Something You Should Know

Latest Episodes:

SYSK Choice: How Technology Changes You For the Better & Medical “Truths” That Are False Feb 08, 2020

Show notes

The number of parents of who spank their kids as a means of discipline has dropped significantly over the past several decades – but some parents still do it. And in other countries, spanking is much more commonplace. But for those parents who still spank, there is a new reason to stop – and it has nothing to do with the kid – and all to do with the parent’s well being. Source: “30 Lessons for Living” by Karl Pillimer (https://amzn.to/36Pv8bV)

Just how does modern technology affect you? It’s a fascinating discussion you’ll hear when I speak with Clive Thompson, a longtime contributor to the New York Times magazine, a columnist for Wired and author of a book called, Smarter Than You Think : How Technology is Changing Our Minds for the Better (http://amzn.to/2s5W9Ir). Clive makes the case that despite some negative effects of technology – it is mostly a positive influence on us. But it’s complicated.

Plus, in this episode, I have some fascinating ways to save money you probably haven’t heard before. Here’s one: Even non-members can use the pharmacy at Sam’s Club and Costco and save a lot of money. And there are several more…https://www.rather-be-shopping.com/blog/2015/06/29/things-you-can-do-at-costco-without-a-membership/

And what you don’t know about your health can really hurt you. Dr. Richard Besser, former chief health and medical editor for ABC News and author of the book, Tell Me the Truth Doctor (http://amzn.to/2s5uuqW) explodes some myths and offers some important health facts you need to know to stay healthy and live a long time.

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What You Didn’t Know About Good Sleep & How to Disagree Productively Feb 06, 2020

Show notes

A lot of us tend to over-apologize. This episode begins with an explanation of why we do it and why we should stop doing it. Then when you do have to apologize, I’ll tell you how. (Source: Harriet Lerner author of the book “Why Won’t You Apologize” (https://amzn.to/37NoYug))

Sleep is important. It’s probably more important than most people realize in terms of health, performance and longevity. Joining me to explain just how important it is and how to make sure you are getting enough sleep is Dr. Jennifer Ashton, chief medical correspondent for ABC-TV and author of the book, The Self-Care Solution (https://amzn.to/2tlwDkw).

Wash, condition, rinse. That’s how you wash your hair. But you might want to change up the order. I’ll explain how and the reasons why. http://www.rd.com/health/beauty/condition-before-shampoo/

Arguments and disagreements can be interesting but often not very productive. The reason may be that we are going at it all wrong. Julia Dhar is a partner at Boston Consulting Group and author of the book The Decision Maker’s Playbook (https://amzn.to/36MlZkq). She joins me to discuss some fascinating research on disagreements and she offers some excellent strategies to use when you disagree so that the conversation is actually productive – or at least not destructive.

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The Best Way to Keep Love Alive & A Scientific Approach to Achieve Any Goal Feb 03, 2020

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I know you’ve watched a sleeping dog twitch and move it's feet like it is running. So, is it just that the dog is dreaming or is there more to it than that? And should you be concerned if your dog does it? Listen and I’ll reveal what exactly is going on. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/612590/why-dogs-twitch-in-their-sleep

People claim to want to find love. Then once they find it, it is hard to keep it alive. Why is that? Social anthropologist Helen Fisher author of the book Anatomy of Love: A Natural History of Mating, Marriage, and Why We Stray (http://amzn.to/2EvFAvd) returns to discuss the inner workings of love between 2 people, what often goes wrong and how to keep the romance alive. Helen was a guest on episode 147 talking about how to find love. You can hear it here: http://www.somethingyoushouldknow.net/147the-best-way-to-find-someone-to-love-how-to-come-up-with-better-ideas/

How many times have you heard someone complain about the bad weather and claim it causes their aches and pains to feel worse? Listen as I explore the science regarding the connection to weather and pain. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4105520/Don-t-blame-weather-pain-scientists-discover-no-linktwo.html

When you create a goal for yourself, there is a tendency to focus on how hard or even painful it is going to be to achieve. There is some really interesting research that indicates that’s about the worst thing you can do. If you change the way you look at the goal, it becomes easier to achieve. One of the people conducting the research is Emily Balcetis a social psychologist and associate professor of psychology at New York University. She is author of the book Clearer, Closer, Better: How Successful People See the World (https://amzn.to/2RBvUF7) and she joins me to offer you advice on achieving your goals with less struggle.

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SYSK Choice: How Self Aware Are You? & How Your 5 Senses Affect Your Behavior Feb 01, 2020

Show notes

New clothes are not necessarily CLEAN clothes. In fact, there is a good chance other people have worn your new clothes before you. We start this episode discussing why and how to wash new clothes before you wear them. http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning-organizing/germs-in-new-clothes

Also, how self-aware are you? Do you really understand who you really are and do you understand how other people really see you? Surprisingly, few of us know – even though we like to think we do. Organizational psychologist Tasha Eurich author of the book Insight: Why We’re Not as Self-Aware as We Think (http://amzn.to/2psRFGC) explains how to become more self-aware and why it is important to your success at work and in life.

