Something You Should Know

What happens if you work hard to build up your FICO credit score but then you make a mistake and miss a payment? This episode begins by explaining what could happen and how to protect yourself from a drastic drop in your FICO score. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/does-one-late-payment-hurt-my-credit-score-11604078238?mod=personal-finance While there is a lot of science about what it takes to li...

If you would like to feel really good, then watch this YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHiKxytbCWk. It’s a dull and boring video about folding towels and will make you (or at least many people) get chills and give you a “brain orgasm.” Why? No one really knows for sure but I’ll explain what is known about it as I start this episode. Do you know a complainer? It’s a trick question be...

Do you know how to get the most juice out of a lemon or lime? Or how to get the smell of garlic off your hands? This episode begins as I reveal a few very useful and well tested kitchen hacks you are sure to use in the kitchen. Source: Harold McGee author of On Food and Cooking (https://amzn.to/2TIxR2W) I bet there have been challenging times in your life when you wish you had been able to bounce...

While you are probably more careful about the surfaces you touch and keeping things sanitized, you may have overlooked all the surfaces in your car. This episode begins with a discussion on the surfaces in your car and what you should do to keep them as germ-free as possible. Source: Westways Magazine Nov/Dec 2020 Can someone really sue you if you use their picture on your website? Will they win i...

When you search for something in Google does it matter what order you put the words in? What about punctuation – does that matter? We start this episode with the best ways to optimize Google searches to get the best results. https://edu.google.com/coursebuilder/courses/pswg/1.2/assets/notes/Lesson1.5/Lesson1.5Wordordermatters_Text_.html What makes someone beautiful? Can you really become more beau...

Did you know the can opener was invented 50 years AFTER the tin can? So how did they open cans before that? That’s one of the interesting stories about product packaging that kicks off this episode of the podcast. Source: Thomas Hine author of The Total Package (https://amzn.to/3mlNoC1). If you watch the news, you would think the world falling apart and going to hell. Yet it is totally NOT true. S...

First impressions count. One big reason why is that once a person makes judgements about you, they can be difficult to change even if they are not true. This episode begins with 3 things people decide about you within the first 30 seconds and how to make sure you put your best foot forward. Source: Sherry Maysonave author of Casual Power (https://amzn.to/2Thh1I7) Why should you fill your gas tank...

Is it true that nice guys finish last? Sure, there are a lot of successful nice guys but there are a lot of successful jerks too. So which is it? The answer may actually lie somewhere in between. This episode begins with some interesting insight into that http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/06/why-it-pays-to-be-a-jerk/392066 What is the best way to motivate people? Traditional thinkin...

 Everyone likes to feel appreciation, and everyone knows just how powerful appreciation can be. However, there is one huge problem with appreciation. This episode begins with an explanation of why appreciation is important and why it is so often a missed opportunity. http://ombudsfac.unm.edu/Article_Summaries/Beyond_Reason.pdf Laughter is important. Not just the act of laughter but the word laught...

I bet you’ve had that experience of waking up just before the alarm goes off. It turns out it isn’t coincidence. Listen as this episode begins with the explanation as to why this happens so often to so many people. https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/why-do-we-wake-up-right-before-our-alarm/ The next time you take a walk around the block you will see it very differently after you listen...

We humans are programmed to flirt. It’s the beginning of the process that keeps the species going forward. And while some people are clearly better at the art of flirting – there is some science to it as well. I begin this episode with scientifically proven ways to improve your flirting skills. http://theweek.com/articles/448643/how-flirt-according-science One thing that makes us human is our crea...

When you get angry, it seems normal to also get upset and maybe start yelling at whoever made you mad. Bad idea. This episode begins with a discussion how on to use anger constructively, so you get what you want without everyone being mad at each other. Source: Thomas A. Schweich, author of Staying Power (https://amzn.to/34Qrb85). You and I can look at the same thing and see it differently. You lo...

