Something You Should Know

Latest Episodes:

Strange Stories About Amazing People & Extraordinary Lessons from Great Athletes Jul 13, 2023

Show notes

A lot of people still send checks in the mail. Increasingly that is becoming a bad idea. Listen as I reveal why postal authorities and banks are recommending you not use the U.S. Mail to send money anymore. https://www.businessinsider.com/post-office-check-fraud-mailing-be-careful-usps-scam-2023-6

The world is full of strange and bizarre stories. And if you listen to this episode, you will hear a bunch of them, such as how one U.S. President prevented his own assassination; how The Beatles drummer Ringo’s unique drumming style is the result of exorcisms, how the Los Angeles Dodgers paid a guy to beam positive messages to players during games from 3000 miles away and many more. These all come from my guest Dan Schreiber. Dan hosts a podcast called There is No Such Thing As a Fish (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/no-such-thing-as-a-fish/id840986946) and he is author of the book The Theory of Everything Else: A Voyage Into the World of the Weird (https://amzn.to/43eruph)

Athletes who perform at the top of their game can teach us all a thing or two about life and how to do our best at what we do. Joining me to offer her unique and compelling perspective on this is Sally Jenkins. She has been a columnist and feature writer for The Washington Post for more than twenty years. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2020 and in 2021 was named the winner of the Associated Press Red Smith Award for Outstanding Contributions to Sports Journalism. She is the author of 12 books including The Right Call: What Sport Teaches Us About Work and Life (https://amzn.to/44wtc6y).

Why do the people who work at Trader Joe’s wear different colored Hawaiian shirts? Why are they so friendly and why do they keep ringing that bell? Listen as I reveal a few behind the scenes secrets from Trader Joe’s. https://www.businessinsider.com/trader-joes-slang-terms-only-employees-know-2023-7?utm

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How Your Brain Predicts Your Reality & How To Be Calm and Why Should Be Jul 10, 2023

Show notes

Is it bad to charge your phone overnight? Is it okay to use your phone while it is charging? We start this episode with some of the facts and myths about charging your smartphone and how to improve the life and performance of the battery. https://www.makeuseof.com/myths-misconceptions-charging-your-phone-debunked/

Your brain is constantly making predictions. For example, when your doctor is about to give you a shot, your brain predicts how painful it will be. If you predict it will hurt a lot – it will likely hurt more than if you predicted that it won’t hurt at all. In other words, your predictions help to shape your reality. And it happens with many of our experiences. Here to dig deeper into this and explain why this is so important is Andy Clark. He is a professor at the University of Sussex and author of six books including The Experience Machine: How Our Minds Predict and Shape Reality (https://amzn.to/3JJPUjH).

Do you consider yourself to be a calm person? Of course we all have moments when we are calm and some of us are better able to remain calm in stressful situations than others. But have you ever wondered – what is calm? Is it a feeling, a skill or a state of mind? How can you get better at it? What are the benefits of remaining calm? Well, it seems there are a lot of benefits according to my guest Chris Bailey. As a writer, Chris has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, GQ, The Huffington Post, and he is author of the book How to Calm Your Mind (https://amzn.to/44cmGSu).

Flip-flops are pretty standard summertime footwear for many of us. As easy and comfortable as flip-flops are, there are concerns that many foot specialists have. If you are one of those people who wear flip-flops a lot, listen as I explain just what those concerns are. https://www.ipfh.org/images/research_materials/2012_National_Foot_Health_Assessment_June_2012.pdf

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SYSK Choice: Why Hidden Fees are “Gotcha” Capitalism & The Origins of Slang Jul 08, 2023

Show notes

We have probably all gotten a little more conscientious at washing our hands more frequently. Still, a lot of us are not washing correctly or with proper technique. This episode begins with some expert hand washing advice to make sure your hands are really clean. https://www.readersdigest.com.au/healthsmart/tips/10-ways-youre-washing-your-hands-wrong

Don’t you just hate it when businesses tack on fees to the price? In many cases, like concert tickets, or hotels or airline fares, the stated price is meaningless. Very often what you pay is the stated price PLUS anything else they want to add on. Bob Sullivan has been one of the people leading the charge about the stupidity and unfairness of these excessive fees. He is author of the book Gotcha Capitalism (https://amzn.to/2x9R2aR) and he is here to explain why fees have become such a problem and how we can all fight back!