Your 5 senses can affect your attitude and behavior –and it is going to sound strange. For example, feeling something soft can “soften” your personality. Feeling something warm can create warm feelings for another person. I know it sounds nuts but Dr. Thalma Lobel author of the book Sensation: The New Science of Physical Intelligence (http://amzn.to/2raTg7Y) explains the science behind this. More importantly, she reveals how to use this knowledge to your advantage.

Have you ever been stuck in a traffic jam that appears to have no cause? Listen as I reveal why that happens and other fascinating things about the way traffic does – and does not move. http://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/autoinnovation/just-a-few-self-driving-cars-on-the-highway-could-cut-random-traffic-jams-by-half/ar-AAfi1mD

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How to Make Money Selling Your Old Stuff & What’s Wrong with How You Sleep Jan 30, 2020

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It’s fun to play the lottery. If you do, you probably spend more on it than you think. This episode begins with a look at how much people really spend on lottery tickets and what the real odds are of winning the Powerball jackpot. http://www.fool.com/retirement/2017/01/07/heres-what-americans-are-spending-on-lottery-ticke.aspx

eBay has made it a lot easier for people to sell stuff they don’t want anymore to someone who does want it. So, do you have stuff that other people want – and how much do you think it is worth? Aaron Lapedis author of The Garage Sale Millionaire (https://amzn.to/2NR3btP) is an expert on buying and selling stuff at garage sales, eBay, Craigslist and elsewhere. Listen as he tells you what just might be luring in old boxes in the attic that could be worth a lot of money. And what to do with it to get it sold.

Sometimes you need to charge your phone fast. Listen as I explain some tips that can really speed up the process and getting your battery back up to 100%. Source: David Pogue author of "Pogue's Basics: Essential Tips & Shortcuts" (https://amzn.to/2RN1cb8)

We have rules for sleep. For example, mom and dad sleep together in one room. Kids sleep in their room. We go to bed when we are supposed to – but says who? Where did these rules come? According to Benjamin Reiss, professor at Emory University and author of the book, Wild Nights (http://amzn.to/2lWdPP7) claims that our rules for sleeping today are very different than they have been for most of human history. Hear what he has to say and you be liberated from a sleep routine that doesn’t really work for you.

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How Negative Events Control Your Life & Why It is So Hard (For Some) To Lose Weight Jan 27, 2020

Show notes

Don’t you hate it when people ignore your emails? Well, there may be something you are doing in your subject line that increases the odds you will be ignored. This episode starts by revealing what that is – and the simple fix. http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/291896/subject-line-typos-decrease-email-engagementrates.html

It appears to be human nature that bad things feel bad more than good things feel better. As an example, it feels worse to lose $20 than it feels good to win $20. It’s called the negativity effect. Consequently, we will do more to avoid bad things happening than we will do to make good things happen. This has amazing implications to your life you have likely never thought about.. John Tierney is a writer has researched and written a book about this called The Power of Bad: How The Negativity Effect Rules Us and How We Can Rule It (https://amzn.to/30Gn3EQ). He joins me to explain how the negativity effect plays a role in many parts of your life.

Some people can swallow a pill without drinking water with it. But just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Listen as I explain the dangers of dry-swallowing medication. http://www.rd.com/health/wellness/swallowing-pills-without-water-danger/

Why do some people have so much trouble maintaining a reasonable body weight while it is no problem for others? While there is no simple answer a lot of it has to do with environment, genetics and how you respond to your sense of hunger. Joining me to discuss this and what science says can really work to lose weight and keep it off is Dr. Giles Yeo. He is a geneticist with over 20 years’ experience dedicated to researching the genetics of obesity and author of the book Gene Eating: The Science of Obesity and the Truth About Dieting (https://amzn.to/3arsV9C).

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SYSK Choice: Your $100 Startup & Why Overworking Doesn’t Work Jan 25, 2020

Show notes

Every credit card bill comes with a due date. And if you pay the balance every month by the due date – you don’t pay any interest. But if you carry a balance month-to-month, the rules are different. You pay interest every day on the unpaid balance. So, the question is, if you make your payment earlier than the due date, do you save money? We start this episode by doing that math. http://www.bankrate.com/finance/credit-cards/pay-credit-card-bill-early-and-save-1.aspx

Starting your own business is a romantic idea. But is it practical? Chris Guillebeau, author of The $100 Startup (http://amzn.to/2rc9dv4) shares the results of his fascinating research on people who started a successful business with very little money – and explains how anyone can do it.

There is one particular app that is sucking your smartphone dry. And by that I mean it is sucking a lot of battery power and storage space. Which app is it? I’ll reveal which one and explain how you can easily live without it. http://mashable.com/2016/02/08/delete-facebook-app-iphone-battery/#OStOxq1kk8qi

If you are one of those people (or you know one of those people) who works all the time and never takes a vacation or takes weekends off, you need to hear award-winning journalist Katrina Onstad, author of The Weekend Effect (http://amzn.to/2qPxRRl). She explores the harm this “all work – no fun” approach to life does to a person’s mental and physical health as well as to the quality of work they do.

