1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,720 Speaker 1: Guess what, mango, what's that? Well, you know, sometimes you'll 2 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:05,280 Speaker 1: set your alarm clock really early, like if you've got 3 00:00:05,280 --> 00:00:07,600 Speaker 1: a flight or something like that, and then the next 4 00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:10,399 Speaker 1: morning you'll wake up right on time. Does happen to you, 5 00:00:11,119 --> 00:00:12,760 Speaker 1: I'll either do that or I'll wake up at like 6 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:14,880 Speaker 1: two and then three and then four and then whenever 7 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:16,680 Speaker 1: I have to wake up. But more often than not, 8 00:00:16,800 --> 00:00:19,000 Speaker 1: it's so weird because you'll wake up like a minute 9 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:21,560 Speaker 1: before your alarm goes off. And I was reading this 10 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:23,880 Speaker 1: study from the University of lu back and they got 11 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:26,759 Speaker 1: some student volunteers to go to sleep, and they told 12 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:28,800 Speaker 1: them before that that they'd wake them up at either 13 00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:31,319 Speaker 1: six in the morning or nine in the morning, and 14 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:33,640 Speaker 1: then they lied and with everybody up at six o'clock. 15 00:00:34,120 --> 00:00:36,120 Speaker 1: So I'm guessing a lot of people who were told 16 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 1: they'd wake up at six were like more awake at 17 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 1: that time, right, Yeah, that's exactly what happens. And the 18 00:00:41,479 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 1: kids who were told they'd be getting up at nine 19 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 1: were completely groggy and just out of it. But what's 20 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:49,880 Speaker 1: interesting is that they were monitoring their bodies the entire time. 21 00:00:50,320 --> 00:00:51,680 Speaker 1: And so for the sleepers who were told they to 22 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 1: be woken up early. Their stress hormones kicked in at 23 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:57,400 Speaker 1: around four thirty in the morning. You could actually see 24 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 1: that their bodies were using stress to anticipate these early 25 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:03,560 Speaker 1: mornings and prepare them for the early day. And so 26 00:01:03,640 --> 00:01:06,600 Speaker 1: today's episode is all about stress. What does it due 27 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:08,320 Speaker 1: to our body and how can we use it for 28 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 1: good and what are the best ways to relieve it? 29 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:33,960 Speaker 1: So let's dig in ai their podcast listeners, Welcome to 30 00:01:33,959 --> 00:01:36,360 Speaker 1: Part Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson and as always I'm 31 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:38,520 Speaker 1: joined by my good friend man guest shot Ticketer and 32 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 1: on the other side of the soundproof glass raking this 33 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:43,800 Speaker 1: tiny zen garden. Oh it's so sweet, but he's breaking 34 00:01:43,959 --> 00:01:49,040 Speaker 1: pretty aggressively. Actually that's our friend and producer Tristan McNeil. 35 00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:51,120 Speaker 1: I think you need to go a little easier, Tristan, 36 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 1: but he is getting pretty zin with it and he's 37 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:55,880 Speaker 1: he's raking the heck out of this thing. Yeah, I know, 38 00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:58,400 Speaker 1: I mean he does claim it helps them to relax. 39 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:00,600 Speaker 1: So I think we ought to support the man for 40 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:02,800 Speaker 1: today's show. Especially, we should try to keep an open 41 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 1: mind to different approaches to dealing with stress, because there 42 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:07,920 Speaker 1: really is no one correct way to cope with it. 43 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:10,160 Speaker 1: For for example, I was reading about the study from 44 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:13,600 Speaker 1: a team out of Australia, these neuroscientists from the University 45 00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:17,120 Speaker 1: of Queensland, and apparently they figured out that when grass 46 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:20,400 Speaker 1: is cut, it actually inhibits our brain's release of stress 47 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:22,880 Speaker 1: causing hormones. So it turns out there's a good reason 48 00:02:22,919 --> 00:02:25,480 Speaker 1: why people love the scent of fresh cut grass so much. 49 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:28,960 Speaker 1: It can actually help you calm down. That's pretty interesting. 