Summer brings ice cream, popsicles and other frozen treats – all of which can cause painful brain freeze. Why does that happen, and can you stop it? Listen as I explain what brain freeze is and a really good remedy for it. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/brain-freeze-why-does-ice-cream-give-you-headaches/ To make changes in your thoughts, personality and behavior takes a lot of work over a long period of time. Well, maybe for some things. However, there are some quick and simple strategies to tackl...
Jun 23, 2025•49 min•Ep. 1221
Being sure to get enough sleep is one of the suggestions for people trying to lose or control their body weight. What’s the connection? How does sleep affect weight loss? This episode begins with an explanation. https://www.webmd.com/obesity/features/cant-shed-those-pounds The English language is full of weird little phrases like: “Cut to the chase.” “Made from scratch.” Close but no cigar.” Where do these strange sayings come from? That’s just one of the topics about our language I discuss with...
Jun 21, 2025•48 min•Ep. 1220
It makes sense that if you want to cut down on the amount of spam email you get, just unsubscribe from those emails. WAIT! That could make things worse. There is a better way to handle spam emails, and I begin this episode by explaining how. https://www.yahoo.com/news/warning-hitting-unsubscribe-unwanted-emails-115900557.html Predicting the future is a losing game most of the time. Still, a lot of influential people spend a lot of time and money trying to do it. People forecast where the stock m...
Jun 19, 2025•51 min•Ep. 1219
Can drinking tea make you happy – or do happy people just like to drink tea? There is definitely a connection between tea and mental health, and this episode begins with an explanation. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25657295/ Artificial Intelligence is either the next big thing that will transform our lives or the worst thing ever that will curse humanity. So, what is the truth? Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Gary Rivlan has taken a hard look at AI and joins me to discuss the good and the b...
Jun 16, 2025•48 min•Ep. 1218
Where is the best place to take a nap? Anyone who has napped in a hammock knows how great it can be. This episode begins by explaining why naps are better in a hammock and why your next nap should be in one. https://www.livescience.com/14680-hammock-rocking-improves-sleep.html It can be hard to say no. After all, you don’t want to let people down or have them think you are not a team player. But think about all the times you have said yes and wish you hadn’t. If you find saying no to be hard, yo...
Jun 14, 2025•50 min•Ep. 1217
A lot of things impact an employer’s decision to hire you or not. But one thing you may not have considered is where you fall in the order of interviewees. Listen as I explain why you want to be the fourth person interviewed. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/why-always-fourth-during-round-191931348.html Why did you turn out the way you did? Was it because of your parents, your siblings, your environment or all the above? What about birth order - does that really influence the direction your life...
Jun 12, 2025•49 min•Ep. 1216
The next time you or your kids get a shot at the doctor’s office or face anything that you know is going to be painful, there is a little trick you can use that should reduce the pain substantially. Listen as I explain what it is. https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27514-hold-your-breath-to-dampen-the-pain-of-an-injection/#.VVTKyZO_Heb What is it about persuasive people? They just have that “something” that makes us want to listen, to be around them, and in many cases, do what they ask. Why ...
Jun 09, 2025•51 min•Ep. 1215
Are you keeping a secret? Everyone does - usually more than one. The problem with keeping secrets is that it is a burden that impacts your life in ways you may not realize. This episode begins with an explanation. http://now.tufts.edu/articles/how-burdensome-are-secrets The world of work has changed quite a bit in the last few years. Today, more people are not just looking for a paycheck or promotion, they are looking for meaning in what they do. Another big change is that many workers today...
Jun 07, 2025•49 min•Ep. 1214
Ask anyone if they prefer fresh or frozen fish and almost everyone says – Fresh! But it turns out to be not so simple. A lot of fish you think is fresh may have been frozen at some point. This episode begins by unraveling this issue of fresh or frozen fish and which is better. https://www.thespruceeats.com/frozen-fish-better-than-fresh-fish-1300625 How do you solve a problem before it even becomes a problem? The perfect example is changing the oil in your car. You do that to prevent problems fro...
Jun 05, 2025•49 min•Ep. 1213
Zoom and other platforms have made virtual meetings very convenient and allow people in different locations to gather together in one place. Still, virtual meetings can be inefficient and can waste a lot of time if people aren’t aware of some common don’ts. This episode starts with a list of things not to do or say that can streamline those meetings. One thing that sets us apart from all other animals is our ability to speak and communicate with a complex language. So, we talk. We talk to each o...