People will be more attracted to you if you appear confident. So this episode begins with short list of things you can do easily that will make you feel and appear as confident as possible. http://www.askmen.com/money/body_and_mind_150/173_better_living.html Kind and nice are two words that are often used interchangeably but they don’t mean the same thing. Truly being kind is a lot harder and risk...

Every time you sit down to eat, several things affect how MUCH you eat and how much you enjoy the food. I begin this episode by revealing how the environment and atmosphere of the room in which you are eating can have a big impact. When you learn the details, you can use this information to help you eat less while enjoying your food more. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/restaurant-lighting-calories...

The sandwich has been around for thousands of years in some form or another. Do you know how many sandwiches the average person eats in a year? Or why some sandwiches are called subs? Listen as I explain some fascinating facts about sandwiches to kickoff this episode. https://allthatsinteresting.com/sandwich-history You have no doubt contemplated questions like: Why am I here? Or what is my purpos...

The power of the human mind is amazing. This episode begins with a fascinating example of that. It turns out that how people feel about the medication they take determines how well it works. Things like cost, size of the pill and number of doses will influence your recovery. Listen and finds out how. https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/05/health/research/05placebo.html There is sure a lot of talk abou...

No one enjoys getting a shot at the doctor’s office. But there is something you can do to ease the pain. We begin this episode with a little strategy that can cut the pain in half. But you have to do it just right. https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27514-hold-your-breath-to-dampen-the-pain-of-an-injection/ Music plays an important role in our lives – but why? We don’t need it to survive yet e...

People generically call the dates on food packages, “expiration dates.” However, there are different kinds of expiration dates and they mean different things. This episode begins by sorting out what these different dates really mean. Don’t throw away any food until you hear this explanation. https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/do-food-expiration-dates-matter#1 There is no one like you and...

You may be a good driver but there are a lot of bad ones out there. So how do you protect yourself from those people? This episode begins with some interesting intel on where and how serious traffic accidents happen and how to avoid them. Source: Reader’s Digest & author of an article titled “How Good Drivers Get Killed”  Your neighborhood grocery store is a fascinating place. Did you know, for ex...

You obviously know better than to talk on your phone while driving – but you should also tell other people in the car to stay off their phones as well. This episode starts with a discussion on why passenger’s phone conversation can be trouble for the driver. http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2010/05/half-heard-phone-conversations-reduce-performance How well do you sleep? Before you answer you sh...

Everyone knows what “riding shotgun” means. And most people think they know where it came from, which is from the days of stagecoaches. But that is not exactly correct. This episode begins by revealing the real origins of the phrase. Source: Cecil Adams author of The Straight Dope (https://amzn.to/3iPlGfp) What are you? It’s a fascinating question because we often don’t think about what we are mad...

Have you ever wondered why pumpkins are associated with Halloween? After all, they aren’t particularly scary and have nothing to do with ghosts. This episode begins with an explanation of why pumpkins and Halloween go hand in hand. www.pumpkin-patch.com I am sure you have wondered things like: Why do coincidences happen? Why is it so hard to find a 4-leaf clover? What day is best to buy a lottery...

Every kid on the planet is told to, “Eat your veggies – they’re good for you!” Yet, as a parent, you probably shouldn’t say that to your kids. This episode begins with some fascinating research about what to tell kids about healthy foods and what not to tell them. https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/don-t-tell-kids-why-veggies-are-good-for-them-study-suggests-1.1833274 What if I told you that nothing re...

With all we know about how medicine works, we still don’t understand the placebo effect very well. Yet, by all accounts it is very powerful. This episode begins with some interesting research that seems to show that believing you are healthy really makes it so. Source: Howard Brody, M.D. author of “The Placebo Response” (https://amzn.to/2ZzmXzH) Money is a tricky subject for just about everyone. O...

Who doesn’t like ketchup? It is one of the most universally loved American foods. Why? This episode begins with some interesting facts and history about ketchup that helps explain why there is a bottle of it in more than 97% of U.S. households. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/aug/20/why-is-ketchup-so-delicious-science-answers-big-food-questions Have you ever had a winning streak? May...