Where did these traditions come from? Here with the backstories of some of your favorite holiday traditions is Brian Earl. He is host of the Christmas Past podcast https://christmaspastpodcast.com/podcast/ and author of the book Christmas Past: The Fascinating Stories Behind Our Favorite Holiday’s Traditions (https://amzn.to/3FoB3bt). If you love Christmas, you will want to hear this conversation. Talking with children is different than talking to other adults – or at least it should be. That’s the message from my guest Rebecca Rolland, a speech pathologist, Harvard lecturer, and author of the book The Art of Talking with Children (https://amzn.to/3Y2nYgd). Since there is a good chance you’ll spending time with children during the holidays (yours or someone else’s) this discussion will come in very handy and give you some insight into how to have great conversations with kids that benefits them and you.  Ever see that sign in the store that says, “Buy one, get one free”? Sounds tempting but is it really a good deal or could it be a trap? Listen as I explain some retail psychology at work that you should be aware of. http://www.businessinsider.com/7-way-stores-trick-you-into-making-impulse-purchases-2012-5?op=1 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Go to https://CozyEarth.com/SOMETHING to SAVE 40% now!  All backed by a 100-Night Sleep Guarantee. Tune in to Planet Money every week for entertaining stories and insights about how money shapes our world! Listen now to Planet Money from NPR -- wherever you get your podcasts.https://www.npr.org/sections/money/ Cancel unnecessary subscriptions with Rocket Money today. Go to https://RocketMoney.com/something - Seriously, it could save you HUNDREDS of dollars per year! Shopify grows with your business anywhere. Thanks to their endless list of integrations and third-party apps - everything you need to customize your business to your needs is already in your hands. Sign up for a FREE trial at https://Shopify.com/sysk ! Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. If you feel different, you drive different. Drive high, get a DUI. Paid for by NHTSA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Especially around the holidays, wouldn’t it be great if you could get more done in less time? Listen as I explain a simple strategy that works amazingly well yet only 1 in five people bother to do it. http://www.balancetime.com/ Throughout human history and in every culture there has been religion. People are drawn to religion. Why? What does religion really do for people? That is a fascinating question. And it turns out that people who practice religion get some wonderful benefits according to David DeSteno author of the book How God Works: The Science Behind the Benefits of Religion (https://amzn.to/3AWs2Vx) and host of the podcast How God Works https://davedesteno.com/podcast . Listen as he explores the scientific findings that help explain why religion is so important, how it benefits people and how anyone can reap those benefits regardless of what you believe.  What would it really be like to live in outer space? What would it do to your body and your mind. After all, humans know nothing but living with gravity. So what happens if you go for long periods of time without it? To answer that and more is someone who has actually travelled to space and lived there for a long time – TWICE! Dave Williams is an astronaut, pilot, ER physician, former Director of Space & Life Sciences at NASA’s Johnson Space Center and author of the book, Why Am I Taller?: What Happens to an Astronaut's Body in Space (https://amzn.to/3FoI5xK). Listen as he explains the challenges as well as the benefits of living in space. If you’ve ever wondered how people sleep or eat in zero gravity, tis will be a fun conversation to listen to.  “That’s a whole nother story…” It is a common phrase yet it contains a word that isn’t really a word – or is it? Listen as I explain what the “nother” in “a whole nother story” is all about. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Go to https://CozyEarth.com/SOMETHING to SAVE 40% now!  All backed by a 100-Night Sleep Guarantee. Tune in to Planet Money every week for entertaining stories and insights about how money shapes our world! Listen now to Planet Money from NPR -- wherever you get your podcasts.https://www.npr.org/sections/money/ Cancel unnecessary subscriptions with Rocket Money today. Go to https://RocketMoney.com/something - Seriously, it could save you HUNDREDS of dollars per year! Shopify grows with your business anywhere. Thanks to their endless list of integrations and third-party apps - everything you need to customize your business to your needs is already in your hands. Sign up for a FREE trial at https://Shopify.com/sysk ! Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over. If you feel different, you drive different. Drive high, get a DUI. Paid for by NHTSA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Christmas season is full of stories and traditions. This episode begins with some facts about Christmas you may have never heard before. For example, ever wonder why we use the term Noel at Christmas? Did you ever wonder what Christmas decorations are edible? Listen to discover the answers to these questions and get other fascinating Christmas information that will be fun to share. (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/50-things-yule-never-know-653613)  I am sure you have the best of intentions. Yet, intentions are not enough. Very often people fail to follow through and act on their good intentions. Why is that? If you tell yourself you are going to do something, why don’t you just do it? Well, there is a good reason why and here to discuss it is Steve Levinson, clinical psychologist, inventor, entrepreneur and internationally recognized authority on the topic of following through. He is the author of a couple of books including Following Through (https://amzn.to/36rIldU).  Your brain is the control center of your entire body. The brain does so many wonderful things and works in ways you probably don’t realize. Joining me to discuss how your brain functions and ways you can help it function even better is neuroscientist Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett. She is a professor at Northeastern University, Chief Science Officer for the Center for Law, Brain & Behavior at Harvard University and author of the book Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain (https://amzn.to/2JJecxK). Warming your car up on a cold morning before you drive it seems like a good idea. But is it really? If your car battery dies and needs a jump, how long does it take to fully charge it. Listen as I answer some important questions every car owner needs to know.(https://www.motorbiscuit.com/do-you-really-need-to-warm-up-your-car/ ) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! With Shopify, everything you need to customize your business to your needs is already in your hands. Sign up for a FREE trial at https://Shopify.com/sysk ! Constant Wonder is a podcast that will bring more wonder and awe to your day. Listen to Constant Wonder wherever you get your podcasts! https://www.byuradio.org/constantwonder Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online You’ve earned your fun time. Go to the App Store or Google play to download Best Fiends for free. Plus, earn even more with $5 worth of in-game rewards when you reach level 5!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The holiday season is when we are most likely to give to those less fortunate. However, if you are going to give, there are some things that homeless shelters and other charitable organizations need more than others. This episode begins by explaining what those donation centers would really like you to give them for Christmas. http://www.purewow.com/home/best-items-to-donate-to-charity-drives You might think that the best way to win an argument is to offer up a lot of evidence to support the fact that you are right. If so, you might want to listen to this because it will likely change the way you argue EVERYTHING. Professor Niro Sivanathan of the London Business School is an expert on what is called the “dilution effect” which says that more evidence is not better. In fact more evidence can actually weaken your argument. Listen as he explains a better way to strengthen any argument and more importantly how to not dilute your arguments by putting all your evidence on the table. You can see his TED talk about this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=12&v=hkFCu6K8Ghw Do you pay much attention to the age recommendations on toy boxes when you buy Christmas gifts? Listen as I explain why you should, what they mean and how to use them wisely. Source: Toy Tips by Marianne Szymanski (https://amzn.to/3OtzixL) If you would like to be a better, more effective writer, it’s not that difficult says Mary-Kate Mackey, author of the book Write Better Now: The Reluctant Writer’s Guide to Confident Communication and Self-Assured Style (https://amzn.to/34DBnPP). She joins me to offer some simple ways to improve the quality of your writing so people really get what you are trying to say when you write letters, reviews, blog posts, texts, emails or anything else. PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! With Shopify, everything you need to customize your business to your needs is already in your hands. Sign up for a FREE trial at https://Shopify.com/sysk ! Constant Wonder is a podcast that will bring more wonder and awe to your day. Listen to Constant Wonder wherever you get your podcasts! https://www.byuradio.org/constantwonder Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online You’ve earned your fun time. Go to the App Store or Google play to download Best Fiends for free. Plus, earn even more with $5 worth of in-game rewards when you reach level 5!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Warning: Do Not Remove This Tag Under Penalty of Law”. For many years every pillow and mattress carried a tag with that warning. Today the language isn’t quite so harsh, but the warning is still there. Why does anyone care whether or not the tag gets removed from your mattress? Listen as I explain. https://www.livescience.com/33039-why-do-mattresses-have-do-not-remove-tags.html Sleep is a natural part of your life. So why is it sometimes difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep? What is the latest scientific research on how to improve the quality and quantity of your sleep? To explain all this is Aric Prather, a world renowned sleep scientist and author of the book The Sleep Prescription: Seven Days to Unlocking Your Best Rest (https://amzn.to/3OKZWC7). Even if you think you have heard all the conventional wisdom about sleep – you probably haven’t heard all of what Aric has to say. Listen today and sleep like a baby tonight.  When you think of assertive people, they are often folks you admire. Most likely that's because they seem to know what they want and are able to communicate it in a clear and confident way that is not offensive. We’ve likely all been in situations where we wish we spoke up and were more assertive yet somehow weren’t able to do it. Here to help you understand how to be assertive is psychologist Randy Paterson author of The Assertiveness Handbook: How to Express Your Ideas and Stand Up for Yourself at Work and in Relationships (https://amzn.to/3GNDJ4C).  