1 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind from how Stuff 2 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:13,600 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey you welcome to Stuff to Blow 3 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:15,640 Speaker 1: your mind. My name is Robert Lamb and my name 4 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:19,800 Speaker 1: is Julie Douglas. Happy New Year's everybody. This is now 5 00:00:20,079 --> 00:00:22,360 Speaker 1: and and we're gonna try not to raise the volume 6 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:24,360 Speaker 1: too much because we know some of you may have 7 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:27,880 Speaker 1: some sort of adult skull regions going on right now, 8 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:30,760 Speaker 1: since uh, since you know, last night was the and 9 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:33,800 Speaker 1: early this morning was the traditional time to celebrate the 10 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:36,240 Speaker 1: coming of a new year. But now the celebration is 11 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:38,680 Speaker 1: behind you. Now you've got a whole year ahead of you. 12 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:42,440 Speaker 1: This is like the the early morning period when everything 13 00:00:42,479 --> 00:00:44,880 Speaker 1: seems possible. You've got a whole year. You could you 14 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:47,159 Speaker 1: could just accomplish this about anything if you put your 15 00:00:47,159 --> 00:00:50,239 Speaker 1: mind to it in the next twelve months. Or it 16 00:00:50,280 --> 00:00:52,560 Speaker 1: could be the early morning in the cold dawn light 17 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:55,400 Speaker 1: and you see the errors of your way and your 18 00:00:55,600 --> 00:01:00,840 Speaker 1: poor alcohol shrunken brain is screaming for change. Either way, 19 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:05,399 Speaker 1: there's an opportunity here. There's an opportunity to to rebuild, 20 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:07,920 Speaker 1: to accomplish great things. And we're not gonna get into 21 00:01:07,959 --> 00:01:10,440 Speaker 1: a whole bunch of just pie in the sky um, 22 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:13,320 Speaker 1: New Years revolutions, because that's always a trap. You say, 23 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:17,760 Speaker 1: this is the year I lose two hundred pounds and 24 00:01:17,959 --> 00:01:24,520 Speaker 1: learn I don't know, uh, Spanish and Hindi great American novel. 25 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:26,399 Speaker 1: You know, you just set yourself up for failure with 26 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:29,280 Speaker 1: those and um and by the time this, uh, this 27 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:32,279 Speaker 1: particular episode publishes, we should have a really cool article 28 00:01:32,319 --> 00:01:35,640 Speaker 1: on housetof works dot com about ways to to make 29 00:01:36,040 --> 00:01:38,720 Speaker 1: New Year's resolutions that you can actually keep some of 30 00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:42,240 Speaker 1: the strategies. So along those lines, what we're gonna talk 31 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:45,639 Speaker 1: about today are some some simple life hacks, little things, 32 00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:50,160 Speaker 1: ultimately little things you can do with I won't say 33 00:01:50,160 --> 00:01:53,560 Speaker 1: minimal effort, but but but it's not gonna take, you know, 34 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 1: an enormous amount of effort to apply yourself to one 35 00:01:56,440 --> 00:01:58,559 Speaker 1: or some of these, but the payoffs can be huge. 36 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:02,160 Speaker 1: You can ultimately change who you are, how you're perceived, 37 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:05,800 Speaker 1: how your body functions, even just by making some minor 38 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:09,520 Speaker 1: changes in your day to day. Yeah, and uh, you know, 39 00:02:09,600 --> 00:02:11,920 Speaker 1: normally we do like to go esoteric with topics, but 40 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:14,920 Speaker 1: we did try to glean from our research this year some, 41 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:17,640 Speaker 1: as you say, are these easy life hacks that are 42 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:21,360 Speaker 1: practical but they have a lot of impact. So we'll 43 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:24,680 Speaker 1: start with this the first example. And I'm trying to 44 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:27,840 Speaker 1: sit very straight as I say this, and um with 45 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:31,959 Speaker 1: arms akimbo. And because this is the first one has 46 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: to do with posture. Yes, and and it's I should 47 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:38,360 Speaker 1: add when I podcast, I actually said on a stool 48 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:42,120 Speaker 1: in in this podcasting chamber, because I want to have 49 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:45,440 Speaker 1: proper posture on podcasting. You do, You're like totally engaging 50 00:02:45,480 --> 00:02:48,320 Speaker 1: your core over there. Because the the go to chairs 51 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:51,799 Speaker 1: in this podcast chamber are awful. I don't know where 52 00:02:51,840 --> 00:02:54,080 Speaker 1: they came from. I think they were like salvaged from 53 00:02:54,120 --> 00:02:58,079 Speaker 1: like a shipwreck. And and if you actually lean back 54 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:00,359 Speaker 1: into them, they just it curves your spin into a 55 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:03,280 Speaker 1: question mark. Um. I don't know. Maybe some people can 56 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:04,920 Speaker 1: roll with that a little better, but I just I 57 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:07,640 Speaker 1: find it tortuous because even then I'm all hunchback in 58 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:11,440 Speaker 1: the chair, and I just I don't feel like I'm healthy, 59 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:14,200 Speaker 1: I don't feel confident. So if I felt outset on 60 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:16,679 Speaker 1: the stool, I feel a lot a lot better. I 61 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:18,680 Speaker 1: feel like, all right, I can actually do this. You 62 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:21,720 Speaker 1: feel large and in charge exactly. Yeah, And that is 63 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:25,080 Speaker 1: really what is at the heart of these postural changes. 64 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:27,480 Speaker 1: Because we're talking about is body language. And there's been 65 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:29,800 Speaker 1: a lot of discussion about body language, how you can 66 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:33,120 Speaker 1: ascertain certain things from people by the way that they 67 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 1: are giving you nonverbal cues. But someone who's given us 68 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:40,840 Speaker 1: a fresh take on this is Harvard psychologist Amy Cutty, 69 00:03:40,880 --> 00:03:43,520 Speaker 1: and she actually has a great Ted dot com talk 70 00:03:43,640 --> 00:03:46,160 Speaker 1: which is called your body language Shapes who you are, 71 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 1: and she says, it's not just about communicating what you're 72 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:54,200 Speaker 1: feeling your emotional states, it's really about changing your biochemistry 73 00:03:54,360 --> 00:03:57,280 Speaker 1: through this physical movement. Yeah, because the I mean the 74 00:03:57,360 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 1: idea of don't slump set up straight that that's old everyone. 75 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:06,400 Speaker 1: Everyone's heard that their entire life. They're their old video 76 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:09,920 Speaker 1: not videos even, but old like educational films. Uh. There's 77 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 1: something called posture pals that they famously riffed on the 78 00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:15,280 Speaker 1: mystery Siense Theater through thousand, where all the children are 79 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:18,719 Speaker 1: being told how to how to uh gain their posture 80 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:21,279 Speaker 1: so that they'll be better little children. I think we 81 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:23,120 Speaker 1: all know on one level that that there are certain 82 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:25,279 Speaker 1: postures that just look better, and you're just gonna look 83 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:26,960 Speaker 1: more like you know what you're doing and you're a 84 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:30,760 Speaker 1: little more more confident, but Cutty has actually applied the science. 85 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:33,760 Speaker 1: And what I mean one of the sort of really 86 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:36,159 Speaker 1: interesting things that you mentioned is that if she refers 87 00:04:36,200 --> 00:04:38,839 Speaker 1: to it as non verbal expression of power and dominance, 88 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:41,279 Speaker 1: so this is taking it out of the whole, you know, 89 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:43,839 Speaker 1: your mom's saying, don't slump, set up straight, and putting 90 00:04:43,839 --> 00:04:46,839 Speaker 1: it in the context of the animal kingdom at large. 91 00:04:47,640 --> 00:04:50,400 Speaker 1: I mean, it's kind of an overstatement of the obvious. 