1 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to stuff to Blow your Mind from how stuff 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:14,000 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey, welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind. 3 00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:16,479 Speaker 1: My name is Robert Lamb and I'm Julie Douglas. Julie, 4 00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:18,640 Speaker 1: what would you like in your sandwich? Would you like? Wait? 5 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:21,360 Speaker 1: First of all, would you like rye bread, wheat bread, 6 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:27,480 Speaker 1: white bread, pumpernickel bread, or banana bread? JUNI sour do? Yes? 7 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:30,319 Speaker 1: Sour dough? Would you like it wheat Saturday? Yes? And 8 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 1: would you like European wheat sour dough. You're a sweet 9 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:38,520 Speaker 1: sour dough. Um, I will like the European sweet sour dough. Okay, 10 00:00:38,560 --> 00:00:41,320 Speaker 1: so you're already feeling tired. Well, yeah, this is the 11 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 1: This is the way I feel whenever I go to 12 00:00:43,800 --> 00:00:46,280 Speaker 1: a place where they do like any kind of a 13 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:50,720 Speaker 1: sandwich assembly line, where you go in and there's there's 14 00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:52,960 Speaker 1: an individual there that's gonna build you a sandwich. Sometimes 15 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 1: they have the hilarious title of sandwich artists. Uh, and 16 00:00:56,720 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 1: but they are sandwich artists. Well, an artist doesn't add 17 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:02,000 Speaker 1: for my input on the art. I'm just like, hey, 18 00:01:02,080 --> 00:01:04,280 Speaker 1: give me, give me one art, and they're like, here's 19 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:06,640 Speaker 1: the art, and I'm like, that's great. You're so creative 20 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:08,560 Speaker 1: in your creation of that you don't go into an 21 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:11,320 Speaker 1: art gallery and then there's an artist standing there and uh, 22 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:14,760 Speaker 1: he's like, so do you like usurrealist or you know, 23 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:17,520 Speaker 1: there's there's no of that. So you go through this line. 24 00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:18,920 Speaker 1: You have to pick the bread, you have to pick 25 00:01:18,959 --> 00:01:21,000 Speaker 1: which vegetables, you have to pick which meat if you're 26 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:22,600 Speaker 1: going with meat, or which fake meat if you don't 27 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:27,080 Speaker 1: want to go with that. Cheese options, different dressings, Um 28 00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:29,200 Speaker 1: you want to heat it up or not? Do you 29 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:31,160 Speaker 1: want to cut in half? I mean, it just it 30 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:32,800 Speaker 1: goes on and on, and by the end of it, 31 00:01:32,840 --> 00:01:34,959 Speaker 1: you just feel exhausted because you had to make so 32 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:39,080 Speaker 1: many decisions and generally for a very limited uh you know, payoff, 33 00:01:39,800 --> 00:01:42,039 Speaker 1: especially if you're on some of the some of the 34 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:45,960 Speaker 1: more you know, mainstream sandwich shops. I like this analogy 35 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:47,840 Speaker 1: of the way that we move through life, right, because 36 00:01:47,880 --> 00:01:49,480 Speaker 1: that's what it feels like. You feel like you've got 37 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:52,320 Speaker 1: to backup people behind you, right, and you're getting rushed 38 00:01:52,320 --> 00:01:56,400 Speaker 1: through your decisions. A NonStop sandwich line for a really 39 00:01:56,560 --> 00:02:02,440 Speaker 1: crappy sub that's life right. Possibly, possibly, hopefully you have 40 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:05,920 Speaker 1: a sandwich artist who could perhaps liven it up a 41 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:11,680 Speaker 1: little bit. Um, but this actually nawse on thist, These 42 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:16,240 Speaker 1: constant choices, these being bombarded by what we have to 43 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:19,000 Speaker 1: move through every day just to to sort of get 44 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:22,120 Speaker 1: things done. Yeah, it's called the decision fatigue. And it's 45 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:23,799 Speaker 1: a real thing. It's a real thing, and it's it's 46 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:26,440 Speaker 1: been sort of making the rounds are recently over the 47 00:02:26,440 --> 00:02:28,400 Speaker 1: past few years, but but especially in the last few 48 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:31,240 Speaker 1: days because and by the time this says the last 49 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:33,080 Speaker 1: few weeks, because there was a New York Times article 50 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:36,040 Speaker 1: about it, and it forced everyone to re examine their 51 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:40,520 Speaker 1: lives and the decisions, the multiple decisions that make up 52 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:43,400 Speaker 1: every hour of the day, and what it's doing to 53 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:46,359 Speaker 1: us on a on an emotional and physical level. It's 54 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:48,440 Speaker 1: really interesting. So we are going to draw from this 55 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:52,160 Speaker 1: article h called do you Suffer from Decision Fatigue? In 56 00:02:52,200 --> 00:02:55,959 Speaker 1: New York Times. UM, and I recommend that you guys 57 00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:58,400 Speaker 1: check it out. It's pretty long, but it's definitely worth it, 58 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 1: you know, like ten or so. UM. I mean, I 59 00:03:03,760 --> 00:03:05,840 Speaker 1: thought it was interesting that the article pointed out that 60 00:03:05,880 --> 00:03:09,720 Speaker 1: the word decide shares the same etymological route with the 61 00:03:09,760 --> 00:03:14,320 Speaker 1: word homicide, meaning that on a linguistic level, we realize 62 00:03:14,320 --> 00:03:17,240 Speaker 1: that we're killing off all of our other options, which 63 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 1: sort of float away into some sort of unseen parallel 64 00:03:20,320 --> 00:03:23,359 Speaker 1: universe for us. Exactly, it's kind of like every time 65 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:28,400 Speaker 1: we make a decision, we're we're we're extrapolating, We're imagining 66 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 1: a future in which we make the choice. Be it 67 00:03:31,040 --> 00:03:33,640 Speaker 1: something like I wonder if what would happen if I 68 00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:36,360 Speaker 1: decide to go with the rye bread or if I 69 00:03:36,400 --> 00:03:38,280 Speaker 1: go with the plain bread. What if I get the 70 00:03:38,320 --> 00:03:41,040 Speaker 1: salad opposed to what if I get the soup? And 71 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 1: then with larger things too, it's like, well, what have 72 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:47,160 Speaker 1: I major in in English versus what if I major 73 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:48,920 Speaker 1: in pre law? That kind of thing, right, And of 74 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:51,360 Speaker 1: course you can even see instances of this in quantum 75 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:55,120 Speaker 1: suicide for instance. Right. Um, But from you know, our 76 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:57,200 Speaker 1: day to day basis of having to deal with the 77 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:01,160 Speaker 1: minutia um, it's really easy to start to over inflate 78 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:04,640 Speaker 1: the importance of a choice, right because we can think, 79 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 1: you know, all of the storylines and books and movies 80 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:09,040 Speaker 1: for helping us to feel that every single choice we 81 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 1: make could alter the reality that we are living well. 82 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:14,360 Speaker 1: But the thing is that it kind of could. It 83 00:04:14,600 --> 00:04:18,159 Speaker 1: may not know, but mostly probably not right. And that's 84 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:20,960 Speaker 1: the problem with it is we were not omniscient beings, right, right, 85 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:23,280 Speaker 1: But but there is you know, it's like the butterfly effect, 86 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:27,560 Speaker 1: which is which relates to chaos theory, um, which is 87 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:30,599 Speaker 1: on the surface, the idea that say, a butterfly flaps 88 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:33,360 Speaker 1: its wings on one side of the world and the 89 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:37,400 Speaker 1: cascading effects from that one little um of action will 90 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:39,119 Speaker 1: cause a hurricane on the other side of the world. 