Something You Should Know

Latest Episodes:

How to Get Unstuck & A New Approach to Longevity - SYSK Choice May 17, 2025

Show notes

Drinking water is what keeps you from becoming dehydrated. What you may not know is that there are other factors that can speed up your dehydration that may require you drink even more water than you think. This episode begins by explaining what causes this to happen even when you think you are taking in plenty of water. https://www.eatingwell.com/article/8034255/sneaky-reasons-youre-dehydrated-nothing-to-do-with-water/

Have you ever felt stuck? May you've felt stuck in a job or a relationship or maybe you are stuck trying to come up with a new idea. Sooner or later, we all feel stuck. Luckily, for over 20 years, Adam Alter has studied “stuckness” to help people understand how and why it happens and most importantly how to get unstuck. Adam is a professor of marketing at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He also holds an affiliated professorship in social psychology at NYU’s psychology department and he is author of the book Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most (https://amzn.to/3O2uH7d).

We've all heard the advice that to live a long and healthy life you should eat right, exercise, get enough sleep, reduce stress, etc. The problem is that as advice goes – it is pretty vague. Good thing my guest is here. Peter Atia, MD. Peter serves on the editorial board for the journal Aging. He is the host of the podcast, “The Drive”, (https://peterattiamd.com/podcast/ ) which covers topics such as health, medicine, and longevity. He is also the author of a monster best-selling book called Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity (https://amzn.to/3VTaWBa).

Don’t you hate it when someone on a car trip says, “I feel carsick”? There are a lot of ideas on the best way to deal with car sickness but not all of them are effective. Listen as I explain what really works to help prevent motion sickness and alleviate the symptoms once someone starts to get that horrible nauseous feeling. https://www.ahchealthenews.com/2016/05/13/tips-preventing-treating-motion-sickness/

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The Science Behind Your Intuition & How Things Get Made May 15, 2025

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A lot of people drink coffee in the morning to kickstart the day. Interestingly, how you drink it (when, how many cups, length of time between cups, etc.) influences the kick that you get. This episode begins by explaining the best way to consume your morning brew for maximum benefit. https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a15327/coffee-most-caffeine/

I’m sure you’ve had a gut feeling about something. You didn’t have to think about it – you just knew! That is your intuition at work. But what is it? Is intuition just a knee jerk reaction to something or is it something more – perhaps some deep inner wisdom? Is it reliable? Should you trust it? Joining me to talk about that is Elizabeth Greenwood. She is a writer whose work has appeared in the New York Times, The New Yorker, Esquire, and GQ, and she is author of a book called Everyday Intuition: What Psychology, Science, and Psychics Can Teach Us About Finding and Trusting Our Inner Voice (https://amzn.to/3H0TN4U).

It is astonishing to contemplate all the things around you that have been manufactured. Everything you can see that is not a plant, an animal or dirt – someone manufactured it. That means a person designed it, got the materials, assembled it, packaged it up and shipped it. How does that happen? What is the process that keeps it all going? Here to discuss this is Tim Minnshall. He is an engineering academic who works at the University of Cambridge, and he is author of the book, How Things Are Made: A Journey Through the Hidden World of Manufacturing (https://amzn.to/43bsRHf).

Why do cars break down? Surprisingly, they mostly break down for just one of a few reasons – which are often preventable. Listen as I reveal what those reasons are and how to prevent them from happening. https://roadsidesurvival.com/

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How Apple Became a $3 Trillion Company & Why We Love to Laugh May 12, 2025

Show notes

It is so tempting. The gas pump clicks off indicating that your tank is full but there is that urge to squeeze out a few more drops. Should you? This episode begins by explaining what happens when you do that. ⁠https://cluballiance.aaa.com/the-extra-mile/advice/car/seo-should-you-really-top-off-your-gas-tank⁠

Apple is a huge company worth $3 trillion. It makes money from products (iPhone, computers, smart watch etc.) and services (App store, Apple Pay etc.). Most Apple products are made and assembled in China and the impact Apple has made in China is astonishing and a story you must hear. Here to tell it is Patrick McGee. He was the Financial Times’s principal Apple reporter from 2019 to 2023. Previously, he was a reporter at The Wall Street Journal and is now the author of the book ⁠Apple In China: The Capture of the World’s Greatest Company (https://amzn.to/4cXXwfC).⁠