92 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:54,320 Speaker 1: But the power dynamics of this, the non verbal communication 93 00:04:54,360 --> 00:04:56,080 Speaker 1: of power, I mean, you see that in dogs, You 94 00:04:56,120 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 1: see that in in cats and snakes, in insects, I mean, 95 00:04:59,839 --> 00:05:02,680 Speaker 1: you you name it. That animals use their body language 96 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:05,200 Speaker 1: to show, hey, I'm the top dog right now, I'm 97 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:08,280 Speaker 1: the one in charge. You need to back down. Well, 98 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:10,080 Speaker 1: there was someone I used to work with at the 99 00:05:10,160 --> 00:05:12,520 Speaker 1: zoo and he was a keeper there and he actually 100 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:14,680 Speaker 1: um worked with the gorillas, and he would tell me 101 00:05:14,720 --> 00:05:17,080 Speaker 1: stories about how when he would go in to clean 102 00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:21,760 Speaker 1: their cages that the male silverback gorillas would bow up 103 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:25,359 Speaker 1: at him as if to say, hey, man, I see you. 104 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:27,120 Speaker 1: You know what are you doing in my space? Which 105 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:28,600 Speaker 1: I think is really interesting because, as you say, you 106 00:05:28,640 --> 00:05:32,560 Speaker 1: can see that in nature Um, So it makes sense 107 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:37,560 Speaker 1: that as humans are doing the same thing, just sometimes subconsciously, 108 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:40,560 Speaker 1: we don't realize it. And Amy Cutty saw this in 109 00:05:40,600 --> 00:05:46,200 Speaker 1: the classroom. Um. She went into classrooms full of MBA students, 110 00:05:46,839 --> 00:05:50,000 Speaker 1: and what she saw is that there is a gender 111 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:55,680 Speaker 1: grade gap. Men slightly outperformed women and it's really competitive. 112 00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:58,000 Speaker 1: And so she started to say, Okay, we'm gonna take 113 00:05:58,120 --> 00:06:00,479 Speaker 1: a closer look at this, and she noticed that the 114 00:06:00,480 --> 00:06:03,479 Speaker 1: women tended to make themselves small and hold their wrists 115 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:07,960 Speaker 1: and wrap their arms around themselves, while the guys tended 116 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:11,040 Speaker 1: to make themselves bigger. They leaned back, they stretched out, 117 00:06:11,080 --> 00:06:14,400 Speaker 1: they drink their arms around chairs. And she said, you know, 118 00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:17,240 Speaker 1: we know from studies to facial feedback that if you smile, 119 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:22,000 Speaker 1: you fake yourself into feeling happier. So what if what if, um, 120 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:24,800 Speaker 1: you could do the same thing with body language, if 121 00:06:24,839 --> 00:06:28,120 Speaker 1: you just physically spread out, would you feel more powerful? 122 00:06:28,760 --> 00:06:31,440 Speaker 1: That was the thesis of these studies that she conducted. 123 00:06:31,880 --> 00:06:35,080 Speaker 1: Now she's talking like actually, because at one point in 124 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:38,440 Speaker 1: this description, I'm just imagining like some dudes played out 125 00:06:38,680 --> 00:06:41,159 Speaker 1: on the couch, and look, there seems like there comes 126 00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:43,400 Speaker 1: a point where it's no longer I mean, I guess 127 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:47,880 Speaker 1: there is a certain communication via the body that says, hey, 128 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:52,280 Speaker 1: I'm totally totally carefree, I'm completely in charge. The dudea vibes, 129 00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:54,680 Speaker 1: you know, But but it seems like there would be 130 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:56,280 Speaker 1: a cut off point to where it's like I'm just 131 00:06:56,640 --> 00:07:00,640 Speaker 1: sit laying on a couch versus I'm setting up straight 132 00:07:00,640 --> 00:07:03,520 Speaker 1: and in charge. You know. Well, and it's interesting to 133 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:05,920 Speaker 1: talk she does kind of talk about the best ways 134 00:07:05,960 --> 00:07:08,360 Speaker 1: to use this posture. She's saying that if you want 135 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:10,800 Speaker 1: to feel large and in charge, but you're talking to 136 00:07:10,840 --> 00:07:13,440 Speaker 1: your boss, it's best not to bow up and try 137 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:16,000 Speaker 1: to dominate him or her, because I would send the 138 00:07:16,040 --> 00:07:19,400 Speaker 1: wrong message. Um, you would then seem sort of as 139 00:07:19,400 --> 00:07:22,440 Speaker 1: though you had some sort of evil agenda right right now. 140 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:25,320 Speaker 1: Just to to to drive home just another another fact 141 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:28,200 Speaker 1: about just how key this is to who we are 142 00:07:28,320 --> 00:07:30,560 Speaker 1: and just how how it's in our genes and in 143 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:34,400 Speaker 1: our design um. She points out. Cutting points out that 144 00:07:34,520 --> 00:07:38,000 Speaker 1: athletes who are blind from birth who say, you know, 145 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:40,080 Speaker 1: go through the finish line, finish that race, win the race, 146 00:07:40,880 --> 00:07:44,840 Speaker 1: They've never seen ore other people do like a you know, 147 00:07:44,880 --> 00:07:48,320 Speaker 1: the victory arms in the air head back. They have 148 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:50,520 Speaker 1: never seen that, but they do it like it's it's 149 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:53,600 Speaker 1: just a natural response to to victory to just go 150 00:07:53,760 --> 00:07:58,000 Speaker 1: on and just hands, you know, hands held high, headheld high, 151 00:07:58,160 --> 00:08:02,000 Speaker 1: chest open. It's just a natural response to victory and 152 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:04,640 Speaker 1: dominance because they're assuming the power and the glory of 153 00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:07,200 Speaker 1: that moment. Yeah, which is really I forgot about that 154 00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:11,080 Speaker 1: point that she makes. It's really interesting. Um, yeah, there 155 00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:14,560 Speaker 1: are a lot of uh different instances that you can 156 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:18,080 Speaker 1: bring up that really underscore the importance of it. Uh 157 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:22,720 Speaker 1: Nalini Ambadi is a researcher at Tufts University and showed 158 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:26,000 Speaker 1: that when people watch thirty seconds soundless clips of real 159 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:30,480 Speaker 1: physician patient interactions, their judgments of the physician's niceness i 160 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:35,800 Speaker 1: you know, say, her body language or um predicts whether 161 00:08:35,920 --> 00:08:39,400 Speaker 1: or not that physician will be sued. Isn't it interesting? 162 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:44,319 Speaker 1: So it's more a questionable lickability in this instance where 163 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:48,480 Speaker 1: they're viewing these interactions as opposed to competence. So the 164 00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:50,520 Speaker 1: people who are viewing that, they're not even really thinking 165 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:55,720 Speaker 1: about competence or liability or assuming this person. They're just 166 00:08:55,760 --> 00:08:59,479 Speaker 1: thinking whether or not that person looks approachable, seems approachable, 167 00:08:59,559 --> 00:09:05,160 Speaker 1: and predicts whether or not they're going to get sued. Uh. 168 00:09:06,320 --> 00:09:09,480 Speaker 1: So let's get to what she was actually doing, though, 169 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:13,000 Speaker 1: Cutty when she was trying to do this quick little 170 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:15,600 Speaker 1: life hack with people in their postures. Yeah, of course 171 00:09:15,600 --> 00:09:19,120 Speaker 1: she's she's interested in the science of this, not just oh, well, 172 00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:22,040 Speaker 1: you know what's the cause and correlation here, but actually 173 00:09:22,080 --> 00:09:25,400 Speaker 1: what happens in the body when someone is is puffing 174 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:28,120 Speaker 1: up into this dominant stance. And as she found that 175 00:09:28,120 --> 00:09:32,360 Speaker 1: there are actual hormonal changes in the hormonal profile changes 176 00:09:32,400 --> 00:09:35,760 Speaker 1: you see higher levels of testosterone and lower levels of cortisol. 177 00:09:36,320 --> 00:09:39,640 Speaker 1: And she says that this ratio is really important, and 178 00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:42,079 Speaker 1: that if you look at a lot of quote unquote 179 00:09:42,080 --> 00:09:45,960 Speaker 1: effective leaders, that they all have this kind of cocktail 180 00:09:46,559 --> 00:09:50,920 Speaker 1: of configuration, the leader cocktail. So they wondered, well, if 181 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:53,600 Speaker 1: you could have someone assumed the alpha role, could you 182 00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:57,440 Speaker 1: then game they are hormones to do the very same thing, 183 00:09:57,920 --> 00:10:00,600 Speaker 1: And they in fact did that. They had people assume 184 00:10:00,880 --> 00:10:04,280 Speaker 1: postures of powerfulness, and they had people assume postures of 185 00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:07,200 Speaker 1: what they call low power, and they found that the 186 00:10:07,280 --> 00:10:11,920 Speaker 1: low power people were having a higher cortisol incidents as 187 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:16,320 Speaker 1: opposed to the people who are the powerful posturers. So 188 00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:19,640 Speaker 1: so they took the alpha the alpha dogs, and they said, 189 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:22,679 Speaker 1: all right, now slump over now, just now, bring your 190 00:10:22,720 --> 00:10:25,480 Speaker 1: your shoulders up around your ear. Okay, now hold your wrist, 191 00:10:25,840 --> 00:10:30,240 Speaker 1: and the chemistry and then changed. The alpha chemistry faded 192 00:10:30,320 --> 00:10:33,840 Speaker 1: and they took on the beta chemistry, whereas you took 193 00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:35,880 Speaker 1: the the other betas and you said, all right, I 194 00:10:35,920 --> 00:10:38,440 Speaker 1: want you to, you know, roll your shoulders back, open 195 00:10:38,480 --> 00:10:41,479 Speaker 1: your chest, stand up straight, and then the leader cocktail 196 00:10:41,679 --> 00:10:44,920 Speaker 1: bubbles up inside. Yes, um, you know with in terms 197 00:10:44,920 --> 00:10:49,640 Speaker 1: of testosterone increases in some cases. And um, the testosterone 198 00:10:49,640 --> 00:10:52,920 Speaker 1: of course is important because this is that uh, this 199 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:55,560 Speaker 1: is what is giving that air of confidence, right. And 200 00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:59,200 Speaker 1: the cortisol levels is you know, correlating to your amount 201 00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:02,400 Speaker 1: of stress. So if it drops, then that's great. You 202 00:11:02,480 --> 00:11:05,400 Speaker 1: look confident, you look comfortable. And that's what she was 203 00:11:05,440 --> 00:11:08,720 Speaker 1: trying to do with these people who were of different 204 00:11:08,720 --> 00:11:12,200 Speaker 1: ages and genders and different positions in their own lives. 