Episodes

UPGRADE TO SYSK PREMIUM! To unlock ad-free listening to over 1,000 episodes plus receive exclusive weekly bonus content, go to ⁠⁠ https://SYSKPremium.com⁠ People don’t drown the way you think they do. Someone could drown right in front of you, and you might not notice. It happens all the time. This episode begins by revealing what to look for to spot a drowning person. https://www.thehealthy.com/first-aid/silent-signs-of-drowning/#ixzz3dGUMjhU8 In the United States, we have an expectation of pr...

UPGRADE TO SYSK PREMIUM! To unlock ad-free listening to over 1,000 episodes plus receive exclusive weekly bonus content, go to ⁠ https://SYSKPremium.com As people age, changes in the eyes require that some to get reading glasses to see things clearly close-up. What’s odd is that women seem to require reading glasses at an earlier age than men. Why? Listen as I reveal the interesting answer. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120623144946.htm?utm_source=chatgpt.com We all want to get ...

It might seem odd, but a lot of dogs get stolen in the United States. Like most other things, it’s all about money. This episode begins with an explanation and a warning about your pet. https://petkeen.com/dognapping-dog-theft-statistics/ Being sensitive is a good thing. Being told you are TOO sensitive is more of an insult. It is perceived as a weakness, as if there is something wrong and the way to fix it is to toughen up. That isn’t going to work according to Jenn Granneman. Yes, being sensit...

Your body temperature is about 98 degrees. So why does it feel so hot when you walk outside in 98-degree heat? Shouldn’t you feel just right? I’ll explain all this as I begin this episode. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/50080/why-do-we-feel-hot-temperatures-lower-our-body-temp We all know that stores and online retailers use strategies to influence how we shop and how much we buy. There are the obvious ways they do it and some subtle ways you may miss. Yet, when you understand these strateg...

If you enjoy eating nuts – good for you! Nuts are healthy. But you might be surprised to hear just how healthy they are - and you don’t have to eat very many to get the benefits. This episode begins with a look at a fascinating study on nuts that has been going on for decades. https://www.herbazest.com/news/nut-consumption-may-prolong-life “It’s right on the tip of my tongue!” We have all had that experience of not being able to recall a word but feel like it is just out of reach. It’s different...

Things can get dangerously hot in the summer. The interior of your car, the sidewalk, even your patio furniture can heat up in the summer sun and burn you. Listen as I reveal just how hot these things can get. https://www.rd.com/article/things-that-get-dangerously-hot/ You’ve likely noticed that some things are harder to learn than others and that some people learn faster than others. Are there ways to make learning easier and quicker for those of us who aren't rocket scientists? Yes, according ...

Like a supermarket, major airports are laid out and configured to try to get you to spend money while you are there. Listen and discover how they do it and when you are most likely to open your wallet at an airport. https://www.neatorama.com/2015/06/11/12-Behind-the-Scenes-Secrets-of-Airports/ How many times have you used "therapy-speak" to descibe someone - words like toxic or narcissist or psychopath? It’s a handy and very descriptive way to talk about someone – but there are potential problem...

“Let me sleep on it.” That always seems like a good idea when a big decision has to be made. But is there true wisdom in that advice? This episode starts with the answer. https://www.newswise.com/articles/sleep-on-it-is-sound-science-based-advice# Ever feel like you are being watched? Ever walk into a room for something and forget why you did? Ever felt “in the zone” – like you could do no wrong? We all have these weird mental experiences but why? Do they serve a purpose? Here to reveal the expl...

Why is it that people seem to come up with good ideas in the shower? Could there really be something special about the shower experience that generates great thoughts and simple solutions? This episode begins with some interesting research about the magic of the shower. https://www.headspace.com/articles/shower-epiphanies The strangest things can affect your health. For example, your birthday or if there is a parade or a 10K in your town. Even if there is EZ Pass on a highway somewhere near you ...

Shampoo, lotions, guns, knives and a lot of other things are confiscated at airport security checkpoints every day. What happens to all those things? Can you ever get them back? This episode starts by taking a look. https://www.rd.com/article/return-confiscated-items-tsa/ Even if you don’t believe in them, you probably participate in some superstitions. Maybe you knock on wood or avoid walking under a ladder or steer clear of black cats. Where do these superstitions come from? Why do they still ...

There is an experience some of us (but not all) are able to have called autonomous sensory meridian response or ASMR. It can be triggered by a soft monotonous voice explaining something as well as other triggers. Sounds weird, right? Listen as I explain how it works, why science doesn’t recognize it as a real thing but for many of us, it is a wonderful sensation, and I will tell you how to experience it. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/53220/listening-soft-voices-can-cause-brain-orgasms The ...

Not all that long ago, people felt paying bills by sending a check in the mail was the best way to do it. Today, it seems like a bad idea. In fact, banks and the post office are recommending against it. Listen as I reveal why. https://www.businessinsider.com/post-office-check-fraud-mailing-be-careful-usps-scam-2023-6 There are a lot of weird but true stories out there. And this episode offers you several of them!. For instance, how one U.S. President prevented his own assassination and how Beatl...