91 00:04:39,440 --> 00:04:44,880 Speaker 1: And this was created by a weatherman, right, um, neurologists 92 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:48,120 Speaker 1: working with computer models. Yeah, okay, Edward Lawrence, right. And 93 00:04:48,160 --> 00:04:50,200 Speaker 1: so it's just a theory right obviously that we we 94 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:53,280 Speaker 1: don't know if the action of a butterfly's wings and 95 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:57,839 Speaker 1: just example you know, yea of how this works, of 96 00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:01,440 Speaker 1: how chaos theory works. Um. But it again, you apply 97 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:03,440 Speaker 1: your day to day decisions and you can really start 98 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:06,880 Speaker 1: to perhaps overweigh them. Yeah. There's a great line from 99 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:09,960 Speaker 1: Coral McCarthy. I believe this one is in No Country 100 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:12,679 Speaker 1: for Old Men, where a character says that every moment 101 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:15,560 Speaker 1: in your life is is a turning and everyone at 102 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:19,680 Speaker 1: choosing somewhere you made a choice, and all followed to this. 103 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:23,159 Speaker 1: The accounting is scrupulous. The shape is drawn, no line 104 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:25,799 Speaker 1: can be erased. I had no belief in your ability 105 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:27,680 Speaker 1: to move a coin to your bidding. How could you. 106 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:30,760 Speaker 1: A person's path through the world seldom changes, and even 107 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:33,960 Speaker 1: more seldom will it change abruptly. And the shape of 108 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:36,680 Speaker 1: your path was visible from the beginning. There's a lot 109 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:38,280 Speaker 1: of this kind of thing, and Court McCarthy with him 110 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:41,720 Speaker 1: ruminating over um, the effects of choices and the choices 111 00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:44,960 Speaker 1: we make. There's a there's a part in UM all 112 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:47,919 Speaker 1: the Pretty Horses where characters, Uh. There are two characters 113 00:05:47,920 --> 00:05:50,960 Speaker 1: and they're about to make a decision regarding a third 114 00:05:51,040 --> 00:05:53,320 Speaker 1: character and um, and one of the characters turns to 115 00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:55,680 Speaker 1: the other and says, you know, every time you do 116 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:58,040 Speaker 1: something stupid in your in your life, you can always 117 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:00,839 Speaker 1: trace it back to one decision. And that decision is 118 00:06:00,880 --> 00:06:04,719 Speaker 1: never like the stupid decision, but it's the decider, uh, 119 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:07,160 Speaker 1: in this timeline. It's where you split off from the 120 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:10,080 Speaker 1: timeline where you wouldn't make this really dumb choice versus 121 00:06:10,080 --> 00:06:12,920 Speaker 1: the one where you do well. But in this explains 122 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:17,200 Speaker 1: why we drive ourselves exactly, because in retrospect we can 123 00:06:17,200 --> 00:06:19,760 Speaker 1: always trace it back and say that was you know, 124 00:06:19,839 --> 00:06:22,240 Speaker 1: it was insignificant, But what have I done the other thing? 125 00:06:22,839 --> 00:06:24,400 Speaker 1: It's I mean, it's a big part of grief too. 126 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:28,160 Speaker 1: Like whenever someone dies, um that we care about, we 127 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:31,279 Speaker 1: can always trace it back to these little insignificant moments 128 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:33,279 Speaker 1: and be like, what if that had gone the other way? 129 00:06:33,680 --> 00:06:36,360 Speaker 1: And you know what have it had? Uh? It's still 130 00:06:36,400 --> 00:06:39,520 Speaker 1: an insignificant moment out of many insignificant moments. It just 131 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:42,720 Speaker 1: sort of happens to loop into a very elaborate um 132 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:46,640 Speaker 1: timeline of events, uh when we look back at it 133 00:06:46,680 --> 00:06:49,880 Speaker 1: from the present. So so yeah, it's easy to get 134 00:06:49,920 --> 00:06:52,640 Speaker 1: strung out over choices to the point where we end 135 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:55,719 Speaker 1: up fretting over which bread to order with our sandwich, 136 00:06:55,839 --> 00:06:58,080 Speaker 1: even though generally this is not the kind of thing 137 00:06:58,400 --> 00:07:00,520 Speaker 1: that the spirals out of control, one thing that you 138 00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:03,680 Speaker 1: wouldn't normally worry about. Um. The New York Times article 139 00:07:03,920 --> 00:07:06,760 Speaker 1: again that do you suffer from decision fatigue? Says that 140 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:10,000 Speaker 1: we have a finite store of mental energy for exercising 141 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:13,960 Speaker 1: self control. And this was basically witnessed time and again 142 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:17,680 Speaker 1: through a series of experiments carried out by social psychologist 143 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:20,400 Speaker 1: Roy Baumeister. And we're gonna talk a lot about some 144 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:24,400 Speaker 1: of the experiments that that he and his colleagues undertook. Um. 145 00:07:24,440 --> 00:07:28,160 Speaker 1: It is the reason why otherwise reasonable people do illogical things, 146 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:30,280 Speaker 1: right from flying off the handle and rage to buying 147 00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:33,000 Speaker 1: junk food when you didn't mean to, or flying off 148 00:07:33,080 --> 00:07:36,520 Speaker 1: the handle and rage at junk food right right, slapping 149 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:40,640 Speaker 1: that junk food upside it's head um, to spending big 150 00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:43,360 Speaker 1: bucks on stuff that you regret later you think, why 151 00:07:43,360 --> 00:07:47,920 Speaker 1: in the world did I do that? Kind Yeah, impulse splies. 152 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:53,760 Speaker 1: It's because, as bow Master says, you are experiencing ego depletion. Yeah. 153 00:07:53,800 --> 00:07:56,440 Speaker 1: To to run some of this down again, it's to 154 00:07:56,560 --> 00:07:59,040 Speaker 1: really simplify it. It's kind of like the idea that 155 00:07:59,120 --> 00:08:01,840 Speaker 1: the mind is this hustle. And anyone who ever has 156 00:08:01,880 --> 00:08:04,679 Speaker 1: ever worked out knows, um, you know, with with weights 157 00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:06,560 Speaker 1: or anything, knows that there's like this whole idea of 158 00:08:06,760 --> 00:08:09,320 Speaker 1: you know, it's like reps versus weight. Are you gonna 159 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:11,520 Speaker 1: are you gonna pick up a ten pound weight? Like 160 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:13,960 Speaker 1: ten times? Are you gonna pick up a hundred pound 161 00:08:14,040 --> 00:08:16,920 Speaker 1: weight once? That sort of thing. Again, I'm not a weightlifter, 162 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:21,360 Speaker 1: so maybe this may not be a perfect example, but 163 00:08:21,360 --> 00:08:22,760 Speaker 1: but still it's like if you pick up a small 164 00:08:22,800 --> 00:08:25,160 Speaker 1: weight enough times, your arms will get as tired as 165 00:08:25,200 --> 00:08:28,040 Speaker 1: if you picked up something really heavy once. Well you 166 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:30,160 Speaker 1: know what. And and as a side note on the 167 00:08:30,200 --> 00:08:34,120 Speaker 1: mind body connection, did you know that if you are 168 00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:38,520 Speaker 1: exercising and say doing reps and really focusing on your 169 00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:41,079 Speaker 1: arms that day, that when you go to sleep at night, 170 00:08:41,080 --> 00:08:43,560 Speaker 1: the part of the brain that controls the functions of 171 00:08:43,600 --> 00:08:47,120 Speaker 1: your arms is actually going to be much more active 172 00:08:47,360 --> 00:08:50,120 Speaker 1: in sleep than the other parts of your brain. So 173 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:55,439 Speaker 1: there there's connections. Idea that energy expended is being manifested 174 00:08:55,440 --> 00:08:57,640 Speaker 1: in the body. And again this is this is borne 175 00:08:57,679 --> 00:09:01,120 Speaker 1: out by a lot of about Masters research, which is 176 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:03,400 Speaker 1: really cool. So if I have to go through a 177 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:06,800 Speaker 1: line and choose every single option that goes into the 178 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:09,520 Speaker 1: creation of my sandwich, and then I have to make 179 00:09:09,559 --> 00:09:11,920 Speaker 1: a decision about like who to fire at work or 180 00:09:11,960 --> 00:09:14,599 Speaker 1: something later on, I'm picturing like a big wig and 181 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:16,640 Speaker 1: you know, New York going through a sandwich line here, 182 00:09:17,880 --> 00:09:20,199 Speaker 1: cigar in here. Yeah, so let's just do that. Let's 183 00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:21,800 Speaker 1: give him a cigar. Yeah, I was giving a cigar 184 00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:23,560 Speaker 1: as well. Yeah. By by the by the time that 185 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:26,160 Speaker 1: you have picked out your sandwich, you have made all 186 00:09:26,160 --> 00:09:30,480 Speaker 1: these choices. You're less um prepared to make a big 187 00:09:30,559 --> 00:09:33,000 Speaker 1: choice later in the day. Well, that's the problem is 188 00:09:33,040 --> 00:09:35,840 Speaker 1: that when you have been bombarded by all these little decisions, 189 00:09:35,840 --> 00:09:37,920 Speaker 1: by the time four o'clock rolls around, you do not 190 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:40,880 Speaker 1: want to make the big decision that you have to 191 00:09:40,920 --> 00:09:42,040 Speaker 1: make for the day. You do don't want to have 192 00:09:42,080 --> 00:09:44,720 Speaker 1: to push the red button, so to speak, because you're 193 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:48,679 Speaker 1: seriously going to be incapacitated, because your mental energy is 194 00:09:48,679 --> 00:09:51,040 Speaker 1: already going to fold up on top of itself and say, 195 00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:53,320 Speaker 1: I want to batten down the hatches. I want to 196 00:09:53,360 --> 00:09:56,160 Speaker 1: make the safest choice for myself, which is not always 197 00:09:56,200 --> 00:09:58,360 Speaker 1: the right choice, right, and I don't want to think 198 00:09:58,400 --> 00:10:01,720 Speaker 1: about it that much. UM. Usually, like you would want 199 00:10:01,720 --> 00:10:03,640 Speaker 1: to be the kind of person who was like someone's like, hey, 200 00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:04,800 Speaker 1: you want to I need you to come help me 201 00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:06,800 Speaker 1: move furniture, and you're like, great, I'm gonna go lift 202 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:11,000 Speaker 1: some weights first, Like that wouldn't make any sense, right, Well, 203 00:10:11,240 --> 00:10:14,280 Speaker 1: but you could immediately before it, right right. I understand 204 00:10:14,280 --> 00:10:15,800 Speaker 1: what you're saying is that you don't want to fatigue 205 00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:17,800 Speaker 1: yourself in the muscle. I mean, the brain is like 206 00:10:17,840 --> 00:10:20,440 Speaker 1: a muscle, and and you don't necessarily want to do that. Um, 207 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:23,080 Speaker 1: but I think it's really interesting because it does explain 208 00:10:23,160 --> 00:10:25,520 Speaker 1: why we do what we do. Bau Master says, no 209 00:10:25,559 --> 00:10:27,720 Speaker 1: matter how rational and high minded you try to be, 210 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:30,320 Speaker 1: you can't make a decision of decision without paying a 211 00:10:30,360 --> 00:10:34,520 Speaker 1: biological price. It's different from ordinary physical fatigue. You're not 212 00:10:34,559 --> 00:10:37,920 Speaker 1: consciously aware of being tired, but you're low and mental energy. 213 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:40,199 Speaker 1: The more choices you make throughout the day, the harder 214 00:10:40,240 --> 00:10:44,120 Speaker 1: each one becomes for your brain. Eventually it looks for shortcuts, 215 00:10:44,360 --> 00:10:48,520 Speaker 1: usually in either one of two very different ways. One 216 00:10:48,559 --> 00:10:52,520 Speaker 1: shortcut is to become reckless okay, to act impulsively instead 217 00:10:52,559 --> 00:10:55,760 Speaker 1: of expending the energy to first think through the consequences. 218 00:10:56,559 --> 00:10:59,040 Speaker 1: Um And they use this example in the article sure 219 00:10:59,280 --> 00:11:02,360 Speaker 1: tweet that Phoe know what could go wrong? Right? The 220 00:11:02,400 --> 00:11:06,680 Speaker 1: other shortcut is the ultimate energy saver, do nothing instead 221 00:11:06,679 --> 00:11:10,360 Speaker 1: of agonizing over decisions, avoid any choice. Ducking a decision 222 00:11:10,360 --> 00:11:12,360 Speaker 1: often creates bigger problems in the long run, but for 223 00:11:12,400 --> 00:11:14,760 Speaker 1: the moment, it eases the mental string. You're you're basically 224 00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:18,400 Speaker 1: differring mental anguish. And you've talked. You said something about 225 00:11:18,400 --> 00:11:23,160 Speaker 1: a Japanese proverb. Japanese proverb that basically says, by by 226 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:25,840 Speaker 1: doing nothing, all problems are solved by by refusing to 227 00:11:25,840 --> 00:11:28,760 Speaker 1: come to a decision. You're solving that problem one way 228 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:30,599 Speaker 1: or another, but probably not in the way that is 229 00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:32,560 Speaker 1: beneficial to you. Right, And I'm sure we've all been 230 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:36,000 Speaker 1: there at one point or another and understand that. So um, 231 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:39,120 Speaker 1: a bunch of studies have basically carried out this this 232 00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:43,359 Speaker 1: um idea that ego depletion and its effect on willpower 233 00:11:43,559 --> 00:11:47,480 Speaker 1: is actually pretty stunning. Um. Initially these studies would focus 234 00:11:47,520 --> 00:11:50,760 Speaker 1: on food, right, because how what better way could you 235 00:11:51,480 --> 00:11:55,240 Speaker 1: study at someone's willpower and the ability to self censured 236 00:11:55,320 --> 00:11:58,079 Speaker 1: than by throwing a bunch of donuts at exactly literally 237 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:01,280 Speaker 1: throwing them at them. That there was a postdoc fellow 238 00:12:01,280 --> 00:12:04,559 Speaker 1: in bomb Muster's lab and she had an epiphany about 239 00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:08,480 Speaker 1: the laboriousness of all those choices. After going through the 240 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:12,160 Speaker 1: process of registering for gifts for her upcoming wedding, she 241 00:12:12,240 --> 00:12:15,760 Speaker 1: found that she was incredibly exhausted just when she went 242 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:19,000 Speaker 1: to go and register for gifts. Yeah, weddings are a 243 00:12:19,120 --> 00:12:23,640 Speaker 1: huge suck on the whole decision portion of the brain 244 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:27,000 Speaker 1: because it's it's NonStop decisions beforehand and then afterwards to 245 00:12:27,200 --> 00:12:30,240 Speaker 1: is you're deciding, Uh, you know which, like which picture 246 00:12:30,280 --> 00:12:33,640 Speaker 1: you're gonna pick up for your album's situations where people 247 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:37,080 Speaker 1: don't get their wedding album actually completed until you know, 248 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:40,600 Speaker 1: years after the marriage or you know, begins or after 249 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:42,880 Speaker 1: the marriage ends. Yeah. Well, and I will tell you 250 00:12:42,920 --> 00:12:44,280 Speaker 1: too that the first time I went to get register 251 00:12:44,360 --> 00:12:46,120 Speaker 1: with my husband, I kind of had a not a 252 00:12:46,160 --> 00:12:48,160 Speaker 1: melt down in which I was crying, but I was like, 253 00:12:48,200 --> 00:12:50,520 Speaker 1: you know, we need to leave. I don't know what 254 00:12:50,559 --> 00:12:53,800 Speaker 1: towels to get. I don't I never considered towels. I 255 00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:57,560 Speaker 1: never considered this. I'm picturing you being physically removed in 256 00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:01,679 Speaker 1: tears from Craton Barrel by security. Yeah. Yeah, I mean 257 00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:04,080 Speaker 1: I can't go there anymore, which is fine, but I 258 00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:07,800 Speaker 1: can shop online. Um. But basically she had a hunt here. 259 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:10,640 Speaker 1: So the labs set out to replicate a sort of 260 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:13,480 Speaker 1: quasi department store of wedding gifts, and they had two 261 00:13:13,480 --> 00:13:16,680 Speaker 1: groups peruce the offerings. Group one had to make a 262 00:13:16,679 --> 00:13:19,319 Speaker 1: decision about what one item they could keep at the 263 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:22,840 Speaker 1: end of the experiment, okay, Group two was asked to 264 00:13:22,840 --> 00:13:25,480 Speaker 1: give their opinions on the products and if they had 265 00:13:25,520 --> 00:13:28,000 Speaker 1: ever used similar products in the last six months. So 266 00:13:28,240 --> 00:13:31,679 Speaker 1: Group one has to make decision, group too not so much. Um. 267 00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:34,800 Speaker 1: Both groups were then given a classic impulse control test. 268 00:13:35,160 --> 00:13:37,440 Speaker 1: I love us holding your hand in ice water for 269 00:13:37,480 --> 00:13:41,120 Speaker 1: as long as you can so group one. The deciders 270 00:13:41,559 --> 00:13:45,400 Speaker 1: I lasted for just twenty eight seconds, but the non 271 00:13:45,440 --> 00:13:53,160 Speaker 1: deciders sixty seconds on average, so almost double. You know, this, 272 00:13:53,200 --> 00:13:56,760 Speaker 1: this physical manifestation was found in this, this very simple 273 00:13:56,440 --> 00:13:59,839 Speaker 1: impulse control test. Now they did this over and over 274 00:13:59,880 --> 00:14:02,480 Speaker 1: a so the more decisions you make, the less control 275 00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:04,280 Speaker 1: you have over holding your hand and water. Right, So 276 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:06,960 Speaker 1: it's not just that you're making decisions, but your actual 277 00:14:06,960 --> 00:14:10,600 Speaker 1: physical being is going to be decided by this as well. Right, 278 00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:15,000 Speaker 1: So it's not the abstract you know, becomes a concrete thing. 