205 00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:14,400 Speaker 1: She wanted to test this across the board and see 206 00:11:14,440 --> 00:11:16,480 Speaker 1: if she could come up with something cohesive and low 207 00:11:16,520 --> 00:11:20,480 Speaker 1: and behold. When they then tested them their hormone levels, 208 00:11:20,520 --> 00:11:24,360 Speaker 1: they found that it did correspond with the postures that 209 00:11:24,360 --> 00:11:26,760 Speaker 1: they assumed. And now they were only assuming these postures 210 00:11:26,800 --> 00:11:30,280 Speaker 1: for two minutes, which is amazing. Beca, it's not like 211 00:11:30,320 --> 00:11:32,000 Speaker 1: go around like this all the time and your your 212 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:34,280 Speaker 1: chemistry will changes. No, you can just go into this, 213 00:11:34,280 --> 00:11:37,160 Speaker 1: this this dominant posture for a couple of minutes and 214 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:39,760 Speaker 1: it'll lift everything up. Yeah. And you know, she put 215 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:41,920 Speaker 1: them in a couple of different scenarios to to see 216 00:11:41,920 --> 00:11:44,240 Speaker 1: how they would perform, so it wasn't just like, hey, 217 00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:46,880 Speaker 1: let's look at your hormone profile. Now, let's see how 218 00:11:46,920 --> 00:11:50,120 Speaker 1: you actually perform. And what they did with one group 219 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:53,880 Speaker 1: is they had them give a keynote speech and um. 220 00:11:54,120 --> 00:11:56,200 Speaker 1: Once they did that in front the audience and they 221 00:11:56,240 --> 00:12:00,760 Speaker 1: had assumed again the high power poses. They came across 222 00:12:00,800 --> 00:12:04,480 Speaker 1: as much more confident than their peers who had the 223 00:12:04,559 --> 00:12:09,400 Speaker 1: low uh posture. And then they did the same thing again, 224 00:12:09,520 --> 00:12:13,000 Speaker 1: the same assuming of these postures. And they have these 225 00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:17,760 Speaker 1: people go in for interviews. Now, what's interesting about this 226 00:12:17,880 --> 00:12:22,280 Speaker 1: is that the interviewer wasn't giving them any sort of 227 00:12:22,280 --> 00:12:26,280 Speaker 1: facial feedback, completely neutral, and she said that it didn't 228 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:29,000 Speaker 1: matter if you had assumed a low or a high posture. 229 00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:32,079 Speaker 1: You all the people who participated in this hated it 230 00:12:32,640 --> 00:12:36,080 Speaker 1: because interviews. You know, there's so much fun anyway, Um, 231 00:12:36,240 --> 00:12:38,040 Speaker 1: if you couldn't get a clue about how the other 232 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:42,400 Speaker 1: person is perceiving you, it's that much more frustrating. But again, um, 233 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:45,920 Speaker 1: when they had someone go through coding this because they 234 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:49,680 Speaker 1: taped these interviews, coding it to see how the people performed. 235 00:12:49,760 --> 00:12:52,520 Speaker 1: And again, the coder doesn't know what's going on here, 236 00:12:52,720 --> 00:12:55,560 Speaker 1: doesn't know anything about the testosterone, doesn't know anything about 237 00:12:56,360 --> 00:12:59,520 Speaker 1: the cortisol or the postures. The code ers time and 238 00:12:59,559 --> 00:13:03,640 Speaker 1: agamp would say this person is doing great, and invariably 239 00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:08,520 Speaker 1: that person was the person who was arms at kimbo. 240 00:13:08,720 --> 00:13:13,240 Speaker 1: You know, chest outward looking powerful. You know, it's interesting 241 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:15,280 Speaker 1: to think about the I guess like I tend to 242 00:13:15,320 --> 00:13:17,480 Speaker 1: focus more on the chest outward thing. And and part 243 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:20,200 Speaker 1: of that is comes from yoga because that's that's one 244 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:22,000 Speaker 1: of the things that's stressed a lot in yoga is 245 00:13:22,040 --> 00:13:24,920 Speaker 1: to to you know, to open your chest, open your heart. Uh, 246 00:13:25,040 --> 00:13:27,680 Speaker 1: not only when you're just setting that in various other 247 00:13:27,720 --> 00:13:31,880 Speaker 1: poses as well. And my my yoga instructors often brings 248 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:35,680 Speaker 1: up examples of this in the say superheroes, because what 249 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:38,040 Speaker 1: is the superhero they have that emblem on their chest 250 00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:41,719 Speaker 1: as if in a way, well, like a superhero with 251 00:13:41,760 --> 00:13:43,600 Speaker 1: an emblem on their on their chest, but it's Superman 252 00:13:43,679 --> 00:13:47,240 Speaker 1: or Batman or whatever. It's kind of a body dominance 253 00:13:47,559 --> 00:13:49,680 Speaker 1: cod piece of sorts. You know. It's kind of like 254 00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:51,600 Speaker 1: they're saying, not only is my chest open, it's got 255 00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:54,239 Speaker 1: this symbol on, it's got a bad on it. Um. 256 00:13:54,360 --> 00:13:56,400 Speaker 1: It brings to mind han him On, the monkey god 257 00:13:56,480 --> 00:13:59,600 Speaker 1: out of Hindu legend, who at one point proves his 258 00:13:59,679 --> 00:14:02,319 Speaker 1: devot ocean to Ram by by ripping open his chest 259 00:14:02,679 --> 00:14:04,640 Speaker 1: and there's like a he had shows his fiery heart 260 00:14:04,679 --> 00:14:07,200 Speaker 1: and there's like a miniature Ram and Sita inside there. 261 00:14:07,480 --> 00:14:10,480 Speaker 1: So that's another example of the the open fiery chest 262 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:14,240 Speaker 1: that's just kind of adorable too. Yeah, yeah, is great. 263 00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:18,200 Speaker 1: But I'm also can't help but be reminded of a 264 00:14:18,280 --> 00:14:22,200 Speaker 1: conversation we had with Holly Frey last week, who is 265 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:25,680 Speaker 1: of course the co host of Pop Stuff, Pop Stuff Fabulous, 266 00:14:26,520 --> 00:14:29,680 Speaker 1: how sto Works podcast about all sorts of cool, geeky 267 00:14:29,720 --> 00:14:32,520 Speaker 1: and pop culture things. But she was talking about getting 268 00:14:32,520 --> 00:14:35,680 Speaker 1: her photo taken and how like the photographer at first 269 00:14:35,760 --> 00:14:38,600 Speaker 1: was like, all right, open your chest, you know, don't swump, 270 00:14:38,600 --> 00:14:40,680 Speaker 1: and then they were telling her don't open your chest. 271 00:14:41,040 --> 00:14:44,000 Speaker 1: So too, I wondered, to what extent, because we're talking 272 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:46,640 Speaker 1: about the gender dynamics here, to what extent does that 273 00:14:46,840 --> 00:14:49,040 Speaker 1: play into it? Okay, So I'm glad you brought that up, 274 00:14:49,040 --> 00:14:51,160 Speaker 1: because I was gonna say, one of the problems here 275 00:14:51,280 --> 00:14:54,240 Speaker 1: is that just the physicality of it, I think for women, 276 00:14:54,280 --> 00:14:58,240 Speaker 1: because sometimes if you are to put your shoulders back, well, 277 00:14:58,280 --> 00:15:01,000 Speaker 1: obviously your breasts are gonna be pushed out much more. 278 00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:05,040 Speaker 1: And you know it's going around like that, it looks 279 00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:07,640 Speaker 1: a bit odd because it seems as though you're trying 280 00:15:07,680 --> 00:15:11,080 Speaker 1: to um put that forward as the agenda, as opposed 281 00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:13,560 Speaker 1: to being like, hey, look how powerful I am. So 282 00:15:13,760 --> 00:15:15,680 Speaker 1: it may be one of the reasons that women do 283 00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:20,120 Speaker 1: sort of sometimes crouch in. Okay, I was wondering about that. Yeah. Yeah, 284 00:15:20,520 --> 00:15:23,600 Speaker 1: And it's obviously not true for all women because obviously 285 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:26,960 Speaker 1: everybody has different body types. But it was interesting that 286 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:28,880 Speaker 1: Holly brought that up, and then I was certainly thinking 287 00:15:28,920 --> 00:15:34,080 Speaker 1: about that. Now. One of the iconic poses that Amy 288 00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:37,000 Speaker 1: Cutty talks about is called the super Woman post that 289 00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:40,880 Speaker 1: they had everyone do, and in particular, she was interested 290 00:15:40,920 --> 00:15:44,280 Speaker 1: in doing it with the females because she wanted to 291 00:15:44,280 --> 00:15:47,440 Speaker 1: see how that would work. But the super Woman pose 292 00:15:47,640 --> 00:15:51,600 Speaker 1: is you've got your hands on your hips, and you've 293 00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:55,080 Speaker 1: got your shoulders back, and you've got your feet you 294 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:58,000 Speaker 1: know about I don't know, maybe like two ft apart 295 00:15:58,040 --> 00:16:00,080 Speaker 1: from each other. Okay, so you see wonder One and 296 00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:03,800 Speaker 1: in this pose and promotional skills from the old TV show. Yeah, yeah, 297 00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:06,400 Speaker 1: with a cape floating in the wind