Ever wonder where slang words come from? It seems some slang words come and go while others stick around. Some slang words become so popular they stop being slang and become acceptable English. Tom Dalzell has been studying slang for years and has written several books about it including The Routledge Dictionary of Modern American Slang and Unconventional English (https://amzn.to/2p2ksDi). Listen as he reveals the importance of slang in our language and how some slang words make it and some don’t.

Do overweight people face discrimination in the workplace? We like to think we judge people by their character but there is some interesting research that proves that is not always true. Listen as I discuss this and reveal why, in most cases this type of discrimination is perfectly legal. http://www.businessinsider.com/science-overweight-people-less-successful-2015-9

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Why We Often Misunderstand Each Other & Why Are Toxic Chemicals In Your Clothes? Jul 06, 2023

Show notes

People often complain they get sick when they fly on an airplane. And they claim the problem is the recirculated air passengers breathe. That’s actually not quite right. This episode begins with an explanation of what does cause people to get sick from air travel and why it is likely not the air. https://www.rd.com/article/recirculated-air-on-airplanes/

You are about to be amazed when you hear how often we miscommunicate with each other. It happens when we speak, when we send a text or email, on the phone – everywhere. Often, what we say is not what people hear and that causes all kinds of trouble. Here to explain how this happens and how we can prevent all this miscommunication is Roger Kreuz, an associate dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at the University of Memphis and a professor in the university's psychology department. He is also author of the book Failure to Communicate: Why We Misunderstand What We Hear, Read, and See (https://amzn.to/44lnHaE)

Your clothes are full of chemicals. They are in there to make clothes anti-wrinkle, anti-odor, stain resistant and a bunch of other reasons. The problem is those chemicals aren’t all that effective and they can be harmful. Hear to explain why this is going on and why you probably haven’t heard much about it is Alden Wicker. She is an award-winning journalist and author of the book To Dye For How Toxic Fashion is Making us Sick (https://amzn.to/3pt4Vzj).

Do you get food cravings? If so and you want to try to curb them, it seems pickles can help. Listen as I explain how. http://www.wisegeek.com/why-do-some-pregnant-women-crave-pickles-and-ice-cream.htm

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The Science of Innovation & When Doctors Make Mistakes Jul 03, 2023

Show notes

Did you know that all people with blue eyes are related to each other? That is just one of the fascinating things we explore as I begin this episode with a look at how your eyes work and how they help you navigate your world. http://www.buzzfeed.com/acuvue/impossibly-cool-facts-you-may-not-know-about-yo#.kjpwxlkvO

It often seems that great new ideas and inventions come out of the blue. However, that’s not usually true. There is actually an innovation process according to Matt Ridley. Matt is a journalist, businessman and author of the book How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom (https://amzn.to/2D6syWe). Matt has studied how great ideas are created, developed and accepted and he joins me to explain the process and where the next big thing is likely to come from.

Doctors are human so of course they make mistakes. However, the consequences of medical mistakes can be serious and even life threatening. Some reports have said that medical errors are the third leading cause of death in America. Could that really be true? Are errors just part of the system or could most of them be prevented? Joining me to discuss this is Dr. Danielle Ofri, clinical professor of medicine at the New York University School of Medicine and practicing physician at New York’s Bellevue Hospital for more than two decades. She is author of the book When We Do Harm: A Doctor Confronts Medical Error (https://amzn.to/3hVGku9).