279 00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:17,240 Speaker 1: So when g Gordon Liddy did the famous thing with 280 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:20,800 Speaker 1: the cigarette lighter under his palm, he was basically saying, 281 00:14:20,880 --> 00:14:23,320 Speaker 1: try me, I haven't made a decision in weeks. You know, 282 00:14:23,480 --> 00:14:28,960 Speaker 1: It's like he's got that's never find Um, I'll go 283 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:33,040 Speaker 1: with it. But anyway, this is an illuminating study. Yeah yeah, yeah, 284 00:14:33,040 --> 00:14:36,320 Speaker 1: And it was a sea change in studying the ego 285 00:14:36,960 --> 00:14:40,920 Speaker 1: uh depletion effect because it really had this idea of 286 00:14:40,960 --> 00:14:43,640 Speaker 1: no matter what it was tied to um, you know, 287 00:14:43,800 --> 00:14:47,000 Speaker 1: these choices could have an effect on your willpower, even 288 00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:50,120 Speaker 1: if it was just something that wasn't that important. Um. 289 00:14:50,280 --> 00:14:52,440 Speaker 1: So they began to do this over and over again, 290 00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:56,120 Speaker 1: and they even saw this and car buyers. Right, there 291 00:14:56,120 --> 00:14:59,360 Speaker 1: was an experiment in which they had real customers spending 292 00:14:59,360 --> 00:15:01,320 Speaker 1: their own money and they had to choose, for instance, 293 00:15:01,320 --> 00:15:05,120 Speaker 1: among four styles of gearship gearshif not, thirteen kinds of 294 00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:09,080 Speaker 1: wheel rims, twenty five configurations of the engine and gearbox, 295 00:15:09,120 --> 00:15:11,440 Speaker 1: and a palette of fifty six colors for the interior. 296 00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:15,480 Speaker 1: See I'm already I'm feeling fatigued and um. As they 297 00:15:15,480 --> 00:15:18,960 Speaker 1: started picking out features, customers would like carefully weigh the 298 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:21,800 Speaker 1: choices at first, but then fatigue would set in and 299 00:15:21,840 --> 00:15:25,280 Speaker 1: they'd start to go into default options. Okay, well you know, 300 00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:28,840 Speaker 1: essentially at the end of this exercise they were like, okay, 301 00:15:28,840 --> 00:15:33,320 Speaker 1: give me whatever, um, And they left the dealership by 302 00:15:33,320 --> 00:15:36,960 Speaker 1: paying extra two thousand dollars in options that they probably 303 00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:40,560 Speaker 1: didn't want, but because they had this barrage of choices 304 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:43,400 Speaker 1: put forth, which is sort of a typical sales technique, right, 305 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:47,200 Speaker 1: especially at car dealerships. Yeah, a nefarious tactic of the 306 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:49,720 Speaker 1: hard self like get somebody in a room and do 307 00:15:49,760 --> 00:15:51,800 Speaker 1: not let them leave until they make a decision, or 308 00:15:52,120 --> 00:15:54,240 Speaker 1: rather make the decision you want them to make. Right. 309 00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:56,400 Speaker 1: And at this point you've probably put a lot of 310 00:15:56,480 --> 00:16:00,400 Speaker 1: research in time into finding the car that you want, 311 00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:04,880 Speaker 1: negotiating it UM, and then trying to meet out these 312 00:16:04,920 --> 00:16:08,280 Speaker 1: details about what you want the final project to look like. 313 00:16:08,640 --> 00:16:10,640 Speaker 1: You know, you've probably been there for five hours and 314 00:16:10,680 --> 00:16:12,760 Speaker 1: you're like, fine, if you will let me leave this 315 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:15,480 Speaker 1: dealership with my car, I will pay two thousand dollars. 316 00:16:15,520 --> 00:16:17,640 Speaker 1: It's essentially what you're saying, without even knowing that you're saying. 317 00:16:17,880 --> 00:16:21,400 Speaker 1: There's I actually ran across another study that also involves UM. 318 00:16:21,520 --> 00:16:25,200 Speaker 1: This one involves cake as well, UH, which is which 319 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:28,160 Speaker 1: is always fun. And this was a Stanford University Graduate 320 00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:31,440 Speaker 1: School of Business test where they had they had two 321 00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:34,800 Speaker 1: groups UH in one. In one group, the subjects were 322 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:38,320 Speaker 1: asked to remember a one digit number, which is pretty easy, 323 00:16:38,480 --> 00:16:40,920 Speaker 1: and then the other group was asked to remember seven 324 00:16:40,920 --> 00:16:44,520 Speaker 1: digit number and H Then they were asked to walk 325 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:46,640 Speaker 1: down the hallway to where they would have to report 326 00:16:46,680 --> 00:16:49,680 Speaker 1: this number, and along the way UH coworkers would come 327 00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:51,560 Speaker 1: to them and offer them either a big slice of 328 00:16:51,600 --> 00:16:55,440 Speaker 1: chocolate cake or a bowl of fruit salad, and uh 329 00:16:55,920 --> 00:17:00,440 Speaker 1: by by a huge, huge percentage, those who were trying 330 00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:03,720 Speaker 1: to remember the seven the seven digit numbers picked the 331 00:17:03,840 --> 00:17:06,679 Speaker 1: cake over the fruit salad. So the idea was that 332 00:17:06,880 --> 00:17:09,199 Speaker 1: the people trying to remember the seven digit number were 333 00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:13,480 Speaker 1: already taxing their brain enough to where they lacked sufficient 334 00:17:13,680 --> 00:17:17,040 Speaker 1: mental energy to stand up to the temptation of the cake, 335 00:17:17,320 --> 00:17:20,719 Speaker 1: and therefore their impulse control was compromised. Well, yeah, they 336 00:17:20,760 --> 00:17:23,000 Speaker 1: haven't remember a seven digit number. There just wasn't enough 337 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:27,000 Speaker 1: gas in the tank to resist cake. Also, it should 338 00:17:27,040 --> 00:17:30,640 Speaker 1: note that again in this article that's on long. Um, Yeah, 339 00:17:30,680 --> 00:17:34,000 Speaker 1: I can intend. Uh. There are instances of these studies 340 00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:35,600 Speaker 1: over and over again, and we're not obviously going to 341 00:17:35,680 --> 00:17:37,720 Speaker 1: talk about all of them. All of them involved cake 342 00:17:37,840 --> 00:17:40,960 Speaker 1: is weird. Yeah, a lot of suites in these studies, Um, 343 00:17:41,040 --> 00:17:44,399 Speaker 1: but they do bear out this familiar idea that you know, 344 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:48,160 Speaker 1: your willpower is going to be greatly affected and um, 345 00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:51,159 Speaker 1: so much so that there's something called the Marti Gras effect. 346 00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:52,919 Speaker 1: And we're going to get to that right after this break. 347 00:17:54,960 --> 00:17:57,840 Speaker 1: This podcast is brought to you by Intel, the sponsors 348 00:17:57,840 --> 00:18:01,679 Speaker 1: of Tomorrow and the Discovery Channel at Intel. We believe 349 00:18:01,760 --> 00:18:05,800 Speaker 1: curiosity is the spark which drives innovation. Join us at 350 00:18:05,840 --> 00:18:09,520 Speaker 1: curiosity dot com and explore the answers to life's questions. 