behind her um. 298 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:08,640 Speaker 1: And so this is what she's talking about. She's talking 299 00:16:08,680 --> 00:16:12,720 Speaker 1: about assuming a powerful pose. Now it's kind of hard 300 00:16:12,760 --> 00:16:15,280 Speaker 1: to do this in your real life, but now she's 301 00:16:15,280 --> 00:16:17,720 Speaker 1: just that can't that doesn't won't stop you from going 302 00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:19,960 Speaker 1: into the bathroom before an interview, right, doing it for 303 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:22,520 Speaker 1: two minutes, and then coming out and at least having 304 00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:25,920 Speaker 1: that energy and confidence inside you, even if you're not 305 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:30,480 Speaker 1: completely you know, storming into your boss's office with you 306 00:16:30,640 --> 00:16:33,200 Speaker 1: acting like your supergirl, right, which, hey, I don't know 307 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:36,040 Speaker 1: where you work, but that might that might work. But yeah, 308 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:38,560 Speaker 1: I mean she's saying you might return to the waiting room, 309 00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:40,920 Speaker 1: but now you're going to return to the waiting room, 310 00:16:40,960 --> 00:16:43,840 Speaker 1: and you're going to be assuming a powerful pose as 311 00:16:43,880 --> 00:16:46,400 Speaker 1: you sit down and wait, as opposed to crouching together, 312 00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:51,320 Speaker 1: so very very easy life hack to do. Um and 313 00:16:51,640 --> 00:16:54,280 Speaker 1: a very interesting talk by her on ted dot com. 314 00:16:54,360 --> 00:16:56,480 Speaker 1: All right, so there's one little thing that you can 315 00:16:56,480 --> 00:17:00,000 Speaker 1: do just tweak your life in the year ahead. Um. 316 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:02,920 Speaker 1: But we have a few more to mention, and one 317 00:17:03,320 --> 00:17:06,280 Speaker 1: that certainly comes to mind, especially in the light of 318 00:17:06,320 --> 00:17:09,639 Speaker 1: some recent podcasts, is how we deal with what is 319 00:17:09,680 --> 00:17:14,000 Speaker 1: called the default mode network. Yeah, default mode network, just 320 00:17:14,080 --> 00:17:18,000 Speaker 1: as a refresher, is a sort of a configuration of 321 00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:22,119 Speaker 1: the medial prefrontal cortex, the medial parietal cortex in the 322 00:17:22,160 --> 00:17:27,680 Speaker 1: medial temporal lobes, and these cortical associations between another are 323 00:17:27,800 --> 00:17:32,160 Speaker 1: really helping to shape, um, this concept of ourselves. Yeah, 324 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:36,960 Speaker 1: it's it's basically the neuroscientific understanding of vehgoic mind, of 325 00:17:37,040 --> 00:17:40,480 Speaker 1: that of that meani me voice inside our heads about 326 00:17:40,640 --> 00:17:42,879 Speaker 1: you know, it's it's that it's that voice. When you 327 00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:46,359 Speaker 1: you're you're not busy with something, your mind busies itself 328 00:17:46,800 --> 00:17:49,479 Speaker 1: by thinking about the past and worrying about the future 329 00:17:49,560 --> 00:17:52,479 Speaker 1: and and just gnawing on itself like a like a 330 00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:56,719 Speaker 1: dog dealing with an each on its butt. Yes, as 331 00:17:56,760 --> 00:17:58,720 Speaker 1: you have pointed out before, looking it to the point 332 00:17:58,760 --> 00:18:02,439 Speaker 1: where it's now making a wound out of it. I 333 00:18:02,440 --> 00:18:04,119 Speaker 1: mean when you stop to think about it, when you 334 00:18:04,119 --> 00:18:07,560 Speaker 1: actually stop and become conscious of this, this the cycle 335 00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:10,359 Speaker 1: in your head. I mean, it's it's ridiculous, sympathetic as 336 00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:13,000 Speaker 1: a dog chewing its own thought because you're you're stop 337 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:15,640 Speaker 1: and you think this is doing no good, absolutely doing 338 00:18:15,680 --> 00:18:19,040 Speaker 1: no good. Well, the point of this whole um cortical 339 00:18:19,080 --> 00:18:22,119 Speaker 1: association is to maintain a balanced sense of consciousness and 340 00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:24,560 Speaker 1: your ego. But as you say, sometimes you can chew 341 00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:27,600 Speaker 1: on those thoughts a bit too much. And uh, it's 342 00:18:27,680 --> 00:18:30,480 Speaker 1: this sort of hyperactivity in this region that you see 343 00:18:30,560 --> 00:18:33,400 Speaker 1: in people who are clinically depressed. All right, so that's 344 00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:36,399 Speaker 1: where the problems come online. And you know, we should 345 00:18:36,400 --> 00:18:38,560 Speaker 1: say this is kind of obvious, but everybody deals with 346 00:18:38,600 --> 00:18:41,080 Speaker 1: depression at some point in their life, either throughout their 347 00:18:41,119 --> 00:18:45,280 Speaker 1: life or different spots. So no doubt you guys listening 348 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:47,800 Speaker 1: out there know what that feels like to be over 349 00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:51,800 Speaker 1: consumed in that part of your mind. So, uh, what 350 00:18:51,960 --> 00:18:54,560 Speaker 1: is important to hear about this is that, as we 351 00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:58,040 Speaker 1: pointed out before, we spend half of our life day dreaming. 352 00:18:58,080 --> 00:19:00,280 Speaker 1: And when we're day dreaming, no doubt we are thinking 353 00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:02,400 Speaker 1: about ourselves and all of our problems and what we're 354 00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:05,080 Speaker 1: going to do about those, um So in order to 355 00:19:05,119 --> 00:19:08,560 Speaker 1: try to quiet this part of the mind, meditation, it 356 00:19:08,600 --> 00:19:11,440 Speaker 1: turns out, is one of the most effective things that 357 00:19:11,480 --> 00:19:14,320 Speaker 1: you can do. Uh. Dr Jasin Brewer, who is the 358 00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:18,280 Speaker 1: medical director of the Yale Therapeutic Neuroscience Clinic and his 359 00:19:18,400 --> 00:19:21,960 Speaker 1: colleagues as ten experienced meditators and thirteen people with no 360 00:19:22,040 --> 00:19:26,400 Speaker 1: meditation experience to practice meditation techniques. And he found out 361 00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:29,840 Speaker 1: a lot of interesting things about this by using fm 362 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:33,560 Speaker 1: R I to look at their brains, and uh, the 363 00:19:33,640 --> 00:19:38,880 Speaker 1: experienced meditators had decreased activity in that default mode network. 364 00:19:39,359 --> 00:19:42,600 Speaker 1: And even when the meditators weren't meditating, this region of 365 00:19:42,600 --> 00:19:47,520 Speaker 1: their brain was much quieter than the inexperienced counterparts. So 366 00:19:47,560 --> 00:19:50,639 Speaker 1: what's this telling us? Is telling us that a practice 367 00:19:51,040 --> 00:19:53,159 Speaker 1: of I mean something, even like I think that was 368 00:19:53,160 --> 00:19:56,440 Speaker 1: a twelve minute practice or a fifteen minute practice a day, 369 00:19:56,880 --> 00:20:00,680 Speaker 1: can actually change your brain. It can sort of uh 370 00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:04,960 Speaker 1: tamp down all the wildness of the mind, uh to 371 00:20:05,040 --> 00:20:09,200 Speaker 1: the point where you know someone may suffer from that wildness. Yeah, 372 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:11,320 Speaker 1: and you may be thinking, well, how do I how 373 00:20:11,359 --> 00:20:14,360 Speaker 1: do I start meditating? Right? I mean, you may think, oh, 374 00:20:14,359 --> 00:20:15,639 Speaker 1: I don't even know if there's a place in my 375 00:20:15,720 --> 00:20:18,919 Speaker 1: area that has meditation, and my schedule so busy, But 376 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:22,040 Speaker 1: it's as simple as when you wake up in the morning, 377 00:20:22,480 --> 00:20:25,000 Speaker 1: before you do anything, or after you're taking a shower. 378 00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:26,359 Speaker 1: I don't know. I'm not gonna play in your day 379 00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:28,000 Speaker 1: for you, but it is best to do it right 380 00:20:28,040 --> 00:20:31,000 Speaker 1: then because that you get it done right right right. Yeah, okay, 381 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:33,040 Speaker 1: So let's say, first thing, you get up, go to 382 00:20:33,080 --> 00:20:35,520 Speaker 1: a room in your house where there's not a TV on, 383 00:20:35,680 --> 00:20:38,919 Speaker 1: where there's not another person stirring, whether there's not a 384 00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:42,919 Speaker 1: cat or a dog, you know, playing for your affections. 385 00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:46,240 Speaker 1: Take your phone with you, set the timer for ten minutes, 386 00:20:46,520 --> 00:20:49,840 Speaker 1: twelve minutes, something like that, and then just set there 387 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:52,399 Speaker 1: and just and and think about your breath, you know, 388 00:20:52,520 --> 00:20:54,800 Speaker 1: think of like put yourself in your breath, breathing in, 389 00:20:54,920 --> 00:20:58,160 Speaker 1: breathing out. Doing a alternate nostril breathing is a great 390 00:20:58,160 --> 00:21:00,680 Speaker 1: way to do this too, where you're closing closing one 391 00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:03,800 Speaker 1: nostril and then the other, breathing in through one side 392 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:06,840 Speaker 1: and out through the other. You end up focusing on 393 00:21:06,880 --> 00:21:10,439 Speaker 1: that and then and then instead of worrying about what 394 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:12,280 Speaker 1: the rest of your day is going to consist of 395 00:21:12,320 --> 00:21:14,160 Speaker 1: what you need to be doing at this moment. You're 396 00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:18,920 Speaker 1: just in that moment, experiencing that moment for say, ten minutes, 397 00:21:18,960 --> 00:21:21,360 Speaker 1: without even thinking. Like certainly don't have the clock out 398 00:21:21,359 --> 00:21:24,080 Speaker 1: where you can watch it tick either, just because the 399 00:21:24,119 --> 00:21:25,800 Speaker 1: idea too is not to be worried about how much 400 00:21:25,800 --> 00:21:29,439 Speaker 1: time is passing. And am