50 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 1: So that's our first tip pretty early in the day. 51 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:33,840 Speaker 1: So if you're feeling stressed, just mow your lawn or 52 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:37,600 Speaker 1: get an air freshener that smells like mode lawn. And 53 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:39,520 Speaker 1: the truth is, there are a ton of other offbeat 54 00:02:39,520 --> 00:02:42,000 Speaker 1: examples that you know are there to relieve our stress. 55 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:44,080 Speaker 1: But to start things off, why don't we talk about 56 00:02:44,080 --> 00:02:46,480 Speaker 1: what stress is and what kind of effects that can 57 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:49,760 Speaker 1: have on our bodies? Alright? Well, since stress is something 58 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:51,959 Speaker 1: that's always been a part of life, obviously don't have 59 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:54,880 Speaker 1: a great origin story for this one, but the closest 60 00:02:54,919 --> 00:02:57,520 Speaker 1: thing might be the origin of the term. So I 61 00:02:57,560 --> 00:03:01,200 Speaker 1: didn't realize this, but prior to the word stressed didn't 62 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 1: mean like a mental or emotional strain. Until that point, 63 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 1: it was just used to refer to the pressure applied 64 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:09,120 Speaker 1: to an object, you know, not to a prison's well being. 65 00:03:09,560 --> 00:03:12,919 Speaker 1: So what changed in nineteen forty six specifically that that 66 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 1: kind of gave it this new meaning. So there's this 67 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:18,240 Speaker 1: Austrian physician named Hans Celier, and that's the year he 68 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:21,799 Speaker 1: first coined the term stress while describing his latest experiments. So, 69 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:24,480 Speaker 1: of course this comes back to a rat study, because 70 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:27,880 Speaker 1: we love rats studies on this show. But uh Celia 71 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 1: had been monitoring the physical responses of rats that have 72 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:34,760 Speaker 1: been injected with different hormones and also different like tissues, 73 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:38,360 Speaker 1: and he found that the rats symptoms were identical regardless 74 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 1: of what they had been injected with. And what became 75 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:44,120 Speaker 1: apparent was that the rats were responding to the trauma 76 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:47,120 Speaker 1: of the experiments themselves. And and he called this trauma stress. 77 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 1: So I'm assuming the stress that Selia witnessed was involuntary, 78 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:53,320 Speaker 1: like you know, a faster heart rate or an increase 79 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:56,680 Speaker 1: in blood pressure. I actually looked into this fight or 80 00:03:56,680 --> 00:03:58,680 Speaker 1: flight response a little bit, and you know, that's the 81 00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:00,760 Speaker 1: feeling that gets triggered in your body when the brain 82 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:04,640 Speaker 1: recognizes some sort of outside threat. So basically it starts 83 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:07,520 Speaker 1: when the hypothalamus sends signals to the pituitary glands and 84 00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:10,240 Speaker 1: the adrenal glands. What that does is it triggers the 85 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:14,000 Speaker 1: production of adrenaline and these other stress hormones like cortisol 86 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 1: and epidephrin. And then a few things happen when all 87 00:04:17,080 --> 00:04:20,400 Speaker 1: these chemicals are swirling around in our blood stream. So 88 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:23,240 Speaker 1: for starters are reflexes and senses are heightened so we 89 00:04:23,279 --> 00:04:26,799 Speaker 1: can better deal with that perceived threat. The cortisol also 90 00:04:26,839 --> 00:04:29,720 Speaker 1: pushes glucose out of our tissues and into our blood, 91 00:04:29,760 --> 00:04:32,440 Speaker 1: and that gives our bodies this extra boost of energy 92 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:35,560 Speaker 1: that you might experience if you're really really stressed. Yeah, 93 00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: so I'm always amazed by that sort of thing, like 94 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 1: like we think of stress is such a negative and yeah, 95 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:43,279 Speaker 1: it's also this reaction that's supposed to help us deal 96 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:46,920 Speaker 1: with these life threatening situations, like if our ancestors had 97 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:49,880 Speaker 1: to like avoid running from a lion or something, that's 98 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:53,000 Speaker 1: when stress kicks in and it's helpful. But obviously these 99 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:55,520 Speaker 1: sharpened senses don't always help us deal with the more 100 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:58,440 Speaker 1: benign things like trying to make a deadline or trying 101 00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:00,599 Speaker 1: to give a public speech. And you know, for for 102 00:05:00,640 --> 00:05:04,400 Speaker 1: someone like me, who is really used to avoiding public speaking. 