The Brain Candy Podcast - podcast cover

The Brain Candy Podcast

Susie Meister PhD & Sarah Rice AMFTthebraincandypodcast.com

Laugh and learn with Susie Meister PhD & Sarah Rice MFT from MTV's The Challenge as they cover psychology, pop culture, human interest, and science, and make everything from The Kardashians to quantum physics accessible to all.

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Episodes

629: Croakies, Reverse Deja Vu, & Tetris Trauma

Hear lots of bad news on today's show! But also laugh along with Susie who is apparently losing her mind. We somehow have a long conversation about Croakies, the sunglass strap that really made a fashion splash in the 80s and 90s. Sarah explains the opposite of deja vu, jamais vu, which is when you enter a space that is very familiar, but it feels brand new, and explains why we've all experienced it in one very realatable way. Susie talks about how playing Tetris and word games can reduce intrus...

Jul 07, 202258 minEp. 629

628: Men Are The Worst, Smile Influencer, & Love Curious

Hear Susie talk about how she's had it up to HERE with men. She says that it's hard to find out for sure that you're seen as not a fully formed person, and all the evidence points to men being the problem. Her thoughts were reinforced watching Leave No Trace about the sexual abuse of thousands of Boy Scouts. Her suspicions were again confirmed watching the Menudo documentary even though she thought it was going to be a light-hearted musical treat. We discuss the J Lo documentary chronicling her ...

Jul 04, 20221 hrEp. 628

627: Testosterone Babies, T-Rex High Fives, & Thought Worms

Susie is trying to convince Sarah to convert to Judaism. Sarah found out about a 2-year-old who is going through puberty because he had contact with his dad's medication. We learn whether emotions caused by music are the same throughout the world and we look at a map of music emotions. We learn a new theory on why T-rexes have those teeny tiny arms, and it's very disturbing. Sarah shames Susie for not remembering random dinosaur facts. Plus, we hear about "thought worms," which make up a good ch...

Jun 30, 20221 hr 2 minEp. 627

626: Sarah's Scars, Inherited Trauma, & Rap Pioneers

Sarah's talking about her superpower for seeing colors again, and how she really just loves being good at something. Anything! Susie wants to hear about Sarah's camping adventures. We learn about a seafood restaurant at the bottom of the ocean and why Sarah has a fear of rotating restaurants. Susie makes Sarah reach down into her throat. It was weird. We hear why the rap pioneers got a raw deal and were taken advantage of, and Susie thinks it's similar to reality stars. We discuss a documentary ...

Jun 27, 20221 hr 2 minEp. 626

625: Mean Streets, Challenge Cleaners, & Superworms

Today we discuss the Real World Brooklyn a little bit and why Sarah came across as a worldy, older gal who had seen some shit. Sarah reveals how she was recently recognized in her own home when a man came to clean her house from the dust mites. We learn about superworms that can eat styrofoam and save the world (???). We discuss the rumor on Brain Candy Crush that Susie and Adam had broken up. We debate whether the woman who got an STD in a car deserved the money she got from a lawsuit. Then we ...

Jun 23, 202257 minEp. 625

624: Keep Sweet, Crop Circles, & Anthony Bourdain Scandal

Susie is under the weather and explains why she couldn't hear out of one ear for four days. She describes the Keep Sweet documentary series and how the fundamentalist cult manipulated the women and girls. And Susie thinks Mormons are probably getting sick of all the media coverage lately. We debate crop circles and Sarah begins the conversation with one opinion and ends with a completely different conclusion. We learn about women who prefer to be alone and why they are treated differently than m...

Jun 20, 202255 minEp. 624

623: Human Meatball, Bees are Fish, & Pet Food

Susie describes her trip to the OB-GYN, and why she had to discuss The Challenge during her Pap Smear. We hear about a study that claims men don't destress from hugs, and we debate why that might be. Sarah tells us what would happen if you pureed all the people of the world and made them into a human meatball (for some reason). We learn why you might want to reconsider dining at Ikea and debate whether you could eat your own pet under life or death circumstances (it was weird). Plus, we hear why...

