The Brain Candy Podcast

We are reviewing our year and our successes and failures with our New Year's Resolutions, and we're sharing our intentions for next year. We learn about a study by Robert Sapolsky that argues that testosterone does not increase aggression, but instead emphasizes existing tendencies and encourages people to behave in socially encouraged ways that already exist. But we have questions and concerns ab...

🚨 Sarah is on the dating apps! 📢 And boy, does she have the scoop on what's going on with the dating community. We find out whether the full-blown lesbians are mingling with the dabblers, what the lesbian equivalent to the fish profile pic is, and whether she is getting a lot of bites (so to speak) from her suitors. It's a treat. Plus, we hear what's in her bio. Susie reveals the goods from Tind...

Sarah went to see Wicked, and she wants a little commotion for her ability to not sing out loud in the theater during the film. We also got a pro-tip--never get a matching tattoo with someone. If you do, your relationship is cursed according to Sarah. We learn what robot pants are, how they could help people who are disabled and/or elderly, and how much they'll cost you. We debate the virtues of h...

Susie is wound up about the Yacht Rock documentary and she doesn't care who knows it. We learn why Yacht Rock rocks (a little bit), why it has a great sense of humor, and some of her favorite tracks. We hear why hysterectomies are confusing, even to the people who've had them, and why it's not clear exactly what organs they take and the consequences of their removal. We learn about a woman who snu...

Therapist, psychic, what's the difference? That's what we're asking about Sarah's intuition, perception, and ability to read people, and it runs in the family. A political activist/novelist in Japan thinks the answer to Japan's population growth problem involves sterilizing women. Seems like this wouldn't solve the problem, but we do have some alternative suggestions. Sarah is really into the idea...

Sarah is crushing it and we celebrate what a difference a year can make. We hear why she insisted on naming all of her cats "Sam" sort of like George Foreman naming all of his kids George. We learn how the originator of the high five was discriminated against and ended up losing his job for being gay. Susie describes the Olympic moment when Greg Louganis hit his head on the diving board and how it...

Sarah is thinking of going on the dating apps, and we are psyched! But we hope she doesn't end up married to a hologram like some "performance artist" that we hate. We talk about a reality show from the aughts that had people competing for a donated kidney from a terminally ill woman that turned out to be a hoax and was meant to raise awareness about organ donation. We learn about a man who loved...

Sarah's a happy bunny, and it's a long time coming. We discuss the Mike Tyson v. Jake Paul fight, whether it was fixed, and why the slap should've tipped us off. Susie explains how his lisp, his love of pigeons, and the death of his daughter made people see him differently. We hear how the Muhammad Ali documentary showed how learning to withstand suffering can be the sign of a champion. We hear ab...

Sarah is navigating the wild world of homeownership and it's a jungle. We are heartned to hear cheese helps the medicine (alcohol) go down, and think we must be the healthiest women alive. We learn about a child influencer who recently came of age and because she has been exposed to online predators etc for so long she sees OnlyFans as her future. We discuss a phone that was installed on a bridge...

Sarah's got a Pow Report, and she is as happy as a clam. Susie wants her to start a menopausal snowboarding group. We'll see. Susie talks about Mary McGee, who was the first motorcycle racing woman and the first PERSON to race the Baha 500 solo, and how she was a trailblazer without even really trying. And how her flippant attitude about a tragedy seemed well-adjusted rather than detached, and we...

Sarah returned to her Real World house and wasn't prepared for how emotional it would make her, and now she's considering why the experience brought out so many feelings. We talk about "wet dog shake," what causes it, and why some mammals have that response to certain stimuli, while others, like cats and mice, don't. We learn about dozens of monkeys who escaped from a research lab, and debate whet...

Sarah and Susie are fresh off their New York adventure, and they spent one night in their hotel room getting spooked by the Manhattan Alien Abduction documentary. Hear why we are kind of convinced that a woman was abducted, and feel bad that people question it. Susie met a man who gave himself a vasectomy (don't worry, he's a urology surgeon), and got the scoop on whether it really is as bad as me...

