Episodes

When I smell the scent of fresh cut grass it transports me back to my childhood. It is a great smell. It also turns out to be beneficial to most people. I begin this episode by explaining the scientific benefits of smelling a freshly mowed lawn.( http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1209360/Why-mowing-lawn-relieves-stressboosts-memory.html)How do you make real change in yourself and others? That’s the topic of my discussion with Joseph Grenny, a social scientist, speaker and one of the authors of a book Influencer: The New Science of Leading Change (https://amzn.to/2XADNeJ) . Joseph explains just how you can influence and change behavior so it benefits you and lasts a long time.Have you noticed when you go to a party that the more people drink – the louder the party gets? There is actually a fascinating reason why – and it has to do with your hearing. Listen as I explain. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2031886For your entire life, you learn. Learning is how we grow a…

Automobile traffic, like the weather, is hard to predict. The slightest thing can cause a traffic jam and sometimes it seems that traffic jams just happen for no apparent reason. I begin this episode by exploring one oddity of traffic – where the solution usually makes the problem worse. (Edward Humes author of the book Door to Door). To be a success you have to get really good at one thing as soon as possible. In other words, you have to specialize. While that concept seems to make sense, it turns out to be flawed, according to journalist David Epstein, author of the book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World. Listen as he explains why being a generalist is a better path to success despite popular opinion to the contrary.Spanking as a form of punishment is a lot less common than it used to be but there are still many parents around the world who still believe that when you spare the rod, you spoil the child. Listen as I explain why a lot of those parents will live to …

Ever had to wait forever to get a prescription filled? Why does it take so long to take pills out of a big bottle and put them in a little bottle? I start this episode with the answer – and it may surprise you. http://mentalfloss.com/article/79615/12-behind-scenes-secrets-pharmacistsWhen I think of innovators, I think of the champions of innovation – Leonardo DaVinci, Steve Jobs or that guy who invented the wheel. But we all actually innovate. We have to in order to solve the problems in our lives. According to Hal Gregerson, we can all learn to be better at it. Hal is Executive Director of the MIT Leadership Center and Senior Lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management and co-author of the book The Innovators DNA: Mastering the Five Skills of Disruptive Innovators (https://amzn.to/2Qz26qm). Listen and discover the secrets of great innovators. You would think that a sad song would make a sad person even sadder. In fact it can actually cheer them up. Listen as I explain how this wor…

While you are likely very good at noticing when you fail in life, keeping track of all the little victories is a much better activity. I begin this episode by explaining why those little victories can propel into big ones and why keeping a list is such a great idea. http://www.lifehack.org/398112/science-explains-how-writing-down-tinyachievements-every-day-changes-our-brainsYou are surrounded by colors, shapes, objects, nature and light. And all of those things have an effect on you. They impact your mood, your productivity and how you view the world and your fellow humans. Ingrid Fetell Lee is an expert on how design affects your health and well-being and is author of the book Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness (https://amzn.to/2M7N3pa). What she has to say will change the way you view the world around you.It is pretty common for parents to mix up the names of their children and call them by the wrong name. Interestingly though, you neve…

Do you turn your headlights on when you drive during the day? You should - and that is just one of several things I discuss that can instantly make you a better and safer driver even if you think you already are. http://www.cracked.com/article_20106_6-little-known-driving-tips-that-couldsave-your-life_p2.htmlIf you have a computer then you have been hacked. That’s the conclusion of Marcus Carey who is a cybersecurity expert and what you call a “white hat hacker.” Companies pay him to break into their computer systems to see how vulnerable they are. He joins me to discuss just how easy it is for hackers to hack into your computer, your thermostat, your refrigerator and any other device hooked up to the Internet – and why they do. He also has some excellent suggestions to protect yourself. Marcus is the author of the book Tribe of Hackers: Cybersecurity Advice from the Best Hackers in the World (https://amzn.to/2VGRdUv).Will you be going to church this weekend? It is worth considering i…

Texting and driving is dangerous. Everyone know that. But why is it so much more dangerous than driving and drinking coffee or driving and talking or driving and tuning the radio? There is actually a good answer for that you need to hear so this episode starts with that. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-05/uoh-ass050916.phpYou ask questions all day long because that is how to learn and connect with others. So asking better questions will help learn and connect even better according to journalist Warren Berger author of The Book of Beautiful Questions: The Powerful Questions That Will Help You Decide, Create, Connect, and Lead (https://amzn.to/2YI202R). Warren has studied the power of questions and when you are done listening to what he says, you’ll think more carefully about how you ask them.Women stare at attractive men just as men stare at women. But what are women looking at specifically? What body parts stand out in women’s minds? Listen and find out. http://www.menshea…