I through with this meditation yet? Okay, 401 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:31,720 Speaker 1: so I'm a lazy meditator and I've been doing it 402 00:21:31,760 --> 00:21:33,560 Speaker 1: the last couple of weeks. So that's really something I 403 00:21:33,560 --> 00:21:35,600 Speaker 1: want to do in this coming year is to have 404 00:21:35,640 --> 00:21:37,879 Speaker 1: a regular practice. And I will tell you that I 405 00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:40,520 Speaker 1: don't even get out of bed. I just sit in 406 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:44,160 Speaker 1: an upright position and then I meditate and then when 407 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:46,720 Speaker 1: I thought comes in, I call it. I call it 408 00:21:46,760 --> 00:21:49,920 Speaker 1: a thought, and I let it go. And so for me, 409 00:21:50,040 --> 00:21:52,800 Speaker 1: the goal is just to get a quiet moment, even 410 00:21:52,840 --> 00:21:55,400 Speaker 1: if that quiet moment is as short as five seconds, 411 00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:58,160 Speaker 1: and I do it for as long as I can, 412 00:21:58,359 --> 00:22:02,040 Speaker 1: meaning either the cat comes in and starts to harass 413 00:22:02,119 --> 00:22:05,080 Speaker 1: me or my daughter comes in the room. And sometimes 414 00:22:05,119 --> 00:22:08,560 Speaker 1: that's ten minutes and sometimes that's thirty minutes. But um, 415 00:22:08,600 --> 00:22:11,760 Speaker 1: the point is is that making it as easy as 416 00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:14,480 Speaker 1: it can be for you is a way to accomplish it, 417 00:22:14,480 --> 00:22:17,119 Speaker 1: at least for me. Um, I really, I mean I 418 00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:19,679 Speaker 1: roll over and I start meditating. Yeah. And even if you, 419 00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:22,919 Speaker 1: as we mentioned the previous podcast about this, even if 420 00:22:22,920 --> 00:22:26,080 Speaker 1: you're not actually bringing the fight to the default mode 421 00:22:26,080 --> 00:22:30,080 Speaker 1: network with meditation or what have you, just being conscious 422 00:22:30,119 --> 00:22:33,280 Speaker 1: of it can be a huge victory on just a 423 00:22:33,359 --> 00:22:36,200 Speaker 1: daily basis if you can actually stop and realize, WHOA, 424 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:39,320 Speaker 1: this is just my default mode network gnawing a little 425 00:22:39,359 --> 00:22:42,159 Speaker 1: bit too much. I'm behind her. I let this go. 426 00:22:42,520 --> 00:22:46,480 Speaker 1: Or one method that Akartole brings up is if you're 427 00:22:46,480 --> 00:22:48,080 Speaker 1: having some sort of thought that you don't like in 428 00:22:48,119 --> 00:22:50,119 Speaker 1: your head, you know, they saying, ah, you suck or 429 00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:53,000 Speaker 1: oh you're really screwed up last night, think to yourself, 430 00:22:53,080 --> 00:22:55,840 Speaker 1: I wonder what my next thought will be. And it's 431 00:22:55,920 --> 00:22:58,760 Speaker 1: it's it's almost magical in the way that it sort 432 00:22:58,760 --> 00:23:01,520 Speaker 1: of clears the deck. Well, and that's that that's interrupting 433 00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:05,760 Speaker 1: that feedback loop. Right. We've talked about this before, and um, 434 00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:09,560 Speaker 1: when we've talked about different instances when you're trying to 435 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:13,000 Speaker 1: acknowledge anger, which we'll talk about two Um, it's important 436 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:14,560 Speaker 1: to be able to get to that space. And here's 437 00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:16,800 Speaker 1: the thing about meditation is that the more you do it, 438 00:23:16,920 --> 00:23:19,640 Speaker 1: the more when you're not meditating, he'll be able to 439 00:23:19,680 --> 00:23:23,280 Speaker 1: interrupt those thoughts or observe your own thoughts. And doing 440 00:23:23,320 --> 00:23:26,000 Speaker 1: that makes you sort of like, uh, I don't know 441 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:28,960 Speaker 1: how to say this the programmer of the matrix, because 442 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:30,840 Speaker 1: all of a sudden you're standing outside of your own 443 00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:34,600 Speaker 1: brain and you're deciding what the next move is going 444 00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:38,840 Speaker 1: to be as opposed to your automated self. Um. Now, 445 00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:41,800 Speaker 1: if that's not enough of a reason to meditate, we 446 00:23:41,800 --> 00:23:47,120 Speaker 1: should probably also mentioned that you can actually increase your telomerase. 447 00:23:47,760 --> 00:23:51,480 Speaker 1: Now telmo raise is an enzyme and it's really important, 448 00:23:51,760 --> 00:23:55,240 Speaker 1: um for something called telomeres, which are sequences of DNA 449 00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:58,280 Speaker 1: at the end of chromosomes that tend to get shorter 450 00:23:58,400 --> 00:24:02,400 Speaker 1: every time a cell divides. So we talked about telomeres. Um. 451 00:24:02,440 --> 00:24:04,440 Speaker 1: I think we've talked about probably in the context of 452 00:24:04,480 --> 00:24:07,440 Speaker 1: the Fountain of Youth before. They're kind of the shoe 453 00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:12,639 Speaker 1: strings that are unraveling on our life. Yeah, and so 454 00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:15,120 Speaker 1: you know when when they unraveled to a certain point, 455 00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:17,840 Speaker 1: then you begin to see disease introduced and so on 456 00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:19,760 Speaker 1: and so forth. So it really is important to try 457 00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:21,560 Speaker 1: to build for them as much as possible, and the 458 00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:25,280 Speaker 1: way to do that is with telomerase, this enzyme that 459 00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:29,359 Speaker 1: can rebuild in lengthen telomeres. Now. Tanya Jacob, she's a 460 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:32,040 Speaker 1: scientist at you see David Center for Mind and Brain, 461 00:24:32,119 --> 00:24:36,640 Speaker 1: reported in the journal psycho neuroendo Chronology that meditators show 462 00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:40,720 Speaker 1: improved psychological well being and that these improvements lead to 463 00:24:40,800 --> 00:24:47,119 Speaker 1: biochemical changes associated to resistance to aging at the cellular level. 464 00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:49,680 Speaker 1: So what she is talking about here is that these 465 00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:54,920 Speaker 1: meditators white blood showed a thirty percent increase in telomerase, 466 00:24:55,800 --> 00:25:00,960 Speaker 1: which is um is pretty significant in here because again 467 00:25:01,000 --> 00:25:05,040 Speaker 1: we're talking about this enzyme that is essential to long 468 00:25:05,160 --> 00:25:09,119 Speaker 1: term health of the body's chromosomes and cells and not 469 00:25:09,160 --> 00:25:11,400 Speaker 1: to get to uh steady heavy. But I did want 470 00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:15,760 Speaker 1: to mention one other aspect of meditation and the genetic 471 00:25:15,920 --> 00:25:20,240 Speaker 1: level here, and I'm talking about Helen Lavretsky. She's a 472 00:25:20,320 --> 00:25:22,760 Speaker 1: professor of psychiatry at u c L, a semial Institute 473 00:25:22,760 --> 00:25:27,080 Speaker 1: for neuroscience and Human behavior, and she used dementia caregivers 474 00:25:27,160 --> 00:25:30,480 Speaker 1: as her subjects in order to test meditation and stress 475 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:33,000 Speaker 1: and the reason why she used them is because they 476 00:25:33,040 --> 00:25:36,440 Speaker 1: have very high stressed jobs and there's a high incidence 477 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:41,720 Speaker 1: of clinical depression among those caregivers. And she had forty 478 00:25:41,760 --> 00:25:45,639 Speaker 1: five caregivers, half of whom were given a daily twelve 479 00:25:45,680 --> 00:25:48,840 Speaker 1: minute meditation routine that they practiced for eight weeks. The 480 00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:53,680 Speaker 1: other half were given a twelve minute place to sit 481 00:25:53,840 --> 00:25:56,760 Speaker 1: and be quiet and listen to soothing music and again 482 00:25:56,800 --> 00:25:59,760 Speaker 1: they did this for eight weeks UM. They took blood 483 00:25:59,800 --> 00:26:02,840 Speaker 1: stain pulse before an effort after in each group to 484 00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:06,600 Speaker 1: examine their gene expression and the results were that those 485 00:26:06,680 --> 00:26:11,480 Speaker 1: who had been doing the meditation exercises had modified gene expressions. 486 00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:14,920 Speaker 1: So what they found is that sixty eight genes were 487 00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:18,360 Speaker 1: found to be different after the meditation, and the modified 488 00:26:18,440 --> 00:26:22,000 Speaker 1: genes involved the body's inflammation response and the ability to 489 00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:26,320 Speaker 1: fight off bacterial and viral infections. So the story here 490 00:26:26,600 --> 00:26:30,600 Speaker 1: is that at this genetic level, they're gaming the body 491 00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:36,879 Speaker 1: to have less inflammation, um less illness, and again in 492 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:40,560 Speaker 1: people who are having pretty stressful days, a lot of 493 00:26:40,560 --> 00:26:44,640 Speaker 1: stress responses and by simply doing this twelve minute meditation 494 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:49,240 Speaker 1: they're able to vanquish the UH stress genes here. Yeah, 495 00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:52,640 Speaker 1: it's getting down to the epigenetic change is actually shutting 496 00:26:52,760 --> 00:26:55,879 Speaker 1: off harmful genes. So it's it's and again and all 497 00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:59,520 Speaker 1: comes down to meditation. Another aspect of meditation is pretty 498 00:26:59,520 --> 00:27:02,600 Speaker 1: cool tension. I feel like most of us feel like 499 00:27:02,600 --> 00:27:05,400 Speaker 1: we could maybe be a little more attentive in our lives. Uh. 500 00:27:05,440 --> 00:27:10,080 Speaker 1: And indeed, there's another study from University of California at Davis, 501 00:27:10,359 --> 00:27:14,080 Speaker 1: the Samantha