351 00:18:12,200 --> 00:18:15,320 Speaker 1: And we're back the Mardy Gras effect. So let's let's 352 00:18:15,320 --> 00:18:20,679 Speaker 1: get down to it. This involves beads and streets lined 353 00:18:20,720 --> 00:18:24,359 Speaker 1: with people and partial nudity, partial nudity and a string 354 00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:30,439 Speaker 1: of parades and spicy food right. M Yes, to the 355 00:18:30,480 --> 00:18:34,239 Speaker 1: degree that it is a metaphor for this idea that 356 00:18:34,280 --> 00:18:38,520 Speaker 1: you could exert better willpower later if you indulge yourself 357 00:18:38,520 --> 00:18:41,160 Speaker 1: with something pleasurable. Now, this is the idea that bown 358 00:18:41,200 --> 00:18:45,240 Speaker 1: Master and into his colleagues had, so to refresh it's 359 00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:49,879 Speaker 1: with Mardy Gras. Marty Gras immediately proceeds lent, which is 360 00:18:49,920 --> 00:18:54,240 Speaker 1: a period of of fasting or what, Well, you're giving 361 00:18:54,280 --> 00:18:56,320 Speaker 1: up something you choose what you're going to give up. 362 00:18:56,320 --> 00:18:59,240 Speaker 1: For a lot of people, this may be alcohol, um 363 00:18:59,400 --> 00:19:03,000 Speaker 1: or it maybe something kind of weenye like well, I'm 364 00:19:03,040 --> 00:19:06,119 Speaker 1: going to give up fried foods or using the word 365 00:19:06,560 --> 00:19:09,520 Speaker 1: cloaca in a podcast, why would you do that? Well, 366 00:19:09,520 --> 00:19:11,280 Speaker 1: that's what that's what we're doing next year. Get ready. 367 00:19:12,040 --> 00:19:14,160 Speaker 1: That's the thing. In accordance with the Marty Gras fact though, 368 00:19:14,560 --> 00:19:17,639 Speaker 1: before we gave up using the word floaca in a podcast, 369 00:19:17,760 --> 00:19:22,040 Speaker 1: we would have an all out cloaca blowout podcast edition 370 00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:24,760 Speaker 1: where it was just NonStop discussion of feel like cloaca 371 00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:28,960 Speaker 1: and articles, right, yeah, so the a yeah and then 372 00:19:29,680 --> 00:19:32,600 Speaker 1: yeah exactly. So if you could make for a fascinating podcast, 373 00:19:33,320 --> 00:19:35,240 Speaker 1: which but the but the idea with Marty Grays you 374 00:19:35,280 --> 00:19:37,240 Speaker 1: have the big old party because you're going to be 375 00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:40,960 Speaker 1: good for over a month afterwards, with occasional breaks for 376 00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:46,800 Speaker 1: feast days beef steaks, Feast days, Feast days beef steaks 377 00:19:47,240 --> 00:19:50,080 Speaker 1: like beef steaks coming to the equation. There are different 378 00:19:50,119 --> 00:19:52,480 Speaker 1: feast days where they're like holy celebrated days. So it's 379 00:19:52,480 --> 00:19:56,159 Speaker 1: all right to break your lent faster. We'll see. Now, 380 00:19:56,200 --> 00:19:57,520 Speaker 1: I don't know a lot about this lent thing, but 381 00:19:57,560 --> 00:20:00,520 Speaker 1: that just seems like cheating. We'll see. Nine. My mother 382 00:20:00,520 --> 00:20:03,480 Speaker 1: in law thought the same thing. She was like, she 383 00:20:03,560 --> 00:20:04,960 Speaker 1: was like, I don't know about these feast days in 384 00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:08,119 Speaker 1: and I'm like, but but but a priest told me this. 385 00:20:08,119 --> 00:20:11,479 Speaker 1: This is this is legit. But anyway, but yes, they 386 00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:14,280 Speaker 1: so they you know, in this lab, they took the 387 00:20:14,320 --> 00:20:16,960 Speaker 1: same tact, right like we're gonna go ahead and try 388 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:19,800 Speaker 1: to get these groups to indulge. And so what they 389 00:20:19,800 --> 00:20:24,320 Speaker 1: did is they gave two groups milkshakes. Sounds good right. Um. 390 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:30,400 Speaker 1: One was tasteless, low fat glop, absolute glop, right, a glock, 391 00:20:30,560 --> 00:20:34,680 Speaker 1: but a milkshake nonetheless tas. The other one was decadent, 392 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:39,720 Speaker 1: calorie laden and and yummy. Right. So the researchers expected 393 00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:44,240 Speaker 1: that the decadent milkshakes would perform better on willpower tesk right. 394 00:20:45,040 --> 00:20:49,199 Speaker 1: So the result is that both groups performed well on 395 00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:52,840 Speaker 1: these these tasks that they were given after they consumed this, 396 00:20:53,600 --> 00:20:55,360 Speaker 1: and it was a head scratch until they figured out 397 00:20:55,359 --> 00:20:59,280 Speaker 1: that the gluca glucas was mitigating the ego depletion and 398 00:20:59,520 --> 00:21:03,600 Speaker 1: sometimes completely reversing it both of the milk shapes. So 399 00:21:03,720 --> 00:21:06,000 Speaker 1: basically you had is you had these two groups and 400 00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:08,640 Speaker 1: they were going through similar to the other study where 401 00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:13,400 Speaker 1: they were given choices and their willpowers being eroded. They 402 00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:16,240 Speaker 1: took break, they had the milkshakes, they came back to 403 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:19,359 Speaker 1: do some more difficult tasks. They both performed really well. 404 00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:23,600 Speaker 1: So they thought, oh this this uh, this experiment went 405 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:27,520 Speaker 1: terribly awry. It didn't meet our expectations. But what they 406 00:21:27,600 --> 00:21:31,119 Speaker 1: figured out is that it was the actual glucose in 407 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:33,359 Speaker 1: the milkshake. It didn't really matter whether or not it 408 00:21:33,400 --> 00:21:36,080 Speaker 1: was calorie laden or delicious or you know, it was 409 00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:42,560 Speaker 1: the actually the food itself that was tripping the mind. Yeah, 410 00:21:42,680 --> 00:21:45,240 Speaker 1: So again and again in lab experiments dealing with self 411 00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:49,480 Speaker 1: control exercises, researchers found that people naturally gravitated towards sugary, 412 00:21:49,560 --> 00:21:52,760 Speaker 1: glucose filled snacks when given the choice between say, like 413 00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:56,320 Speaker 1: potato chips and candy. It's and and it's really effective, right, 414 00:21:56,359 --> 00:22:02,960 Speaker 1: but it's a temporary fix. And researchers also took dieters, 415 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:06,560 Speaker 1: which is the classic group that you would want to study, right, 416 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:09,320 Speaker 1: forty five women. What they did is they showed them 417 00:22:09,440 --> 00:22:12,920 Speaker 1: pictures of food, and they scan their brains okay, And 418 00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:17,200 Speaker 1: then they made them watch a comedy a film okay, 419 00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:20,280 Speaker 1: and they made them suppress their laughter. It just seems, 420 00:22:20,359 --> 00:22:23,760 Speaker 1: you know, okay, um, not not exactly cruel. But what 421 00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:26,840 Speaker 1: they're trying to induce was ego depletion because it takes 422 00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:29,000 Speaker 1: a lot of mental energy to try to do something 423 00:22:29,040 --> 00:22:32,920 Speaker 1: that is coming to you naturally, right, and also you're 424 00:22:32,960 --> 00:22:35,560 Speaker 1: you're robbing yourself with a little reward center ding right, 425 00:22:35,560 --> 00:22:38,000 Speaker 1: because we all know that laughter in comedy is is 426 00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:41,320 Speaker 1: something that lights up our brains. So afterwards, they showed 427 00:22:41,359 --> 00:22:44,680 Speaker 1: these the group food images again and they scan their 428 00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:46,640 Speaker 1: brains again, and what they found is that there's more 429 00:22:46,680 --> 00:22:49,800 Speaker 1: activity in the nucleus incumbents, which is the ward of 430 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:53,240 Speaker 1: the ward center, and less activity in the amigda, which 431 00:22:53,280 --> 00:22:57,520 Speaker 1: processes emotions and control impulses. So their ability to exercise 432 00:22:57,760 --> 00:23:01,880 Speaker 1: um willpower was compromised. And could see this in the scan, right. 433 00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:05,120 Speaker 1: And then the researchers wondered what a shot of glucose 434 00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:07,439 Speaker 1: could do if they added that to the scenario, and 435 00:23:07,480 --> 00:23:10,000 Speaker 1: they found that the brain changes were completely reversed, which 436 00:23:10,040 --> 00:23:13,720 Speaker 1: is what I talked about earlier. So again this link 437 00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:18,440 Speaker 1: is born out in the scan as well. It's not 438 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:21,120 Speaker 1: just it sounds like a big excuse, right, like I've 439 00:23:21,160 --> 00:23:23,320 Speaker 1: I've had to make so many choices today and that's 440 00:23:23,320 --> 00:23:25,439 Speaker 1: why I did this. I think you call this that 441 00:23:25,640 --> 00:23:29,359 Speaker 1: the double made me do it, uh rationale, But in 442 00:23:29,440 --> 00:23:33,080 Speaker 1: fact you do see real evidence that this is something 443 00:23:33,160 --> 00:23:36,560 Speaker 1: that is working at play and uh really eroding our 444 00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:39,879 Speaker 1: confidence and our ability to make decisions and making wise 445 00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:43,000 Speaker 1: decisions too. Yeah, sort of like I was thinking in 446 00:23:43,160 --> 00:23:44,800 Speaker 1: terms of the TV show Madman, kind of like a 447 00:23:44,840 --> 00:23:46,920 Speaker 1: Don Draper effect, where Don Draper has a lot of 448 00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:49,720 Speaker 1: decisions to make about who he's gonna fire and who's 449 00:23:49,720 --> 00:23:53,080 Speaker 1: going to be mean to generally Peggy um and uh 450 00:23:53,240 --> 00:23:55,479 Speaker 1: and and so he makes all these decisions and at 451 00:23:55,480 --> 00:23:57,520 Speaker 1: the end of the every show it's pretty much Don 452 00:23:57,600 --> 00:24:01,040 Speaker 1: Draper doing something really stupid. There you go, you just 453 00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:05,400 Speaker 1: cracked the writer's secret right there. Yeah. Yeah, if only 454 00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:08,119 Speaker 1: he had a little glucose shot, then he would just 455 00:24:08,200 --> 00:24:11,760 Speaker 1: be you know, well, he has most narrat shots throughout 456 00:24:11,800 --> 00:24:16,520 Speaker 1: the the late morning, afternoon, and evening, but it's just 457 00:24:16,600 --> 00:24:20,240 Speaker 1: not the glucose ones. But they saw listen judges too. 458 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:24,600 Speaker 1: They saw this in it Israeli parole board. They studied 459 00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:27,600 Speaker 1: the judges there and they found that they would grant 460 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:31,280 Speaker 1: parole much more so in the morning than in the afternoon. 