How do you get top dollar when you sell on eBay? Well of course you need good photos and a great description but it turns out some of the specific words in that description can really raise or lower the amount people will pay. I begin this episode with an explanation of that. (http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/money/a38347/how-to-make-money-on-ebay/)Workers improve when they get feedback. A company’s culture is the key to success. Good leadership is what makes a company thrive. Although you may believe these assumptions to be true, there is some good evidence they are not. Marcus Buckingham has studied people and performance for a long time and he joins me to explode some commonly held beliefs about workers and the workplace. Marcus’ new book is called Nine Lies About Work (https://amzn.to/2HlAkdW). If you work for a living and want to grow in your career, you need to hear this.Have you ever cracked an egg open and seen a little spot of what looks like blood inside? Is it safe to e…

If you want to learn something better and faster, there is a little trick that seems to work. We begin this episode by revealing some research from John Hopkins School of Medicine that says a slight change in the way you learn any new skill can make all the difference in the world. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/want_to_learn_a_new_skill_faster_change_up_your_practice_sessionsNothing is more American than the hamburger. We eat a lot of them. So where did the hamburger originate? Who came up with the idea? How has it evolved over the years? Award-winning writer Chris Carosa, author of the book Hamburger Dreams:How Classic Crime Solving Techniques Helped Crack the Case of America’s Greatest Culinary (https://amzn.to/2Hevorp) did some good old fashioned detective work to uncover the real story of the hamburger. He joins me to discuss what he found.  Your life is full of risks. Almost everything you do has some risk in it- from what you buy in the store to investments…

Does cooking food on the grill increase your risk of getting cancer? The answer is – maybe. But it isn’t that simple. This episode begins with a discussion on which foods may or may not increase cancer risk and how you cook that food may make all the difference. (http://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/does-grilling-really-cause-cancer)In the old Star Trek TV show (filmed about 50 years ago), Scotty used to talk to the computer on board the starship Enterprise. That was how he communicated his commands. Fast forward to today and we are now doing the same thing with Siri and Alexa. So, is voice computing the beginning of a new revolution in computing that will unshackle us from the keyboard? Or is it just a quick way to set a timer, play music and find the nearest fast food restaurant - but not much more? Journalist James Vlahos joins me to discuss this. James is a contributor to The New York Times Magazine, Popular Science, Scientific American, the Atlantic, GQ, and National Geographic – …

When you travel, there is a good chance you don’t sleep all that well the first night you are at your destination. It is so common it has a name – it is called the “First Night Effect.” This episode begins with an explanation for why it happens and some advice to counter the effects. http://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822%2816%2930174-9What exactly is your mind? I know that’s a weird question but think about it – you have a mind that determines who you are. So is your mind the same thing as your brain? If you took your brain and put it into someone else’s body would it still be the same mind? Would you still be you? To discuss that, I have invited Alan Jasonoff, a Professor at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT and author of the book The Biological Mind: How Brain Body and Environment Collaborate to Make Us Who We Are (https://amzn.to/2VDYqbR). What’s better – beer in a bottle or a can? What’s the fastest way to chill champagne? These are just a few of t…

Restaurants want you to spend more money. And the menu can be a powerful tool to accomplish that. This episode begins with exactly how restaurant menus entice you to buy more expensive items and spend more money in general. Listen and you are sure to save money. https://www.lifehack.org/articles/money/15-sneaky-restaurant-menu-tricks-that-tempt-you-spend-more.htmlIn the old days, you had very little influence or impact as a consumer. You either bought products or services or you didn’t and there wasn’t an easy way to give feedback or talk with other customers like yourself. Then came the Internet. It has launched a new era for consumers and businesses alike. Joining me to talk about this is David Weinberger who has been a strategic marketing VP a “writer in residence” at Google a researcher, consultant and author of the book Everyday Chaos: Technology Complexity and How We’re Thriving in a New World of Possibility (https://amzn.to/2XPioxZ).  Little behaviors mean a lot. How you shak…

If you want to feel good, grab some money! I begin this episode by explaining how the simple act of handling money can make you feel a lot better if you are feeling a bit down. And the money doesn’t even have to be your money. http://content.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1912574,00.htmlWhen you walk into a neat, clean and organized room, do you feel better? Calmer? A lot of people do. More order and less clutter can help you feel happier says Gretchen Rubin, host of the podcast, “Happier with Gretchen Rubin” and author of the book Outer Order Inner Calm: Declutter and Organize to Make Room for Happiness (https://amzn.to/2IB6HaC). Listen as Gretchen explains the psychology of order and how it relates to happiness. Plus she offers some great techniques to organize and create a calmer space.People hug their dogs. It is a sign of affection. However, dogs hate it and it can cause a lot of stress in your pet. Listen as I explain why it is not a good idea to hug your dog – in fact it…