Perhaps you have noticed that the more money you have in your wallet, the more likely you are to spend it. Actually, it is a little more complicated than that. It seems what kind of money you have in your wallet is a big factor in whether you spend it or keep it. Listen as I explain how this works and how you can use this knowledge to keep more of your own money. http://www.forbes.com/video/4061993829001/

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SYSK Choice: What Watching Sports Does to You & What Happy Couples Do Jul 01, 2023

Show notes

A lot of health and beauty advice has been passed down over many generations. And a lot of it is just plain wrong! Listen as this episode begins with a little myth busting when it comes to some of the things mom told you to do and not do to stay healthy and beautiful. https://www.everbeautiful.com/2010/1622/ten-popular-beauty-myths-debunked

Are there actual benefits to watching sports? Yes – several, according to Larry Olmsted author of the book Fans: How Watching Sports Makes us Happier, Healthier and More Understanding (https://amzn.to/2T6YUs1). Listen as Larry explains how and why being a sports fan has so many physical, mental and social benefits. Even if you are not a sports fan, you may want to become one after you listen to Larry.

What causes relationships to sour? It turns out that it isn’t so much the big arguments and fights – it’s really the little things. Or, to be more precise, the lack of little things that wears down any romantic relationship, family relationship or friendship. Carol Bruess is a social scientist who studies relationships and she is here to explain why relationships need lots of small doses of positivity to succeed and thrive. Listen as she explains exactly how to do it. Carol has a TED Talk on messy relationships you can watch here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOnl76UqUcw&t=14s . She is also author of the book What Happy Couples Do (https://amzn.to/3A8yLcU).

How much of your life do you think or talk about the weather? A lot more than you realize because weather is important to us all. In fact, more important than you think. Listen as I explain. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1278257/We-spend-SIX-MONTHS-lives-just-talking-weather.html

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Why Do People Swear So Much? & How to Quickly Build Your Confidence Jun 29, 2023

Show notes

Want to significantly improve your chances of a getting a good night’s sleep? This episode begins with a simple technique you can do today that can improve your sleep tonight. https://sleepopolis.com/news/make-bed-better-sleep/

In every language and in every culture, people swear. While we were all taught from an early age, not to say “bad words,” we all know what those words are, whether we choose to say them or not. Is swearing really so bad? Are there actual benefits to using curse words? Apparently so - at least sometimes according to Timothy Jay who is considered one of the leading authorities on swearing. Timothy is psychology professor emeritus at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and author of a couple of books on this topic - Cursing in America (https://amzn.to/3CMIs36) and Why We Curse (https://amzn.to/46hZ2FN). Listen as he discusses the origins of swear words and the role swearing plays in our culture.

Confidence is attractive when we see it in other people. And many of us wish we had more self-confidence so we could project it in our dealings with other people. Here to offer some very solid and simple strategies for building up your confidence quickly is Selena Rezvani. Selena is a speaker, journalist, and author – her latest book is Quick Confidence: Be Authentic, Create Connections and Make Bold Bets On Yourself. (https://amzn.to/43WVJ59).

If you want to boost your mood, there is something you can do to your face right now that can help. Listen as I explain this simple technique and why it works so well. Source: Dr. Stephanie McClellan, author of The Ultimate Stress Relief Plan for Women (https://amzn.to/3NLj04s).

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What Makes Things Funny & Really Interesting Facts You Didn’t Know About Water Jun 26, 2023

Show notes

Ever wonder how spiders get into your house? This episode begins with an explanation and some ideas on how to make your home less appealing to spiders. https://www.prevention.com/life/a32332424/how-to-get-rid-of-spiders/

Probably a day doesn’t go by when you don’t laugh at something. So what is it that makes something funny? What do humor and laughter do for us? Is laughter really the best medicine? Why do we seek out comedy in movies, TV shows and standup comedy shows? Believe it or not, there are researchers who study all this and the role humor and laughter play in our lives. What they have discovered will fascinate you. Joining me to discuss is Caleb Warren, an assistant professor at the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona, former assistant professor at Texas A&M University and lead author of a study titled, What Makes Things Funny (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1088868320961909).