Jun 02, 2025•52 min•Ep. 1212
How does tickling work? You can’t tickle yourself. But if you are the ticklish type, you’ll start laughing if you know someone is about to tickle you even though they haven’t touched you yet. This episode begins with the weird ways tickling works. http://www.livescience.com/3882-tickle.html You know what is interesting about our 7-day week? It is totally artificial. In other words, the other ways we measure time - such as days, hours, months and years – those are based on the sun, the moon, the ...
May 31, 2025•49 min•Ep. 1211
It is hard to imagine how intricate and complicated your eyes are. This episode starts with a look at some of the amazing things your eyes do and how they work to allow you to see the world. https://www.buzzfeed.com/acuvue/impossibly-cool-facts-you-may-not-know-about-yo#.kjpwxlkvO Anxiety is a huge problem. It appears more people are more anxious today than ever before. Why is that? What causes anxiety in the first place and more importantly, what can you do to lower your anxiety? Here with some...
May 29, 2025•52 min•Ep. 1210
Is it healthier to be short or tall? Not that you can do much about it – but this episode begins by exploring some interesting health differences between the tall and the short. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-32117018 All of us have had the urge to get revenge on someone for something they did to us. Seeking revenge is a very powerful feeling that many people cannot control. Yet, more often than not, getting revenge is not that satisfying and you often end up regretting it - road rage being the...
May 26, 2025•49 min•Ep. 1209
It is hard to imagine life without sunglasses. So, who came up with the idea – and when? We begin this episode by going way back to the very first pair of sunglasses and I’ll reveal how our modern-day sunglasses came about not all that long ago. ago. http://www.glasseshistory.com/glasses-history/history-of-sunglasses/ We have all felt that sense of wonder. It’s that feeling you get when you first see the Grand Canyon or an incredible sunset or the stars above against a really dark sky. Sadly, we...
May 24, 2025•46 min•Ep. 1208
Do happy couples have more sex or does having more sex make couples happy? This episode begins with some surprising insight into that question. https://www.cmu.edu/news/stories/archives/2015/may/more-sex-does-not-lead-to-happiness.html There is something about board games. Chess, checkers, backgammon, Monopoly, Parcheesi – we like to play board games. What’s fascinating is people all over the world love board games and have for centuries. Why is there this universal appeal? What do these games d...
May 22, 2025•50 min•Ep. 1207
People prefer to pay for things with plastic more than cash today. While it is convenient, it creates a problem that is likely costing you quite a bit of money. This episode begins by explaining the problem and how to solve it. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/people-twice-likely-spend-using-card-than-cash/ So many English words are pronounced nothing like they are spelled. Cough, salmon, laugh, doubt, and calf are just a few examples and I am sure you can come up with more. Why ...
May 19, 2025•49 min•Ep. 1206
Drinking water is what keeps you from becoming dehydrated. What you may not know is that there are other factors that can speed up your dehydration that may require you drink even more water than you think. This episode begins by explaining what causes this to happen even when you think you are taking in plenty of water. https://www.eatingwell.com/article/8034255/sneaky-reasons-youre-dehydrated-nothing-to-do-with-water/ Have you ever felt stuck? May you've felt stuck in a job or a relationship o...
May 17, 2025•48 min•Ep. 1205
A lot of people drink coffee in the morning to kickstart the day. Interestingly, how you drink it (when, how many cups, length of time between cups, etc.) influences the kick that you get. This episode begins by explaining the best way to consume your morning brew for maximum benefit. https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a15327/coffee-most-caffeine/ I’m sure you’ve had a gut feeling about something. You didn’t have to think about it – you just knew! That is your intuition at work. But...
May 15, 2025•50 min•Ep. 1204
It is so tempting. The gas pump clicks off indicating that your tank is full but there is that urge to squeeze out a few more drops. Should you? This episode begins by explaining what happens when you do that. https://cluballiance.aaa.com/the-extra-mile/advice/car/seo-should-you-really-top-off-your-gas-tank Apple is a huge company worth $3 trillion. It makes money from products (iPhone, computers, smart watch etc.) and services (App store, Apple Pay etc.). Most Apple products are made and asse...
May 12, 2025•52 min•Ep. 1203
If someone tells you how a book or movie ends - does it spoil the whole thing? Is it not worth watching or reading it? Or could knowing the ending first make the experience even better? Listen and find out. https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/spoiler-alert-spoilers-make-you-enjoy-stories-more You may not remember this but about 20 years ago, personal computers and other electronic devices came with big instruction manuals. Of course, now they don’t. We expect computers and just about e...