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Understanding Physical Intelligence & How Small Changes Create New Habits Jan 23, 2020

Show notes

If you breathe through your mouth you are doing it all wrong. This episode begins with a discussion on how to breathe properly and why breathing through your nose is so much better. http://www.breathing.com/articles/nose-breathing.htm

Physical intelligence is that thing that allows you to never forget how to ride a bike or allows you to play a musical instrument or a sport. Scott Grafton teaches neuroscience at the University of California Santa Barbara and he is author of the book Physical Intelligence: The Science of How the Body and the Mind Guide Each Other Through Life (https://amzn.to/3aiI4dm). Scott joins me to explain how our physical intelligence helps us navigate the physical world and how our world is actually getting too easy for us to navigate.

No matter what your age is, your posture today is probably not as good as it used to be. Still, good posture is important and I discuss some things you can do (and not do) to improve your posture. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4082990/Don-t-old-tortoise-Want-old-age-head-held-highJust-follow-expert-s-brilliant-tips-fit-flexible-past-40.html#ixzz4UiBJYSuY

You’ve probably heard the advice that too make a change you need to break it down into smaller steps. But maybe it would be better to break it down into even smaller – tiny steps. That’s what BJ Fogg says works better for humans. BJ Fogg is a social science research associate at Stanford and founder of the Stanford Behavior Design Lab. He is also author of the book Tiny Habits: The Small Changes that Change Everything (https://amzn.to/2RnpgRl). Listen as he explains how the tiniest of changes can lead to big and lasting changes in your life.

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Great Relationship Advice from a Divorce Lawyer & Your Fascinating Sense of Taste Jan 20, 2020

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Have you heard of “Imposter Syndrome?” It’s that feeling that you don’t really deserve the success you have achieved. A lot of people suffer from it so we begin this episode with an explanation of where it comes from and how to stop feeling like such a fake so you can truly enjoy your success. http://mentalfloss.com/article/75699/what-imposter-syndrome-and-what-can-you-do-about-it

Would you take relationship advice from a divorce lawyer? Think about it – who knows better why relationships fall apart than a seasoned divorce attorney? And perhaps with that knowledge you could reverse engineer a relationship, so it stays together. That’s what my guest James Sexton is going to discuss. James is a divorce lawyer and author of the book How to Stay in Love: Practical Wisdom from an Unexpected Source (https://amzn.to/39XlfvB). From his unique perspective he has some suggestions that I think will resonate with you and that you will find very practical if you want to keep your relationship or marriage going smoothly - or at least understand why it isn’t.

One reason people eat yogurt is because it has bacteria in it that is supposed to be good for you. Well, it turns out it might not be as good for you as you think. Listen as I discuss what yogurt really does – or doesn’t do to promote “gut health.” http://www.businessinsider.com/ed-yong-explains-yogurt-not-healthy-2016-9

Your sense of taste is rather amazing. It turns out it is so much more than the flavor you experience on your tongue. And it also changes. Foods you hated as a kid you may enjoy as an adult. And why do you like some foods that other people hate? Camilla Arndal Andersen is a food scientist in Denmark who studies people’s sense of taste and she joins me to explain the fascinating, complicated and very subjective sense of taste. Camilla also has a TED talk on the subject which you can watch here: https://www.ted.com/talks/camilla_arndal_andersen_what_happens_in_your_brain_when_you_taste_food?language=en

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SYSK Choice: Daydream and Doodle Your Way to Success & The Artistry of Video Games Jan 18, 2020

Show notes

People who overeat tend to do so at the same time on the same days. This episode begins with me telling you exactly when those times are so you can defend yourself against temptation. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2306736/Fat-oclock-7pm-Sunday-revealed-time-likely-comfort-eating.html

Solving problems and developing new ideas doesn’t come from focus and concentration as much as it does from “unfocusing” and letting your mind wander. Psychiatrist Dr. Srini Pillay author of Tinker, Dabble, Doodle, Try: Unlock the Power of the Unfocused Mind (http://amzn.to/2pMIVy3) explains the science behind how the creative brain works better when it is distracted rather than when it is trying to be creative.

There is something called “double standard parenting.” In other words, when you accidentally break a lamp – well it’s just an accident. But what happens when your kid accidentally breaks a lamp? Does he or she get punished and shamed for doing it? We’ll explore some sage advice on why you shouldn’t hold your kids to higher standard than you hold yourself. Source: The Awakened Family by Dr. Shefali Tsabary (https://amzn.to/2R9kLtC).

The world of video games isn’t all about war, aliens, shooting people and blowing things up. Andrew Ervin, author of Bit by Bit: How Video Games Transformed Our World (https://amzn.to/2NeohBU) reveals an entirely different world of video games and also discusses the importance of video games as a true art form.

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