Most employees probably wish they got more praise and compliments from the boss. And if the boss is smart, he or she probably should. Listen as I explain the benefits of giving compliments and positive feedback – not only benefits for employees but for employers as well. http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0048174 PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! With Shopify, everything you need to customize your business to your needs is already in your hands. Sign up for a FREE trial at https://Shopify.com/sysk ! Constant Wonder is a podcast that will bring more wonder and awe to your day. Listen to Constant Wonder wherever you get your podcasts! https://www.byuradio.org/constantwonder Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online You’ve earned your fun time. Go to the App Store or Google play to download Best Fiends for free. Plus, earn even more with $5 worth of in-game rewards when you reach level 5!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the holiday season, you likely use a lot of power strips to plug in lights and decorations. This episode begins with some advice about what NEVER to plug in to a power strip for the safety of everyone in your home. And you will probably be surprised by what you hear. https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/things-you-should-never-do-with-power-strips/ Human beings are quirky. We do things and behave in ways that are frankly a bit odd. Where do these quirks come from and why do we do them? Here to explore some of the fascinating quirks of our humanness is Marty Jopson. Marty is the resident science reporter on BBC TV’s “The One Show” and is author of the book, The Science of Being Human: Why We Behave, Think and Feel the Way We Do (https://amzn.to/2VYTZqY). What could be more objective than counting? If you want to find out how many of something you have – you count them. It seems pretty obvious. However, counting turns out to be a bit trickier than you might think. People can and do use numbers and counting to deceive you if you don’t understand what they are doing. Joining me to explain the interesting world of counting is Deborah Stone. She is a scholar who has taught at Brandeis, MIT, Duke, Dartmouth, Yale, Tulane, among others and she is author of the book Counting: How We Use Numbers to Decide What Matters (https://amzn.to/33UeKZ1) One important difference between men and women is that men are generally better at asking for what they want. Listen as I describe the consequences of that and what women can do to get more of what they want – and the solution is fairly simple. Source: Linda Babcock author of Women Don't Ask (https://amzn.to/3AHEjNj). PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Now get a complimentary bottle of Nugenix Total T when you text SYSK to 231 -231.  Tune in to Planet Money every week for entertaining stories and insights about how money shapes our world! Listen now to Planet Money from NPR -- wherever you get your podcasts. When you hire with Indeed you only pay for quality applications that match your must-have job requirements. Visit https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING to start hiring now! With Shopify, everything you need to customize your business to your needs is already in your hands. Sign up for a FREE trial at https://Shopify.com/sysk ! Constant Wonder is a podcast that will bring more wonder and awe to your day. Listen to Constant Wonder wherever you get your podcasts! https://www.byuradio.org/constantwonder Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The FedEx logo is legendary. It has won countless awards. Everyone who knows about logos says it is fabulous. Why? This episode begins with a look at what makes the FedEx logo so special. https://turbologo.com/articles/fedex-logo/ Do you make a real effort to incorporate play into your life? Many of us believe that play is for children - which is certainly true but adding in some playfulness to your adult life has some real benefits you should be aware of. Joining me to discuss those benefits and offer ways to become more playful is psychotherapist Joanna Fortune author of the book Why We Play: How to Find Joy and Meaning in Everyday Life (https://amzn.to/3GuxF0K). So much of what we do is done without thinking. You can walk, talk, get dressed, brush your teeth and drive your car without having to think about each step along the way – you just do it. Those things become habits and that makes life so much easier. Yet most of us develop some bad habits along the way as well – things we would like to stop doing. So, what is the difference between a good habit and a bad one? How did you get some of those habits in the first place and why are the bad habits so hard to break? Here to explain how habits work is Russell A. Poldrack, a professor of psychology at Stanford University and director of the Stanford Center for Reproducible Neuroscience (http://reproducibility.stanford.edu). He is also author of the book Hard to Break: Why Our Brains Make Habits Stick (https://amzn.to/3AKqqy4). If you take certain over-the-counter pain relievers, you could develop a hearing problem – especially if you are a woman. Listen as I reveal some research about pain relievers and hearing loss you need to know. http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/09/pain-relievers-increase-hearing-loss-risk/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Now get a complimentary bottle of Nugenix Total T when you text SYSK to 231 -231.  Tune in to Planet Money every week for entertaining stories and insights about how money shapes our world! Listen now to Planet Money from NPR -- wherever you get your podcasts. When you hire with Indeed you only pay for quality applications that match your must-have job requirements. Visit https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING to start hiring now! With Shopify, everything you need to customize your business to your needs is already in your hands. Sign up for a FREE trial at https://Shopify.com/sysk ! Constant Wonder is a podcast that will bring more wonder and awe to your day. Listen to Constant Wonder wherever you get your podcasts! https://www.byuradio.org/constantwonder Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your doctor is supposed to wash his or her hands between patients. But sometimes doctors forget. Would you speak up if you saw that and ask your doctor to wash up? This episode begins with a look at this important problem. https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-hospitals-want-patients-to-ask-doctors-8216have-you-washed-your-hands8217-1380582268   Scarcity is powerful. It is the force that drives people to stock up on toilet paper before a storm or to buy something they might not buy because it is on sale for 2 days only. When something is hard to get it becomes more desirable. Sometimes things really are scarce but sometimes it may just be manipulation. Here to discuss how marketers use scarcity and why it works so well is Mindy Weinstein a marketing instructor at Grand Canyon University and the University of Denver, as well as a program leader for The Wharton School and Columbia Business School. Mindy is also author of the book THE POWER OF SCARCITY: Leveraging Urgency and Demand to Influence Customer Decisions (https://amzn.to/3tGrIpE) If you spend a lot of time on social media, it can become a lens through which you see the world. It takes on an importance that is a little proportion and it can become addicting. That is exactly what happened to Dr. Brian Boxer Wachler, MD and author the book Influenced: The Impact of Social Media on Our Perception. (https://amzn.to/3EnuzsM). Listen as Brian tells his personal story of social media addiction and discusses what happens in your brain each time you click “Like”. It is an important story for anyone who worries they may be spending a little too much time on social media or have kids who may be doing the same. What will happen to your pets if you die before they do? You might think you know but listen as I explain what you need to do to make sure your wishes are followed – and it is not just about putting it in your will. http://pettrustlawyer.squarespace.com/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Now get a complimentary bottle of Nugenix Total T when you text SYSK to 231 -231.  Tune in to Planet Money every week for entertaining stories and insights about how money shapes our world! Listen now to Planet Money from NPR -- wherever you get your podcasts. When you hire with Indeed you only pay for quality applications that match your must-have job requirements. Visit https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING to start hiring now! With Shopify, everything you need to customize your business to your needs is already in your hands. Sign up for a FREE trial at https://Shopify.com/sysk ! Constant Wonder is a podcast that will bring more wonder and awe to your day. Listen to Constant Wonder wherever you get your podcasts! https://www.byuradio.org/constantwonder Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People didn’t always eat cereal for breakfast. In fact, the idea really didn’t catch on until the 1940s and 1950s. So, where and how did they idea start? And how did it get so popular? This episode reveals the answers to these questions plus I explain how popcorn was really the first breakfast cereal. Source: David Hoffman, author of The Breakfast Cereal Gourmet (https://amzn.to/35UKIpr) Are humans inherently good or evil? Are we naturally inclined to be kind or are we more likely to act in our own self-interest? Historian Rutger Bregman joins me to take a serious look at human nature and how it sets us apart from other animals. Rutger is the author of Humankind: A Hopeful History (https://amzn.to/3fzk09e) and he has some great insight into what makes us tick. Think about all the decisions you make during a day. For instance, you decide when to have your first cup of coffee, whether to sit or stand, what to drink and what to eat – or not eat. All these things collectively make up your daily routine. And that routine can have an impact on your health and wellbeing. Stuart Farrimond, M.D. is here to explain how these little daily decisions matter and how you can optimize them to stay healthy and happy. Stuart is the author of Live Your Best Life: 162 Reasons to Rethink Your Daily Routine (https://amzn.to/2HpS0s0). Is the meat people eat okay to give to dogs? After all, a lot of people give their dogs meat. But should you do it or could it cause harm to your dog? Listen as I explore this question as well as explain what your dog thinks about all day long. Source: Paulette Cooper-Noble author of Dog Secrets: Fun & Fascinating Things Your Dogs Wants You To Know (https://amzn.to/2KBskd9) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Go to https://CozyEarth.com/SOMETHING to SAVE 35% now!  