Sarah is falling in love with bacteria now that she knows they are excited for pow season too, and they get ready by packing on the pounds. We learn how Parkland survivors were given a special legal authority over the rights and licenses associated with the person who attacked them, and why more of these arrangements are ahead for survivors at long last. We talk about a study that said longevity c...

Susie is over the moon after having met her lifelong inspiration and hero, musical genius Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. She can't even articulate how amazing it was, but if you ever get the chance to meet your hero, DO IT! We discuss the Martha Stewart documentary, which is amazing, and how her complicated psyche and quirky personality make for fascinating psychological viewing. We talk about th...

Ever think you could identify a person's religion from just looking at them? Well, apparently people can identify Mormons and we want to know what it is that makes that possible. We hear about a movement in Netherlands to turn concrete into gardens. We learn about a study on self-awareness that showed how most people are clueless about how people see them, and we learn tips on how to fix it in our...

Sarah is grappling with her diminished enthusiasm for sPoOoOoOoky season and the reason she's less into it these days. We hear about the women's basketball Olympic team from 1996, and how they ushered in the creation of the WNBA, and the tragedy that befell one of the gold medalists. We discuss the British game of Conker and the championship scandal that is cracking us up (pun intended). And Sarah...

Sarah was feeling left out of the crazy spider bite conversation. She got one of her own, so she and Susie can be Spider Bite Besties. We hear about Sarah’s recent obsession with Love Is Blind: Habibi, and why it's so much better than the American version. We learn why elephants are evolving at a faster rate to cope with humans hunting their tusks, and Susie thinks it’s a real win for the species....

Susie brings a few nominees to the Darwin Awards--one is a snake influencer (?) who said anit-venom was for p*ssies who then, of course, was bit by his pet viper and the other was a man who was observing a friend drink an assisted suicide drug cocktail and then decided to take a sip for himself. We learn about a man who circumnavigated the globe on foot instead of getting a divorce and the unbelie...

Sarah might be changing her mind about the "fun size" chocolate candy bars. We find out what you can get from coining a slogan like "Nobody lay a finger on my Butterfinger." We learn whether you can sense that somebody is staring at you and we consider why we think we're exceptions to the rule. We learn why "superhero" is a special word and why we all are superheroes in some way. Plus a woman mist...

Susie is talking about one of her favorite subjects: the foot fetish. We learn what can trigger the fetish, what the fetishists look for in a foot, and whether Susie or Sarah has more desirable feet among the community. We hear about the toxic culture of sexual harassment, racial discrimination, and bullying on The Price is Right, and why Barker's Beauties felt trapped. We discuss a medical parts...

Sarah is obsessing over Fall fashion and not just the goth stuff; tweed and tartan too! We discuss the Mr. McMahon documentary about WWE founder Vince McMahon, the history of wrestling, and the fallout from his many lawsuits alleging sexual harassment, assault, and more. We detail how professional wrestling has many of the same elements and problems as reality tv (especially the Challenge) includi...

There was another pop-up scam that rocked the fans of Bridgerton when they showed up for what they thought was a Victorian-era dance, but got flourescent lighting, an exotic dancer, and absolutely nothing Victorian. These are a treat. Sarah demoans a marble art installation that was smashed to bits by a "performance artist" for the hell of it and ancient sketches in the dessert were destroyed by o...

Fall is in the air, so our resident witch is getting her caldron out and preparing for snowboarding season. Sarah is willing to sacrifice a literal finger if that means not missing another powder season. (She's unwell.) Susie tells us about a 30 for 30 called Stolen Gold about an intellectually disabled paralympic basketball team that won the gold by having almost the entire team fake the disabili...

Sarah is living out her Bob's Burgers fantasies. Susie's still trying to do a pull-up, but we found research that shows she might never meet her goal! We debate whether kids should have their phones in school, and our opinions will probably surprise you. We learn why people who use prosthetics are frustrated with the way companies make their products and how it affects their autonomy. Sarah descri...

Sarah is trying to take care of her poor hurt finger, and is hoping it leads to something amazing, but that amazing thing will not be sex with a man if she has anything to say about it. Susie explains why pennies should be eradicated, why we keep making money that no one wants or needs, why the "penny lobby" is trying to keep the dream alive, and what it will take to end our collective nightmare....