Project, enrolled sixty experienced meditators in a three 502 00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:17,960 Speaker 1: month study. Half of these they selected to receive intensive 503 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:21,560 Speaker 1: training and practice in meditation over the spring months of 504 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:25,159 Speaker 1: two thousand seven. So they carried this out and at 505 00:27:25,160 --> 00:27:26,960 Speaker 1: the end of it, they found that those who intensively 506 00:27:26,960 --> 00:27:30,879 Speaker 1: practiced meditation got better at visual perception and as a result, 507 00:27:31,240 --> 00:27:35,119 Speaker 1: experienced also improved attention. That's so cool because we always 508 00:27:35,119 --> 00:27:38,680 Speaker 1: talk about how much we don't see in our daily 509 00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:42,280 Speaker 1: lives that surround us, that you can't take in all 510 00:27:42,359 --> 00:27:44,840 Speaker 1: the data, but this seems to suggest that you could 511 00:27:44,960 --> 00:27:49,359 Speaker 1: take in more data if you just couldn't um sending 512 00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:51,160 Speaker 1: yourself a little bit more. Yeah, I mean, it reminds 513 00:27:51,240 --> 00:27:53,720 Speaker 1: us again of the whole, the whole idea that that 514 00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:57,400 Speaker 1: adults see the world with flashlight vision, and children see 515 00:27:57,400 --> 00:28:00,199 Speaker 1: it with lantern vision. And to a certain extent, meditation 516 00:28:00,400 --> 00:28:04,280 Speaker 1: is about taking your flashlight vision UH and dimming it 517 00:28:04,320 --> 00:28:07,119 Speaker 1: out and expanding it into more of a lamp vision 518 00:28:07,160 --> 00:28:10,040 Speaker 1: of at least your immediate surroundings. And it made immediate 519 00:28:10,119 --> 00:28:14,920 Speaker 1: experience of the world, So attention increases. Obviously, we're taking 520 00:28:14,920 --> 00:28:17,600 Speaker 1: that's that's a little higher up on the tree for picking, 521 00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:23,920 Speaker 1: because this is intense meditation, but again low pickings easily obtainable. UH. 522 00:28:24,040 --> 00:28:26,520 Speaker 1: Is the idea that just ten, twelve, twenty minutes a 523 00:28:26,640 --> 00:28:30,720 Speaker 1: day can actually improve your life, so right at at 524 00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:34,000 Speaker 1: the genetic level and various other levels. So it's pretty cool. 525 00:28:34,040 --> 00:28:37,520 Speaker 1: It's definitely a return on investment. UH. Should we take 526 00:28:37,520 --> 00:28:39,720 Speaker 1: a break here, We should take a break. We'll take 527 00:28:39,720 --> 00:28:41,160 Speaker 1: a quick break, and when we come back, we have 528 00:28:41,200 --> 00:28:43,640 Speaker 1: a few more little life packs you can throw at 529 00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:56,200 Speaker 1: your and better yourselves without breaking the back. All right, 530 00:28:56,240 --> 00:28:59,320 Speaker 1: we're back. We've talked about how little meditation can make 531 00:28:59,360 --> 00:29:02,240 Speaker 1: a big difference in your life. We've talked a little 532 00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:04,680 Speaker 1: bit too, about how just a little more awareness of 533 00:29:04,720 --> 00:29:07,440 Speaker 1: your posture can make a big difference in how you feel, 534 00:29:07,480 --> 00:29:10,000 Speaker 1: how confident you feel and how confident you seem to 535 00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:12,320 Speaker 1: those around you, and both of these are again things. 536 00:29:12,320 --> 00:29:15,840 Speaker 1: So it's just twenty minutes here, twenty minutes there with 537 00:29:15,960 --> 00:29:19,720 Speaker 1: huge effects. So next on the list, we're gonna talk 538 00:29:19,760 --> 00:29:23,680 Speaker 1: about an old friend of IRUs here from another topic 539 00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:25,880 Speaker 1: we've covered before in the past, and I've had a 540 00:29:25,920 --> 00:29:30,920 Speaker 1: lot of fun with that being decision fatigue. Now decision fatigue, 541 00:29:30,960 --> 00:29:34,080 Speaker 1: just to refresh everyone's mind is it's the the concept 542 00:29:34,440 --> 00:29:37,120 Speaker 1: that the more little decisions you make during the day, 543 00:29:37,240 --> 00:29:39,800 Speaker 1: or even big decisions, but the more decisions your brain 544 00:29:39,840 --> 00:29:43,640 Speaker 1: has to make, um it has a toll, there's a 545 00:29:43,680 --> 00:29:46,560 Speaker 1: there's a limit. It ultimately ends up an ego depletion. 546 00:29:46,720 --> 00:29:48,680 Speaker 1: So if you wake up in the morning and you 547 00:29:48,960 --> 00:29:50,080 Speaker 1: and the first thing you have to do, you have 548 00:29:50,080 --> 00:29:51,880 Speaker 1: to decide what you're having for breakfast. Then you have 549 00:29:51,920 --> 00:29:53,640 Speaker 1: to decide how are you're gonna get to work or 550 00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:55,520 Speaker 1: I'm gonna take the train? Am I gonna drive? And 551 00:29:55,640 --> 00:29:57,760 Speaker 1: I do I dare take the interstate? Or should I 552 00:29:57,760 --> 00:30:00,960 Speaker 1: take one of the back ways secret routes that I 553 00:30:00,960 --> 00:30:03,080 Speaker 1: know to get there? And then when I when I 554 00:30:03,120 --> 00:30:04,760 Speaker 1: actually get to work, should I have some of the 555 00:30:04,800 --> 00:30:08,040 Speaker 1: cake that's out there for Anne's birthday, or should I 556 00:30:08,080 --> 00:30:11,000 Speaker 1: abstain from it? And then you're worrying about, oh, we 557 00:30:11,520 --> 00:30:13,520 Speaker 1: should I work on this project or this one? And 558 00:30:13,600 --> 00:30:14,920 Speaker 1: what am I gonna do for lunch? And then by 559 00:30:14,960 --> 00:30:18,280 Speaker 1: the time mid afternoon rolls around, you're done. You have like, 560 00:30:18,440 --> 00:30:20,920 Speaker 1: you have no more decision making process. So someone comes 561 00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:23,680 Speaker 1: up and ask you something really important. You know, your 562 00:30:23,680 --> 00:30:25,720 Speaker 1: wife that calls up and says, hey, should we buy 563 00:30:25,720 --> 00:30:27,720 Speaker 1: this house? And you just have no clue. You can't 564 00:30:27,880 --> 00:30:30,960 Speaker 1: say yeah, absolutely, yeah, let's let's do it, okay, And 565 00:30:30,960 --> 00:30:32,920 Speaker 1: then later on you're like, how did that happen? I 566 00:30:32,920 --> 00:30:35,520 Speaker 1: didn't even ask how much it was? Um, so yeah. 567 00:30:35,520 --> 00:30:36,880 Speaker 1: I mean, what it points to is that we have 568 00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:41,200 Speaker 1: a finite store of mental energy for exercising self control. 569 00:30:41,640 --> 00:30:46,200 Speaker 1: And this was found out by a number of social psychologists, 570 00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:49,360 Speaker 1: but one in particular by the name of Roy Baumeister, 571 00:30:50,080 --> 00:30:53,600 Speaker 1: and uh he says, this is the reason why otherwise 572 00:30:53,680 --> 00:30:58,360 Speaker 1: reasonable people do illogical things is because of this constant 573 00:30:58,800 --> 00:31:02,960 Speaker 1: niddling all these sorts of little, tiny decisions that we 574 00:31:03,040 --> 00:31:04,800 Speaker 1: have to make. And they found this out through a 575 00:31:04,840 --> 00:31:06,960 Speaker 1: series of studies, but one of my favorite ones, I 576 00:31:07,360 --> 00:31:10,760 Speaker 1: believe It was a graduate student under Baumleinster who was 577 00:31:10,800 --> 00:31:13,720 Speaker 1: getting married and had to go and what do you 578 00:31:13,760 --> 00:31:17,360 Speaker 1: call it? When you go and you register for gifts, 579 00:31:17,480 --> 00:31:19,640 Speaker 1: give you a little gun and you shoot, you shoot, 580 00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:21,680 Speaker 1: you try to figure out And she realized that she 581 00:31:21,760 --> 00:31:26,040 Speaker 1: was completely um sacked by the whole process. I mean, 582 00:31:26,080 --> 00:31:28,600 Speaker 1: she was just it took all of her mental stores 583 00:31:28,640 --> 00:31:31,680 Speaker 1: of energy. And so she did something very similar with 584 00:31:31,800 --> 00:31:34,640 Speaker 1: a group. And I won't go into that um into 585 00:31:34,680 --> 00:31:36,480 Speaker 1: that study. You can if you were interested, and you 586 00:31:36,520 --> 00:31:39,200 Speaker 1: can check out our Decision Fatigue podcast. But the point 587 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:42,160 Speaker 1: is is that it underscored that there's just only so 588 00:31:42,280 --> 00:31:45,240 Speaker 1: much attention that we can give to every little thing 589 00:31:45,280 --> 00:31:49,280 Speaker 1: in our lives. But here's the cool thing about it. 590 00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:53,520 Speaker 1: It is food, in particular glucose that can help us 591 00:31:53,600 --> 00:31:56,760 Speaker 1: with this mental state. Yeah. It turns out even even 592 00:31:56,800 --> 00:32:00,440 Speaker 1: the smartest people, even like just the sharpest tools and drawer, 593 00:32:01,040 --> 00:32:03,040 Speaker 1: if they don't have enough gluecose in the system, if 594 00:32:03,040 --> 00:32:05,800 Speaker 1: they're not well rested as well, they will not make 595 00:32:05,840 --> 00:32:10,240 Speaker 1: those good decisions. Yeah. Baumeister looked at judges on an 596 00:32:10,760 --> 00:32:14,880 Speaker 1: Israel parole board, and uh, these judges and all their 597 00:32:14,920 --> 00:32:18,440 Speaker 1: decisions were studied to see if there was any pattern 598 00:32:18,640 --> 00:32:22,360 Speaker 1: of granting parole. Now, after looking at something like eleven 599 00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:26,160 Speaker 1: hundred decisions with the researchers found as the day war 600 00:32:26,280 --> 00:32:30,400 Speaker 1: on is that inmates were denied parole more often. So 601 00:32:30,520 --> 00:32:33,280 Speaker 1: prisoners who appeared early in the morning received parole about 602 00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:35,880 Speaker 1: seventy percent of the time, while those who appeared late 603 00:32:35,880 --> 00:32:38,280 Speaker 1: in the day were paroled less than ten percent at 604 00:32:38,320 --> 00:32:41,720 Speaker 1: the time. UM, and what they see here is that 605 00:32:42,160 --> 00:32:46,200 Speaker 1: those judges were having a mid morning snack, usually a 606 00:32:46,280 --> 00:32:48,920 Speaker 1: little bit before ten thirty, and then they would take 607 00:32:48,920 --> 00:32:52,000 Speaker 1: a break, they'd have their snack, and then they'd come back, 608 00:32:52,120 --> 00:32:55,080 Speaker 1: and then those prisoners who appeared just before the break 609 00:32:55,080 --> 00:32:58,120 Speaker 1: had only about a chance of getting parole, but right 610 00:32:58,160 --> 00:33:00,840 Speaker 1: after their break they had a sixty five percent chance. 