We love to laugh. We seek it out. We go to comedy clubs and watch funny movies in order to laugh. Why do we do that? What is it about laughter that makes us feel so good? What makes something or someone funny? Joining me for an interesting discussion about this is Jesse David Fox, Senior Editor and comedy critic at Vulture. He also hosts a podcast called ⁠Good One (https://www.vulture.com/good-one)⁠ and he is author of the book, ⁠Comedy Book: How Comedy Conquered Culture―and the Magic That Makes It Work (https://amzn.to/4iIRnW5).⁠

All cancer is scary but pancreatic is particularly horrible because it often goes undetected until it is too late – and because no one really knows what causes it. Interestingly, there does seem to be a link between pancreatic cancer and sunlight. Listen as I explain. ⁠https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/04/150430082151.htm⁠

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How Things Became User Friendly & Effective Ways to Change People’s Minds - SYSK Choice May 10, 2025

Show notes

If someone tells you how a book or movie ends - does it spoil the whole thing? Is it not worth watching or reading it? Or could knowing the ending first make the experience even better? Listen and find out. ⁠https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/spoiler-alert-spoilers-make-you-enjoy-stories-more⁠

You may not remember this but about 20 years ago, personal computers and other electronic devices came with big instruction manuals. Of course, now they don’t. We expect computers and just about everything else today to be user-friendly. Instructions should be minimal. This idea of “user-friendly” and the desire for a “positive user experience” is a fairly new thing that we can trace back to a point in time not very long ago. Cliff Kuang is a user experience designer and author of the book ⁠User Friendly: How the hidden rules of design are changing the way we live, work, and play (https://amzn.to/37T1Vi0).⁠ Listen as he explores the evolution from complicated to easy – which is just the way we like it.

Should you bother trying to change someone’s mind? After all, we know arguing doesn’t work and neither does rational explanation. Perhaps it just isn’t worth the effort – we should just let people believe what they want to believe. Eleanor Gordon Smith has researched this topic and written a book about it called ⁠Stop Being Reasonable: How We Really Change Our Minds (https://amzn.to/2R9OxQQ). ⁠Listen as she explains her research on why changing someone’s mind is so difficult.

In almost every workplace, some people complain that it is too hot while others say it is too cold. Regardless of your position on the subject, there is a way to feel comfortable no matter where the thermostat says. Listen to the explanation. is. ⁠https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/09/office-too-cold-shoes/502184

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The Many Ways Music Affects Your Brain & How Safe and Effective Are Your Meds? May 08, 2025

Show notes

Which side is your good side? You know, the side of your face you point toward the camera when someone takes your picture. We all have a good side. And I bet I know which one yours is. https://newsfeed.time.com/2012/04/24/which-side-is-your-good-side-here-comes-the-science/

You are exposed to a lot of music every day. Sometimes it is music you seek out and want to listen to as well as music that plays in the background – in stores, in elevators, in a doctor’s office. All that music affects your brain in interesting ways. Here to explain how is Sara Leila Sherman. She is a musician and educator, who studied and pioneered innovation in music as a tool for learning and personal growth. She is coauthor of the book Resonant Minds: The Transformative Power of Music, One Note at a Time (https://amzn.to/4jDM6Aq).

Many prescription drugs do amazing things to help people. Still, there are frequent stories of drugs that go wrong. They either don’t work or they turn out to cause harm or even death. Isn’t the FDA supposed to make sure that doesn’t happen? How do bad drugs get approved? Is the process broken? Here to offer some great insight into this is Jerry Avorn, MD. Who is also a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. He created a leading research center at Harvard to study medication use, outcomes, costs, and policies and has written hundreds of papers that have appeared in medical literature as well as opinion pieces in The New York Times and The Washington Post. He is author of the book Rethinking Medications: Truth, Power, and the Drugs You Take (https://amzn.to/4lRlT2E)