103 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:07,880 Speaker 1: That sort of stress can be debilitating, Like doesn't it 104 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:10,119 Speaker 1: feel like overkill from the body to still be sending 105 00:05:10,120 --> 00:05:12,680 Speaker 1: out all these signals? Yeah, it does, and the response 106 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:14,400 Speaker 1: to stress can be a problem when all that extra 107 00:05:14,400 --> 00:05:17,880 Speaker 1: focus and energy doesn't really have a natural outlet. Part 108 00:05:17,880 --> 00:05:20,279 Speaker 1: of that is because the stress hormones actually begin to 109 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:23,080 Speaker 1: build up, and that not only keeps us on edge, 110 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:26,479 Speaker 1: but it also provokes all kinds of unnecessary responses in 111 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:29,000 Speaker 1: our bodies. For example, you know how stress can make 112 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:32,280 Speaker 1: some people feel nauseous or stick to their stomach. Well, 113 00:05:32,279 --> 00:05:34,880 Speaker 1: that's because stress hormones push the blood away from the 114 00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:38,520 Speaker 1: gastro intestinal system and actually redirect it to the brain. 115 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:40,680 Speaker 1: And that makes sense because it helps the brain better 116 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:43,479 Speaker 1: respond to threats. But there are side effects, and that's 117 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:46,760 Speaker 1: when this redirection agitates the microbes living in our gut, 118 00:05:46,839 --> 00:05:49,200 Speaker 1: and that of course makes you feel sick at your stomach. 119 00:05:49,760 --> 00:05:52,720 Speaker 1: So I definitely feel that loss of appetite from anxiety. 120 00:05:52,760 --> 00:05:55,120 Speaker 1: But what's weirder to me is that even though stress 121 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:57,320 Speaker 1: can sap your desire to eat, it can also make 122 00:05:57,360 --> 00:06:00,360 Speaker 1: you gain weight at the same time. And I didn't 123 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:03,560 Speaker 1: realize this before. But as stress hormones like cortisols circulate 124 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:06,520 Speaker 1: through the body, they relay messages to our fat stores, 125 00:06:06,560 --> 00:06:09,360 Speaker 1: telling them to generate as much energy as possible, and 126 00:06:09,800 --> 00:06:13,120 Speaker 1: this call to action triggers the process called lippo license, 127 00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:16,200 Speaker 1: which is basically when fatty assets called lipids are broken 128 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:20,160 Speaker 1: down and circulated through the body as a source of energy. Alright, 129 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:22,359 Speaker 1: so if the fat is being broken down, it seems 130 00:06:22,360 --> 00:06:24,320 Speaker 1: like that what calls us to lose weight rather than 131 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:26,600 Speaker 1: gain it. So how does this work? Yeah, I mean 132 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:29,560 Speaker 1: it should accept that these lipids also signal the brain 133 00:06:29,600 --> 00:06:32,760 Speaker 1: to release more stress hormones, which basically tells the body 134 00:06:32,760 --> 00:06:35,440 Speaker 1: to conserve its fat supplies. So it's kind of this 135 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:39,920 Speaker 1: negative feedback loop like as one professor of neuroscience explained. 136 00:06:40,279 --> 00:06:44,280 Speaker 1: He said, cortisol causes lippo license to release energy, but 137 00:06:44,640 --> 00:06:47,839 Speaker 1: stimulates the growth of fat cells replenishing it, which makes 138 00:06:47,880 --> 00:06:51,120 Speaker 1: it a double edged sword. And basically these mixed messages 139 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:53,279 Speaker 1: are also a big reason why stress can lead to 140 00:06:53,279 --> 00:06:57,120 Speaker 1: obesity is as well as certain kinds of diabetes. Okay, 141 00:06:57,160 --> 00:06:59,280 Speaker 1: I mean it makes sense. I've actually never heard that before. 142 00:06:59,279 --> 00:07:00,520 Speaker 1: And when you were talking abou a weight gain. I 143 00:07:00,600 --> 00:07:02,839 Speaker 1: just assume you were talking about like stress eating or 144 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:05,520 Speaker 1: other responses like that. Yeah, I mean that's interesting to 145 00:07:05,560 --> 00:07:07,880 Speaker 1: me too. I find a bizarre because you know, I 146 00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:10,400 Speaker 1: can't eat, but like other people tend to chow down 147 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:13,360 Speaker 1: when they're stressed. And that's really because stress responses are 148 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:17,320 Speaker 1: highly individualized to our genetic differences, So you know, people 149 00:07:17,320 --> 00:07:20,600 Speaker 1: can have widely different responses to the exact same stressor Yeah, 150 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:22,400 Speaker 1: and it is probably worth mentioning that while we know 151 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:24,920 Speaker 1: stress can make us feel sick, we aren't a hundred 152 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:28,720 