461 00:24:32,040 --> 00:24:34,840 Speaker 1: And so if you had a ten o'clock case, you 462 00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:37,280 Speaker 1: were pretty lucky, right, you probably would get parole because 463 00:24:37,280 --> 00:24:39,720 Speaker 1: you're getting more thought into it. They're making more thoughtful, 464 00:24:40,080 --> 00:24:43,919 Speaker 1: informed decisions, right, they're not as inundated at three o'clock. Sorry, 465 00:24:44,040 --> 00:24:48,760 Speaker 1: you're probably not gonna get parole. And Uh, they apply 466 00:24:48,920 --> 00:24:51,200 Speaker 1: this glucose test to them as well. So they started 467 00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:53,680 Speaker 1: giving them a little snacks throughout the day and whoa, 468 00:24:53,800 --> 00:24:55,520 Speaker 1: right after the snack, guess what you were going to 469 00:24:55,560 --> 00:24:58,800 Speaker 1: get parole? Huh. So it's pretty amazing to see a 470 00:24:58,800 --> 00:25:04,280 Speaker 1: lot of in play. And that's really cupcake. Is the 471 00:25:04,320 --> 00:25:07,800 Speaker 1: take home here a deconan smoothie? Perhaps? Yeah, But the 472 00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:11,720 Speaker 1: reason that the in case you're wondering why they weren't 473 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:14,200 Speaker 1: granting parole is because this really was the safest choice 474 00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:16,760 Speaker 1: for them, because they were essentially deferring the decision because 475 00:25:16,800 --> 00:25:18,560 Speaker 1: they could say to themselves, I can I'm gonna bat 476 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:20,639 Speaker 1: down the hatches on my mental energy because I know 477 00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:22,199 Speaker 1: that this case is going to come up again at 478 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:25,480 Speaker 1: six months, two months, a year, and I can decide 479 00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:29,119 Speaker 1: them this feels like the safer choice. Okay, well that 480 00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:32,040 Speaker 1: this seems like a solid I mean, I'm taking you 481 00:25:32,160 --> 00:25:35,879 Speaker 1: outside of a criminal um, you know, injustice scenario. The 482 00:25:35,920 --> 00:25:39,320 Speaker 1: idea of deferring the choice of of sort of trusting 483 00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:43,800 Speaker 1: another body with your choices, uh, seems like a good 484 00:25:43,840 --> 00:25:48,200 Speaker 1: way to deal with decision fatigue, Like instead of going 485 00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:51,520 Speaker 1: stepping through every process in getting the sandwich, just the 486 00:25:51,560 --> 00:25:53,159 Speaker 1: way you want it, or think you might want it 487 00:25:53,400 --> 00:25:55,120 Speaker 1: to be able just to point and say I will 488 00:25:55,119 --> 00:26:00,000 Speaker 1: have the number three. Well, and that's and you're trusting 489 00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:02,640 Speaker 1: your sandwich artists or whoever to give you the type 490 00:26:02,640 --> 00:26:06,439 Speaker 1: of sandwich you would want. And of course that that, um, 491 00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:08,400 Speaker 1: that sort of makes a lot of us knee jerk, 492 00:26:08,800 --> 00:26:12,560 Speaker 1: especially Americans, because we like our choice so much, right right, 493 00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:15,760 Speaker 1: even with our most mundane things like Okay, what sort 494 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:18,359 Speaker 1: of crappy sandwich am I gonna get? Yeah, I should 495 00:26:18,359 --> 00:26:21,160 Speaker 1: have complete free reign to just just have no vegetables 496 00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:23,560 Speaker 1: at all, just me. Yeah. Yeah. And there have been 497 00:26:23,560 --> 00:26:28,720 Speaker 1: studies that suggest that less choices make more sense for us. There's, 498 00:26:28,760 --> 00:26:33,480 Speaker 1: you know, less fatigue that we're experiencing. Um, perhaps we're 499 00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:36,280 Speaker 1: happier with less choices. I tell you one example of 500 00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:39,440 Speaker 1: like in my case when it comes to listening to music, 501 00:26:39,720 --> 00:26:42,080 Speaker 1: I tend to absorb a lot of my music through 502 00:26:42,480 --> 00:26:46,240 Speaker 1: mixed podcasts, so to a certain extent, instead of saying, 503 00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:48,239 Speaker 1: I wonder what albums I'm gonna listen to for the 504 00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:50,800 Speaker 1: next hour or two hours, or which individual tracks I'm 505 00:26:50,800 --> 00:26:54,240 Speaker 1: going to choose to listen to instead, I'm going to trust, uh, 506 00:26:54,280 --> 00:26:57,440 Speaker 1: this individual DJ to give me a nice assortment of 507 00:26:57,480 --> 00:26:59,439 Speaker 1: tracks that I wouldn't In that way, I don't have 508 00:26:59,520 --> 00:27:01,320 Speaker 1: to have to find out who these artists are. I 509 00:27:01,359 --> 00:27:03,239 Speaker 1: don't have to to go out and discover new things. 510 00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:05,360 Speaker 1: I will let this guy discover things and deliver them 511 00:27:05,359 --> 00:27:08,399 Speaker 1: to me in a as a sonic meal. So and 512 00:27:08,600 --> 00:27:11,359 Speaker 1: that this person is vetted for you, right, so it 513 00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:13,600 Speaker 1: feels like, okay, I can seed my control over to 514 00:27:13,640 --> 00:27:15,920 Speaker 1: this person. Well, either it's somebody that I trust already, 515 00:27:15,960 --> 00:27:17,359 Speaker 1: like you know it's a it's a it's a DJ 516 00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:19,960 Speaker 1: I follow, or since a lot of these are you know, 517 00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:23,359 Speaker 1: they did to be podcast properties, so um it may 518 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:25,800 Speaker 1: say it's like the Solid Steel Radio show, or um 519 00:27:25,960 --> 00:27:28,160 Speaker 1: like a Body Tonic podcast or any of these other 520 00:27:28,240 --> 00:27:30,880 Speaker 1: music podcasts. There'll be multiple DJs that come through, So 521 00:27:30,920 --> 00:27:33,320 Speaker 1: then there's like a larger level. Am I trusting that 522 00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:36,879 Speaker 1: particular podcast to give me a DJ I can trust, 523 00:27:36,920 --> 00:27:39,359 Speaker 1: who will then give me music I can trust? Okay? 524 00:27:39,440 --> 00:27:43,680 Speaker 1: So this actually um is similar to a jam study 525 00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:46,200 Speaker 1: believe it or not or jelly for further, folks who 526 00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:49,880 Speaker 1: don't prefer jam and and not asn't kick out the jams, 527 00:27:50,080 --> 00:27:52,440 Speaker 1: but is then spread on the jam as in PB 528 00:27:52,600 --> 00:27:56,119 Speaker 1: and j jam. Right. Sheina I Anger, a professor of 529 00:27:56,160 --> 00:27:59,800 Speaker 1: business at Columbia University, conducted a study in which she 530 00:28:00,119 --> 00:28:02,600 Speaker 1: her research assistant set up a booth of samples of 531 00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:08,119 Speaker 1: Wilkins and Sons jams. Seems innocent enough, right, Every few hours, 532 00:28:08,119 --> 00:28:11,000 Speaker 1: they switched from offering a selection of twenty four jams 533 00:28:11,080 --> 00:28:14,960 Speaker 1: to a group of six jams. On average, customers tasted 534 00:28:15,119 --> 00:28:18,119 Speaker 1: two jams regardless of the size of the assortment, and 535 00:28:18,200 --> 00:28:21,720 Speaker 1: each person received a cub on good for one dollar off. Okay, 536 00:28:22,040 --> 00:28:24,520 Speaker 1: the really interesting part of this is that sixty percent 537 00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:26,880 Speaker 1: of customers were drawn to the large assortment, while only 538 00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:31,439 Speaker 1: stopped by the small one. But thirty percent of the 539 00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:33,760 Speaker 1: people who had sampled from the small assortment decided to 540 00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:36,840 Speaker 1: buy jam, as opposed to only three percent of those 541 00:28:36,840 --> 00:28:41,120 Speaker 1: people confronted with a big assortment of jelly. So that again, 542 00:28:41,160 --> 00:28:44,320 Speaker 1: here's this, here's this idea that you have this wide assortment, 543 00:28:44,360 --> 00:28:46,160 Speaker 1: you have all of these choices, and you're going to 544 00:28:46,280 --> 00:28:49,040 Speaker 1: back away. Whereas you cull it down a little bit, 545 00:28:49,280 --> 00:28:51,280 Speaker 1: all of a sudden, your sales go from three percent 546 00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:54,280 Speaker 1: to so yeah, So like with me, it's like I 547 00:28:54,280 --> 00:29:00,200 Speaker 1: would rather choose one of eighteen podcasts versus one out 548 00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:04,800 Speaker 1: of you know, several hundred DJs versus like one artist 549 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:08,000 Speaker 1: out of you know, hundreds and hundreds represented in those mixes. 