All backed by a 100-Night Sleep Guarantee. First Alert would like you to know that along with alarms, fire extinguishers are essential. Make sure to place fire extinguishers on every level and in common spaces like the kitchen and know how to use them. For more information on fire safety products, safety tips and educational activities you can do at home with your family visit https://www.firstalert.com https://www.geico.com Bundle your policies and save! It's Geico easy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why does it seem that your stomach growls at exactly the wrong time? It is right when the room is full of people and very very is quiet. That's when your stomach emits those grumbling noises that you are certain everyone can hear. This episode begins with an explanation as to why your stomach growls in the first place and what you can do to prevent it. https://www.outsideonline.com/1784166/why-does-my-stomach-growl A lot of the time you think you are right – you are really wrong. You see humans seem to like to believe things that are just not true. Often, we tend to believe things are actually worse than they really are. It’s important to understand how and why this happens. Here to discuss this odd human quirk is Bobby Duffy, a professor of public policy at King’s College in London and author of the book Why We’re Wrong About Nearly Everything (https://amzn.to/2qdz9aK). Doesn’t it seem that people are more anxious than they used to be? Tempers are shorter, patience wears thin quickly, and people just seem generally worried about so many things. So how can we dial down the anxiety and worry? That’s what Olivia Remes is here to discuss. Olivia is an anxiety researcher at the University of Cambridge in London. Her writing has appeared in several major publications and she posts a lot of information on the topic on Twitter. (@OliviaRoxann). Listen as she offers some simple ways to ease your anxiety and find more joy in life. There is a good chance you hit an afternoon slump around 3 pm. You can try a cup of coffee to help fight it off but there is actually a way to prevent yourself from getting – or at least minimizing that late day slump. Listen as I explain a simple yet effective technique. https://www.thorne.com/take-5-daily/article/avoiding-the-afternoon-energy-slump PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Go to https://CozyEarth.com/SOMETHING to SAVE 35% now!  All backed by a 100-Night Sleep Guarantee. First Alert would like you to know that along with alarms, fire extinguishers are essential. Make sure to place fire extinguishers on every level and in common spaces like the kitchen and know how to use them. For more information on fire safety products, safety tips and educational activities you can do at home with your family visit https://www.firstalert.com https://www.geico.com Bundle your policies and save! It's Geico easy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Being neat is generally considered a good thing. But is neater, better? This episode begins with a look at the difference between neat and messy people and the pros and cons of each. Source: David H. Freeman author of A Perfect Mess (https://amzn.to/3X6IsnK) What is the difference between all the soaps, lotions and potions of skin care products? After all, there are so many and all at very different prices. Are the expensive ones really better? What about the ingredients – are they safe? Do any of these products really get rid of wrinkles? Here to discuss this is dermatologist Dr. Fayne Frey who has been independently testing skin care products for years. Listen as she explains what products are absolutely necessary and how to choose the best products for yourself. Dr. Frey is author of the book The Skincare Hoax (https://amzn.to/3UGFhkV) . Her website is https://www.fryface.com We like to measure things. In fact, we like to measure everything. That’s why we have inches, miles, grams, meters, feet ounces and all the rest. By measuring everything, we make sense of the world. And how those measurements came to be is quite interesting. Here to explain the history and science of measurement is James Vincent, senior reporter for The Verge and author of a book called Beyond Measure: The Hidden History of Measurement from Cubits to Quantum Constants (https://amzn.to/3V1LGaj). One interesting way to tell if someone is lying is to listen to how they tell a story. When people are making things up, they tend to weave the story differently than when someone is recalling a true story. Listen as I explain the difference. http://lifehacker.com/5959543/true-or-false-pay-attention-to-structure-to-tell-if-a-story-is-made-up PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Go to https://CozyEarth.com/SOMETHING to SAVE 35% now!  All backed by a 100-Night Sleep Guarantee. First Alert would like you to know that along with alarms, fire extinguishers are essential. Make sure to place fire extinguishers on every level and in common spaces like the kitchen and know how to use them. For more information on fire safety products, safety tips and educational activities you can do at home with your family visit https://www.firstalert.com https://www.geico.com Bundle your policies and save! It's Geico easy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People make judgements about you the minute the lay eyes on you. This episode begins by explaining how those first impressions are determined and how to maximize your grooming and dress so people are impressed. Source: Image consultant Sherry Maysonave author of Casual Power (https://amzn.to/3ffMODA) John Cleese has been entertaining millions of people for years as a member of Monty Python, as well as a movie actor in a variety of films including Harry Potter and James Bond movies. He has also spent some time examining the creative process and wrote a book about it called Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide (https://amzn.to/3lKW5G7). Listen as John reveals how he creates his own special brand of humor and offers his advice on how anyone can be more creative in whatever they do. Does everything happen for a reason? People like to think so. However, maybe we are here on this earth doing what we do all as a result of a series of amazingly random events. Sean B. Carroll is an award-winning scientist, writer, film producer and author of the book A Series of Fortunate Events: Chance and the Making of the Planet, Life, and You (https://amzn.to/36IesVO). Sean joins me to reveals all the things that had to happen to bring us all to where we are today. What is laughter? Sure, we’ve all experienced it but how do you define it? And why is laughter called “the best medicine”? Listen as I explore some interesting facts about laughing that you probably haven’t heard. Source: Robert Provine author of Laughter: A Scientific Investigation (https://amzn.to/2IRDN7E) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! NetSuite gives you control of your financials, inventory, HR, planning, and budgeting - so you can manage risk, get reliable forecasts, and improve margins. Everything you need, all in one place. Right now - NetSuite is offering a one-of-a-kind special financing program.  Head to https://Netsuite.com/SYSK ! We’re all about helping you find ways to get more out of life… that’s why we want you to listen to Constant Wonder. Constant Wonder is a podcast that will bring more wonder and awe to your day. Listen to Constant Wonder wherever you get your podcasts! https://www.byuradio.org/constantwonder Cancel unnecessary subscriptions with Rocket Money today. Go to https://RocketMoney.com/something - Seriously, it could save you HUNDREDS of dollars per year! Shopify grows with your business anywhere. Thanks to their endless list of integrations and third-party apps - everything you need to customize your business to your needs is already in your hands. Sign up for a FREE trial at https://Shopify.com/sysk ! Right now, get a FREE full custom 3D design of your new "Wow" kitchen at https://CabinetsToGo.com/SYSK ! Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Teenage lovers hold hands but as people get older, we see it less and less. And that may be a bad thing. This episode begins by discussing the benefits of holding hands with someone you love. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/24/the-brain-on-love/ You have likely faced a challenging situation and wished you had been able to bounce back better and faster. It seems that some people are just more resilient in the face adversity. Is it something you are born with or can you learn to become more resilient? Listen as I discuss this with Akash Karia. Akash is a keynote speaker and author of several books including 7 Things Resilient People Do Differently (https://amzn.to/2TGATVg) Why do some people love going on wild rollercoasters or enjoy scary movies or love jumping out of airplanes and others of us would never dream of doing those things? That’s the topic of discussion today with Ken Carter, a board-certified clinical psychologist and professor of psychology at Oxford College of Emory University and author of the book Buzz!: Inside the Minds of Thrill-Seekers, Daredevils, and Adrenaline Junkies (https://amzn.to/35FIwCn) Sooner or later that check engine light will come on and you will immediately start to wonder what’s wrong. And sometimes it is nothing. In fact, many times it is nothing. Listen as I reveal one of the most likely reason it comes on and what to do about it – and it has nothing to do with your engine. Source: Phil Edmonston author of The Lemon-Aid Car Guide (https://amzn.to/33wtJaC)  PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! NetSuite gives you control of your financials, inventory, HR, planning, and budgeting - so you can manage risk, get reliable forecasts, and improve margins. Everything you need, all in one place. Right now - NetSuite is offering a one-of-a-kind special financing program.  Head to https://Netsuite.com/SYSK ! We’re all about helping you find ways to get more out of life… that’s why we want you to listen to Constant Wonder. Constant Wonder is a podcast that will bring more wonder and awe to your day. Listen to Constant Wonder wherever you get your podcasts! https://www.byuradio.org/constantwonder Cancel unnecessary subscriptions with Rocket Money today. Go to https://RocketMoney.com/something - Seriously, it could save you HUNDREDS of dollars per year! Shopify grows with your business anywhere. Thanks to their endless list of integrations and third-party apps - everything you need to customize your business to your needs is already in your hands. Sign up for a FREE trial at https://Shopify.com/sysk ! Right now, get a FREE full custom 3D design of your new "Wow" kitchen at https://CabinetsToGo.com/SYSK ! Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Having bad posture not only impacts how you appear to others, it can also have an effect on your physical and mental health in ways you may not know. This episode begins by explaining what those effects are and how to instantly improve your posture.  