Speaker 1: percent sure of the physiological reasons behind that. But scientists 153 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:30,840 Speaker 1: have made some headway on that over the past decade 154 00:07:30,920 --> 00:07:32,800 Speaker 1: or so. For instance, there was a study out of 155 00:07:32,920 --> 00:07:34,680 Speaker 1: U c l A. This was back in two thousand 156 00:07:34,640 --> 00:07:37,320 Speaker 1: and twelve, and it pointed towards the immune system as 157 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:40,040 Speaker 1: a possible answer to this. So the researchers had a 158 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:42,320 Speaker 1: group of a hundred and twenty two participants fill out 159 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:45,280 Speaker 1: questionnaires and they were answering questions about their activities over 160 00:07:45,320 --> 00:07:48,040 Speaker 1: the last week or so, and including that was whether 161 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:51,840 Speaker 1: each social encounter they had was positive or negative. And 162 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:54,600 Speaker 1: they also have participants undertake a whole series of these 163 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:58,440 Speaker 1: very stressful lab tests and before and after these tests, 164 00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:01,280 Speaker 1: the volunteers had their salive attested and what they were 165 00:08:01,320 --> 00:08:05,480 Speaker 1: looking for was, you know, indicators of inflammation called cytokinds, 166 00:08:05,480 --> 00:08:08,239 Speaker 1: and these are products of the immune system. So cyto 167 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:10,120 Speaker 1: kinds are supposed to travel to the side of the 168 00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:12,240 Speaker 1: wound or you know, something like that so they can 169 00:08:12,280 --> 00:08:15,360 Speaker 1: help fight off infection. So the researchers were trying to 170 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:17,400 Speaker 1: see if the stress would lead to a rise in 171 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:21,160 Speaker 1: these cyto kinds, and amazingly it did. After the participants 172 00:08:21,200 --> 00:08:25,440 Speaker 1: engaged in negatively stressful activities things like arguments, their levels 173 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:28,240 Speaker 1: of cyto kinds went way up, which is pretty wild 174 00:08:28,280 --> 00:08:30,080 Speaker 1: when you think about It's like our immune system is 175 00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:33,400 Speaker 1: responding to an emotional or maybe a mental wound in 176 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:36,760 Speaker 1: the same way that it would a physical one. That's crazy. So, 177 00:08:37,760 --> 00:08:40,320 Speaker 1: I mean, are there any negative effects of this? Let like, 178 00:08:40,440 --> 00:08:43,120 Speaker 1: have scientists figured that part out? Well? There definitely are. 179 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:45,560 Speaker 1: I mean the reaction can lead to some pretty major 180 00:08:45,640 --> 00:08:48,600 Speaker 1: problems in the long term, including stuff like heart disease 181 00:08:48,720 --> 00:08:51,120 Speaker 1: and even cancer. You know, because why can we mentioned 182 00:08:51,400 --> 00:08:54,040 Speaker 1: These cyto kinds are looking for a wound to work on, 183 00:08:54,520 --> 00:08:56,960 Speaker 1: and when they don't find one. They just keep circulating 184 00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:00,560 Speaker 1: and inflame regions that really don't require their attention. Huh. 185 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:03,480 Speaker 1: So is there any way to prevent these unneeded side 186 00:09:03,480 --> 00:09:06,280 Speaker 1: of kinds from circulating? I mean, besides trying to avoid 187 00:09:06,320 --> 00:09:10,000 Speaker 1: any of these stressful situations we put ourselves in. Well, 188 00:09:10,040 --> 00:09:12,240 Speaker 1: I mean, that's pretty much the only solution. And this 189 00:09:12,360 --> 00:09:14,599 Speaker 1: was actually the takeaway of the study. I've got a 190 00:09:14,679 --> 00:09:17,480 Speaker 1: quote here from the papers author Shelley Taylor. She says, 191 00:09:17,960 --> 00:09:20,160 Speaker 1: the message is that the flauntsom and jetsam of life 192 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 1: predict changes in your underlying biology in ways that cumulatively 193 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:26,680 Speaker 1: could have a bad effect on health. What this tells 194 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:29,479 Speaker 1: me is that people should be investing in socially supportive 195 00:09:29,480 --> 00:09:32,680 Speaker 1: relationships and they should not court relationships that lead to 196 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:35,920 Speaker 1: a great deal of conflict. So don't hang out with 197 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:38,960 Speaker 1: enemies all the time, don't hang out with bad people. See, 198 00:09:38,960 --> 00:09:42,080 Speaker 1: it's such sound advice we're providing. I also know from 199 00:09:42,120 --> 00:09:44,880 Speaker 1: my own experience, I'm not always the best at evaluating 200 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:47,800 Speaker 1: my own stress levels. So it's actually something I looked into. 201 00:09:47,920 --> 00:09:51,160 Speaker 1: And did you come across this, uh, the scientist named 202 00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:53,760 Speaker 1: Stephen Cole in your research? I don't think so. It 203 00:09:53,760 --> 00:09:56,920 Speaker 1: doesn't bring a bell. So Cole was basically bothered by 204 00:09:56,920 --> 00:09:59,560 Speaker 1: our inability to measure our own stress. So he wondered, like, 205 00:10:00,040 --> 00:10:03,160 Speaker 1: what if our brains automatic stress assessment doesn't translate to 206 00:10:03,200 --> 00:10:06,920 Speaker 1: a conscious awareness of it? So are there actually subconscious 207 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:09,200 Speaker 1: signs that we're feeling stressed? Like things we might not 208 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:12,280 Speaker 1: even notice in ourselves. So that's exactly what Colin is. 209 00:10:12,360 --> 00:10:14,760 Speaker 1: Fellow researchers wanted to find out and and to do 210 00:10:14,800 --> 00:10:17,679 Speaker 1: it they enlisted a hundred forty three volunteers and had 211 00:10:17,720 --> 00:10:21,559 Speaker 1: them where these audio recorders for two days. And during 212 00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:24,280 Speaker 1: that time the recorders would switch on automatically every couple 213 00:10:24,280 --> 00:10:28,040 Speaker 1: of minutes, and they actually gathered over twenty thousand audio clips. 214 00:10:28,080 --> 00:10:31,439 Speaker 1: And from there the researchers transcribed the recordings and started 215 00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:34,480 Speaker 1: picking apart the specific language, and in particularly they paid 216 00:10:34,480 --> 00:10:38,319 Speaker 1: attention to these things called function words, which are pronouns 217 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:41,959 Speaker 1: and adjectives that I guess clarify meaning rather than providing 218 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:44,040 Speaker 1: it themselves. So you think about the opposite that, which 219 00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:47,040 Speaker 1: is meaning words nouns and verbs. Those are words a 220 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:51,000 Speaker 1: speaker might liberally choose versus like the so called function words, 221 00:10:51,040 --> 00:10:54,480 Speaker 1: which are produced without thinking. And the idea is that 222 00:10:54,520 --> 00:10:57,240 Speaker 1: maybe these function words could theoretically give you a glimpse 223 00:10:57,280 --> 00:11:00,240 Speaker 1: of what's going on subconsciously, so where the research is 224 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:03,319 Speaker 1: able to link certain words to feelings of stress. Yeah, 225 00:11:03,360 --> 00:11:06,040 Speaker 1: the study found that a volunteer's use of function words 226 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:09,640 Speaker 1: was much more accurate prediction of gene expression than even 227 00:11:09,679 --> 00:11:13,080 Speaker 1: like an individual self report about his or her stress levels. So, 228 00:11:13,360 --> 00:11:16,920 Speaker 1: for example, participants who exhibited stressed out gene expressions talked 229 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:19,920 Speaker 1: less overall, but when they did speak, they used more 230 00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:24,400 Speaker 1: intensifying adverbs such as like really, you're very or incredibly, 231 00:11:24,520 --> 00:11:28,400 Speaker 1: and they also used fewer third person plural pronouns such 232 00:11:28,440 --> 00:11:31,360 Speaker 1: as they are there. Alright, alright, I'm writing all these 233 00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:34,640 Speaker 1: down for later years. Well, I mean there's a reason like, like, 234 00:11:34,679 --> 00:11:38,000 Speaker 1: according to the researchers, uh, we use they are they're 235 00:11:38,120 --> 00:11:40,760 Speaker 1: less and and that's because people tend to focus inwards. 236 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:42,920 Speaker 1: And of course there's still much more research to do 237 00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:46,080 Speaker 1: on all of this, but if these initial findings hold up, 238 00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:48,480 Speaker 1: you could actually be a new way for doctors or 239 00:11:48,520 --> 00:11:51,760 Speaker 1: even like your phones or your watches or your alexis 240 00:11:51,840 --> 00:11:54,400 Speaker 1: to spot if you're stressed out and all that by 241 00:11:54,440 --> 00:11:56,920 Speaker 1: just listening to the words you use. That is pretty 242 00:11:56,960 --> 00:11:59,680 Speaker 1: incredible and also a little bit weird to think about, 243 00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:02,320 Speaker 1: but yeah, very interesting, and it reminds me there are 244 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:05,280 Speaker 1: actually a few other symptoms of stress that I wanted 245 00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:07,680 Speaker 1: to talk about, and one of these is is whether 246 00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:11,080 Speaker 1: or not it can really make your hair turn gray. Well, 247 00:12:11,320 --> 00:12:13,600 Speaker 1: as someone whose hair has all turned gray since I've 248 00:12:13,640 --> 00:12:15,800 Speaker 1: had kids, I'm very interested in who to blame for this. 249 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:18,839 Speaker 1: But before we dig in, let's take a quick break. 