Imagine that while you are sleeping, a cleaning crew gets into your brain to clean out all the toxins so that your brain works better the next day. I know it sounds weird but it is exactly what happens. Listen as I begin this episode with that explanation. http://ens-newswire.com/2013/10/18/brain-cleans-itself-of-toxins-during-sleep/Most great breakthrough ideas fail first and then get modified before they became a success. It often happens multiple times. Being open to learning from those early failures and being able to adapt your ideas is what helps make ideas prosper according to Safi Bahcall. Safi is a physicist and biotech entrepreneur and author of the book, Loonshots: How to Nurture the Crazy Ideas that Win Wars, Cure Diseases and Transform Industries (https://amzn.to/2GsXA8u). Listen as Safi offers insight and great examples of how important inventions and breakthroughs have happened by learning from failure and how we all can do it. Often the reason you get upset or stressed…

You probably don’t write much with a pen and paper anymore. Most of us type. However, there are a lot of benefits to writing the old-fashion way. I begin this episode with some great reasons why you should write more and type less. (http://mentalfloss.com/article/78182/4-reasons-write-hand-rather-type) Want to be more likeable and attract people to you? Some people are really good at it. They have the ability to draw people to them – almost as if it were magic. How do they do it? Jack Schafer knows. Jack is a former FBI Special Agent who mastered the techniques of making building rapport and getting people to like him in order to get them to confess to crimes and reveal personal information. He is the author of the book, The Like Switch: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Influencing, Attracting, and Winning People Over (https://amzn.to/2DloBK1) and he joins me to share the techniques and the science behind them. Do you like to dance? I hope so because it is apparently really good for your …

The scent of lavender is supposed to be calming. It may also be the scent of trust. I begin this episode by explaining how lavender can make you appear to be more trustworthy – and why. http://rd.com/advice/relationships/habits-make-people-trust/I bet you have things you really want to do but somehow never get to doing them - right? There are trips you probably want to take or goals you want to accomplish but you don't. So what’s stop you? Sam Horn author of the book Someday is Not a Day in the Week (https://amzn.to/2X94qqn) joins me to explain why people keep procrastinating on those important goals and she offers a simple and effective way to stop putting them off and start doing them. What is it about some people who just walk into a room and take control? How do they send off those signals of, “I’m in charge here”? A lot of it turns out to be body language and I’ll explain how you can do it too. http://www.businessinsider.com/tricks-for-reading-peoples-body-language-2016-3What if …

Grocery stores have a lot of germs. For one thing there is a lot of raw meat and fish moving around in the store. Some of those germs can cause you and your family to get really sick. I begin this episode with some very important advice on how to protect yourself from this very real threat. http://www.menshealth.com/health/supermarket-safetyConflict can be ugly and messy. It can also be positive and productive, according the Liane Davey author of the book, The Good Fight (https://amzn.to/2YXKnwG). Liane joins me to explain how to have “productive conflict” that actually gets to a solution. Plus she reveals how to avoid unproductive conflict that does little more than to cause trouble and make things worse. Conflict is part of life. How we handle it is what matters. Do you sleep in the fetal position? A lot of people do and it may be messing with your self-confidence. Listen as I explain how and why and how you can counteract the effects. https://www.businessinsider.com/amy-cuddy-advic…

Sibling relationships change as we move from childhood to adulthood. Sometimes they change for the better – sometimes not. We begin this episode by unraveling the complications of adult sibling relationships. http://www.rd.com/advice/relationships/adult-sibling-estrangement/When you were a kid you had a secret identity. You pretended to be Superman or a princess or someone you admired. What’s interesting is you can do the same thing as an adult to help achieve your personal and professional goals. Todd Herman, a performance coach and author of the book The Alter Ego Effect: The Power of Secret Identities to Transform Your Life (https://amzn.to/2YVO46c) joins me to explain how adopting a secret identity can help you succeed in anything. How much water should you drink today? There is a simple formula I’ll explain that will make sure you are sufficiently hydrated every day. https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/06/30/milk-and-other-surprising-ways-to-stay-hydrated/It is the 50th anniversa…

Why does traffic just seem to stop for no reason then magically clear up? You are sure there must be an accident or construction but there isn’t. So what causes it? We begin this episode with an explanation of that. (https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090608151550.htm)There are 7 deadly sins: pride, envy, gluttony, lust, wrath, greed and sloth. Why are they so tempting? We humans spend our lives trying to resist the lure of sin. So what’s it all for? Jack Lewis author of the book The Science of Sin: Why We Do the Things We Know We Shouldn’t (https://amzn.to/2HVhXhL) joins me for a fascinating discussion on why we are attracted to things that can do us no good and what determines if we resist or give in to temptation. Ever have a chain necklace get all tangled in a knot that is hard to get undone? That is just one of several household emergencies that you’ll hear the solution for in this episode. http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/g3397/quick-cleaning-fixesfor-eve…