https://bit.ly/3NT6aQ5 Think of how the car has changed the world. It is because of cars that we have roads and bridges and tunnels and motels and destinations to visit – there are so many things that exist because of the automobile. Of course, the car has also caused many problems in our world. Still, the story of the how the car came to be and the people who built them is a fascinating one. Joining me to discuss all this is Bryan Appleyard author of the book The Car: The Rise and Fall of The Machine That Made The Modern World (https://amzn.to/3hfm0bp) When you think about it, most of what makes up who you are is in your unconscious mind. What you experience, as well as your moods, and the things you like or dislike, in fact most of who you are comes from your unconscious. That part of your mind is truly amazing in good ways and bad. Joining me to explain how the unconscious mind works and how best to work with it is psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Lieberman professor and vice chair for clinical affairs in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at George Washington University and author of the book Spellbound: Modern Science, Ancient Magic, and the Hidden Potential of the Unconscious Mind (https://amzn.to/3tfdeNp) Getting a flu shot is probably a good idea but there is something you should do first before you go get it. Listen as I explain what that is – and it might take you a few days to do it. https://www.ajc.com/life/why-you-shouldnt-be-sleep-deprived-before-getting-a-flu-shot/ZZNNHFDYLJCYTOPPZBJBRMFSBE/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! NetSuite gives you control of your financials, inventory, HR, planning, and budgeting - so you can manage risk, get reliable forecasts, and improve margins. Everything you need, all in one place. Right now - NetSuite is offering a one-of-a-kind special financing program.  Head to https://Netsuite.com/SYSK ! We’re all about helping you find ways to get more out of life… that’s why we want you to listen to Constant Wonder. Constant Wonder is a podcast that will bring more wonder and awe to your day. Listen to Constant Wonder wherever you get your podcasts! https://www.byuradio.org/constantwonder Cancel unnecessary subscriptions with Rocket Money today. Go to https://RocketMoney.com/something - Seriously, it could save you HUNDREDS of dollars per year! Shopify grows with your business anywhere. Thanks to their endless list of integrations and third-party apps - everything you need to customize your business to your needs is already in your hands. Sign up for a FREE trial at https://Shopify.com/sysk ! Right now, get a FREE full custom 3D design of your new "Wow" kitchen at https://CabinetsToGo.com/SYSK ! Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How likely is it that your umbrella will attract lightning in a storm or that the elevator you are in will suddenly drop? Ever worry that a big spider will come after you and jump on you? This episode begins with some insight into these and other common worries and whether or not they could likely happen. https://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/everyday-dangers-not-to-worry-about Are you good at handling difficult emotional situations? Do you try hard to push negative emotions aside and focus on the positive or do you confront those tough emotions head-on? Harvard Medical School Psychologist Susan David joins me to discuss difficult emotions that we all face and offers advice on how best to experience and deal with them. Susan is author of the book Emotional Agility (https://amzn.to/3lbAiaf). You can also take her Emotional Agility Quiz at https://www.susandavid.com/#ea-quiz How could brushing your teeth and flossing have an effect on your brain? Listen as I reveal some interesting research that will have you brushing and flossing good tonight! https://www.ameritasinsight.com/wellness/health-and-wellness/dental-health-may-affect-mental-health Rocks from outer space are hitting the earth all the time - tons and tons of rocks! So what would happen if a really big rock, like an asteroid hit the earth – would it wipe us all out? Here to discuss all this and explain the difference between meteors, meteorites and asteroids and why they are important is Tim Gregory. He is a is nuclear chemist and former research scientist at the British Geological Survey and author of the book Meteorite: How Stones from Outer Space Made Our World (https://amzn.to/3kbfrCD) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! We’re all about helping you find ways to get more out of life… that’s why we want you to listen to Constant Wonder. Constant Wonder is a podcast that will bring more wonder and awe to your day. Listen to Constant Wonder wherever you get your podcasts! https://www.byuradio.org/constantwonder Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online You’ve earned your fun time. Go to the App Store or Google play to download Best Fiends for free. Plus, earn even more with $5 worth of in-game rewards when you reach level 5!  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!  https://www.geico.com Bundle your policies and save! It's Geico easy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you shop for big ticket items like a house or car, the day you choose to go really matters. This episode begins with a look at what days are best and worst to go house hunting or car shopping. https://www.weatherads.io/blog/how-weather-affects-consumer-behavior-and-purchase-decisions Clutter has a way of sneaking up on you. First, it’s a drawer, then a closet, then a spare room fills up with stuff and before you know it, your house is full of clutter. And anyone who has tried, knows tackling clutter can be a monumental task. Here to the rescue is Tracy McCubbin. Tracy is an organizing expert and author of the book Make Space for Happiness (https://amzn.to/3Um3Eny). Listen as she discusses the harm clutter can cause and offers some simple strategies to keep clutter from overtaking your life.  Etiquette doesn’t seem as important today as it used to – but there is one etiquette that is always true, always has been true and always will be true – and you’ll never go wrong by following it. Listen and I will tell you what it is. Source: Valerie Sokolosky, author of Do It Right (https://amzn.to/3zGHX9G). People seem to really resonate with pop culture. And there is a ton of pop culture items at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in Washington D.C. Joining me to discuss why pop culture is so popular and important is Kenneth Cohen, a research associate at the museum and editor of a beautiful book put out by Smithsonian Books called Entertainment Nation: How Music, Television, Film, Sports, and Theater Shaped the United States (https://amzn.to/3DuRPnZ). Kenneth takes us on a tour of some of the items in the collection including Dorothy’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, TV Superman’s costume, Prince’s yellow cloud guitar, Jerry Seinfeld’s puffy shirt and more.   PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! We’re all about helping you find ways to get more out of life… that’s why we want you to listen to Constant Wonder. Constant Wonder is a podcast that will bring more wonder and awe to your day. Listen to Constant Wonder wherever you get your podcasts! https://www.byuradio.org/constantwonder Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online You’ve earned your fun time. Go to the App Store or Google play to download Best Fiends for free. Plus, earn even more with $5 worth of in-game rewards when you reach level 5!  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!  https://www.geico.com Bundle your policies and save! It's Geico easy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your mother probably told you not to lie – and she was right. Of course, there are the moral reasons for not lying but it seems lying is also bad for your health. This episode begins with the reasons why. http://newsinfo.nd.edu/news/32424-study-telling-fewer-lies-linked-to-better-health-relationships For most of human history, people married NOT for love. It is only recently that this idea of committing to someone because you fall in love came about and a lot of times it doesn’t work very well. While it is unlikely that we will ever go back to arranged marriages, there are some things we can learn from them according to psychiatrist George Blair-West author of the book How to Make the Biggest Decision of Your Life (https://amzn.to/3gQPTyD). Listen as he reveals what really matters in keeping a relationship together for a long time.  When you study the human mind, it is easy to come to the conclusion that it works in odd and curious ways. For example, we tend to be overconfident in our abilities a lot of the time. We often think everyone else is having more fun than we are. And we tend to like things simply because they remind us of us – like the numbers in your birthday! Listen as I discuss this with my guest David G. Myers. He is a social psychologist and professor of psychology at Hope College and author of a book How Do We Know Ourselves?: Curiosities and Marvels of the Human Mind  (https://amzn.to/3fqyP1Z). In just about every recipe that uses mushrooms, it tells you to brush (not wash) them before you eat them. The theory is that if you wash them, they will soak up water like a sponge and not taste right. Is that true? Listen as I explain. Source: Harold McGee author of On Food and Cooking (https://amzn.to/3UeclA2). PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! We’re all about helping you find ways to get more out of life… that’s why we want you to listen to Constant Wonder. Constant Wonder is a podcast that will bring more wonder and awe to your day. Listen to Constant Wonder wherever you get your podcasts! https://www.byuradio.org/constantwonder Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online You’ve earned your fun time. Go to the App Store or Google play to download Best Fiends for free. Plus, earn even more with $5 worth of in-game rewards when you reach level 5!  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!  https://www.geico.com Bundle your policies and save! It's Geico easy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First impressions matter. That’s because once a person makes judgements about you, it can be difficult to change it. This episode begins by revealing 3 things people decide about you within the first 30 seconds and how you can make sure you put your best foot forward. Source: Sherry Maysonave author of Casual Power (https://amzn.to/2Thh1I7) Why should you fill your gas tank on Monday instead of Friday? Does transferring credit card balances to lower interest rate card make sense? What’s the best way to save money at the grocery store? Why should you always order a large pizza? These are just some of the questions I discuss with Lisa Rowan, author of Money Hacks: 275+ Ways to Decrease Spending, Increase Savings, and Make Your Money Work for You! (https://amzn.to/34iOM24). Listen and I am sure you will hear ideas you can use to spend less and keep more of your money. When you walk into an awe-inspiring building, you become friendlier. When kids work in rooms with high ceilings, they become more creative. In short, the room or building or environment you are in has an impact on how you think and on your well-being. That is according to Sarah Williams Goldhagen, an award-winning writer who has written about buildings, cities, and landscapes for many national and international publications. She taught at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design for several years and is author of Welcome to Your World: How the Built Environment Shapes Our Lives (https://amzn.to/3oem3mW). Sarah joins me to explain how building design impacts thought and behavior in ways you never knew. Who doesn’t love a bargain. That’s why outlet shopping became so popular. So why are outlet stores almost always out in the middle of nowhere? Listen as we discuss the psychology of outlet shopping and why it may not always be such a great deal. https://consumerist.com/2009/08/11/how-outlet-malls-fool-shoppers/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Right now, get a FREE full custom 3D design of your new "Wow" kitchen at https://CabinetsToGo.com/SYSK ! Want hassle-free delicious meals delivered during the holidays? Head to https://Go.Factor75.com/something60 & use code something60 to get 60% off your first box! Go to https://CozyEarth.com/SOMETHING to SAVE 35% now!  All backed by a 100-Night Sleep Guarantee. 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!  Cancel unnecessary subscriptions with Rocket Money today. Go to https://RocketMoney.com/something - Seriously, it could save you HUNDREDS of dollars per year! Indeed knows when you’re growing your own business, you have to make every dollar count. With Indeed, you only pay for quality applications that match your must-have job requirements. Visit https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING  to start hiring now! Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Along with alarms, fire extinguishers are essential. Make sure to place fire extinguishers on every level of your home and in common spaces like the kitchen and know how to use them. Visit https://firstalert.com/firepreventionmonth   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