Many people look back fondly on the good old days. Were they really that good? For some, the past seems so much better than the present, and they love to reminisce fondly about a better and simpler time. Listen as I explain why the past looks so wonderful to many of us and just how good it really was. https://www.elephantjournal.com/2014/08/why-we-long-for-the-good-old-days-why-they-never-really-existed-marianne-stenger/

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How the LIKE Button Changed the World & Weird Things Your Body Does May 05, 2025

Show notes

Why is salmon pink? What is the shelf life of a Twinkie? What do almonds and peaches have in common? These are just a few of the fun food facts we cover to kick off this episode. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/food-facts_n_4788746

How many times would you guess the “Like” button is pressed by people every day around the world? You are about to find out and it is a lot! Where did the like button come from? Why is it so important? What does it do for the person who does the liking and for the person (or business) who gets your “like”? Listen to my guest Martin Reeves, who has explored the history of the like button and why it has become such a big part of our lives. Martin is chairman of the BCG Henderson Institute, a think tank for developing new business ideas and he is co-author of the book Like: The Button That Changed the World (https://amzn.to/4cTgCUn).

What is going on right now in your body is astonishing. Things like tears and your breath and even mucus. It is all fascinating and worth understanding. (And I promise we do not get really gross!) Joining me for this discussion is Cutter Wood, who has thoroughly explored and researched this topic and written a book called Earthly Materials: Journeys Through Our Bodies' Emissions, Excretions, and Disintegrations (https://amzn.to/4lPEJHw)

You have likely had the dilemma of owning a favorite pair of shoes that need to be repaired and the question is – do you fix them or just get a new pair? Listen as I reveal what the experts say that determines the answer to that question. https://www.businessinsider.com/should-i-repair-or-replace-my-shoes-2015-4

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Why Parking is Such a Problem & How Microbes Influence Our Lives - SYSK Choice May 03, 2025

Show notes

Are you one of the many people who enjoys a morning cup of coffee? If so, listen to the beginning of this episode which explains why you should smell your coffee when you drink it because it can help you think better and be more productive. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6881620/

In many urban areas, the number one use of land is for – parking. In fact, the United States has 4 parking spaces for every car. So, it makes you wonder then why it is so hard to find a parking spot when you need one. You are about to find out why from my guest Henry Grabar. He is a staff writer at Slate, and author of the book Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World (https://amzn.to/3RyHcbq). Listen and you will understand why parking is such a big deal.

Microbes are those tiny organisms you can’t see without using a microscope. This includes things such as germs, bacteria, and fungi. Microbes have a reputation of being something dangerous – that can cause illness. While that is true for some microbes, most of them don’t cause harm and some are even good for you. This should come as good news since you have trillions of microbes on you and inside of you. Here to take us on a journey through the invisible world of microbes is Jake Robinson. He is a microbial ecologist and author of the book Invisible Friends: How Microbes Shape our Lives and the World Around Us (https://amzn.to/44pGRwR)

Many people claim to have food allergies – that actually don’t have them. They just think they do. What they really have is a food intolerance and there is a big difference. Listen as I explain. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/food-allergy/expert-answers/food-allergy/faq-20058538

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Why Do We Exist? & More Than Friends: The Rise of Platonic Partners May 01, 2025

Show notes

Want to get someone to like you – or like you more? If so, there is a simple thing you can do that can work wonders to improve your likeability. This episode begins with this simple technique. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/let-their-words-do-the-talking/201608/people-will-you-if-you-make-them-laugh

Why are we here? You must have thought about this question. I mean, here we are, intelligent creatures hurtling through the universe on this tiny little planet. Why? What’s the point of it all? What had to happen for us to be here? These are questions that science has struggled with but is now finding more and more insight into the real reasons we exist. Here to reveal what we do know is Tim Coulson, a professor of zoology at Oxford University whose teaching and research have earned him multiple awards. He is author of the book The Science of Why We Exist: A History of the Universe from the Big Bang to Consciousness (https://amzn.to/4jLgb0n).

There is a growing type of relationship that doesn’t even have a proper name. It’s 2 people in a partnership and they are not romantically connected but they are more than friends. They are more than best friends. They often live together, are in each other’s wills, travel together and essentially live as partners. How do these partnerships begin? Who are the people in them? Why is this a growing arrangement? The first person to really look at this is my guest, Rhaina Cohen. She is an award-winning producer and editor for NPR’s documentary podcast, Embedded and her writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The New Republic and elsewhere. She is author of the book The Other Significant Other (https://amzn.to/42unjsn).

You probably have no idea what all is involved when you sneeze. It’s really quite something! And it involves a lot of different muscles to make it happen. Listen and you will learn things about why and how you sneeze and when you can and cannot sneeze. https://www.medicinenet.com/11_facts_about_sneezes_and_sneezing/article.htm

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Water vs. Tech: How Moisture Ruins Your Devices & Why We Need Stress Apr 28, 2025

Show notes

Kibosh, chicanery, affluent and Seuss (as in Dr. Seuss) are words a lot of people mispronounce. This episode begins with the correct pronunciation of these and other mispronounced words you may not be aware you are saying incorrectly. http://mentalfloss.com/article/32273/11-common-words-youre-probably-mispronouncing

You (or someone you know) have most likely dropped your phone in the toilet, spilled coffee on your laptop or had some other electronic device suffer “death by liquid.” Our electronic devices are very much NOT water-proof. Why is that? That horrible feeling you get when you get your devices wet is a combination of guilt, panic and horror. Yet, it happens to almost everyone. Why can’t they make these devices more resistant to liquids? That is an interesting question which I explore with Rachel Plotnick. She is a historian and cultural theorist whose research and teaching focus on information, communication, and media technologies. She is also author of the book License to Spill: Where Dry Devices Meet Liquid Lives (https://amzn.to/3Ru1xyz).

Stress kills! But it is also good for you. In fact, GOOD stress can actually counter the effects of the bad stress in your life. So, what is the difference between good and bad stress? And how can you make stress work for you? Here to explain all this and the science behind it, is Dr. Sharon Bergquist, MD. She is an award-winning physician and visionary researcher renowned for spearheading a science-based approach to applying lifestyle as medicine. She has a Ted-Ed video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-t1Z5-oPtU) about how stress affects you which has been viewed over 8 million times and she is author of the book The Stress Paradox: Why You Need Stress to Live Longer, Healthier, and Happier (https://amzn.to/43XOj4B).

Most of us have some trouble remembering the names of people right after we meet them. It seems doing something with your eyes and making a few movements with your body can help you recall names according to some research. Listen and I’ll tell you how it works.

https://www.livescience.com/1473-moving-eyes-improves-memory-study-suggests.html

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When to Quit and Walk Away & Why We Are Drawn to the Water - SYSK Choice Apr 26, 2025

Show notes

What is beginner’s luck? After all, it has a name so it must happen often enough to be a thing. But could it just be an odd and occasional coincidence or is there really something to it? We begin this episode with a look at the phenomenon of beginner’s luck and why it may not be luck at all. Source: Sian Beilock author of Choke (https://amzn.to/3Nj53uE)

Quitting? You can’t quit! Quitting is for losers – you should finish what you start. That’s the message many of us have playing in our head when it comes to the thought of quitting. But hang on a second! In some cases, quitting may very well be the best option while persevering may be a really dumb idea. That is something my guest Julia Keller firmly believes. Julia is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, teacher and author of the book, Quitting: A Life Strategy: The Myth of Perseverance―and How the New Science of Giving Up Can Set You Free (https://amzn.to/41LAWR9)

There is something great about being around water. That’s why we like to go the beach or to rivers and lakes and why waterfront property is typically so expensive. Humans are naturally drawn to water. But why? What is the connection between people and being near bodies of water? You are about to discover the answer to this from my guest Wallace J. Nichols, PhD. Wallace is a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Blue Economy in Monterey, a research associate at the California Academy of Sciences and author of the book, Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do (https://amzn.to/3NfkZy8)

How is your love life? There are some simple things you can do outside the bedroom that can make you more appealing to your partner inside the bedroom and beyond. Listen as I share these easy suggestions can have a big impact. Source: Lou Paget author of The Great Lover Playbook (https://amzn.to/3Ni0uke)

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