While people may not point it out to you when you use the wrong word – they DO notice. This episode begins by setting the record straight on the right words to use that people commonly get wrong. For instance, when do you use take or bring, further or farther, ironic or coincidental and others? https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/misused-words-make-smart-people-look-dumb-dr-travis-bradberry/ For every person on earth, there are 1.4 billion bugs. We share the world with bugs, and we owe them our very ...

Having good friends can help you live longer, see the world more positively and make you look more attractive. How can that be? Listen as I explain. https://www.thehealthy.com/family/relationships/friends-facts/ We are learning more and more about the healing power of music. You already know music can help your mood or help you relax or give you motivation. But it also can help with depression, Parkinson’s disease, dementia and who knows what else? Why does listening to music and making music se...

Why do people seem to get sick when (or just after) they fly? Many believe it is the recirculated air on the plane that everyone is breathing. That is probably not the reason. This episode starts by explaining what the real culprit is and how to protect yourself. https://www.rd.com/article/recirculated-air-on-airplanes/ It is amazing how often we miscommunicate with other people. It happens when we speak, or send a text or email, on the phone – it happens all the time. The trouble is that what w...

Who hasn’t had a brilliant idea or revelation while taking a shower? It seems the shower is a place where we do some of our best thinking. Why is that? This episode starts with an explanation. https://www.headspace.com/articles/shower-epiphanies What is love? Is it an experience, or an emotion or something else? According to Anna Machin, an evolutionary anthropologist at Oxford University, love is a human need that is as important as food, sleep or water. Listen to our discussion and you will re...

Everyone is bound to make a typo in an email. What’s interesting though is the reader will often see that typo and alter the way they interpret your message – sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a bad way. Listen to discover how this works. https://www.businessinsider.com/typos-in-emails-2015-5 The science of weather forecasting has come a long way in the last few decades. Interestingly, forecasters are not only improving their accuracy but also how they communicate the information to you and ...

How do spiders find their way into your house? This episode starts by revealing how it happens and some ways to make your home less appealing to spiders, so they stay outside. https://www.prevention.com/life/a32332424/how-to-get-rid-of-spiders/ Unless you are some sort of grouch, you probably laugh at something almost every day. Have you ever thought about what makes something funny? Do humor and laughter influence you in some way? Is it true that laughter is the best medicine? Why do we seek ou...

People sometimes cheat on their partner. Not everyone – but some do. This episode begins with some insight into one big reason that causes infidelity in a marriage or relationship. https://www.thoughtco.com/why-people-cheat-on-their-partners-3026688 We are surrounded by information on every topic you can imagine. The problem is that if you want to learn how to do something, you could spend an eternity learning and never get to the doing – because there is always more to learn. The solution to th...

Summer brings ice cream, popsicles and other frozen treats – all of which can cause painful brain freeze. Why does that happen, and can you stop it? Listen as I explain what brain freeze is and a really good remedy for it. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/brain-freeze-why-does-ice-cream-give-you-headaches/ To make changes in your thoughts, personality and behavior takes a lot of work over a long period of time. Well, maybe for some things. However, there are some quick and simple strategies to tackl...

Being sure to get enough sleep is one of the suggestions for people trying to lose or control their body weight. What’s the connection? How does sleep affect weight loss? This episode begins with an explanation. https://www.webmd.com/obesity/features/cant-shed-those-pounds The English language is full of weird little phrases like: “Cut to the chase.” “Made from scratch.” Close but no cigar.” Where do these strange sayings come from? That’s just one of the topics about our language I discuss with...

It makes sense that if you want to cut down on the amount of spam email you get, just unsubscribe from those emails. WAIT! That could make things worse. There is a better way to handle spam emails, and I begin this episode by explaining how. https://www.yahoo.com/news/warning-hitting-unsubscribe-unwanted-emails-115900557.html Predicting the future is a losing game most of the time. Still, a lot of influential people spend a lot of time and money trying to do it. People forecast where the stock m...

Can drinking tea make you happy – or do happy people just like to drink tea? There is definitely a connection between tea and mental health, and this episode begins with an explanation. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25657295/ Artificial Intelligence is either the next big thing that will transform our lives or the worst thing ever that will curse humanity. So, what is the truth? Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Gary Rivlan has taken a hard look at AI and joins me to discuss the good and the b...

Where is the best place to take a nap? Anyone who has napped in a hammock knows how great it can be. This episode begins by explaining why naps are better in a hammock and why your next nap should be in one. https://www.livescience.com/14680-hammock-rocking-improves-sleep.html It can be hard to say no. After all, you don’t want to let people down or have them think you are not a team player. But think about all the times you have said yes and wish you hadn’t. If you find saying no to be hard, yo...