Ask people what their favorite number is and you will get a lot of different answers. But if you ask thousands of people, one number emerges as the clear winner? This episode begins with what that number is and why so many people like it and consider it lucky. Source: Alex Bellos author of Here’s Looking at Euclid (https://amzn.to/3wgjt3z) What are you afraid of? Spiders? The dark? Public speaking? We are all afraid of something at some time - and that feeling of fear can be very powerful. Where...
Jun 14, 2021•50 min•Ep. 590
If you have brothers or sisters, you probably know that sibling relationships change as we move from childhood to adulthood. Sometimes they change for the better – sometimes not. We begin this episode by unraveling the complications of adult sibling relationships. http://www.rd.com/advice/relationships/adult-sibling-estrangement/ Did you have a secret identity when you were a kid? Maybe you pretended to be Superman or a princess or someone you admired. What’s interesting is you can do the same t...
Jun 12, 2021•46 min•Ep. 589
Remember when we all started using reusable grocery bags and there was a big concern about germs and bacteria in those bags? You don’t hear so much about this anymore - so is it still a big concern? This episode begins with a discussion on just how clean those bags are and how clean they should be. https://www.tasteofhome.com/article/how-clean-are-your-reusable-shopping-bags-the-truth-will-shock-you/ We all deceive ourselves all the time. We tell ourselves stories about how great we are or how g...
Jun 10, 2021•54 min•Ep. 588
Hold a strand of spaghetti at each end and break it in 2. It cannot be done. And this puzzle has mystified great minds of science including Nobel prize winner Richard Feynman. Now there appears to be an explanation which I’ll tell you at the beginning of this episode. https://www.thenakedscientists.com/get-naked/experiments/snapping-spaghetti You have a lot of desires. Have you ever wondered why you desire those things? Why do you want what you want? Joining me with an explanation is Luke Burgis...
Jun 07, 2021•52 min•Ep. 587
Have you heard the advice that couples should have a date night. That’s common advice to help keep the romance alive in long term relationships. But interestingly, “couple time” is not the highest quality time couples can have. In fact it doesn’t even come in second. Listen as I explain another way couples can spend their time that is much more beneficial and rewarding. https://www.businessinsider.com/double-dates-improve-relationship-2018-2 Do you know how to make your memory work to your advan...
Jun 05, 2021•47 min•Ep. 586
Has it ever happened that your cellphone rang or buzzed but when you checked it had not? It was a phantom ring. This episode begins with an explanation as to why that happens to a lot of us. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20130701-why-you-feel-phantom-phone-calls Here are three fairly common concerns of people: • They worry too much • They don’t have enough confidence • They wish they had more friends Listen to Helen Thomsen a writer and consultant who is author of This Book Could Fix Your L...
Jun 03, 2021•54 min•Ep. 585
A kiss is so much more than just a kiss. It turns out kissing sends messages to the person you are kissing. This episode begins with some interesting facts about what kissing does, the messages it sends and why men and women tend to prefer different kinds of kisses. https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/relationships/20-things-you-never-knew-about-kissing/ss-AA3gtBD Who doesn’t love a bargain? However always looking for the best deal or the lowest price may not be the best buying strategy. There i...
May 31, 2021•43 min•Ep. 584
Ever notice those people who shop at the grocery store and sometimes changes their mind and take items out of the shopping cart and stash them somewhere in the checkout line ? Well, stores are making it harder to do that and that is just ones of the ways grocery stores try to get you to spend more money. I start this episode with a list of several other strategies grocery stores use because knowing could help you save money. http://www.rd.com/slideshows/supermarket-tricks/ There is an important ...
May 29, 2021•48 min•Ep. 583
Skill, practice and hard work are often considered the cornerstones of success. Maybe. However, one often overlooked strategy to being great at something is - reverse engineering. By disassembling and analyzing what others have done to be successful you can find a better path to success for yourself according to psychologist Ron Freidman. Ron is an expert on human motivation and author of the book Decoding Greatness: How the Best in the World Reverse Engineer Success (https://amzn.to/2REVhc7). L...
May 27, 2021•51 min•Ep. 582
Taking your cellphone or tablet to the beach or the pool is a risky proposition. If it drops into the water or gets sand in it -that could spell disaster. Of course, you could buy a special case to protect it but what about just a plain old sandwich bag from your kitchen drawer? Listen as I reveal just how well they perform at protecting your electronics. https://bit.ly/3u3uljm I am first to admit that talking about managing money is not the most thrilling topic. However, one of my favorite fina...
May 24, 2021•52 min•Ep. 581
Have you ever had that experience of driving and all of a sudden seeing a motorcycle that “came out of nowhere.” How does that happen? There is actually an explanation for why this is such a common occurrence and we begin today’s episode with the explanation. http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/motorcycles/a19641/why-you-dont-seemotorcycles-on-the-road/ Every piece of technology you use has a story of how it came to be. Some of those stories are fascinating. For example, did you know YouTube wa...
May 22, 2021•50 min•Ep. 580
At our house, we take our shoes off when we come in from outside and it turns out to be a good idea. This episode begins with an explanation of what is clinging to your shoes when you walk into your house and why leaving your shoes outside is a really good idea. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2019/07/03/my-shoes-dirty-studies-suggest-theyre-covered-fecal-bacteria/1637780001/ How did Amazon get to be such a giant company? For many of us, Amazon has become an important presence in our lives w...
May 20, 2021•54 min•Ep. 579
What could possibly be the difference between all the zillions of shampoos on the market? If you want clean hair, isn’t shampoo all the same? This episode begins with a discussion on the difference - or lack of difference - between shampoos. https://theconversation.com/does-the-price-of-your-shampoo-affect-how-clean-your-hair-is-heres-the-science-71597 Color is a big part of our lives. We care about the color of our clothes, our walls and our cars. We love the colors in nature, we admire the bea...
May 17, 2021•49 min•Ep. 578
We’d probably all like to be more persuasive. And there is one little sentence to tack on to the end of any request that is more likely to get people to do what you want. Listen as I begin this episode by revealing that one simple sentence. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10510974.2012.727941?journalCode=rcst20 Have you ever wondered, what makes you human? What is it about us that separates us from other earthly creatures? It’s a fascinating question that has been tackled by Michael ...
May 15, 2021•46 min•Ep. 577
When you have a smart phone, you can take a photo of anything, anytime, anywhere. So this episode starts with one very simple piece of advice that can make those pictures to take more interesting and more memorable. And it is really, really simple. http://photoinf.com/Golden_Mean/Dale_Cotton/Daystar_Lessons_in_Composition.htm Love is tricky business. Despite our desire and need for finding love - we are not really good at it. Perhaps that is because we are looking for the wrong characteristics a...
May 13, 2021•57 min•Ep. 576
Next time you are feeling stressed or need a little reassurance there is someone you need to call - immediately! It is a very close relative of yours. This episode begins with some stress reducing advice and an explanation of why it works so well. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/may/12/mother-phone-call-study-us-oxytocin I think we all like to believe we know what we are talking about but a lot of times we don’t. It’s human nature apparently. We believe things that are not true and we t...
May 10, 2021•54 min•Ep. 575
Often people who deal with the public as part of their job often begin to believe that people in general are not very bright. As an example, one question workers at Disney theme parks are often asked is “What time is the 3 o’clock parade?” Which is, of course, a pretty stupid question on its surface. But it’s how the employees answer the question that makes Disney customer service so legendary – and any organization can do the same thing. https://www.disneyinstitute.com/blog/how-would-you-respon...
May 08, 2021•46 min•Ep. 574
When it comes to medical advice, a doctor is supposed to know what is truth and what is myth. However, an amazing number of doctors are misinformed. This episode begins with some information about a survey that showed how many pediatricians believe some common parenting advice that has been proven to be untrue. Source: Baby Facts by Andrew Adesman, M.D. (https://amzn.to/3h0oPLw) Digital communication makes it easy to keep in touch with people but there are also pitfalls. Emails, texts, chats and...
May 06, 2021•51 min•Ep. 573
If you don’t wear decent sunglasses outside, you are asking for trouble. Just ask any eye doctor. Ultraviolet light is bad for your eyes - and sunglasses can stop it - if you get the right kind of sunglasses. This episode begins with a description of what to look for in a good pair of sunglasses. https://www.aao.org/eye-health/news/how-to-choose-best-sunglasses It certainly seems like you are the same person you were 1, 2 or 10 years - but you are so very different. In fact, you are not the pers...
May 03, 2021•55 min•Ep. 572
Everyone is different but when I need to solve a problem or think of something creative, I often lie down, close my eyes and think. And it turns out that is good advice for everyone. I start this episode with some interesting research that reveals why lying down is a good position to think in. https://lifehacker.com/need-a-creative-boost-try-lying-down-5982463 Ever have your heart broken? I think we all have at some point. Psychologist Guy Winch, author of the book How to Fix a Broken Heart (htt...
May 01, 2021•48 min•Ep. 571
Noise levels are increasing, and all that noise can have a lot of negative effects on your health and happiness. This episode begins by explaining the negative impact of too much noise so you can 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 any goal? There are a lot of theories and ideas but there is also solid research about this. If you want to know what ...
Apr 29, 2021•51 min•Ep. 570
If you saw someone walking down the street and they were not swinging their arms, you would think it looks a little weird. Yet, humans don’t have to swing their arms to walk - we can walk fine with it. This episode begins with an explanation as to why most of us swing our arms when we walk and the benefits of doing so. https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-we-swing-our-arms-when-we-walk No one knows more about how influence and persuasion work than Robert Cialdini. For decades he has studie...
Apr 26, 2021•53 min•Ep. 569
When you feel pain or some ache in your body, you likely reach for a Tylenol. And it turns out that you should also reach for one when you are feeling emotional pain as well; such as loneliness or distress. Why? This episode begins with an interesting explanation. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091222154742.htm Even if you keep your home immaculately clean, you are still sharing your house with millions of creatures – both visible and invisible. From the tiniest germs to your dog o...
Apr 24, 2021•49 min•Ep. 568
You are more likely to be happy if your friends are happy- and even if your friend’s friends are happy. This episode begins with a discussion on why that is and how social interactions affects you health and happiness. Source: Tom Rath author of Well Being (https://amzn.to/3xcMYUM) Your body is very good at telling you when you’ve reached your limit. When you have exercised enough or worked enough or done anything that pushes you to the limit - your body tells you to stop. But have you really re...
Apr 22, 2021•51 min•Ep. 567
Are only children at a social disadvantage? It has long been thought that children who grow up with no siblings don’t develop the social skills that as well as those who have brothers and sisters. This episode looks at just how accurate that assumption is. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/one-true-thing/201106/susan-newman-the-case-the-only-child Is your behavior all because you choose to do it or are there other forces that determine your actions? Could it be that you don’t really have f...
Apr 19, 2021•49 min•Ep. 566
Who doesn’t have a cellphone? It is hard to find someone who doesn’t have one with them all the time. However, there are some circumstances when you really should put your phone away so others don’t see it. I begin this episode by discussing when that is and why it is important. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/9589232/Putting-a-mobile-phone-on-the-restaurant-table-will-ruin-your-meal.html Everyone wants more! Or at least it appears that way. The idea that enough is never en...
Apr 17, 2021•48 min•Ep. 565
Smile! Why? Because smiling offers a lot of benefits. This episode begins with a discussion on all the good things that happen when you smile more often. http://longevity.about.com/od/lifelongbeauty/tp/smiling.htm What does it take to become wealthy? Sometimes it’s luck or having connections but when you look at middle-class people who become wealthy, it turns out they tend to have similar characteristics and they do a lot of similar behaviors that allows them to accumulate wealth. Joining me to...
Apr 15, 2021•48 min•Ep. 564
We all know music has an effect on us. One effect it has that you may not be aware of is how it impacts your shopping behavior in a store. This episode begins with a look at how different kinds of music can influence you to spend more or less. https://www.psychologistworld.com/behavior/ambient-music-retail-psychological-arousal-customers Finding that special someone is not always easy. In fact, it can be downright difficult - and in the midst of a pandemic, seemingly impossible. Not necessarily ...
Apr 12, 2021•52 min•Ep. 563
Conventional wisdom is that you should get a physical exam every year with your doctor. Should you really? This episode begins by exploring who should and maybe who should not get an annual check-up and why. http://www.shape.com/lifestyle/mind-and-body/theres-no-evidence-you-need-annual-physical-exam-say-doctors Your unconscious mind affects your thoughts and behaviors in ways you can’t imagine - because that part of your mind is unconscious. That is the message from John Bargh, Yale professor o...
Apr 10, 2021•47 min•Ep. 562
With public restrooms, there is a definite YUCK factor. Still, when it comes to choosing which stall or urinal to use, there is a smart strategy to minimize your exposure to germs and bacteria. I begin this episode by telling you which stall should be your first (and second) choice. https://www.womansday.com/health-fitness/wellness/a58568/cleanest-bathroom-stall/ As amazing as your brain is - it does a lot of things poorly. Our memories get distorted, your brain makes mistakes and misjudgments- ...
Apr 08, 2021•50 min•Ep. 561