Jun 16, 20221 hr 4 minEp. 623

622: Future Illusions, Political Brain, & Inspirational Music

[Note: episode includes discussion on suicide] Sarah went "out out" and got "drunk drunk," so we get to hear about that. She also found out she loves dad jokes, which is only surprising to her. The rest of us have known that for a long time. Susie watched a documentary about Brian Wilson, and she came *thisclose* to crying on the show for maybe the first time? We learn how social media keeps you in the past and optical illusions make your brain go to the future. We discuss The Dress that made ev...

Jun 13, 20221 hr 4 minEp. 622

621: When Your Ex Gets Married & Birth Order Mythology

Hear why Sarah is processing lots of emotional baggage since her ex-husband recently got remarried. We discuss how new events can make you reassess the past, and how it can make you see things in new ways. She reflects on people's perceptions on success and happiness, and how social media is a funhouse mirror version of our lives. We connect this to our experience being on tv and the ways we feel like people misperceive who we are. We learn about birth order, and why where you fall in your famil...

Jun 09, 20221 hr 3 minEp. 621

620: Whiney Comedians, Illegal Baby Names, & Girl Hysteria

Hear why Susie is sick of "whiney baby" comedians who complain about cancel culture and make offensive jokes, and why Jo Koy is the antidote. We debate the G.O.A.T comedian. We learn about illegal baby names in the US and abroad, and find out that "Sarah" is an illegal name in one country. Susie explains why teenage girls' interests are dismissed while boys are allowed to keep using gee dee lightsabers into adulthood, and why scholars think it matters. We discuss the science of addiction and how...

Jun 06, 20221 hr 2 minEp. 620

619: Pathological Joking, Murderer Cats, & Corndogging

Hear about Sarah's date, and why she can't avoid getting hot and heavy. We learn about her allergy to "moving mites" and it's just as weird as it sounds. Sarah explains a Pathological Joking Disorder, which makes people make constant dad jokes, and Susie thinks a character from The Office has this affliction. We learn why cats are probably psychopaths who definitely want to murder you. We find out about a crow who went into a classroom and started swearing at the students. Plus, we hear why some...

Jun 02, 20221 hrEp. 619

618: Our Father, Amnesia, & Disabled Dating

Susie explains why she hates "in-speak" and a trend she noticed among evangelical Christians. We hear why Sarah is back on the market and is debating how to act on a first date she has coming up. We discuss the Our Father documentary and how upsetting it would be to find out your child is not actually yours. Susie shares the story of a man who has amnesia that erases his memory every seven seconds, and how he revealed two magical elements of life that transcend memory. We think there should be d...

May 26, 20221 hr 1 minEp. 618

617: Elderly Drugs, Mouse Hell, & The Beautiful Ones

Susie wants Sarah to teach Bo the "down low, too slow" trick as a public service. She also cooked up a plan to let old people do hard drugs since the elderly "have nothing to lose." Sarah describes a crazy experiment from the 70s that shows the chaos that erupts when all of your needs are met and you have no problems. It's insane. Turns out, problems might be good? We discuss Selling Sunset and how some people must spend half their day doing beauty rituals. Sarah offers a good news/bad news upda...

May 23, 20221 hrEp. 617

616: Chicken People, Board Games, & Goodwill Jackpot

Sarah explains why breaking up in your thirties is a whole different experience. Sarah describes her "Little Mermaid" cocktail event. Susie talks about a documentary on chicken breeding that she thought would be funny, but was surprisingly insightful about loneliness, healing, and community. We hear about a game show where men have to guess whether women are fat or pregnant. Susie explains why board games are a problem for underrepresented groups. We discuss the 1st century Roman relic that turn...

May 19, 202258 minEp. 616

615: Twin Brains, Lobotomies, & Pig Hearts

Sarah Rice is back--she got her name back and she thinks it changed everything. Susie claims technology might be limiting serial killers, but might be encouraging other kinds of crimes. Sarah offers an update on the pig heart transplant that raised more questions than gave answers. We learn why a twin study showed that environment and upbringing have a huge impact on our IQ. We start getting suspicious about dreams. Sarah gives the history of lobotomies and it's way more disturbing than we expec...