250 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:35,400 Speaker 1: You're listening to part Time Genius and we're talking about 251 00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:38,480 Speaker 1: all the different ways stress can affect our bodies, and Mango, 252 00:12:38,640 --> 00:12:41,200 Speaker 1: I've got bad news for you. There's one thing stress 253 00:12:41,360 --> 00:12:45,400 Speaker 1: doesn't do, and that's turn your hair gray. So I'm 254 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:47,800 Speaker 1: definitely a little confused by this because I look at 255 00:12:47,800 --> 00:12:51,360 Speaker 1: Obama and George Bush and how their hair turned color 256 00:12:51,480 --> 00:12:54,439 Speaker 1: like pretty soon after they got into office, and for 257 00:12:54,480 --> 00:12:56,600 Speaker 1: some reason, our current president's hair has stayed the exact 258 00:12:56,640 --> 00:12:59,440 Speaker 1: same color. But are are you saying stress makes no 259 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:02,400 Speaker 1: contribute usian to these like Bonnie Rate streaks in my hair? 260 00:13:03,520 --> 00:13:05,280 Speaker 1: You know, I've always wanted to tell you how much 261 00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:07,080 Speaker 1: you reminded me of Bonnie Rate, So I'm glad you 262 00:13:07,200 --> 00:13:09,800 Speaker 1: finally brought it up. But you know, despite what many 263 00:13:09,800 --> 00:13:13,400 Speaker 1: people think, there's actually no clear scientific link between stress 264 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:16,000 Speaker 1: and going gray. And it turns out it's actually a 265 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:18,920 Speaker 1: person's genes more than anything else, that determine when their 266 00:13:18,960 --> 00:13:22,600 Speaker 1: hair turns gray. So why is the when like my 267 00:13:22,679 --> 00:13:25,040 Speaker 1: kids started talking a lot and bossing me around, that's 268 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:28,640 Speaker 1: where my hair went gray. I think it's just getting older, man. 269 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:31,040 Speaker 1: I mean, it's the same thing for the presidents that 270 00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:33,360 Speaker 1: you talk about, or or or most of our presidents. 271 00:13:33,400 --> 00:13:36,000 Speaker 1: And you know, while we don't know the exact genetic 272 00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:38,960 Speaker 1: reason why most people go gray as they age, we 273 00:13:39,080 --> 00:13:42,160 Speaker 1: do know that it ultimately comes down to these millenno sites, 274 00:13:42,200 --> 00:13:44,920 Speaker 1: which are these pigments cells that give hair its color. 275 00:13:45,480 --> 00:13:47,679 Speaker 1: So when you're younger, the cells work to fight off 276 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:52,040 Speaker 1: damaging compounds like hydrogen peroxide, and these would otherwise cause 277 00:13:52,080 --> 00:13:54,880 Speaker 1: oxidation if they were allowed to build up on the scalp. 278 00:13:55,480 --> 00:13:57,560 Speaker 1: But as we get older, our genes have a harder 279 00:13:57,559 --> 00:14:00,520 Speaker 1: and harder time keeping that oxidation at bed, and so, 280 00:14:00,800 --> 00:14:04,720 Speaker 1: according to one theory, as the hydrogen peroxide accumulates over time, 281 00:14:05,080 --> 00:14:07,880 Speaker 1: our melano sites start to die off. So you know, 282 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:10,160 Speaker 1: once our follicles begin to run low, on their only 283 00:14:10,240 --> 00:14:13,600 Speaker 1: source of pigment, they start producing colorless or or gray 284 00:14:13,679 --> 00:14:17,319 Speaker 1: hair instead. So I mean, I'm going to accept that answer, 285 00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:19,400 Speaker 1: but but I also feel like, you know, these old 286 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:21,640 Speaker 1: wives tales have been going on for long enough that 287 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:24,200 Speaker 1: there has to be some validity, right, Like, is there 288 00:14:24,240 --> 00:14:26,840 Speaker 1: any truth to any of it? Well, there actually is 289 00:14:26,920 --> 00:14:29,480 Speaker 1: one thing that kind of redeems their tail, and and 290 00:14:29,720 --> 00:14:32,840 Speaker 1: that's because cellular strain that's brought on by oxidation. It 291 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:36,640 Speaker 1: is actually known as oxidative stress. And that's different from 292 00:14:36,640 --> 00:14:38,920 Speaker 1: the kind of emotional stress that we've been talking about, 293 00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:42,160 Speaker 1: though it's still somewhat connected. So this comes from Mary 294 00:14:42,240 --> 00:14:45,520 Speaker 1: Seilberg of the Global Dermatology Institute, And as she says, 295 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:49,560 Speaker 1: a very strong chronic stress is known to increase oxidative stress, 296 00:14:49,760 --> 00:14:53,720 Speaker 1: and there are studies that document correlations between extreme emotional 297 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:58,360 Speaker 1: stress and increased cellular oxydatings. I got out you didn't 298 00:14:58,440 --> 00:15:00,920 Speaker 1: let me finish your mango. So this is not to 299 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:03,120 Speaker 1: say that we gray every time that we fight with 300 00:15:03,160 --> 00:15:05,720 Speaker 1: our children or spouses. That was what she said at 301 00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:10,080 Speaker 1: the end of it. Well, well, family and work stress 302 00:15:10,200 --> 00:15:12,920 Speaker 1: might not turn our hair gray. There is one thing 303 00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:16,280 Speaker 1: that does lead to hair loss, because oddly enough, losing 304 00:15:16,280 --> 00:15:18,400 Speaker 1: your hair is a coping mechanism when we're going through 305 00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:22,160 Speaker 1: exceptionally hard times. So I do have my kids to blame. 306 00:15:22,240 --> 00:15:26,000 Speaker 1: This is good to know. Well, for first, it helps 307 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:28,520 Speaker 1: to know the life cycle of our hair includes three phases. 