550 00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:10,400 Speaker 1: It's just easier to refine it down. And I guess 551 00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:15,200 Speaker 1: in a much larger way people make these choices when 552 00:29:15,200 --> 00:29:22,760 Speaker 1: they choose various religions, philosophies, um political ideologies, because you're 553 00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:25,440 Speaker 1: sort of saying, I want instead of going through and 554 00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:28,600 Speaker 1: customizing your preferences, like the sandwich, you will just say, 555 00:29:28,760 --> 00:29:31,840 Speaker 1: you know what, give me the Catholic sandwich, give me 556 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:37,400 Speaker 1: the um Tea party sandwich, give me the you know, 557 00:29:37,680 --> 00:29:40,160 Speaker 1: give me the give the Zen Buddhist sandwich, give me 558 00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:42,600 Speaker 1: the Hindoo sandwi. You know, It's like you're you're saying, 559 00:29:42,600 --> 00:29:46,840 Speaker 1: give me those set of of preordained preferences. Uh, and 560 00:29:46,920 --> 00:29:49,040 Speaker 1: let me take that on because I I generally like 561 00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:51,560 Speaker 1: the shape of that sandwich and the look of it. 562 00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:54,760 Speaker 1: So I'm going to trust the various factors in that 563 00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:56,800 Speaker 1: sandwich to do me right. All right, Right, So I 564 00:29:56,840 --> 00:29:59,120 Speaker 1: feel like, okay, give me the atheist sandwich because that 565 00:29:59,280 --> 00:30:02,840 Speaker 1: that works, and and I'm going to run with that model. 566 00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:05,720 Speaker 1: And it's but then something. The only thing is what 567 00:30:05,800 --> 00:30:08,400 Speaker 1: if you get that sandwich and you really don't like lapenas? 568 00:30:09,080 --> 00:30:12,680 Speaker 1: So do you learn to like kalepenas? Maybe you do. 569 00:30:12,880 --> 00:30:15,440 Speaker 1: I mean again, this is it's really interesting if you 570 00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:19,480 Speaker 1: apply it to the way that we we wield our 571 00:30:19,560 --> 00:30:22,000 Speaker 1: choices in the world and why you sometimes look back 572 00:30:22,040 --> 00:30:24,480 Speaker 1: and think, how how did I make that choice? That 573 00:30:24,560 --> 00:30:27,920 Speaker 1: seems so rational in the moment, but now it seems 574 00:30:27,960 --> 00:30:30,360 Speaker 1: like how how could I have made that choice? Or 575 00:30:30,400 --> 00:30:33,960 Speaker 1: what if the sandwich ends up containing say, um, you 576 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:38,000 Speaker 1: know baby seal or condor patties, you know, like some 577 00:30:38,040 --> 00:30:39,920 Speaker 1: sort of endangered species, and you're but you're like, oh, 578 00:30:39,920 --> 00:30:41,800 Speaker 1: but the rest of the sandwich is so good. I 579 00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:47,280 Speaker 1: just accepted the bad with the good for the You've 580 00:30:47,320 --> 00:30:50,200 Speaker 1: just minimized your choice to witness relocation. My friend, you 581 00:30:50,240 --> 00:30:52,960 Speaker 1: got to put your mustache on. But no, wonder you know, 582 00:30:53,080 --> 00:30:56,120 Speaker 1: we get ourselves in a tizzy because did you know 583 00:30:56,560 --> 00:30:59,640 Speaker 1: that three to four hours of our day is spent 584 00:30:59,800 --> 00:31:04,760 Speaker 1: in some sort of state of desire? Okay, okay, ballmeister again. 585 00:31:04,880 --> 00:31:08,440 Speaker 1: This guy his group gave pre programmed blot berries to 586 00:31:08,480 --> 00:31:10,840 Speaker 1: more than two hundred people for a week. The phones 587 00:31:10,880 --> 00:31:13,800 Speaker 1: went off at random intervals, prompting the people to report 588 00:31:13,840 --> 00:31:16,640 Speaker 1: whether they were currently experiencing some sort of desire or 589 00:31:16,720 --> 00:31:20,240 Speaker 1: had recently felt a desire. They collected more than ten 590 00:31:20,280 --> 00:31:24,200 Speaker 1: thousand momentary reports than this is from Morning Tonight, and 591 00:31:24,240 --> 00:31:26,480 Speaker 1: the results suggested that people spend between three and four 592 00:31:26,480 --> 00:31:29,520 Speaker 1: hours a day resisting desire or some sort of urge 593 00:31:30,280 --> 00:31:32,640 Speaker 1: and uh. As the New York Times article put it, 594 00:31:32,720 --> 00:31:35,080 Speaker 1: if you tapped four or five people at any random 595 00:31:35,120 --> 00:31:36,800 Speaker 1: moment in the day, one of them would be using 596 00:31:36,840 --> 00:31:40,560 Speaker 1: willpower to resist a desire. And the most common desires 597 00:31:41,040 --> 00:31:45,400 Speaker 1: eat in sleep right makes sense, followed by leisure activities, 598 00:31:46,280 --> 00:31:49,520 Speaker 1: and then followed by the urge to have sex. The 599 00:31:49,680 --> 00:31:52,480 Speaker 1: three or four hours of this it seems like a lot. 600 00:31:52,760 --> 00:31:54,680 Speaker 1: It does. I mean, obviously this is not, you know, 601 00:31:54,800 --> 00:31:58,160 Speaker 1: in in constant three or four hours state of desire, 602 00:31:59,280 --> 00:32:01,719 Speaker 1: but it does. It does tie in rather nicely with 603 00:32:01,760 --> 00:32:04,440 Speaker 1: the you know, the the idea that that's that the 604 00:32:04,480 --> 00:32:07,560 Speaker 1: desire is one of the roots of suffering in the world. Well, 605 00:32:07,560 --> 00:32:10,000 Speaker 1: this is the this idea of this temptation that that 606 00:32:10,120 --> 00:32:12,320 Speaker 1: sort of throws us off, and that's why our old 607 00:32:12,440 --> 00:32:15,120 Speaker 1: magdala is taken up there so to speak, trying to 608 00:32:15,240 --> 00:32:17,200 Speaker 1: keep us on the street and narrow. Well, that's well, 609 00:32:17,240 --> 00:32:19,360 Speaker 1: there you go. That's uh. So that's pretty fascinating and 610 00:32:19,520 --> 00:32:22,440 Speaker 1: it is one of those things that definitely forces you 611 00:32:22,520 --> 00:32:24,680 Speaker 1: to take another look at your life and look at 612 00:32:24,720 --> 00:32:28,080 Speaker 1: the the numerous decisions that fill it and uh and 613 00:32:28,080 --> 00:32:30,160 Speaker 1: and perhaps figure out ways where we can cut down 614 00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:32,320 Speaker 1: on the number of decisions we're taxing our brain with 615 00:32:32,560 --> 00:32:34,600 Speaker 1: at the expense of the decisions we really need to make. 616 00:32:34,840 --> 00:32:37,680 Speaker 1: So that's the truth. That's that's that's sort of my takeaways, 617 00:32:37,800 --> 00:32:41,040 Speaker 1: Like try to eat more consistently throughout the day, right 618 00:32:41,360 --> 00:32:43,680 Speaker 1: so I can make better decisions. Try to make the 619 00:32:43,800 --> 00:32:48,400 Speaker 1: decisions earlier in the day. Yeah, and uh and uh, 620 00:32:48,440 --> 00:32:50,680 Speaker 1: I don't know what else, and believe what other people 621 00:32:50,720 --> 00:32:53,480 Speaker 1: tell you to listen to and uh and why you 622 00:32:53,520 --> 00:32:56,920 Speaker 1: know fun get some good vetted people to make some 623 00:32:56,960 --> 00:32:59,040 Speaker 1: decisions for you. I mean seriously, it's like it saves 624 00:32:59,080 --> 00:33:00,800 Speaker 1: so much time and energy if you can just find 625 00:33:01,040 --> 00:33:04,640 Speaker 1: like a good DJ or a good uh or maybe 626 00:33:04,680 --> 00:33:06,560 Speaker 1: there you know it's a it's a particular blogger you 627 00:33:06,600 --> 00:33:09,240 Speaker 1: agree with them, or a movie critic. I mean seriously, 628 00:33:09,240 --> 00:33:10,800 Speaker 1: like when it comes to finding out whether you want 629 00:33:10,800 --> 00:33:13,000 Speaker 1: to watch rain go or not. It's nice to be 630 00:33:13,040 --> 00:33:14,840 Speaker 1: able to just turn to Eager and see, like, all right, Eber, 631 00:33:14,920 --> 00:33:16,680 Speaker 1: what do you think of it? You give it four stars? Okay, 632 00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:19,720 Speaker 1: I'll give it. Yeah, that's true. Stick in Google and 633 00:33:19,720 --> 00:33:22,520 Speaker 1: getting like ten different results, going through like and mucking 634 00:33:22,560 --> 00:33:23,760 Speaker 1: through a bunch of them and saying like, well, I 635 00:33:23,760 --> 00:33:25,560 Speaker 1: don't know who's this guy? Should I vet him? He 636 00:33:25,640 --> 00:33:28,160 Speaker 1: liked listening? You know, it's just just pick somebody you 637 00:33:28,240 --> 00:33:30,960 Speaker 1: like and go with it. There you go. Yeah, that 638 00:33:31,120 --> 00:33:34,440 Speaker 1: that's the answer