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 ...
Apr 18, 2024•53 min•Ep. 1036
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 l...
Apr 15, 2024•49 min•Ep. 1035
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. Sh...
Apr 13, 2024•52 min•Ep. 1034
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 irra...
Apr 11, 2024•47 min•Ep. 1033
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 go...
Apr 08, 2024•50 min•Ep. 1032
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 wit...
Apr 06, 2024•49 min•Ep. 1031
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....
Apr 04, 2024•51 min•Ep. 1030
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 (a...
Apr 01, 2024•51 min•Ep. 1029
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 ho...
Mar 30, 2024•51 min•Ep. 1028
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...
Mar 28, 2024•53 min•Ep. 1027
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 ...
Mar 25, 2024•50 min•Ep. 1026
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, N...
Mar 23, 2024•53 min•Ep. 1025
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...
Mar 21, 2024•48 min•Ep. 1024
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...
Mar 18, 2024•53 min•Ep. 1023
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. ...
Mar 16, 2024•51 min•Ep. 1022
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 ...
Mar 14, 2024•50 min•Ep. 1021
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...
Mar 11, 2024•49 min•Ep. 1020
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 h...
Mar 09, 2024•52 min•Ep. 1019
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...
Mar 07, 2024•49 min•Ep. 1018
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...
Mar 04, 2024•51 min•Ep. 1017
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 somet...
Mar 02, 2024•51 min•Ep. 1016
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 h...
Feb 29, 2024•51 min•Ep. 1015
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 le...
Feb 26, 2024•53 min•Ep. 1014
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...
Feb 24, 2024•51 min•Ep. 1013
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 li...
Feb 22, 2024•50 min•Ep. 1012
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 dispen...
Feb 19, 2024•50 min•Ep. 1011
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 b...
Feb 17, 2024•49 min•Ep. 1010
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 r...
Feb 15, 2024•49 min•Ep. 1009
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 b...
Feb 12, 2024•51 min•Ep. 1008
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/37Ay...
Feb 10, 2024•52 min•Ep. 1007
