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 Meli...
Oct 10, 2022•52 min•Ep. 797
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 i...
Oct 08, 2022•53 min•Ep. 796
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 ...
Oct 06, 2022•48 min•Ep. 795
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 y...
Oct 03, 2022•52 min•Ep. 794
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...
Oct 01, 2022•54 min•Ep. 793
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...
Sep 29, 2022•51 min•Ep. 792
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 p...
Sep 26, 2022•53 min•Ep. 791
It’s pretty clear that the placebo effect is a real thing even though we don’t understand it very well. This episode begins by exploring the reasons why what you believe about your health actually has an impact on your health and why believing you are healthy can actually make it so. Source: Howard Brody, M.D. author of “The Placebo Response” (https://amzn.to/2ZzmXzH) There are a lot of theories about what you should do with your money. For instance, most experts agree that paying off your mortg...
Sep 24, 2022•50 min•Ep. 790
When you have to take a test and you don’t know the answer, the conventional advice is to go with your first answer. A lot of people believe that – but is it true? This episode begins with some interesting evidence that may help you the next time you take a test. https://www.spring.org.uk/2012/02/multiple-choice-tests-why-sticking-with-your-first-answer-is-probably-wrong.php Music is such an important part of life for so many of us. Most of us have a favorite song or band or type of music. Liste...
Sep 22, 2022•52 min•Ep. 789
You have probably been in a situation where you felt shy. As a result, you probably held back and didn’t engage with people as much as you could have. There is a way to get over your shyness no matter what the situation. This episode begins with some interesting advice from a top shyness expert on how to work through those shy feelings in the moment – and it is very simple and requires almost no effort. Source: Bernardo Carducci author of Shyness (https://amzn.to/2XWCgl8) You’ve probably heard i...
Sep 19, 2022•49 min•Ep. 788
Everyone loves ketchup – or so it seems. In fact, it is one of the most universally loved foods in America. Why? This episode begins with some interesting facts and history about ketchup that helps explain why there is a bottle of it in more than 97% of U.S. households. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/aug/20/why-is-ketchup-so-delicious-science-answers-big-food-questions Have you ever felt you were on a winning streak? Maybe it was at work or gambling or a game of tennis – where you...
Sep 17, 2022•53 min
Your mother told you not to lie. After all, lying is dishonest. More importantly, it may also be bad for your health. This episode begins by revealing why telling the truth could help prevent you from getting sick. http://research.nd.edu/news/32485-study-telling-fewer-lies-linked-to-better-health-relationships/ How did YouTube go from being a simple dating site to the biggest video sharing service in the world that generates billions of dollars in ad revenue each year? How did it happen that man...
Sep 15, 2022•52 min•Ep. 786
You just might want to take your car keys to bed with you at night. Why? This episode begins with an interesting explanation – and it all has to do with your personal safety. http://worldofwonder.net/lifehack-put-car-keys-beside-bed-night/ How do you best learn something new? Probably not the way you think. There are actually proven ways to engage the brain so material really sticks. Joining me to explain what these methods are and how they work is Ulrich Boser. Ulrich has studied the science of...
Sep 12, 2022•53 min•Ep. 785
Since watching a scary movie can be so stressful and even unpleasant – why do people do it? This episode begins with a discussion on why people watch them and the benefits of doing so. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070725152040.htm We all make food choices every day. And a lot of things influence those choices which can make it difficult to eat a healthy diet. To help understand how to make better food choices and resist those negative influences is Marion Nestle, PhD. Marion is t...
Sep 10, 2022•53 min•Ep. 784
“ I wish I got more emails!” – said no one ever. Many of us start the day wading through emails we wish we never got in the first place. This episode begins with some easy strategies to cut down on your email clutter and lighten the load of your inbox. Source: Kaitlin Sherwood author of Overcome Email Overload (https://amzn.to/3RBsKNW) For a million reasons you already know, friends are important. Yet we tend to have fewer friends today than in the past and some people have no one at all they co...
Sep 08, 2022•51 min•Ep. 783
Anyone who cooks on a grill has wondered why it is that hot dogs come in packages of ten while hot dog buns are sold in packages of eight. Why the mismatch? This episode begins with the explanation. https://www.womenshealthmag.com/food/a40984485/hot-dogs-buns-packages/ Much of your life is powered by batteries. From your TV remote to your car to your cellphone, you rely on batteries every single day. Yet, you probably don’t know a lot about them - like why there are different sizes or why they s...
Sep 05, 2022•51 min•Ep. 782
Do you save things that take up space that you know you will never, ever use again? This episode begins with some simple advice that will help you clear out some items from your home or office and free up some space for what’s really important. Source: Barbara Hemphill author of “Love It or Lose It (https://amzn.to/31wfIdq) People say that if they had to give up one of their senses, they would give up smell. After listening to this episode, you may decide to answer that question differently. Tha...
Sep 03, 2022•51 min•Ep. 781
You probably don’t think of the Internet as an actual place but it really is – sort of. All of our computers have to connect to each other somewhere – and there is a place where that happens. And that place has a particular smell to it. This episode begins with an explanation. Source: Andrew Blum author of the book Tubes (https://amzn.to/3pwX3Jq). It is hard to argue with nice. Being nice to other people in generally regarded as a good thing. But you can also be TOO nice – which can cause a lot ...