May 16, 20221 hr 2 minEp. 615

614: Cyclists, Sarah Rice Jr, & Bitcoin Garbage

Hear why it's almost impossible to find beauty products that are non-toxic and effective. Sarah predicts whether she'll live a long life. We hear about a man who lost 500 BILLION dollars because he accidentally threw away a hard drive. We debate whether laughter is controllable and then decide it most certainly is not as Susie and Sarah lose their minds laughing. We consider the curious pronunciation differences between similar words. Sarah reveals she's actually a Junior--Sarah Rice Jr. We hear...

May 12, 20221 hr 2 minEp. 614

613: LOL Translations, Blunders, & Flat Iron Romance

Hear why we think Spring needs a new marketing person. Spring doesn't get enough respect. Susie says people have accused them of using too many filters on their pics. Sarah explains what the various LOL usages mean and why she can't translate people's messages online. We learn the up-side of imposter syndrome. Sarah lists some amazing discoveries that happened because of accidents. Just when the episode is wrapping up, Sarah reveals the most hilarious and shocking revelation about her life so fa...

May 09, 202259 minEp. 613

612: Captive Audience, Pity the Fool, & Dance Marathons

Hear why Sarah risked her life to get a new desk. Susie describes a documentary about a kidnapping victim whose brother became a criminal, and it makes us wonder what causes sociopathy. We learn about a study about roadside warnings, and why they actually make roads more dangerous. It leads to a crazy discovery about Mr. T. and Sylvester Stallone, and Susie's mind is blown. We discuss a study from MIT about Oreo cookies and Sarah learns how to win the wishbone contest. Susie and Sarah might brea...

May 05, 20221 hr 4 minEp. 612

611: Dating at Target, Bloodworms, & A-holes

We hear about a man who took a woman to target as their first date, and we debate whether this even qualifies as a date. We get an update on a study from years ago about mosquitoes that was a real emotional roller coaster. Sarah tells us about an animal that will live in our nightmares because of it's "teeth" that are actually metal hooks that are also it's hands??? We discuss a condition that explains what an "empath" really is and why some people feel other people's pain. Plus, we learn the de...

May 02, 20221 hrEp. 611

610: Low Bar Lifestyle, Abercrombie, & Online Lies

We decided to live the low-bar lifetstyle from now on. Just keeping expectations in check. We follow-up on the cannibal tacos because we're not ok with it. We discuss the abercrombie documentary and how their discriminatory and exclusionary practices were an open secret. Susie describes a documentary that made her reconsider her life and what she might regret when she gets older. A woman who wrote about how to kill your husband without getting caught (allegedly) killed her husband. We learn abou...

Apr 28, 20221 hr 3 minEp. 610

609: Cannibal Tacos, Oily Hair, & Consensual Hugs

Hear the latest on Sarah's five month long move to Colorado and why Susie says Sarah has a good luck/bad luck dichotomy in her life. We learn about a man who lost his foot in a motorcycle accident and did the next logical thing, which was to cook his foot up and have his friends over for foot tacos. We discuss a woman who discovered an amazing use for human hair that could help the planet. Sarah explains why hugs might prevent or cure the common cold, but Susie is going to take her chances with ...

Apr 25, 20221 hr 3 minEp. 609

608: Are Girl Scouts OK?, Fake Disability, & Tony Hawk

Susie talks about the Tony Hawk documentary, and how the very thing that gives his life meaning might be killing him. We learn a surprising fact about Sarah's eating habits that she never told Susie about. Susie wonders whether the Girl Scouts are ok after they filed a lawsuit against the Boy Scouts. We learn whether suffering helps inspire creativity and productivity. We talk about Sarah's favorite conspiracy theory about Stevie Wonder and we hear about a composer who pretended to be deaf. Plus...

Apr 21, 20221 hr 2 minEp. 608

607: Gaslighting, Water Weapon, & Nature Nurture

Sarah almost had a white pants disaster, and somehow she sees it as a sign that her luck has changed since Vegas. Susie reveals why her Road Rules experience could've been very embarrassing. We learn about "semantic bleaching," and how words get diluted, bastardized, and ruined by misuse. Sarah talks about a new invention that can help women protect themselves from violence (and Susie discusses a condom with teeth (??). We hear about a study of twins that proves there is a genetic component to o...