to life right there. Well, hey, we 639 00:33:34,480 --> 00:33:36,600 Speaker 1: have some listener mail. We kind of neglected it in 640 00:33:36,600 --> 00:33:39,360 Speaker 1: the last few podcasts because we either I either forget 641 00:33:39,400 --> 00:33:41,240 Speaker 1: to print it out or we end up going a 642 00:33:41,240 --> 00:33:43,720 Speaker 1: little too long and don't really have time for it. Uh, 643 00:33:43,720 --> 00:33:45,280 Speaker 1: and maybe we went too long today. I don't know. 644 00:33:45,280 --> 00:33:47,360 Speaker 1: We'll find out. We have some email here from a 645 00:33:47,360 --> 00:33:49,880 Speaker 1: listener by the name of Jonathan Jonathan Wright, Senuss, Hi, Robert, 646 00:33:49,960 --> 00:33:52,600 Speaker 1: and Julie. I'm catching up on your podcast, having started 647 00:33:52,680 --> 00:33:55,080 Speaker 1: listening to it after listening to the other How Stuff 648 00:33:55,120 --> 00:33:58,160 Speaker 1: Works podcast over a hundred podcasts, but I listened a 649 00:33:58,280 --> 00:34:00,360 Speaker 1: lot on the road. I listened to the one on 650 00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:04,800 Speaker 1: subliminal messaging. Today, I think it's your fifty newest. When 651 00:34:04,880 --> 00:34:07,560 Speaker 1: talking about smells, it reminded me of a store I 652 00:34:07,720 --> 00:34:10,520 Speaker 1: bet you would love. There's a great outdoor mall in 653 00:34:10,600 --> 00:34:14,560 Speaker 1: San Diego, California called Corton Plaza. There is a Cinnamon 654 00:34:14,680 --> 00:34:18,839 Speaker 1: Roll Bakery was bought out by Cinnamon unfortunately, but there's 655 00:34:18,840 --> 00:34:21,400 Speaker 1: an exhaust event from the inside the kitchen that pumps 656 00:34:21,440 --> 00:34:24,720 Speaker 1: cinnamon roll smell into the walkway in front of the store. 657 00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:28,800 Speaker 1: Maybe not subliminal as much as pure evil, but was 658 00:34:28,920 --> 00:34:31,600 Speaker 1: always a great It was always such a clever idea. 659 00:34:32,080 --> 00:34:34,359 Speaker 1: Now if you walk a few more doors down there 660 00:34:34,440 --> 00:34:37,200 Speaker 1: is a sparky house of glue, close your eyes and 661 00:34:37,280 --> 00:34:39,960 Speaker 1: you can appreciate, really appreciate the smell wafting from their 662 00:34:40,040 --> 00:34:46,719 Speaker 1: fan delicious rendered horse paste and so so that's that's fascinating. Um. 663 00:34:46,800 --> 00:34:48,680 Speaker 1: And of course I think we discussed that the cinnamon 664 00:34:48,760 --> 00:34:52,480 Speaker 1: bun smell is is really powerful when it comes to 665 00:34:52,520 --> 00:34:55,520 Speaker 1: controlling people. Yeah, that's right, it's it's the siren song 666 00:34:55,600 --> 00:34:59,440 Speaker 1: of temptation. Yeah, one would have to make a Ulysses 667 00:34:59,520 --> 00:35:02,600 Speaker 1: pack to discover it. Which, by the way, if you 668 00:35:02,840 --> 00:35:04,560 Speaker 1: if you're listening to this podcast, and you have not 669 00:35:04,719 --> 00:35:08,760 Speaker 1: listened to our one um uh, the the accompanying podcast 670 00:35:08,880 --> 00:35:12,400 Speaker 1: that we did on procrastination. Uh, stop putting on putting 671 00:35:12,440 --> 00:35:13,960 Speaker 1: it off and listen to that, because there's a lot 672 00:35:13,960 --> 00:35:17,880 Speaker 1: of crossover between the two companion. We also heard from 673 00:35:17,880 --> 00:35:19,640 Speaker 1: a listener by the name of Trent, and Trent rights 674 00:35:19,760 --> 00:35:22,400 Speaker 1: in and hit some some very interesting things to say 675 00:35:22,440 --> 00:35:25,399 Speaker 1: about our Religion and Space episode. He says, Hey, guys, 676 00:35:25,600 --> 00:35:27,640 Speaker 1: I've actually been meaning to send this email for a 677 00:35:27,680 --> 00:35:29,960 Speaker 1: while and I'm only just getting around to it. There 678 00:35:30,040 --> 00:35:33,480 Speaker 1: you go, Procrastination against UM. I enjoyed your podcast on 679 00:35:33,600 --> 00:35:36,320 Speaker 1: religion in Space and thought Robert's comment on taking the 680 00:35:36,440 --> 00:35:40,239 Speaker 1: best bits from different religions very interesting. However, I do 681 00:35:40,360 --> 00:35:43,600 Speaker 1: see some problems, the main one being what if there 682 00:35:43,640 --> 00:35:45,600 Speaker 1: are parts of a religion that may not seem to 683 00:35:45,680 --> 00:35:49,359 Speaker 1: be beneficial according to currently held ideas, and it isn't 684 00:35:49,480 --> 00:35:51,800 Speaker 1: much later that it turns out to be quite beneficial. 685 00:35:52,280 --> 00:35:54,480 Speaker 1: I am thinking of one example in particular. I am 686 00:35:54,480 --> 00:35:57,000 Speaker 1: a Jehovah's witness, and we take the Bible's instruction to 687 00:35:57,080 --> 00:36:01,080 Speaker 1: abstain from blood very literally, including the refusal of blood transfusions. 688 00:36:01,440 --> 00:36:04,239 Speaker 1: For years, we have been looked down upon by not 689 00:36:04,400 --> 00:36:07,160 Speaker 1: only the medical community but people in general because of 690 00:36:07,160 --> 00:36:10,480 Speaker 1: our refusal to accept accept blood transfusions. However, in part 691 00:36:10,560 --> 00:36:14,440 Speaker 1: due to the witness witnesses, huge advances in bloodless surgery 692 00:36:14,480 --> 00:36:16,720 Speaker 1: and medicine have been made and it is now accepted 693 00:36:16,760 --> 00:36:20,279 Speaker 1: by many medical practitioners that it has many advantages and 694 00:36:20,920 --> 00:36:23,760 Speaker 1: in almost all cases is more beneficial than a traditional 695 00:36:23,800 --> 00:36:26,000 Speaker 1: blood transfusion, which leads me to the next point of 696 00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:28,960 Speaker 1: the email. UM a show suggestion. I think a podcast 697 00:36:29,000 --> 00:36:32,440 Speaker 1: on bloodless surgery would be interesting. Um So, anyway, he 698 00:36:32,520 --> 00:36:34,520 Speaker 1: does bring up an interesting point and one that um, 699 00:36:34,880 --> 00:36:37,400 Speaker 1: I've kind of thought of two and think because to refresh, 700 00:36:37,520 --> 00:36:42,000 Speaker 1: I kind of have often played with this idea of religion, uh, 701 00:36:42,320 --> 00:36:45,239 Speaker 1: the religion buffet where you go through, and of course 702 00:36:45,239 --> 00:36:46,719 Speaker 1: you end up making a lot of choices in this. 703 00:36:47,280 --> 00:36:49,640 Speaker 1: It's kind of like say, here, here we go. We're 704 00:36:49,640 --> 00:36:51,480 Speaker 1: at the buffet line again. Yeah, where you go through 705 00:36:51,520 --> 00:36:53,200 Speaker 1: and you're like, I like this from this religion, this 706 00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:55,360 Speaker 1: from that religion, or I like these ideas from this 707 00:36:55,480 --> 00:36:57,840 Speaker 1: given UM view on the world, and I'm going to 708 00:36:57,920 --> 00:37:02,960 Speaker 1: adopt these and leave this UM. But yeah, on one hand, 709 00:37:03,040 --> 00:37:05,360 Speaker 1: you're making a lot of decisions In this you're so 710 00:37:05,480 --> 00:37:09,160 Speaker 1: you're taxing your decision making ability and uh indeed, it's 711 00:37:09,200 --> 00:37:12,080 Speaker 1: kind of like we were talking about. UH. But by 712 00:37:12,200 --> 00:37:16,120 Speaker 1: choosing I can avoid the hillo the Halopenias that maybe 713 00:37:16,160 --> 00:37:19,080 Speaker 1: I don't want. But what if I really need Halopinians 714 00:37:19,080 --> 00:37:21,200 Speaker 1: and I don't realize it? What if there's something? What 715 00:37:21,320 --> 00:37:26,320 Speaker 1: if in picking and choosing from different uh faiths and philosophies, 716 00:37:26,560 --> 00:37:28,839 Speaker 1: what if I'm neglecting to get the things my body 717 00:37:28,880 --> 00:37:31,920 Speaker 1: actually needs. What if I'm like the kid who refuses 718 00:37:31,960 --> 00:37:34,400 Speaker 1: to put vegetables on his sandwich just because he doesn't 719 00:37:34,480 --> 00:37:38,000 Speaker 1: like them, when really that scurvy kid needs vegetables like 720 00:37:38,080 --> 00:37:41,560 Speaker 1: nobody's business. Well, I'm thinking about it. I'm thinking about 721 00:37:41,560 --> 00:37:44,719 Speaker 1: it and the Great Spaghetti Monster. Maybe I need some 722 00:37:44,800 --> 00:37:49,440 Speaker 1: garlic bread with my spaghetti monster. There you go with Basically, 723 00:37:49,480 --> 00:37:52,600 Speaker 1: it's like a made up deity, Yes, yes, as opposed 724 00:37:52,600 --> 00:37:54,239 Speaker 1: to all the other deities which are not made up. 725 00:37:54,400 --> 00:37:56,799 Speaker 1: Well there, yes, yes it was recently in the news, 726 00:37:56,960 --> 00:38:00,600 Speaker 1: but that's for another time. I suppose. So, hey, if 727 00:38:00,640 --> 00:38:02,960 Speaker 1: you have anything that you want to share with us 728 00:38:03,040 --> 00:38:05,719 Speaker 1: that you've been putting off sharing with us, um and 729 00:38:05,840 --> 00:38:09,080 Speaker 1: that order that you can't quite decide on sharing with us, 730 00:38:09,400 --> 00:38:12,040 Speaker 1: then get in touch with us. We are on Twitter 731 00:38:12,120 --> 00:38:14,440 Speaker 1: and Facebook. You'll find us as blow the Mind on 732 00:38:14,560 --> 00:38:16,759 Speaker 1: both of those, so you know, go on at us 733 00:38:16,760 --> 00:38:19,239 Speaker 1: as your friend, follow us. We'll keep you updated on 734 00:38:19,320 --> 00:38:22,000 Speaker 1: what we're podcasting about, what we're thinking about podcasting about, 735 00:38:22,160 --> 00:38:24,440 Speaker 1: and you can help you decide that's right. And you 736 00:38:24,480 --> 00:38:26,839 Speaker 1: can always send us an email at blow the Mind 737 00:38:26,880 --> 00:38:33,839 Speaker 1: at how stuff works dot com. Be sure to check 738 00:38:33,840 --> 00:38:36,960 Speaker 1: out our new video podcast, Stuff from the Future. Join 739 00:38:37,080 --> 00:38:39,560 Speaker 1: how Stuff Work staff as we explore the most promising 740 00:38:39,680 --> 00:38:41,920 Speaker 1: and perplexing possibilities of tomorrow.