308 00:15:28,640 --> 00:15:31,320 Speaker 1: I'm going to talk through that, the last of which 309 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:34,600 Speaker 1: is this resting period called the telligent phase. And hairs 310 00:15:34,640 --> 00:15:37,160 Speaker 1: in this stage are no longer connected to a blood supply, 311 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:40,240 Speaker 1: which which means they're no longer growing either. Now, usually 312 00:15:40,280 --> 00:15:42,280 Speaker 1: about eight percent of our hair is in this dormant 313 00:15:42,280 --> 00:15:46,480 Speaker 1: stage at any given time, and this is all completely natural, right, Like, 314 00:15:46,760 --> 00:15:49,360 Speaker 1: hairs in this telligent phase they put for around three 315 00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:51,320 Speaker 1: months or so and then they guy of just fall 316 00:15:51,360 --> 00:15:54,280 Speaker 1: out gradually as we go about our lives. Alright, So 317 00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:57,360 Speaker 1: then how does stress figure into this? Well, when people 318 00:15:57,360 --> 00:16:00,120 Speaker 1: go through something that's emotionally draining, like illness, or or 319 00:16:00,200 --> 00:16:02,800 Speaker 1: like the loss of a loved one, or even something 320 00:16:02,840 --> 00:16:06,400 Speaker 1: positive but still taxing, something like childbirth, are our bodies 321 00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:08,520 Speaker 1: will sometimes prompt much of our hair to enter this 322 00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:12,000 Speaker 1: telligent phase prematurely, and it's actually the body's way of 323 00:16:12,040 --> 00:16:15,160 Speaker 1: conserving energy to be used elsewhere during like a period 324 00:16:15,200 --> 00:16:18,120 Speaker 1: of extended stress. All right, So let me get this straight. 325 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:20,680 Speaker 1: Not only do you have to get through a tough time, 326 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:22,640 Speaker 1: but when you finally get to the end of it 327 00:16:22,680 --> 00:16:24,720 Speaker 1: a few months later, all your hair falls out. I mean, 328 00:16:24,880 --> 00:16:28,440 Speaker 1: it kind of feels like a raw deal. But you know, 329 00:16:28,520 --> 00:16:31,280 Speaker 1: we've been concentrating on the negative here, which is a 330 00:16:31,320 --> 00:16:34,280 Speaker 1: little uncharacteristic for us. But the truth is not all 331 00:16:34,320 --> 00:16:37,080 Speaker 1: of stress's effects on the body are bad ones. They're 332 00:16:37,120 --> 00:16:40,960 Speaker 1: actually upsides to emotional or mental pressure. And you know, 333 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:43,880 Speaker 1: for one thing, experiencing stress better prepares us to handle 334 00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:46,360 Speaker 1: it in the future, and the reason for that really 335 00:16:46,360 --> 00:16:49,640 Speaker 1: comes down to mental conditioning. You know, whenever we encounter 336 00:16:49,680 --> 00:16:53,520 Speaker 1: a stressful situation, our prefrontal cortex takes notice of this. 337 00:16:54,040 --> 00:16:55,480 Speaker 1: And remember this is the part of the brain that 338 00:16:55,560 --> 00:16:58,960 Speaker 1: handles executive functions that help us cope with different threats. 339 00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:01,400 Speaker 1: So the next time we're faced with a mild stress 340 00:17:01,480 --> 00:17:04,600 Speaker 1: or that we've handled before, the prefrontal cortex is able 341 00:17:04,640 --> 00:17:07,560 Speaker 1: to overrule those warnings and and that makes the stress 342 00:17:07,640 --> 00:17:09,680 Speaker 1: much easier to bear than it was the last time. 343 00:17:10,640 --> 00:17:12,639 Speaker 1: I'm actually glad you're pointing out how stress can make 344 00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:14,920 Speaker 1: is more resilient because One of the things I found 345 00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:17,120 Speaker 1: out this week is that having a well rounded view 346 00:17:17,119 --> 00:17:20,120 Speaker 1: of stress can actually help you live longer. So why 347 00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:23,640 Speaker 1: is that? This is According to a study from when 348 00:17:24,119 --> 00:17:27,080 Speaker 1: researchers asked about thirty adults in the US about their 349 00:17:27,080 --> 00:17:30,560 Speaker 1: opinions on stress, and the participants were asked to report 350 00:17:30,680 --> 00:17:33,000 Speaker 1: how much stress they had experienced in the past year 351 00:17:33,160 --> 00:17:36,080 Speaker 1: and whether or not they believed that stress was negatively 352 00:17:36,160 --> 00:17:40,000 Speaker 1: impacting their health. Then, eight years later, the researchers determined 353 00:17:40,040 --> 00:17:42,560 Speaker 1: that high levels of stress had increased the risk of 354 00:17:42,640 --> 00:17:46,760 Speaker 1: dying by but only in the people who had said 355 00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:50,520 Speaker 1: stress was making them less healthy. So what about the 356 00:17:50,520 --> 00:17:53,399 Speaker 1: people who reported high stress levels but didn't think it 357 00:17:53,440 --> 00:17:56,080 Speaker 1: was hurting them. I mean, that's the craziest part. Not 358 00:17:56,119 --> 00:17:59,320 Speaker 1: only were those people less likely to die prematurely, they 359 00:17:59,320 --> 00:18:02,320 Speaker 1: actually had the lowest risk of death of all the participants, 360 00:18:02,359 --> 00:18:05,879 Speaker 1: including those who'd reported low stress levels. So it really 361 00:18:05,920 --> 00:18:08,720 Speaker 1: seems like stress itself isn't the problem. It's kind of 362 00:18:08,760 --> 00:18:10,639 Speaker 1: how we think about it or deal with it that 363 00:18:10,680 --> 00:18:13,320 Speaker 1: makes or breaks is Well, that sounds right, and of 364 