While I am certain you are a safe driver, there is one tip race car drivers know that will make you an even safer driver, particularly in the event when you need to suddenly take evasive action. This episode begins with this important tactic that will make you more in control behind the wheel. Source: http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/top-10/top-10-editors-tips-to-prevent-a-car-accident.html Change is scary. Often it means loss. But it can also mean opportunity. Since you can’t stop the world from changing, you need to know how to handle it, process it and make the most of it so it works to your advantage. How do you do that? Listen to my guest Jason Feifer who is the editor in chief of Entrepreneur magazine. Jason also hosts a podcast called Build for Tomorrow (https://www.jasonfeifer.com/build-for-tomorrow/) and is author of the book, Build For Tomorrow: An Action Plan for Embracing Change, Adapting Fast, and Future-Proofing Your Career (https://amzn.to/3zJEwzl). How is the war on cancer going? Will we ever cure cancer? Have there been any big new advances in treatment? Are survival rates increasing? Here with an important discussion on the very latest news in cancer treatment and innovation is Robin Hesketh, a leading authority on cancer. He is a member of the faculty in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge and has published over 100 research papers on the subject. He is also author of the book, Understanding Cancer (https://amzn.to/3Ngz5NQ). You’ve no doubt heard the advice to take 3 deep breaths when you are stressed. Listen as I explain why it is such a powerful and worthwhile technique. Source: M.J. Ryan author of Adaptability (https://amzn.to/3N9Uc4h). PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Right now, get a FREE full custom 3D design of your new "Wow" kitchen at https://CabinetsToGo.com/SYSK ! Want hassle-free delicious meals delivered during the holidays? Head to https://Go.Factor75.com/something60 & use code something60 to get 60% off your first box! Go to https://CozyEarth.com/SOMETHING to SAVE 35% now!  All backed by a 100-Night Sleep Guarantee. 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!  Cancel unnecessary subscriptions with Rocket Money today. Go to https://RocketMoney.com/something - Seriously, it could save you HUNDREDS of dollars per year! Indeed knows when you’re growing your own business, you have to make every dollar count. With Indeed, you only pay for quality applications that match your must-have job requirements. Visit https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING  to start hiring now! Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Along with alarms, fire extinguishers are essential. Make sure to place fire extinguishers on every level of your home and in common spaces like the kitchen and know how to use them. Visit https://firstalert.com/firepreventionmonth   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone knows what a placebo is. We have talked about the placebo effect on previous episodes. Most people probably think of it as applying to medication. However, I begin this episode by explaining how the placebo effect works with sleep. And the information could come in handy on those days you are feeling tired. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24417326/ I am sure you have felt bored at times – whether standing in line, waiting at the doctor’s office or just sitting around with nothing to do. So what is boredom? Does it serve a purpose? And what about that phrase, “I’m bored to death.” Could that actually happen? Joining me for a fascinating discussion on boredom is psychologist James Danckert, author of the book, Out of My Skull: The Psychology of Boredom (https://amzn.to/3ePmnsq). Listen and you will never look at boredom quite the same way again.  Phrases like “trick or treat” or “jack o’ lantern” – where do they come from? Why are pumpkins part of Halloween? When and how did monsters like Frankenstein, The Mummy, and Dracula become part of Halloween? They didn’t used to be. Listen as I discuss many of our modern customs, traditions and legends of Halloween with Lisa Morton, one of the foremost authorities on Halloween and author of the book Trick or Treat: The History of Halloween (https://amzn.to/3ePbery)  Some people are perfectionists. They are not perfect but they try to be. And that can be a problem. Listen as I explore some of the issues faced by perfectionists which seem like good reasons to stop trying to be so perfect. https://www.christinecarter.com/perfectionism PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Right now, get a FREE full custom 3D design of your new "Wow" kitchen at https://CabinetsToGo.com/SYSK ! Want hassle-free delicious meals delivered during the holidays? Head to https://Go.Factor75.com/something60 & use code something60 to get 60% off your first box! Go to https://CozyEarth.com/SOMETHING to SAVE 35% now!  All backed by a 100-Night Sleep Guarantee. 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!  Cancel unnecessary subscriptions with Rocket Money today. Go to https://RocketMoney.com/something - Seriously, it could save you HUNDREDS of dollars per year! Indeed knows when you’re growing your own business, you have to make every dollar count. With Indeed, you only pay for quality applications that match your must-have job requirements. Visit https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING  to start hiring now! Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Along with alarms, fire extinguishers are essential. Make sure to place fire extinguishers on every level of your home and in common spaces like the kitchen and know how to use them. Visit https://firstalert.com/firepreventionmonth   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When people get angry, it is pretty common for them to get upset and maybe start yelling at whoever made them mad. That is a bad idea. This episode begins with a discussion how on to use anger to your advantage, so you get what you want without everyone getting mad at each other. Source: Thomas A. Schweich, author of Staying Power (https://amzn.to/34Qrb85). You and I can look at the same thing yet see it differently. We all look at the world through filters and biases that cause us to see things in our own way. So, your perception of the world is different than mine and everyone else’s. Interestingly, we seldom think about this. Instead, we tend to believe there is an objective reality that everyone sees in the same way. But it is just not true according to Dennis Proffitt, professor of psychology at the University of Virginia and author of the book Perception: How Our Bodies Shape Our Minds (https://amzn.to/3TvRsjU). Listen as he discusses why you have your unique perceptions and why they are different from everyone else’s. How much time do you spend on your smartphone every day? Probably more than you would like to admit. For many of us, our cellphones are our constant companion and something you interact with many times each day. You might even go as far as saying that you have a relationship with your phone -yes? Here with some interesting insight into that relationship is Tchiki Davis, PhD. Tchiki is a technology consultant who writes the Click Here for Happiness blog for Psychology Today and she is author of Outsmart Your Smartphone: Conscious Tech Habits for Finding Happiness, Balance, and Connection IRL (https://amzn.to/2GQwxIa)  When was the last time you sent someone a handwritten note? If it has been a while, you need to hear why you need to start doing that again. It turns out the handwritten note can be very powerful when done correctly. https://www.handwrytten.com/resources/the-power-of-handwritten-notes/   PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! 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!  Confidently take control of your online world with Avast One — it helps you stay safe from viruses, phishing attacks, ransomware, hacking attempts, and other cybercrimes! Learn more at https://Avast.com Cancel unnecessary subscriptions with Rocket Money today. Go to https://RocketMoney.com/something - Seriously, it could save you HUNDREDS of dollars per year! Shopify grows with your business anywhere. Thanks to their endless list of integrations and third-party apps - everything you need to customize your business to your needs is already in your hands. Sign up for a FREE trial at https://Shopify.com/sysk ! Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online https://www.geico.com Bundle your policies and save! It's Geico easy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What follows is a list of the most popular Halloween candy overall in the U.S. Listen as I explain why this list is important if you plan to give out candy to trick-or-treaters this year: Reese’s Cups Skittles M&M’s Starburst Hot Tamales Sour Patch Kids Hershey’s Kisses Snickers Tootsie Pops Candy Corn Source: https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/most-popular-halloween-candy-37144800 There is conflict in every relationship. What helps to ease the conflict is doing all the “little things” according to Julie Gottman author of the book The Love Prescription: Seven Days to More Intimacy, Connection, and Joy (https://amzn.to/3Tk6HMQ). Showing appreciation, saying thank you – simple things like that can have a huge impact . Julie joins me to explain exactly how to do it. Julie and her husband John Gottman have been helping couples navigate conflict and find love for many years and are considered experts in the field and are founders of The Gottman Institute.  Cemeteries and Halloween seem to go together. This being October, what a perfect time to take a look at the interesting and sometimes quirky history of American cemeteries and how they have actually had an impact on our culture. For instance, did you know it was Abraham Lincoln who actually gave a kickstart to the funeral home business as well as the practice of embalming bodies before burial? That was all Abe's doing! Here to discuss this is Greg Melville an outdoor journalist and former editor at Men’s Journal and author of the book Over My Dead Body, Unearthing the Hidden History of America’s Cemeteries (https://amzn.to/3go6BFd).   