May 10, 2025•51 min•Ep. 1202
Which side is your good side? You know, the side of your face you point toward the camera when someone takes your picture. We all have a good side. And I bet I know which one yours is. https://newsfeed.time.com/2012/04/24/which-side-is-your-good-side-here-comes-the-science/ You are exposed to a lot of music every day. Sometimes it is music you seek out and want to listen to as well as music that plays in the background – in stores, in elevators, in a doctor’s office. All that music affects your ...
May 08, 2025•49 min•Ep. 1201
Why is salmon pink? What is the shelf life of a Twinkie? What do almonds and peaches have in common? These are just a few of the fun food facts we cover to kick off this episode. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/food-facts_n_4788746 How many times would you guess the “Like” button is pressed by people every day around the world? You are about to find out and it is a lot! Where did the like button come from? Why is it so important? What does it do for the person who does the liking and for the pers...
May 05, 2025•49 min•Ep. 1200
Are you one of the many people who enjoys a morning cup of coffee? If so, listen to the beginning of this episode which explains why you should smell your coffee when you drink it because it can help you think better and be more productive. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6881620/ In many urban areas, the number one use of land is for – parking. In fact, the United States has 4 parking spaces for every car. So, it makes you wonder then why it is so hard to find a parking spot when y...
May 03, 2025•50 min•Ep. 1199
Want to get someone to like you – or like you more? If so, there is a simple thing you can do that can work wonders to improve your likeability. This episode begins with this simple technique. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/let-their-words-do-the-talking/201608/people-will-you-if-you-make-them-laugh Why are we here? You must have thought about this question. I mean, here we are, intelligent creatures hurtling through the universe on this tiny little planet. Why? What’s the point of it a...
May 01, 2025•49 min•Ep. 1198
Kibosh, chicanery, affluent and Seuss (as in Dr. Seuss) are words a lot of people mispronounce. This episode begins with the correct pronunciation of these and other mispronounced words you may not be aware you are saying incorrectly. http://mentalfloss.com/article/32273/11-common-words-youre-probably-mispronouncing You (or someone you know) have most likely dropped your phone in the toilet, spilled coffee on your laptop or had some other electronic device suffer “death by liquid.” Our electroni...
Apr 28, 2025•53 min•Ep. 1197
What is beginner’s luck? After all, it has a name so it must happen often enough to be a thing. But could it just be an odd and occasional coincidence or is there really something to it? We begin this episode with a look at the phenomenon of beginner’s luck and why it may not be luck at all. Source: Sian Beilock author of Choke (https://amzn.to/3Nj53uE) Quitting? You can’t quit! Quitting is for losers – you should finish what you start. That’s the message many of us have playing in our head when...
Apr 26, 2025•49 min•Ep. 1196
You are familiar with the advice that you shouldn’t go grocery shopping when you are hungry because you will spend more money and buy more junk. However, that’s just a piece of story. Hunger and shopping are related in other ways. This episode begins by explaining how. https://phys.org/news/2015-03-hungry-people-food.html#google_vignette The idea that spending too much time on your phone, tablet or computer is bad for you has become conventional wisdom. But is that true? What does the research s...
Apr 24, 2025•48 min•Ep. 1195
Since you were a child you have heard that it is important to wash your hands. But even if you do, you may not be doing it correctly and you may be missing some key spots. This episode begins by explaining some often overlooked details of washing your hands. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/hand-washing/art-20046253 There is a human need for fun. And there are a million ways to indulge yourself including amusement parks, board games, sports, toys, festivals, vid...
Apr 21, 2025•54 min•Ep. 1194
There is probably something you are worrying about right now. After all, that’s what we do – we worry. This episode begins with some optimistic news about whatever you are worrying about https://www.huffpost.com/entry/85-of-what-we-worry-about_b_8028368 Advice on success isn’t hard to find. The problem is, there are a lot of different ways to become successful and you have to find out which way works for you. That is why you should listen to my guest Ozan Varol. Ozan has some interesting insight...
Apr 19, 2025•51 min•Ep. 1193
Would you like to be more persuasive? Listen as I reveal what one expert says is the key to winning people over to your side. Source: Rick Maurer author of Why Don’t You Want What I Want? (https://amzn.to/4j7xgBX). Time anxiety is that feeling of always feeling pressured because there isn’t enough time to get everything done and always worrying you are going to be late. But wait! What if everything didn’t really need to get done? What if this sense of urgency you have is an illusion? I want you ...
Apr 17, 2025•51 min•Ep. 1192