611 00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:04,720 Speaker 1: So they're looking at this data again, these eleven d decisions, 612 00:33:04,960 --> 00:33:07,240 Speaker 1: and they're correlating it with when the judges are getting 613 00:33:07,240 --> 00:33:10,200 Speaker 1: these hits of glucose to their brains via food and 614 00:33:10,320 --> 00:33:13,840 Speaker 1: figuring out that what the judges are doing when they're 615 00:33:13,920 --> 00:33:16,600 Speaker 1: hungry or when they're when they've got a glucose depletion 616 00:33:16,640 --> 00:33:20,680 Speaker 1: in their system is that they're taking shortcuts and decision making. UM. 617 00:33:20,720 --> 00:33:23,400 Speaker 1: The reason why they're denying parole is because that's just 618 00:33:23,640 --> 00:33:28,880 Speaker 1: deferring the decision that they have to make. So they're saying, okay, fine, 619 00:33:28,920 --> 00:33:31,840 Speaker 1: I'm not saying yes or no. Here, Um, I'm gonna 620 00:33:31,880 --> 00:33:35,280 Speaker 1: bear on the side of not yea, of not granting 621 00:33:35,280 --> 00:33:38,280 Speaker 1: parole because you know in six months, three months, eight months, 622 00:33:38,360 --> 00:33:40,400 Speaker 1: this is going to come back and we'll review it 623 00:33:40,440 --> 00:33:44,920 Speaker 1: again then. Because the mind actually knows when it is 624 00:33:45,280 --> 00:33:48,080 Speaker 1: running out of energy, it will begin to batten down 625 00:33:48,080 --> 00:33:50,080 Speaker 1: the hatches in these ways in which we'll try to 626 00:33:50,120 --> 00:33:54,120 Speaker 1: avoid decision making. So basically, the people in the study, 627 00:33:54,160 --> 00:33:56,520 Speaker 1: they were just unfortunate enough to have their earl here 628 00:33:56,560 --> 00:34:00,200 Speaker 1: and take place during naptime and during snack time. These 629 00:34:00,280 --> 00:34:03,520 Speaker 1: judges basically needed a nap and a muffin, but to 630 00:34:03,720 --> 00:34:08,600 Speaker 1: actually think about the and actually um actually study the 631 00:34:08,600 --> 00:34:11,200 Speaker 1: case before them. So yeah, and bal Muster has said, 632 00:34:11,200 --> 00:34:13,719 Speaker 1: your brain does not stopped working when glucose is low. 633 00:34:13,800 --> 00:34:17,120 Speaker 1: It stopped doing some things and starts doing others. It 634 00:34:17,200 --> 00:34:21,400 Speaker 1: responds more strongly to immediate rewards and pays less attention 635 00:34:21,440 --> 00:34:24,480 Speaker 1: to long term prospects. And granting parole is a long 636 00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:26,600 Speaker 1: term prospect, right, because you really have to think about 637 00:34:26,719 --> 00:34:29,799 Speaker 1: how that's a long term impact on that individual. So 638 00:34:29,920 --> 00:34:32,680 Speaker 1: what is that? What's the takeaway for us? You need 639 00:34:32,760 --> 00:34:35,120 Speaker 1: to eat the little snacks. I mean that sounds ridiculous. 640 00:34:35,200 --> 00:34:37,360 Speaker 1: It sounds like like we're all just a bunch of 641 00:34:37,360 --> 00:34:41,400 Speaker 1: toddlers sitting around, But that is what it boils down to. 642 00:34:41,600 --> 00:34:44,000 Speaker 1: I mean, think about it. When when you're in a 643 00:34:44,120 --> 00:34:48,720 Speaker 1: state when you're feeling tired or confused, Um, it's usually 644 00:34:49,640 --> 00:34:52,719 Speaker 1: correlated with having to eat something and get a little 645 00:34:52,719 --> 00:34:56,080 Speaker 1: shot of glucose to your brain. Yeah, I mean basically, 646 00:34:56,120 --> 00:34:58,239 Speaker 1: have some granola bars around, or some snack mix or 647 00:34:58,320 --> 00:35:00,840 Speaker 1: something or or or an apple or two, and you 648 00:35:00,960 --> 00:35:02,359 Speaker 1: might be wondering, well, how do I how do I 649 00:35:02,400 --> 00:35:04,319 Speaker 1: actually use this to gain my life? You know, what 650 00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:07,319 Speaker 1: little rules can I make for myself? In Like one 651 00:35:07,480 --> 00:35:11,000 Speaker 1: concept that comes to mind is do not go onto 652 00:35:11,040 --> 00:35:13,840 Speaker 1: Amazon or whatever your shopping side happens to be, or 653 00:35:13,840 --> 00:35:18,160 Speaker 1: do not go shopping unless you have had a granola bar. 654 00:35:18,560 --> 00:35:21,120 Speaker 1: You know, make sure that you're going because otherwise you're 655 00:35:21,120 --> 00:35:24,040 Speaker 1: going into a decision making. There are a series of 656 00:35:24,040 --> 00:35:27,719 Speaker 1: decisions with without the mental faculties to really think about it, 657 00:35:27,760 --> 00:35:30,480 Speaker 1: and you're gonna you're just gonna bomb it. Eventually you're like, 658 00:35:30,560 --> 00:35:34,000 Speaker 1: I've got to get my mom a birthday gift. I'll 659 00:35:34,040 --> 00:35:36,200 Speaker 1: just get her some perfume, you know, don't you Just 660 00:35:36,239 --> 00:35:38,040 Speaker 1: you just point at something and shoot just to get 661 00:35:38,080 --> 00:35:40,000 Speaker 1: it done. I'm glad that you bring that up, because 662 00:35:40,040 --> 00:35:43,759 Speaker 1: I think it's important to you, um, underscore that the 663 00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:47,080 Speaker 1: sort of life that we're leading now, where in by 664 00:35:47,360 --> 00:35:49,399 Speaker 1: nine o'clock in the morning, if you get up stay 665 00:35:49,440 --> 00:35:52,360 Speaker 1: at seven, you have already made hundreds of choices, particularly 666 00:35:52,400 --> 00:35:54,600 Speaker 1: if you're working on the computer and you're using the Internet, 667 00:35:55,120 --> 00:35:58,440 Speaker 1: and you're just not thinking of them as choices, right. Um, 668 00:35:58,520 --> 00:36:01,560 Speaker 1: But in even the pop up at that come up, 669 00:36:01,560 --> 00:36:03,960 Speaker 1: all these sorts of things are choices. Um, you know 670 00:36:04,120 --> 00:36:05,920 Speaker 1: something that you have to do and respond to all 671 00:36:05,960 --> 00:36:08,719 Speaker 1: that stimuli. Yeah, Like I really like a persuasive ad. 672 00:36:08,800 --> 00:36:10,520 Speaker 1: You see it and you're like, oh, I wonder, I 673 00:36:10,600 --> 00:36:12,319 Speaker 1: wonder if I should buy that. No, of course they 674 00:36:12,360 --> 00:36:14,120 Speaker 1: shouldn't buy that. That's a decision right there. You just 675 00:36:14,200 --> 00:36:16,919 Speaker 1: use a little juice on that. Or um, you see 676 00:36:16,920 --> 00:36:19,279 Speaker 1: a sign, um, you know at the train station that 677 00:36:19,360 --> 00:36:21,960 Speaker 1: says don't get too close to the train when it's moving, 678 00:36:22,040 --> 00:36:24,200 Speaker 1: or you know whatever, even that you might think yourself, Oh, 679 00:36:24,200 --> 00:36:25,640 Speaker 1: I wonder if I get too close to the train 680 00:36:25,680 --> 00:36:27,359 Speaker 1: when I when it's moving, and then bam, I've used 681 00:36:27,360 --> 00:36:30,960 Speaker 1: some more mental energy. So this is another case where 682 00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:33,959 Speaker 1: just mere awareness is good. Just knowing that you only 683 00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:37,160 Speaker 1: have so many choices and so much choice juice in 684 00:36:37,200 --> 00:36:41,040 Speaker 1: that brain of yours, so limit where you squander it 685 00:36:41,560 --> 00:36:45,080 Speaker 1: and know when to when to schedule your big decisions, 686 00:36:45,120 --> 00:36:46,680 Speaker 1: like if you're gonna if you're gonna have to go 687 00:36:46,719 --> 00:36:49,400 Speaker 1: in and meet with contractors for a house or something, 688 00:36:49,800 --> 00:36:51,680 Speaker 1: you know, some some work to your house or what 689 00:36:51,680 --> 00:36:53,400 Speaker 1: have you. If you're going in to get legal advice, 690 00:36:54,760 --> 00:36:56,839 Speaker 1: do it in the morning, or do it after you've 691 00:36:56,840 --> 00:37:00,080 Speaker 1: had a granola bar. Just just try and push the 692 00:37:00,080 --> 00:37:02,560 Speaker 1: advantage back in your favorite. If you're going to buy 693 00:37:02,560 --> 00:37:04,240 Speaker 1: a car, do it the first thing in the morning, 694 00:37:04,280 --> 00:37:09,719 Speaker 1: because the sales strategy that all of UM the salesforce 695 00:37:09,760 --> 00:37:13,160 Speaker 1: has been trained in is to wear you down with choices. 696 00:37:13,200 --> 00:37:15,160 Speaker 1: That's why they begin to ask you a million different 697 00:37:15,200 --> 00:37:16,719 Speaker 1: questions about what kind of the car do you have, 698 00:37:16,760 --> 00:37:20,440 Speaker 1: and they start giving you so many different choices that 699 00:37:20,600 --> 00:37:24,759 Speaker 1: by the time that you're actually signing the paperwork, UM, 700 00:37:24,960 --> 00:37:27,200 Speaker 1: you have been worn down so that you began to 701 00:37:27,239 --> 00:37:29,359 Speaker 1: accept whatever thing they put in front of you, like, oh, 702 00:37:29,400 --> 00:37:32,360 Speaker 1: it's gonna be eight hundred dollars to have windshield wiper, 703 00:37:33,120 --> 00:37:36,160 Speaker 1: but dazzling done? Is that good? Yeah? Okay? Great? Yeah, 704 00:37:36,160 --> 00:37:37,680 Speaker 1: if you've got a lot of choices to do, Also, 705 00:37:38,040 --> 00:37:40,160 Speaker 1: know what sandwich you're getting and don't go to a 706 00:37:40,160 --> 00:37:42,319 Speaker 1: place where we have to build your own. Know what 707 00:37:42,440 --> 00:37:45,200 Speaker 1: your coffee drink is? Better yet, go to a place 708 00:37:45,239 --> 00:37:47,480 Speaker 1: be a regular so they know what your coffee drink is. 709 00:37:47,520 --> 00:37:50,160 Speaker 1: So even if you you were thinking about changing your 710 00:37:50,160 --> 00:37:52,480 Speaker 1: ways and wondering, is this the day that I get 711 00:37:52,480 --> 00:37:55,719 Speaker 1: a cappuccino instead of of an Americana, No, it's not 712 00:37:55,760 --> 00:37:57,399 Speaker 1: going to be in the realm of possibility because they've 713 00:37:57,400 --> 00:37:59,600 Speaker 1: already made it the second you walk in. All right, 714 00:37:59,640 --> 00:38:01,960 Speaker 1: So I think that gives you, guys a good idea 715 00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:04,879 Speaker 1: of a couple of things you can do to um 716 00:38:05,400 --> 00:38:08,080 Speaker 1: life hack a little bit easy life hacks to try out, 717 00:38:08,480 --> 00:38:10,120 Speaker 1: and we'll take you out with a couple of other 718 00:38:10,560 --> 00:38:15,360 Speaker 1: ideas here. One is to bolster your creativity thought experiments. 719 00:38:15,400 --> 00:38:18,879 Speaker 1: We've talked about this before. Try to figure out a 720 00:38:18,880 --> 00:38:22,239 Speaker 1: problem or some sort of scenario and don't try to 721 00:38:22,280 --> 00:38:24,080 Speaker 1: solve it, just try to come up with as many 722 00:38:24,160 --> 00:38:27,600 Speaker 1: crazy lines of thinking as possible. Um. This is actually 723 00:38:27,680 --> 00:38:33,200 Speaker 1: known as good duncan experiment. Okay in German of course. Um, 724 00:38:33,280 --> 00:38:36,080 Speaker 1: And it is really important. A lot of really important 725 00:38:36,080 --> 00:38:40,680 Speaker 1: thinkers have have done this and had breakthroughs, creative breakthroughs. 