Water is everywhere yet it is also a precious resource. Without it, there would be no life, no you or me. While the amount of water on earth remains constant, the population has grown to the point where it puts a strain on the water supply. Extreme weather can also threaten water as does pollution and contamination from a lot of different sources. Is bottled water really better than the water that comes out of your tap. So it is important to know how water on our planet works. Why, for example, can’t we just take the salt out of ocean water and solve all the water problem forever? Joining me to discuss all this is Peter Gleick ,co-founder, president-emeritus, and Senior Fellow of the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security in Oakland, California and author of the book The Three Ages of Water: Prehistoric Past, Imperiled Present, and a Hope for the Future (https://amzn.to/431foQo).

When is the best time to exercise, morning or evening? It actually depends on a number of factors, including what kind of exercise, what type of person you are and a few other things. Listen as I explain. https://www.livestrong.com/article/447879-morning-vs-evening-cardio/

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SYSK Choice: The Psychology of Secrets & How to Get Quicker Answers to Emails and Texts Jun 24, 2023

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Before the mid 60s, a can of beer on a hot summer day was worthless without a can opener. Then along came the pop-top can. This episode begins with the interesting story of how the pop-top can changed our world. https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Ermal_Fraze

No doubt, you have a secret. Everyone has a secret – perhaps more than one. The problem is that carrying around secrets can cause real harm according to Michael Slepian, one of the leading researchers on the psychology of secrets and a professor at Columbia Business School. Listen as Michael reveals how to lessen the burden of keeping secrets and tells you how to feel better for having them. Michael’s website is http://www.keepingsecrets.org/

We have probably all sent a text or email and when the expected response didn’t come right away, we start to wonder why. Maybe you said something you shouldn’t have. Maybe something terrible happened to the person you texted. Maybe your boss didn’t respond because he plans to fire you soon. Why do we think the worst just because someone doesn’t reply as quickly as we like? Listen to my guest Sam George, a digital marketing expert and author of the book I’ll Get Back to You: The Dyscommunication Crisis: Why Unreturned Messages Drive Us Crazy and What to Do About It (https://amzn.to/2Uof14w). Sam explains why those thoughts are irrational and how to get people to respond to email and texts faster so you aren’t left wondering.

Do you have loose items sitting in the back of your car like toys, shoes, pens or maybe even your laptop? Having those kinds of loose items in your car can be a real safety hazard. Listen as I explain the problem and how to fix it so people don’t get hurt. https://www.consumerreports.org/content/cro/en/health/pack-your-car-safely.print.html

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Strange Origins of Common Words and Phrases & Meet Your Future Self Jun 22, 2023

Show notes

A common recommendation for people trying to control their weight is to get enough sleep. Why? What could sleep have to do with losing weight? This episode begins with an explanation. https://www.webmd.com/obesity/features/cant-shed-those-pounds

“Cut to the chase.” “ Made from scratch.” Close but no cigar.” Where did these phrases come from? That’s just one of the things I discuss with Erin McCarthy, VP/Editor-in-Chief of MentalFloss.com author of the book Mental Floss: The Curious Compendium of Wonderful Words (https://amzn.to/443Ihfz). Listen as she also discusses words people hate the most – but use anyway and tells the story of how McDonalds went to war with the dictionary.

Ever wonder what your future self will be like? You will probably be a very different person 10 or 20 years from now. So perhaps you should prepare for the future you because he/she is coming. To help you understand who your future self will be and what that person may need or want from you now is Hal Hershfield, professor of marketing, behavioral decision making and psychology at the Anderson School of Management at UCLA and author of the book Your Future Self: How to Make Tomorrow Better Today (https://amzn.to/42Y2G4V)

People have been using honey to treat burns and wounds for centuries. Does it work? Actually, it is a little more complicated than you might think. Listen as I explain. https://www.uclahealth.org/news/medical-grade-honey-is-viable-tool-in-wound-care#

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