Have you ever taken a risk or tried something and worried that everyone was watching you and judging you? For instance, you go to the gym to exercise and you think all the people there are looking at what you are doing. If you have ever had that feeling, you need to listen as I discuss something called “the imaginary spotlight effect.” Source: David Allyn, author of I Can't Believe I Just Did That (https://amzn.to/3TvrE72). PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! 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!  Confidently take control of your online world with Avast One — it helps you stay safe from viruses, phishing attacks, ransomware, hacking attempts, and other cybercrimes! Learn more at https://Avast.com Cancel unnecessary subscriptions with Rocket Money today. Go to https://RocketMoney.com/something - Seriously, it could save you HUNDREDS of dollars per year! Shopify grows with your business anywhere. Thanks to their endless list of integrations and third-party apps - everything you need to customize your business to your needs is already in your hands. Sign up for a FREE trial at https://Shopify.com/sysk ! Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online https://www.geico.com Bundle your policies and save! It's Geico easy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Girls cry more than boys – that seems apparent. But why? Is it social conditioning or something more? Listen as I reveal what one researcher has discovered about boys and girls and tears. Source: Michael Gurian, author of What Could He Be Thinking?-How A Man's Mind Really Works (https://amzn.to/3evpJkm). Your body clock controls when you wake up and go to sleep – or at least when you SHOULD wake up and go to sleep. But does your body clock – or circadian rhythm – adapt to you or must you adapt to it? What about people who work nights or stay up late? As it turns out, we need to listen to our body clock or suffer the consequences – some of which can be severe. Listen as my guest Russell Foster explains. He is professor of circadian neuroscience and director of the Sleep and Circadian Neuroscience Institute at the University of Oxford and author of the book, Life Time: Your Body Clock and Its Essential Roles in Good Health and Sleep (https://amzn.to/3eEptzj). When you hear about venture capital and entrepreneurship, a lot of times those conversations revolve around Silicon Valley or New York or Boston. After all, that is where a lot of the money is. But there is a movement to get more investment dollars into the hands of entrepreneurs all over the country – not just in Silicon Valley. Leading this movement is Steve Case. He is probably best known as the founder of America Online (AOL) and is now an investor seeking to bring more investment dollars to businesses all over the U.S. Steve is author of the book Rise of the Rest: How Entrepreneurs in Surprising Places are Building the New American Dream (https://amzn.to/3EFg6Kk) and he joins me with tales of interesting business success stories you would likely never hear about anywhere else.  When there is bad news, who is most likely to take it harder – men or women? Listen as I reveal the answer and why it appears to be so. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121010172113.htm PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! 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!  Confidently take control of your online world with Avast One — it helps you stay safe from viruses, phishing attacks, ransomware, hacking attempts, and other cybercrimes! Learn more at https://Avast.com Cancel unnecessary subscriptions with Rocket Money today. Go to https://RocketMoney.com/something - Seriously, it could save you HUNDREDS of dollars per year! Shopify grows with your business anywhere. Thanks to their endless list of integrations and third-party apps - everything you need to customize your business to your needs is already in your hands. Sign up for a FREE trial at https://Shopify.com/sysk ! Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online https://www.geico.com Bundle your policies and save! It's Geico easy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Confidence makes you more attractive. It just does. So, I begin this episode by offering a short list of simple things you can do that will make you feel and appear as confident as possible. https://www.askmen.com/money/body_and_mind_150/173_better_living.html You often hear people use the words kind and nice interchangeably. Actually though, they really don’t mean the same thing. To be kind is a lot harder and riskier and has a much greater chance of making the world a better place. Nice is just, well, nice. Listen to my conversation with Houston Kraft, author of the book Deep Kindness A Revolutionary Guide for the Way We Think, Talk, and Act in Kindness (https://amzn.to/2SFKPhj) as he explains what it means to be kind and how it can change the world. We are often told that we must “Trust the science!” So what does that actually mean? What is science anyway? What makes something “scientific.” Here to answer that is James C. Zimring, M.D. and Ph.D. in Immunology and professor of pathology at the University of Virginia. James is also author of the book, What Science Is and How It Really Works (https://amzn.to/2GNQQWA). Listen as he explains how science is used and sometimes misused to explain the world and why a lot of people don’t trust science. When driving, you likely turn left from time to time without giving it much thought. However, left-hand turns are amazingly dangerous. Listen as I explain why avoiding left hand turns is a good idea whenever you can and why you seldom see a UPS truck turn left. https://www.friedgoldberg.com/blog/how-left-hand-turns-affect-road-safety/  PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Helix Sleep is offering up to $200 off all mattress orders AND two free pillows for our listeners at https://helixsleep.com/sysk.  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!  Confidently take control of your online world with Avast One — it helps you stay safe from viruses, phishing attacks, ransomware, hacking attempts, and other cybercrimes! Learn more at https://Avast.com Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Along with alarms, fire extinguishers are essential. Make sure to place fire extinguishers on every level of your home and in common spaces like the kitchen and know how to use them. For more information on fire safety products, safety tips and educational activities you can do at home with your family visit https://firstalert.com/firepreventionmonth   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do the following symptoms have in common: Tiredness, dizziness, stomach issues, headaches, dry skin, joint problems and depression? The answer is that you may be able to eliminate or minimize those symptoms with one very easy change to your daily routine. Listen and I’ll tell you what it is. https://www.healthline.com/health/anxiety/dehydration-and-anxiety Quitters never win and winners never quit. We have all heard that. Quitting has a bad reputation. People who persevere are the heroes. Quitters are losers – right? Well, not according to Annie Duke. Sometimes quitting is the smartest thing you can do – if you know when to quit. Annie was a professional poker player for two decades and won the $2 million winner-take-all, invitation-only World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions. She was also awarded a National Science Foundation Fellowship to study Cognitive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. She is the author of a bestselling book called Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away (https://amzn.to/3VgjuRT). Annie joins me to explain why quitting can work in your favor and why it is often the best choice you can make.  There is something about conspiracy theories. Some people love them. They fuel the imagination. They seem to confirm people’s suspicion and mistrust of the government. For other people though, they are ridiculous and make no sense. So where do they come from? Why do they persist? What is the attraction? And why are most of them easy to refute if you bother to examine them closely. Whether it’s 9/11, the moon landing, the Kennedy assassination, the death of Avril Lavigne or aliens and UFOs – there is no shortage. Here to explore the phenomenon of conspiracy theories is Casey Lytle, a psychology and sociology professor and author of the book Debunked: Separate the Rational from the Irrational in Influential Conspiracy Theories (https://amzn.to/3VhxtXA). Why is that some people who brush and floss religiously still have a lot of dental problems while some other people who hardly ever brush never have dental trouble? Listen as I explain the interesting answer. https://www.gumdoc.net/periodontal-disease/mouth-body-connections/gum-disease-in-families/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Helix Sleep is offering up to $200 off all mattress orders AND two free pillows for our listeners at https://helixsleep.com/sysk.  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!  Confidently take control of your online world with Avast One — it helps you stay safe from viruses, phishing attacks, ransomware, hacking attempts, and other cybercrimes! Learn more at https://Avast.com Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Along with alarms, fire extinguishers are essential. Make sure to place fire extinguishers on every level of your home and in common spaces like the kitchen and know how to use them. For more information on fire safety products, safety tips and educational activities you can do at home with your family visit https://firstalert.com/firepreventionmonth   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It is always tempting to try to impress people and show them how fabulous you are – or your child is. However, there is a downside to appearing to be so exceptional. This episode begins with an explanation. Source: Steve Chandler, author of 50 Ways To Create Great Relationships (https://amzn.to/3e7uIYk) How could someone have a phobia or fear of popcorn or buttons? Well some people do. People have phobias about all sorts of things. Where do phobias come from? What’s the difference between a fear and phobia? Can you do something about a phobia or must you live with it? Here to take a close look at phobias is Kate Summerscale author of The Book of Phobias & Manias : A History of Obsession (https://amzn.to/3e7vjcw). Dog owners like to think they know their pet pretty well. But do they? Not necessarily according to Alexandra Horowitz. She is a researcher who studies dog behavior and cognition and she is author of the book The Year of The Puppy: How Dogs Become Themselves (https://amzn.to/3CmfaYO). Listen as she explains what dogs think – or don’t think, how smart they are and what we can do to improve our relationship with man’s best friend.  Everyone knows you should change your oil every 3,000 miles – and yet that is totally false. Listen to this and you will save yourself time, money, and the planet by not changing your oil so often. https://www.edmunds.com/car-maintenance/stop-changing-your-oil.html PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Helix Sleep is offering up to $200 off all mattress orders AND two free pillows for our listeners at https://helixsleep.com/sysk.  