726 00:38:41,400 --> 00:38:44,520 Speaker 1: Another one is anger. Yeah, this one was really surprising 727 00:38:44,520 --> 00:38:47,240 Speaker 1: because you brought this up just yesterday and it basically 728 00:38:47,239 --> 00:38:51,400 Speaker 1: boils down to a certain amount of anger, when used properly, 729 00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:55,960 Speaker 1: is good for creativity and leads to positive creative output. 730 00:38:56,160 --> 00:39:00,200 Speaker 1: And initially I just completely rebelled against this idea because 731 00:39:00,520 --> 00:39:02,160 Speaker 1: for the most part of my own experience, I think 732 00:39:02,160 --> 00:39:04,800 Speaker 1: of times where I've been angry at someone or something 733 00:39:04,920 --> 00:39:07,759 Speaker 1: or situation, and I tend to end up end up 734 00:39:07,800 --> 00:39:10,440 Speaker 1: going into that agoic mind area where I'm just brooding 735 00:39:10,480 --> 00:39:14,319 Speaker 1: over that that thing that made me angry and not 736 00:39:14,360 --> 00:39:17,160 Speaker 1: getting anything done because I'm just setting there going, oh 737 00:39:17,160 --> 00:39:19,160 Speaker 1: oh boy, that person was a jerk to me, and 738 00:39:19,480 --> 00:39:21,279 Speaker 1: I really wish this wasn't the case. Why is it 739 00:39:21,360 --> 00:39:23,560 Speaker 1: raining and and all that, and so it just becomes 740 00:39:23,560 --> 00:39:27,280 Speaker 1: this inner dialoge. But but as as as you discovered, 741 00:39:27,640 --> 00:39:30,240 Speaker 1: when you utilize just right when to take a play 742 00:39:30,360 --> 00:39:34,720 Speaker 1: from the The Emperor Palpatine playbook, When you use your anger, Um, 743 00:39:34,760 --> 00:39:38,040 Speaker 1: you can actually achieve great things. Yeah, I mean if 744 00:39:38,080 --> 00:39:41,000 Speaker 1: you know that you're angry and you can try to 745 00:39:41,120 --> 00:39:45,080 Speaker 1: take that moment again. This is where meditation comes into play. 746 00:39:45,239 --> 00:39:47,080 Speaker 1: Or it doesn't have to, but it's helpful because it 747 00:39:47,120 --> 00:39:49,600 Speaker 1: allows you to observe your thoughts. One of the things 748 00:39:49,640 --> 00:39:51,840 Speaker 1: you can do in that moment of anger is figure 749 00:39:51,840 --> 00:39:55,040 Speaker 1: out why you're really angry, because oftentimes it's not really 750 00:39:55,040 --> 00:39:57,480 Speaker 1: the reason you think it is. The second thing is 751 00:39:57,520 --> 00:40:00,759 Speaker 1: it's motivating. It's a motivating factor for you to find 752 00:40:00,800 --> 00:40:05,560 Speaker 1: solutions for that thing not to happen again. Right. Um, 753 00:40:05,640 --> 00:40:09,000 Speaker 1: And this has been seen. Uh, This, this anger and 754 00:40:09,040 --> 00:40:11,960 Speaker 1: this utilizing of anger has been seen in several studies 755 00:40:12,320 --> 00:40:16,120 Speaker 1: and it really is a key hallmark of creative brainstorming. Uh. 756 00:40:16,200 --> 00:40:19,359 Speaker 1: This was found by researchers Mathish Boss Carson did throw 757 00:40:19,600 --> 00:40:24,240 Speaker 1: and Bernard and stad and Uh, the participants were actually 758 00:40:24,239 --> 00:40:26,759 Speaker 1: made you feel angry and we're able to do some 759 00:40:26,840 --> 00:40:30,319 Speaker 1: novel thinking as a result. So you can actually use 760 00:40:30,400 --> 00:40:32,799 Speaker 1: this for good, this anger, if you know how to 761 00:40:32,840 --> 00:40:36,640 Speaker 1: game it, it's long, it doesn't become rage because if 762 00:40:36,680 --> 00:40:39,040 Speaker 1: you some people might other know what happens if you 763 00:40:39,080 --> 00:40:42,000 Speaker 1: put up the dishes, if you unload the dishwasher while angry, 764 00:40:42,360 --> 00:40:44,160 Speaker 1: what happens You end breaking a dish, or you chip 765 00:40:44,200 --> 00:40:46,839 Speaker 1: a dish, or you stab yourself on some forks when 766 00:40:46,840 --> 00:40:50,479 Speaker 1: you're going after the the utensils. Uh. And then also 767 00:40:50,520 --> 00:40:52,440 Speaker 1: you don't want it to turn into sullenness where you're 768 00:40:52,440 --> 00:40:54,799 Speaker 1: just you get so you're just so angry and wound up, 769 00:40:54,800 --> 00:40:58,000 Speaker 1: it just turns into depression. But if you were able 770 00:40:58,040 --> 00:41:01,200 Speaker 1: to calmly utilize it and say, hey, why am I? 771 00:41:01,239 --> 00:41:03,400 Speaker 1: Why am I angry? And what can where can I 772 00:41:03,440 --> 00:41:06,400 Speaker 1: focus this anger in a constructive way, then you you 773 00:41:06,480 --> 00:41:08,920 Speaker 1: can achieve really cool stuff. The more I thought about this, 774 00:41:09,000 --> 00:41:11,080 Speaker 1: I did think of a few cases where I had 775 00:41:11,120 --> 00:41:13,359 Speaker 1: a certain amount of anger over I think in both 776 00:41:13,360 --> 00:41:15,480 Speaker 1: cases it was something it was like a very broad anger, 777 00:41:15,520 --> 00:41:18,160 Speaker 1: like I was I was angry at trends that I 778 00:41:18,200 --> 00:41:23,040 Speaker 1: saw in in in culture, or or or something disturbing 779 00:41:23,080 --> 00:41:26,279 Speaker 1: in history that was really bothering me. There's more like 780 00:41:26,400 --> 00:41:29,719 Speaker 1: humanity at the large scale. Yeah, Like in one case 781 00:41:29,760 --> 00:41:31,719 Speaker 1: that we had to do with insogyny. In another case 782 00:41:31,719 --> 00:41:34,000 Speaker 1: it had to do with with with racism, and it's 783 00:41:34,040 --> 00:41:35,560 Speaker 1: just kind of stuff where if I just sit there 784 00:41:35,600 --> 00:41:37,239 Speaker 1: and I just brood over and I'm like, oh man, 785 00:41:37,320 --> 00:41:39,880 Speaker 1: people are really awful and and you know, then you 786 00:41:39,960 --> 00:41:42,359 Speaker 1: end up you're angry and then you're selling about it. 787 00:41:42,600 --> 00:41:44,120 Speaker 1: So instead I'm like, all right, well, what can I 788 00:41:44,120 --> 00:41:46,480 Speaker 1: do creatively? Well, you know, let me there's gotta be 789 00:41:46,520 --> 00:41:48,600 Speaker 1: a short story here or something. So in both cases 790 00:41:48,800 --> 00:41:50,600 Speaker 1: I was able to write on it and try to 791 00:41:50,640 --> 00:41:54,040 Speaker 1: create something, uh in fiction that use that anger in 792 00:41:54,280 --> 00:41:56,719 Speaker 1: a creative direction. And then after I finished those they 793 00:41:56,960 --> 00:42:01,000 Speaker 1: the sullenness and the anger inside me had resided. So yeah, 794 00:42:01,000 --> 00:42:04,000 Speaker 1: because it really can be a catalyst anger for something again, 795 00:42:04,080 --> 00:42:06,600 Speaker 1: as long as you don't you know, start doing something 796 00:42:06,600 --> 00:42:10,160 Speaker 1: crazy like just going out in the streets and being 797 00:42:10,360 --> 00:42:15,440 Speaker 1: a general marauder. But again control. Yeah, and now also 798 00:42:15,840 --> 00:42:17,879 Speaker 1: sometimes it boils down to food. Again, we've talked about 799 00:42:17,920 --> 00:42:21,400 Speaker 1: being hungry um and I won't go into detail, but 800 00:42:21,440 --> 00:42:25,040 Speaker 1: there's a study about tripp to fan in serotonin and 801 00:42:25,360 --> 00:42:28,480 Speaker 1: anger and the way that serotonin regulates parts of your 802 00:42:28,480 --> 00:42:30,440 Speaker 1: brain in the prefrontal cortex, which is the seat of 803 00:42:30,480 --> 00:42:33,719 Speaker 1: reason with you magdala, which is where we process um 804 00:42:33,880 --> 00:42:37,080 Speaker 1: emotions like anger. And it turns out that people who 805 00:42:37,120 --> 00:42:40,360 Speaker 1: had been induced to have low levels of tripp to 806 00:42:40,400 --> 00:42:43,919 Speaker 1: fan in a study in in the brain, they had 807 00:42:43,920 --> 00:42:47,560 Speaker 1: a harder time with serotonin since tripped fan is a 808 00:42:47,560 --> 00:42:52,520 Speaker 1: building block of serotonin and regulating their anger. So sometimes 809 00:42:52,640 --> 00:42:54,960 Speaker 1: it just spoils down to diet. Right, Yeah, So I 810 00:42:54,960 --> 00:42:58,439 Speaker 1: would challenge everyone if you find yourself in those moments 811 00:42:58,480 --> 00:43:01,560 Speaker 1: where you're feeling angry, first of all, try breathing a 812 00:43:01,560 --> 00:43:04,600 Speaker 1: little bit, just breathing and out for you know, ten 813 00:43:04,719 --> 00:43:09,800 Speaker 1: fifteen counts. Consider having a granola bar, and then ask yourself, 814 00:43:09,840 --> 00:43:11,760 Speaker 1: if it's a persistent thing where you just keep feeling 815 00:43:11,760 --> 00:43:14,120 Speaker 1: angry about something, ask yourself, what can I do with 816 00:43:14,120 --> 00:43:16,959 Speaker 1: this anger? Is there something in my life, in my 817 00:43:16,960 --> 00:43:20,440 Speaker 1: my hobby, my my work, or something that I just 818 00:43:20,480 --> 00:43:22,759 Speaker 1: haven't even tried my hand out. Is there something I 819 00:43:22,840 --> 00:43:25,920 Speaker 1: can I can level, I can fuel this anger into 820 00:43:26,239 --> 00:43:29,040 Speaker 1: that can actually, if not actually make a difference, Because 821 00:43:29,080 --> 00:43:30,960 Speaker 1: certainly there are cases where if you're angry about an 822 00:43:30,960 --> 00:43:33,960 Speaker 1: injustice in the world, there are often ways that you 823 00:43:34,000 --> 00:43:38,160 Speaker 1: can utilize that energy to address those problems. Well, and 824 00:43:38,280 --> 00:43:41,080 Speaker 1: this is this is then the point where you dawn 825 00:43:41,160 --> 00:43:44,640 Speaker 1: your superwoman's stance and put on your cape. Yeah, get confident, 826 00:43:44,760 --> 00:43:47,120 Speaker 1: feel confident in mind and body, and uh go out 827 00:43:47,120 --> 00:43:49,640 Speaker 1: there and see if you can make it. Difference is 828 00:43:49,640 --> 00:43:52,280 Speaker 1: the year it can happen in your cap here. Yeah, 829 00:43:52,520 --> 00:43:54,239 Speaker 1: all right, well, there you go. There are some uh, 830 00:43:54,640 --> 00:43:57,000 Speaker 1: some excellent suggestions on ways that you can tweak your 831 00:43:57,880 --> 00:43:59,640 Speaker 1: and sort of game it a little more in your 832 00:43:59,680 --> 00:44:02,399 Speaker 1: favor in minded body. If you would like to reach 833 00:44:02,440 --> 00:44:05,560 Speaker 1: out to us throughout the new year with your thoughts 834 00:44:05,640 --> 00:44:09,399 Speaker 1: on these tactics, with your experiences trying to use them, 835 00:44:09,480 --> 00:44:13,080 Speaker 1: your success stories, your your your failures, even we'd love 836 00:44:13,120 --> 00:44:15,160 Speaker 1: to hear about hear from you. You can find us 837 00:44:15,360 --> 00:44:17,560 Speaker 1: on Facebook, and you can find us on Twitter, and 838 00:44:17,640 --> 00:44:19,520 Speaker 1: you can find us on tumbler. On Facebook and Tumbler, 839 00:44:19,560 --> 00:44:21,120 Speaker 1: we are stuff to blow your mind. On Twitter, we 840 00:44:21,160 --> 00:44:22,920 Speaker 1: go by the handle blow the Mind and you can 841 00:44:22,960 --> 00:44:25,520 Speaker 1: always drop us a line at blow the Mind at 842 00:44:25,560 --> 00:44:34,880 Speaker 1: discovery dot com for more on this and thousands of 843 00:44:34,880 --> 00:44:41,760 Speaker 1: other topics. Is that how Stuff Works dot com