Apr 18, 202257 minEp. 607

606: Golden Rule, Do I Sound Gay, & Witchy Crisis

Susie talks about the hair catastrophe she had recently, and how she had to comfort the stylist. She now has "bald patches" and had to cut off 6 inches of hair. But Sarah somehow related it to "butt sex" and we can't quit laughing. We find out why Susie's son thinks the Golden Rule is bullshit. We talk about a documentary about the way gay men speak. Susie breaks it to Sarah that there is a sage shortage, and she's going to have to adjust her witchy potions. Find out what scientists say are the ...

Apr 14, 20221 hr 3 minEp. 606

605: Buffet Scandal, Goblin Mode, & Ranch Dressing Romance

We're getting an update on Sarah's epic road trip from Denver to California and back again. Never a dull moment with her. She talks about her bad luck in Vegas and why she is never staying in a bad hotel again. She describes her epiphanies and the New Moon Energy that inspired them. She asks the Brainiacs for help with her plants. We find out what Goblin Mode is, and Sarah argues that it is sexist. We hear about a pig heart transplant in a human. And we learn about a diamond ring made from ranch...

Apr 11, 20221 hrEp. 605

604: Car Cooking, Bullying, & Boring People

Hear why Sarah keeps a stove (!) in her car (and uses it!). Susie describes a documentary about bullying, and how it made her wonder if she'd ever been a bully and Sarah describes why she was bullied growing up. We discuss the Hillsong docuseries and the reason why churches have scandals. We describe how we had a bizarre experience at a church in Brazil. We learn who scientists claim is the "most boring person in the world," and we think he sounds pretty lovely. Listen to more podcasts like this...

Apr 07, 20221 hr 2 minEp. 604

603: Sarah's Heaven, Cave Time, & Butt Oxygen

Hear about the birth control for men, and why we can't decide if this is a good or bad idea. We hear about an experiment to understand our sense of time where volunteers spent weeks in a cave. Sarah explains why it reminded her of the Challenge. We discuss our ideas of heaven, and Susie cannot quit laughing at Sarah's response. We debate whether dogs are people too, and how smart dogs cock their heads to tell you something. Plus, we learn why you might be able to breathe...out of your b-hole. Li...

Apr 04, 20221 hr 1 minEp. 603

602: Bad Vegan, Gen Z Backlash, & Girl Scout Whiners

Today we discuss the Bad Vegan docu-series about a vegan restauranteur who got scammed by her partner. Susie claims this is not a scammer story, but is a story about a woman with an unhealthy relationship with her dog. We discuss Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of Theranos, and why she might be a sociopath. We debate whether she was just trying to keep up with the boys' club or whether she lacked a conscience. Susie discusses an article about an increase in "harassment" towards Girl Scouts, but we...

Mar 31, 20221 hr 15 minEp. 602

601: Sounds of Cheese, Magic Fabric, & Hank the Tank

Today we hear why Sarah couldn't move into a house because it "tested positive for meth," and we have some follow-up questions. Sarah describes a study that was done to determine whether sounds affect the way cheese ages, and which genres affect it the most. Sarah tries to talk Susie into getting a "sound bath," and Susie is not interested. We theorize why people suddenly hate Sarah. We hear about a new fabric that can "hear" your body. We learn about strange cases of mistaken identity recently....

Mar 28, 20221 hr 2 minEp. 601

600: Mystery Garbage, Cheesy Corn, & Andy Warhol

Susie went to a "get together" and found out she's become a weirdo during the pandemic. Sarah manifested a financial windfall, but she should've been more specific. Susie discusses the life of artist Andy Warhol, how he dated twins, how he branded himself, and how the AIDS epidemic affected him. We find out why the Great Garbage Patch isn't great or garbage, and not worth cleaning up. We find out the origin of jokes being "cheesy" and "corny," and hear why they're different. Susie shares what ki...

Mar 24, 20221 hr 2 minEp. 600
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