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!  Confidently take control of your online world with Avast One — it helps you stay safe from viruses, phishing attacks, ransomware, hacking attempts, and other cybercrimes! Learn more at https://Avast.com Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online Along with alarms, fire extinguishers are essential. Make sure to place fire extinguishers on every level of your home and in common spaces like the kitchen and know how to use them. For more information on fire safety products, safety tips and educational activities you can do at home with your family visit https://firstalert.com/firepreventionmonth   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The humble sandwich has been around for thousands of years and eaten all over the world in one form or another. Guess how many sandwiches the average person eats in a year. Do you know why some sandwiches are called subs? Listen as I explore some fascinating sandwich facts to kickoff this episode. https://allthatsinteresting.com/sandwich-history Have you ever asked yourself: Why am I here? What is my purpose? Will my life really matter? What will my legacy be? Listen as I explore these and other questions with Brian Greene. Brian is a theoretical physicist, mathematician, professor at Columbia University and authored several books including, Until the End of Time: Mind, Matter, and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe (https://amzn.to/2GsvlKO). If you have ever wondered about the meaning of life, you will want to hear my conversation with Brian. Why is it that we often run to hug people we haven’t seen in a while? Why do we tend to walk slower when we’re sad? And this is interesting – Parkinson’s patients tend to move slowly but they don’t have to. They could move faster and will move faster if there is a reason to. So what is going on here? What controls the speed at which people move? Reza Shadmehr is a professor of biomedical engineering and neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and author of the book Vigor: Neuroeconomics of Movement (https://amzn.to/3ladKpP) . He joins me to discuss this fascinating connection between what goes on in your brain that determines how quickly or slowly you move and why it matters. When it comes to trying to convince someone of something, there is one key ingredient that will make the process a lot easier. A lot of people miss this completely so I will explain what it is. Source: Mark Magnacca author of So What (https://amzn.to/3cT1De3) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Confidently take control of your online world with Avast One — it helps you stay safe from viruses, phishing attacks, ransomware, hacking attempts, and other cybercrimes! Learn more at https://Avast.com Shopify grows with your business anywhere. Thanks to their endless list of integrations and third-party apps - literally everything you can think of, from on-demand printing, to accounting, to chatbots - everything you need to customize your business to your needs is already in your hands. Sign up for a FREE trial at https://Shopify.com/sysk ! Download Best Fiends for FREE from the App Store or Google play. Plus, earn even more with $5 worth of in-game rewards when you reach level five!  Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online https://www.geico.com Bundle your policies and save! It's Geico easy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you are facing a big decision, you should sleep on it first. That is common advice. But is there any validity to it? This episode begins with the answer to that question. https://www.newswise.com/articles/sleep-on-it-is-sound-science-based-advice# We all get those weird feelings – you know like we are being watched or that feeling that time is passing by faster or you have memory from your past, but you are not sure if it is true. Why do humans get these feelings, and do they serve a purpose? Here to discuss that is Dr. Jen Martin, an award-winning educator from the University of Melbourne and author of the book Why Am I Like This?: The Science Behind Your Weirdest Thoughts and Habits (https://amzn.to/3C5wgdb) We have the power to influence others in a positive way. Not to sell or persuade them but to make their lives better. And it is pretty easy to do according to Tommy Spaulding, author, speaker and former CEO of Up With People. Tommy writes about this in his new book The Gift Of Influence: Creating Life-Changing and Lasting Impact in Your Everyday Interactions (https://amzn.to/3e0FXSl). Listen as Tommy joins me with inspiring personal stories that will motivate you to make a difference in someone else’s life.  There is one phrase that a good negotiator will never use because it could come back to bite you. Listen as I reveal what the phrase is and why you should avoid saying it all costs. Source: Source: Jim Thomas author of Negotiate To Win (https://amzn.to/3V0G4h4). PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Confidently take control of your online world with Avast One — it helps you stay safe from viruses, phishing attacks, ransomware, hacking attempts, and other cybercrimes! Learn more at https://Avast.com Shopify grows with your business anywhere. Thanks to their endless list of integrations and third-party apps - literally everything you can think of, from on-demand printing, to accounting, to chatbots - everything you need to customize your business to your needs is already in your hands. Sign up for a FREE trial at https://Shopify.com/sysk ! Download Best Fiends for FREE from the App Store or Google play. Plus, earn even more with $5 worth of in-game rewards when you reach level five!  Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online https://www.geico.com Bundle your policies and save! It's Geico easy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who do you project yourself to be? It’s an important question if you want to convince someone of something. This episode begins with a look at how people judge your recommendations and proposals and so much of it has to do with who you appear to be. Source: Robert Mayer author of the book Power Plays (https://amzn.to/3BWHKzy) Setting boundaries with the people in your life and getting them to respect those boundaries can actually make your life easier and more enjoyable. That’s according to Melissa Urban who is an expert on setting boundaries and 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 and she gives you the actual scripts to say to make it easy to do.  We all face big decisions in life. And a big problem is often that we fail to make them. We put them off or decide not to decide even when those decisions can have a major impact on your life. Making a decision isn’t just about which choice to make, it is also about the timing of when you make it and how you implement your decision. Here with some great advice on the topic is Dr. Neil Shortland. He is a leading expert on military decision making and has worked with the Department for Defense and National Institute for Justice. He has 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). Whether or not you get a good night’s sleep can depend on your sleep environment. And there is one simple thing you can do tonight before you go to bed that can help you sleep so much better. Listen and I’ll explain what it is. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/7/prweb9672953.htm PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Confidently take control of your online world with Avast One — it helps you stay safe from viruses, phishing attacks, ransomware, hacking attempts, and other cybercrimes! Learn more at https://Avast.com Shopify grows with your business anywhere. Thanks to their endless list of integrations and third-party apps - literally everything you can think of, from on-demand printing, to accounting, to chatbots - everything you need to customize your business to your needs is already in your hands. Sign up for a FREE trial at https://Shopify.com/sysk ! Download Best Fiends for FREE from the App Store or Google play. Plus, earn even more with $5 worth of in-game rewards when you reach level five!  Did you know you could reduce the number of unwanted calls & emails with Online Privacy Protection from Discover? - And it's FREE! Just activate it in the Discover App. See terms & learn more at https://Discover.com/Online https://www.geico.com Bundle your policies and save! It's Geico easy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode begins with a fascinating example of just how amazing the human mind is. You see, how people feel about the medication they take impacts how well it works. Things like cost, size of the pill and number of doses will influence your recovery – I know it sounds implausible but it appears to be true. Listen and finds out. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/health/research/05placebo.html Innovation is a big buzzword today. Who doesn’t want to be innovative? However, there isn’t as much innovation going on as you might think and not all the innovation that is going on is particularly good. Some innovation is actually destructive, according to Andrew Russell, professor of history and the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at SUNY Polytechnic Institute and co-author of the book, The Innovation Delusion: How Our Obsession with the New Has Disrupted the Work That Matters Most (https://amzn.to/3dIM39A). Listen and you may think differently about what innovation is really all about. I suspect we could all use some help falling asleep now and again. Listen as I explain a simple technique that will help just about anybody fall asleep faster and better on those nights where sleep does not come easily. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/631357/breathing-technique-helps-you-fall-asleep-faster How does your GPS in your car actually work? What is the difference between 2G, 3G, 4G and 5G and why does it matter? Why are there dimples on a golf ball. Why will a balloon stick to the wall after you rub it on your head? The answer to all these questions is - PHYSICS! Joining me to explain is Dr. Charles Liu, he is an associate professor at the City University of New York and author of the The Handy Physics Answer Book (https://amzn.to/3cTtxqp) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Confidently take control of your online world with Avast One — it helps you stay safe from viruses, phishing attacks, ransomware, hacking attempts, and other cybercrimes! Learn more at https://Avast.com Visit https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING  to start hiring now! Cancel unnecessary subscriptions with Rocket Money today. Go to https://RocketMoney.com/something - Seriously, it could save you HUNDREDS of dollars per year! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You have likely never ordered a milkshake from room service at a hotel because milkshakes are most likely not on the room service menu. Still, if a hotel has a kitchen there is a good chance they have ice cream milk and a blender which is what you need to make a milkshake. So why can’t you get one? Listen as I explain the answer which points out a big problem in American business today. Source: Steve Little author of The Milkshake Moment (https://amzn.to/3BLAXZl) Have you ever wondered why time seems to go by faster as you get older? Why do people believe they have a bigger impact on events than they probably do? Why does advertising influence us even when we try to resist it? These are some of the fascinating psychology questions I discuss with Art Markman, professor of psychology and marketing at the University of Texas at Austin and author of the book Brain Briefs (https://amzn.to/2xcxdyJ). It’s an interesting discussion that will help you better understand how the human brain works. Art Markman’s website is http://www.smartthinkingbook.com/ Everyone who flies is at least a little curious about how air travel works? Is turbulence really dangerous? Could a passenger land the plane if he or she had to? If a plane has autopilot, why do we need human pilots? Why is air travel often so difficult and frustrating? Here to answer these and other common questions is Patrick Smith, a commercial airline pilot and blogger at www.askthepilot.com and author of the book, Cockpit Confidential: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel (https://amzn.to/2CfqIPY).  Hanging out with annoying and irritating people can threaten your mental health! That’s according to some research from the University of Southern California. Listen as I explain why this is and how to protect yourself from the negative effects of annoying and irritating people. people. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/Annoying-people-can-slow-down-your-brain-Study/articleshow/16765621.cms PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Confidently take control of your online world with Avast One — it helps you stay safe from viruses, phishing attacks, ransomware, hacking attempts, and other cybercrimes! Learn more at https://Avast.com Visit https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING  to start hiring now! Cancel unnecessary subscriptions with Rocket Money today. Go to https://RocketMoney.com/something - Seriously, it could save you HUNDREDS of dollars per year! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's weird but true that a lot of people’s behavior can actually change just because they wear sunglasses or are in a dimly lit room. This episode begins with an explanation of why this happens and how people act differently. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100301122344.htm Being rich is about more than just accumulating money, it is about living the life you want to live. In fact how much money you have is less important than how you spend it. That’s according to Ramit Sethi. For years now, Ramit has been helping people define what it means to be rich and helping them devise a plan to get there. And he is here to help you do the same. Ramit is author of the bestselling book I Will Teach You To Be Rich (https://amzn.to/3BB3K2E) as well as his new companion book I Will Teach You to Be Rich, The Journal (https://amzn.to/3flZA7G). He is also host of the podcast I Will Teach You To Be Rich https://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/podcast/ and his website is IWillTeachYouToBeRich.com (https://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com) Did you know it can be a good idea to smell your food just before you eat it to help you eat less? And that it is even better if the food has a vivid smell and taste. Listen as I explain how and why it works. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/smelly-food-leads-to-smaller-bites-study-finds/ Your heart is an amazing machine. For most people, most of the time it works flawlessly without fail until it one day finally stops. But what it does inside your body during your lifetime is truly amazing. Here to explain how awesome your heart is, is Sian Harding a recognized authority in cardiac science, is Emeritus Professor of Cardiac Pharmacology in the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London, and she is author of the book The Exquisite Machine: The New Science of the Heart (https://amzn.to/3R9bC1d) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Confidently take control of your online world with Avast One — it helps you stay safe from viruses, phishing attacks, ransomware, hacking attempts, and other cybercrimes! Learn more at https://Avast.com Visit https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING  to start hiring now! Cancel unnecessary subscriptions with Rocket Money today. Go to https://RocketMoney.com/something - Seriously, it could save you HUNDREDS of dollars per year! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We call them expiration dates when referring to dates on food packages but they aren’t all really expiration dates. The dates sometimes mean other things. This episode begins by explaining what these different dates really mean. Don’t throw away any food until you hear this explanation. https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/do-food-expiration-dates-matter#1 You are unique. There is not now, nor will there ever be another person like you. So, what is it exactly that makes you so unique and different than everyone else? And even though you are unique, you are probably a little like your parents and maybe a little like your siblings while still being uniquely you. Listen as I explore what makes you -you with David Linden, Professor of neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and author of the book Unique: The New Science of Human Individuality (https://amzn.to/2Sa7S3j) Of course, you know that exercise is good for you but do you know exactly how? And how much exercise is necessary to get the benefits? Listen to my conversation with Judy Foreman. She has won more than 50 journalism awards and is the author of 3 books including Exercise is Medicine: How Physical Activity Boosts Health and Slows (https://amzn.to/2Ge4VMI) Knowing how to make a good first impression is very important. So, you should know there are 5 simple keys to making that good first impression and three ways you can really mess it up. Listen as I explain how to be truly memorable when you meet someone. Source: Mark Mazzarella, co-author of the book Put Your Best Foot Forward (https://amzn.to/3372kNz) PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Go to https://CozyEarth.com/SOMETHING to SAVE 35% now!  All backed by a 100-Night Sleep Guarantee. Factor makes it easy to eat clean 24/7, with fresh, delicious, prepared meals! Head to https://go.factor75.com/something130 & use promo code Something130 to get $130 off! Visit https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING  to start hiring now! Go to https://Shopify.com/sysk for a FREE fourteen-day trial and get full access to Shopify’s entire suite of features and start selling today!! Redeem your rewards for cash in any amount, at any time, with Discover Card! Learn more at https://Discover.com/RedeemRewards https://www.geico.com Bundle your policies and save! It's Geico easy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Heart disease is the #1 killer in the world. While there are many things you can do to reduce your risk, this episode begins by revealing a simple way to cut the risk more than 30%. And it’s all in your attitude. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/a-positive-mindset-can-help-your-heart-2019021415999 Have you ever found yourself overthinking? It’s when you think through an idea or a goal or a career move over and over, imagining every variable and possible outcome. The result is you don’t really do anything or take any action – you just keep overthinking. Apparently, most of us do it and some point and it can really get in the way of your progress and success. So when does normal thinking become overthinking? And how do you stop it? Joining me to discuss this is Jon Acuff. He is a speaker and author of 9 books including Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking (https://amzn.to/3f2FI9o). Several prominent people (including Stephen Hawking) have predicted that artificial intelligence (AI) could be dangerous. That we could create machines that are so smart and so sophisticated they could control us instead of the other way around. Is that really possible? Can we actually 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). What may be a more interesting discussion is how machines and AI are changing our behavior – and it is already happening.  Fall allergies are a real problem for a lot of us. Listen as I explain some things that will help minimize the symptoms by keeping the allergens out of your house. https://www.webmd.com/allergies/allergy-proof-your-environment PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Go to https://CozyEarth.com/SOMETHING to SAVE 35% now!  All backed by a 100-Night Sleep Guarantee. Factor makes it easy to eat clean 24/7, with fresh, delicious, prepared meals! Head to https://go.factor75.com/something130 & use promo code Something130 to get $130 off! Visit https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING  to start hiring now! Go to https://Shopify.com/sysk for a FREE fourteen-day trial and get full access to Shopify’s entire suite of features and start selling today!! Redeem your rewards for cash in any amount, at any time, with Discover Card! Learn more at https://Discover.com/RedeemRewards https://www.geico.com Bundle your policies and save! It's Geico easy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you are an iPhone user, you may have noticed that some of your texts show up in blue and some show up in green This episode begins with the explanation for why that happens and what it means. https://www.rd.com/article/why-are-my-texts-green/ Do you know what time poverty is? It’s that sense you get of having too much to do and never enough time to get it done. While a lot of us live in time poverty, others live in time affluence. So how do they do it? Cassie Holmes will tell you. Cassie is 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 reveals how to get all the important things done and still have time for fun and pleasure. Is salt really all that bad for you? Do vegetarians really live longer? Are sugar substitutes better than plain old sugar? These are just some of the questions I tackle with Tim Spector. He is a professor of genetic epidemiology at King's College London and the author of four books, including his latest, 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. If you are interested go to www.joinzoe.com for more information. Do you wear the same shoes every day? Listen as I explain why the experts say you might want to rethink that. Your feet will appreciate it. https://blog.schulershoes.com/can-i-wear-the-same-shoes-every-day/ PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS! Go to https://CozyEarth.com/SOMETHING to SAVE 35% now!  All backed by a 100-Night Sleep Guarantee. Factor makes it easy to eat clean 24/7, with fresh, delicious, prepared meals! Head to https://go.factor75.com/something130 & use promo code Something130 to get $130 off! Visit https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING  to start hiring now! Go to https://Shopify.com/sysk for a FREE fourteen-day trial and get full access to Shopify’s entire suite of features and start selling today!! Redeem your rewards for cash in any amount, at any time, with Discover Card! Learn more at https://Discover.com/RedeemRewards https://www.geico.com Bundle your policies and save! It's Geico easy! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices