Online retailers make it pretty easy to return items you purchase if you are not satisfied. But what happens to those items? Are they just put back in the system and sold to someone else? This episode begins with the surprising answer. https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/30/business/online-shopping-returns-liquidators/index.html Just because you can get a medical test for something you are concerned about doesn’t mean you should. That’s according to my guest Dr. Suzanne O’Sullivan. She is a consultant n...
Apr 03, 2025•51 min•Ep. 1186
You know that feeling you get when you eat comfort food? There is something magical about it. This episode begins by exploring why some foods become comfort food while other food does not and what causes us to feel so fondly about certain foods but not others. https://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2015/03/052.html What are the secrets to being a successful adult? That’s a hard question to answer but Gretchen Rubin joins me to take a swing at it. Gretchen is wildly successful expert on happiness ...
Mar 31, 2025•49 min•Ep. 1185
The clothes you wear project an image to others. But those same clothes you wear influence you as well. Listen and discover how different clothes and different colors you wear change the way you act and even how you think of yourself. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/03/science/clothes-and-self-perception.html Think of all the different kinds of popular music there are: country, rock, hip-hop, pop, R&B, jazz and more. All that music came from somewhere. And those musical origins tell some fascina...
Mar 29, 2025•52 min•Ep. 1184
Wisdom comes with age. That’s a common belief – but is it necessarily true? Can you acquire wisdom when you are young? This episode begins by looking at the science of wisdom, where it comes from and when it shows up. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8493820/ Doesn’t it seem like the world is safer? Cars are safer, equipment is safer, people wear helmets, warning signs are everywhere. So it makes sense to believe that we are safer today than ever before but that’s not true according to m...
Mar 27, 2025•52 min•Ep. 1183
I am sure you know people who love to offer unsolicited advice. And if you think back to the last time someone offered it to you – you likely didn’t follow it. No one does. This episode starts by revealing why people hate unsolicited advice and what works so much better if you want to get someone to do something. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/do-the-right-thing/201407/giving-people-advice-rarely-works-does We have known for a long time that the human heart is not really involved with emot...
Mar 24, 2025•50 min•Ep. 1182
When you feel that urge to go to the bathroom – it just might be a good time to make an important decision. That probably sounds weird. What could the connection possibly be? Listen as I start the episode by explaining why and then it will make perfect sense. https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/releases/full-bladder-better-decisions-controlling-your-bladder-decreases-impulsive-choices.html We live in a noisy world which is only getting noisier. Not only is there noise coming at you from th...
Mar 22, 2025•50 min•Ep. 1181
Some people just seem to have more luck. Things seem to go their way. When you look closer, those lucky people often have some interesting traits in common. If you want to become luckier in life, listen to the beginning of this episode. https://www.popsci.com/luck-real/ Are you stuck being who you are – or can you change your personality – or at least parts of it? The evidence is clear that not only is personality change possible but also, the people who do make changes are generally happy they ...
Mar 20, 2025•49 min•Ep. 1180
At some point, most men have likely been told they eat too fast – that they should slow down and enjoy their food more. Do men really eat faster than women? Should they slow down? This episode begins with a brief exploration and explanation. https://bigthink.com/surprising-science/study-men-and-women-chew-differently/ Here is something you likely haven’t thought about much – it’s a paradox really… Humans are dependent on one another. Our happiness and survival require that we connect with others...
Mar 17, 2025•52 min•Ep. 1179
This may be hard to imagine but trees can fight crime. Not all types of crime but they the fight some crime – and no one really knows how they do it. Listen to hear the explanation. https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2019/04/trees-crime-cincinnati-philadelphia-ida-b-wells-chicago/ People believe things like goldfish have a 3-second memory. Or that lightning never strikes twice in the same place. And I bet you believe that water is a good conductor of electricity. None of these things are tr...
Mar 15, 2025•50 min•Ep. 1178
Everyone knows that $19.99 is really $20. And we know that gas sold at $3.49 and 9/10 per gallon is really $3.50. We get it. So why do retailers and gas stations still price things this way? The answer is more interesting than you might think so we begin this episode by explaining what’s going on.https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/01/the-psychological-difference-between-1200-and-1167/384993/ Your memory isn’t as good as you like to think. You forget a lot of things and your memory...
Mar 13, 2025•49 min•Ep. 1177
Who hasn’t had to wait at a doctor’s office well past the appointment time. It sucks. What is a reasonable amount of time to have to wait? Should you complain to someone? This episode starts with some interesting research that explains what you should do so your doctor knows your time is valuable and you shouldn’t have to wait so long. https://www.fiercehealthcare.com/practices/ppatients-switched-doctors-long-wait-times-vitals Peer pressure is a powerful force – more powerful than people realize...
Mar 10, 2025•51 min•Ep. 1176
What if I told you that being left-handed or right-handed has a powerful influence on decisions you make? Listen as I begin this episode by explaining how this works. http://casasanto.com/papers/Casasanto&Chrysikou_2011.pdf There are colors all around you that you can’t see. But birds can see them. Many birds see colors that are unimaginable to you. Dogs smell things everywhere that you can’t smell. Other animals have the ability to sense the magnetic fields of the earth – but you cannot. These ...
Mar 08, 2025•50 min•Ep. 1175
There is a word you probably use that means something entirely different than what you think. In fact, it means the opposite of what you think. Yet, this opposite meaning has become so pervasive, even dictionaries now say that the wrong meaning is now okay. Listen and I will tell you what the word is and what it really means. https://www.jalopnik.com/dear-hollywood-please-knock-it-off-with-the-overdrive-5926885/ Artificial Intelligence can seem intimidating to some. Yet it is actually quite simp...
Mar 06, 2025•53 min•Ep. 1174
Beer should be served ice cold. Bottled beer is better than canned beer. These are just 2 incorrect assumptions people have about beer. This episode begins with a look at common beliefs about beer that just aren’t true – and what the real story is. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/61195/11-common-misconceptions-about-beer You have a lot of options when it comes to communicating with others. You can text, video chat, email, phone or speak face-to-face. What you may not realize or think about i...
Mar 03, 2025•52 min•Ep. 1173
The letters Rx are somehow related to drug stores. But why? What do those letters actually mean? You probably think they have to do with medication 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 SO not the person you once were. Nor are you the person you will one day be. That’s according to Paul Bloom, professor of psychology at the University of Toronto an...
Mar 01, 2025•51 min•Ep. 1172
You probably think raw vegetables are healthier than cooked vegetables. Sometimes they are. But some common veggies get a nutrient boost from the right kind of heat. This episode begins with several of those vegetables and an explanation of how cooking makes them better for you. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/raw-veggies-are-healthier/ Humans are wired to imitate others like no other creature on earth. In fact, almost everything you do today is the result of imitating someone else at...
Feb 27, 2025•51 min•Ep. 1171
Did you know that Philadelphia Cream Cheese doesn’t come from Philadelphia? Or that marshmallows were originally medicine for kids? This episode begins by looking at some fascinating and unusual origins of food names. https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/tagged/health/at-home/odd-facts-7-iconic-products-164000529.html Despite the human need for social interaction, we keep shying away from it. People are less social than before and there are real consequences for that. Listen as we discuss why people ...
Feb 24, 2025•54 min•Ep. 1170
People talk about “the power of touch” – but what does this power do? When you hug or shake hands or put your arm around someone – what is so powerful about that. This episode begins by exploring the power of touch and reveals how it improves our lives. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R9qyWEJuDI The way the human memory works is amazing. Not always accurate – but amazing. How does memory work exactly? Why is it we remember some things so well and other things we don’t recall at all? Listen as w...
Feb 22, 2025•51 min•Ep. 1169
How dangerous can a pair of shoes be? Really dangerous, particularly if they have big heels. We begin this episode looking at the long story of high heel terror plus other interesting facts about women’s shoes. https://reut.rs/3rXNqoR & https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/05/150521120924.htm Most day-to-day decisions you make based on your own judgment. Things such as what career path to take, who to marry, what to do to make yourself happy and other life-changing decisions you make all o...
Feb 20, 2025•54 min•Ep. 1168
When people see someone in public having a heart attack or stroke or other medical emergency, they often pull out their phones? Bad idea. This episode begins with something ER doctors want you to do and NOT do in a medical emergency. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-14372699/er-doctor-medical-emergency-darria-gillespie-jay-ladde.html So much of what you do is driven by your subconscious mind. You don’t have to think to blink or have to consciously remember how to walk, or sit or eat – ...
Feb 17, 2025•55 min•Ep. 1167
Modern kitchen freezers are actually cruel to ice cream and other frozen foods. This episode begins by explaining why this is and why there is often ice crystals on top of your ice cream and how to prevent them. Source: Professor Richard Hartel author of the book Ice Cream (https://amzn.to/3jNcVrY). Unlike other animals, we humans have gotten really good at figuring out how to take food and make it taste even better. Why do we do that? And what is it that makes some food taste better than other ...
Feb 15, 2025•52 min•Ep. 1166
Why is white the most popular car color? While people like whatever color they like, car color can impact things like resale value and whether or not a car gets stolen. Listen as we begin this episode by delving into the world of car colors. https://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/car-color-facts-and-fictions.html The roots of fast food are here in the U.S. So why is fast food more popular here than anywhere else in the world? What is the appeal? What are the origins of American fast food? Why do we ...
Feb 13, 2025•54 min•Ep. 1165
Why do you feel cold sometimes? The obvious answer is that you feel cold when you ARE cold. But could it also be that you feel cold because someone else is cold? In other words, is feeling cold contagious? Listen as this episode begins with explanation. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11340277/If-this-picture-makes-you-feel-cold-you-may-be-a-victim-of-temperature-contagion.html We tend to measure wealth in dollars. But financial wealth is only one of five types of wealth. T...
Feb 10, 2025•52 min•Ep. 1164
Is there a reason we have eyebrows? Pretty much every part of the human body has a reason for being there and eyebrows actually have three reasons. I begin this episode by explaining what they are. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/58424/why-do-we-have-eyebrows Every relationship in your life started with small talk. Personal or professional, every encounter begins this way. Yet, as important as it is, a lot of people hate small talk and think they are not very good at it. Here with some great...
Feb 08, 2025•49 min•Ep. 1163
How many times have you wanted to ask for a raise but didn’t bother because you knew the answer would be no? Well, you probably should’ve asked anyway. This episode begins with some surprising statistics about the power of asking for a raise. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/getting-a-raise_n_6429324 The animal kingdom can teach us a lot about improving human health. For example, elephants almost never get cancer – yet humans do. Why is that? Pigs can teach us how to control pain. Dogs can teach u...
Feb 06, 2025•52 min•Ep. 1162
Seems like no matter how hard you try you never pick the fastest checkout line in the supermarket. Why is that? This episode begins by explaining why that often seems to happen and why it probably isn’t a problem worth concerning yourself with. https://fetch.com/blog/smart-shopping/why-we-always-pick-the-slowest-checkout-line At some point in your life, you have likely regretted NOT doing something because you just couldn’t muster up the courage. Being courageous is hard – yet we so admire coura...
Feb 03, 2025•51 min•Ep. 1161
We humans love novelty. We seek it out. While that can be good, it can also get us in trouble. This episode begins by exploring why we seek out new things, places and experiences and what happens after we do. Source: Winifred Gallagher author of the book New (https://amzn.to/3XsAxRb) Did you know that one of the reasons we gesture with our hands when we talk is to help us figure out what to say next? That is just one example of how thinking isn’t all about what goes on in the brain, according to...
Feb 01, 2025•51 min•Ep. 1160
After television, a big part of the ad budget for fast-food restaurants’ is spent on outdoor advertising like billboards. This episode begins with the impact of that advertising and some insight into how fast-food restaurants get you to eat their food. https://www.apa.org/topics/obesity/food-advertising-children You have undoubtedly had people in your life who inspired you. What was it that made them so inspiring? What are the necessary traits of an inspiring person? How can you be more inspirin...
Jan 30, 2025•52 min•Ep. 1159
Traffic accidents are an inevitable part of life. However, there are a few simple things you can do to improve your chances of NOT getting in an accident. Listen as I offer several proven strategies that will keep you and your car safer in traffic. https://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/top-10/top-10-editors-tips-to-prevent-a-car-accident.html Serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins are 4 brain chemicals that can make you happy or make you miserable. And there are ways to regulate these brain ...
Jan 27, 2025•51 min•Ep. 1158
The origins of the names for popular food products often make interesting stories. For instance, why are they called marshmallows? Why is Spam called Spam? What do gators have to do with Gatorade? This episode begins with the origin stories of some iconic foods. https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/tagged/health/at-home/odd-facts-7-iconic-products-164000529.html Some inventions have had profound effects on how humans see themselves and our place in the world. For example, the mirror, photography, tel...
Jan 25, 2025•50 min•Ep. 1157