Sep 01, 2022•46 min•Ep. 780
Have you noticed that when you are working on a problem or trying to come up with a new idea there comes a point of diminishing returns? Then the more you try, the worse it gets. That appears to be true for everyone and there is a sweet spot after which your efforts suffer. This episode begins with a discussion on why this happens and when you should stop trying and do something else instead. https://hbr.org/2014/07/get-your-brain-unstuck When you think of the factors that impact your health, yo...
Aug 29, 2022•47 min•Ep. 779
I have never found over-the-counter cough and cold medicine to be very effective at relieving symptoms and I know a lot of people feel the same. However, research indicates that there is something in your kitchen cupboard that may be more effective and is totally free of side effects. This episode begins with a home remedy that really seems to work. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-8641173/Honey-beats-antibiotics-curing-colds-Study-shows-effective-medication.html Most of the time you p...
Aug 27, 2022•49 min•Ep. 778
It’s a good thing you learned math in school. Why? Because when you apply math to pizza, you will realize that there is one size pizza that is almost always a lousy deal. This episode begins with a mathematical formula that will save you real dough on your next pizza order. http://lifehacker.com/the-math-equation-that-explains-why-you-should-alwaysb-1784641566 Most of us probably wish we were a bit better at being organized so that we could prioritize tasks and do things more efficiently. Fortun...
Aug 25, 2022•50 min•Ep. 777
Have you ever thought your relationship with your cellphone was a bit over the top? This episode begins with a look at how Americans use their cellphone, how often they check it, where they use it, how they use it and how they feel if they don’t have it. Then you can see where you fit in with everyone else. https://www.reviews.org/mobile/cell-phone-addiction/ There is an assumption that the reason people are overweight is that they eat too much food. That the obesity problem could be solved if o...
Aug 22, 2022•51 min•Ep. 776
The typewriter keyboard was invented in the 1800s. Today, the layout of the letters on a computer keyboard is essentially the same as it was back then. Maybe you have wondered why the order of the letters of the QWERTY keyboard hasn’t been changed in all that time. This episode begins with an explanation. https://www.cnet.com/news/a-brief-history-of-the-qwerty-keyboard/ You’ve heard of FOMO, right? It stands for “Fear of Missing Out” and it has become part of the language and experience for many...
Aug 20, 2022•55 min•Ep. 775
There is an old adage that "opposites attract." And you do sometimes see couples that seem to prove the point. Still, just how common is it for very different people to be attracted to each other. This episode begins by explaining some research on the topic. http://www.livescience.com/5351-truth-opposites-attract.html How can you tell what someone else is REALLY thinking or what they REALLY want from you? If you know the clues to look for you can get a better idea of what is going on in their he...
Aug 18, 2022•50 min•Ep. 774
Ever have a night where your dreams seem really vivid and maybe even disturbing? This episode begins by looking at the typical causes of really weird and vivid dreams. https://www.livestrong.com/article/13773031-vivid-dreams/ It may be a tough sell in our culture but being humble can actually be a powerful and effective way to build confidence, strengthen relationships and achieve success. That’s according to Daryl R. Van Tongeren, an associate professor of psychology at Hope College and author ...
Aug 15, 2022•53 min•Ep. 773
Who doesn’t love a barbecue? Still, there are some dangers with outdoor cooking. For instance, when was the last time you really cleaned your grill? If you think the fire burns off all the gunk, think again. I begin this episode by discussing this and other potential problems with cooking outdoors. http://www.menshealth.com/health/5-cookout-mistakes-that-make-you-sick Did you know carrots were not originally orange? Or that expensive weddings are a bad idea? Were you aware that the Mediterranean...
Aug 13, 2022•52 min•Ep. 772
Have you ever noticed how great ideas and solutions often come to you in the shower? This episode begins with an explanation as to why that often happens to so many people. https://www.headspace.com/articles/shower-epiphanies Is love an emotion? Not according to Anna Machin an evolutionary anthropologist at the Department of Experimental Psychology at Oxford University, and author of the book Why We Love: The New Science Behind Our Closest Relationships (https://amzn.to/3SzC8mp). Anna believes l...
Aug 11, 2022•49 min•Ep. 771
What if you could drink without getting drunk? Or at least feel the effects of alcohol less? One professional beer taster has a way to do it and this episode begins with his technique. And it is really simple.. http://www.esquire.com/food-drink/drinks/how-to/a26328/how-not-to-get-drunk/ Processed food has really gotten a bad reputation. But is it fair? Is processed food really that bad? Just because a food has a long list of ingredients or has chemicals you cannot pronounce doesn’t necessarily m...
Aug 08, 2022•52 min•Ep. 770
Your typical meeting involves people sitting in chairs talking. For many meetings, there may be a better way that yields better results. This episode begins by looking at why conducting meetings in an entirely different way can be more productive and rewarding. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/09/walking-meetingsat-linke_n_7035258.html?utm_hp_ref=business I think it's safe to say that people are generally friendly. And that’s for good reason. Being friendly is an excellent strategy most of ...
Aug 06, 2022•56 min•Ep. 769
Ever get a song in your head but you can’t remember the title? This episode begins with a simple trick using your smartphone that will help identify almost any song. https://lifehacker.com/how-to-identify-any-song-just-by-singing-it-1849039953 Have you ever wondered what makes you different from everybody else? Exactly what is it that makes you the person you have become? That’s the interesting question that Chantel Prat has investigated. Chantel is professor at the University of Washington and ...
Aug 04, 2022•48 min•Ep. 768