Sometimes you have to ask a stranger for a favor. Perhaps you need to borrow their phone or help you carry something. And there is one proven way that will greatly increase the chances they will grant you that favor. I begin this episode by telling you what it is. http://www.medicaldaily.com/likeability-trustworthy-how-be-popular-377296Time is precious. So how you mange, control and perceive the time you have is critical. Time, performance and productivity expert Steven Griffith, author of the book The Time Cleanse (https://amzn.to/2HMoHhU) has a really interesting take on controlling your time so it works for you rather than feel that you don’t have enough time to do what is really important to you.  It would seem that online dating sites would be good at matching people based on the data profile. But there is one big flaw in that data. Listen as I tell you what it is and why dating sites can actually make it more difficult to find love. http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/…

Do you ever long for the good old days? Nostalgia can be such a wonderful thing. We begin this episode with a look at why the past can seem so idyllic and wonderful and what the positive effects of looking back are. http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/human-brain/nostalgia4.htmDo you really understand what algorithms are and how they work? You probably should because algorithms are used so often to influence us in making decisions on what to buy, what movies to watch or who to date. Kartik Hosanagar is a professor of technology, digital business and marketing at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and author of the book A Human’s Guide to Machine Intelligence: How Algorithms Are Shaping Our Lives and How We Can Stay in control (https://amzn.to/2JuStcy). Listen and hear the good and the bad about how algorithms have become part of everyday life.“Sit up straight and don’t slouch!” How many times have you heard that or said that to someone else? It turn…

Springtime means the return of annoying allergy symptoms for a lot of us. I begin this episode with some simple but very effective techniques that can help minimize the suffering from allergies and they come from a top allergist. http://www.forbes.com/sites/melaniehaiken/2013/03/20/allergy-alert-worst-allergyseason-ever/If the English language is constantly evolving then what is “proper English”? Should you judge people if they use the language differently from you? Is it okay if someone says, “Let me axe you a question?” These are some of the things I discuss with Anne Curzan, professor of English, linguistics and education at the University of Michigan and host of a series of online courses at The Great Courses (https://www.thegreatcourses.com/professors/anne-curzan/) After listening to her, you may look at the language in a very different light.Should kids question authority or follow the rules? As a parent, you would like them to behave but if you look at the effect it has on thei…

Salt makes food taste good – maybe too good. We begin this episode by discussing research that shows how salty foods may make you eat more food than you planned and more than you should. http://www.womansday.com/health-fitness/nutrition/a54074/salty-food-leadsto-overeating/We are all concerned about toxins in our environment. However, it isn’t always clear which toxins are most worrisome and where they are. Dr. Gary Ginsberg knows. He is the director of The Center for Environmental Health for the New York State Department of Health, a clinical professor at the Yale School of Public Health and author of the book What’s Toxic What’s Not (https://amzn.to/2T64tAI) . Dr. Ginsberg explains what things you should really be concerned about and what to do to reduce your exposure to dangerous toxins.On television you’ll sometimes see a character get really angry and then clutch his chest and have a heart attack. Or you might see someone in a movie get some bad news and then have a heart attack.…

Of course you want high self-esteem and you sure want your kids to have it. But there is actually only one way to get it and it is not the way a lot of people think. We begin this episode by discussing the one and only way to acquire high self-esteem. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110301091342.htmNo one likes to fail. Failure is painful. However, failure may not be as bad as you think when you take a different view of it. That’s according to psychologist Becca North, a visiting assistant professor at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas and author of the book Your Hidden Super Powers: How the Whole Truth of Failure Can Change Our Lives (https://amzn.to/2W0chGg). She joins me to discuss a very practical and optimistic take on failure that can help you deal with failing and come out better on the other side. Do you eat lunch at your desk at work? It is such a horrible idea. Listen and hear the reasons why you should NOT eat at your desk and why you should go out f…

Isn’t it great when you have an “A-Ha Moment”? It’s when an idea or the answer to a problem just pops in your head. But is it actually a GOOD idea? We begin this episode by exploring whether those thoughts are worth paying attention to. http://drexel.edu/now/archive/2016/March/Insight_Correctness/You hear so many things about success such as, “It’s not what you know it’s who you know” or “Nice guys finish last.” The fact is that so much of what people believe about success has been studied scientifically and it turns out some of what we believe is true and other things are not. Eric Barker who writes the blog Barking Up the Wrong Tree and is also author of the book Barking Up the Wrong Tree. (https://amzn.to/2NTGkfT) joins me to explore the science of success and how to apply it to your life. You’ve probably heard that we are all connected by no more than 6 degrees of separation. It is the basis of the game, “6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon.” But is it true? Are we all that connected? And wh…