00:18:13,320 --> 00:18:15,680 Speaker 1: course there's a little caveat there. I mean, simply being 365 00:18:15,720 --> 00:18:18,880 Speaker 1: exposed to stressful situation doesn't equip us to handle them 366 00:18:18,920 --> 00:18:21,399 Speaker 1: better next time. I mean, if you get really stressed 367 00:18:21,440 --> 00:18:24,480 Speaker 1: before presentation and then you crack under pressure, it's not 368 00:18:24,480 --> 00:18:26,399 Speaker 1: like you're gonna feel stress free then next time you 369 00:18:26,440 --> 00:18:28,960 Speaker 1: have to give a presentation. And on the other hand, 370 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:31,040 Speaker 1: like if you overcome those anxious feelings and give a 371 00:18:31,080 --> 00:18:34,439 Speaker 1: solid performance despite all that stress, then of course the 372 00:18:34,480 --> 00:18:36,560 Speaker 1: next time you'll feel a whole lot less stress going 373 00:18:36,600 --> 00:18:40,320 Speaker 1: up again. I mean, there's definitely no quick fix for stress. 374 00:18:40,359 --> 00:18:42,600 Speaker 1: But like we've been saying, maybe that's not such a 375 00:18:42,640 --> 00:18:44,680 Speaker 1: bad thing. I mean, I think about the people from 376 00:18:44,680 --> 00:18:47,240 Speaker 1: the study who reported high stress levels but didn't actually 377 00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:50,480 Speaker 1: consider your problem, and I'd wager what they were experiencing 378 00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:53,840 Speaker 1: is something called you stress or healthy stress. And this 379 00:18:53,920 --> 00:18:57,080 Speaker 1: was another term coined by that scientists we talked about earlier, 380 00:18:57,080 --> 00:19:00,200 Speaker 1: Hans Celier, and it refers to the range of us 381 00:19:00,200 --> 00:19:03,760 Speaker 1: where people actually feel motivated or more productive. It was 382 00:19:03,800 --> 00:19:06,080 Speaker 1: just fascinating to think about it. It makes sense. But 383 00:19:06,080 --> 00:19:09,879 Speaker 1: but what separates this good stress from the bad stress? Again, 384 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:13,159 Speaker 1: it really comes down to perception. So like if if 385 00:19:13,160 --> 00:19:15,359 Speaker 1: you think about like an employee who's been given a 386 00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:18,840 Speaker 1: reasonable amount of work and a realistic deadline, then it's 387 00:19:18,880 --> 00:19:22,560 Speaker 1: likely that person will feel engaged but not overwhelmed, you know, 388 00:19:22,640 --> 00:19:25,040 Speaker 1: like the goal seems achievable, so they know that any 389 00:19:25,080 --> 00:19:28,840 Speaker 1: stress they feel is temporary or you know, surmountable, and 390 00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:32,639 Speaker 1: that usually results in motivation and focus rather than I 391 00:19:32,680 --> 00:19:35,280 Speaker 1: guess what would be discouraging feelings, you know, when when 392 00:19:35,320 --> 00:19:37,959 Speaker 1: you feel like it's just too much to cope with. Well, 393 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:40,399 Speaker 1: that does make sense. And obviously not all stress is 394 00:19:40,440 --> 00:19:42,800 Speaker 1: going to be healthy stress, I mean, sooner or later 395 00:19:42,880 --> 00:19:45,800 Speaker 1: we have to deal with the bad kind. And well, 396 00:19:45,840 --> 00:19:48,080 Speaker 1: you mentioned how working through distress can make you more 397 00:19:48,119 --> 00:19:51,040 Speaker 1: resilient in the long run. Sometimes you just want relief 398 00:19:51,040 --> 00:19:53,720 Speaker 1: from it, you know, absolutely, So let's check out a 399 00:19:53,720 --> 00:19:56,760 Speaker 1: few offbeat ways to cope with stress. But before we do, 400 00:19:56,960 --> 00:20:13,120 Speaker 1: let's take another quick break. Okay, well, so why don't 401 00:20:13,160 --> 00:20:16,240 Speaker 1: you go first? What's your favorite time tested way to distress? 402 00:20:17,280 --> 00:20:19,639 Speaker 1: All right, So this isn't anything I've tried before, but 403 00:20:19,760 --> 00:20:22,720 Speaker 1: I came across this study on acupuncture, and I've always 404 00:20:22,720 --> 00:20:24,840 Speaker 1: been curious about acupuncture, and this study was from a 405 00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:27,120 Speaker 1: few years back, and it it really shed some light 406 00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:30,000 Speaker 1: on why the practice might be so effective at relieving 407 00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:33,680 Speaker 1: certain people's stress. Now, acupuncture is of course a big 408 00:20:33,720 --> 00:20:36,800 Speaker 1: part of traditional Chinese medicine, and it actually dates back 409 00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:40,280 Speaker 1: several thousand years, but for all that time, the treatment 410 00:20:40,320 --> 00:20:43,040 Speaker 1: has largely been seen is really more of a placebo 411 00:20:43,119 --> 00:20:45,680 Speaker 1: in the eyes of western medicine, and it seemed to 412 00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:47,919 Speaker 1: work as a form of pain management, but you know, 413 00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:51,600 Speaker 1: researchers weren't sure exactly why. So I've actually done a 414 00:20:51,640 --> 00:20:54,560 Speaker 1: chorus of acupuncture for this arm injury I had, and 415 00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:57,640 Speaker 1: I was really skeptical going in, and then I found 416 00:20:57,680 --> 00:21:00,320 Speaker 1: it really helpful. But I was also curious whether it 417 00:21:00,359 --> 00:21:02,679 Speaker 1: was just like a placebo thing. But you're kind of 418 00:21:02,680 --> 00:21:05,119 Speaker 1: saying that someone's cracked the case on why it might work. 419 00:21:06,240 --> 00:21:08,119 Speaker 1: Well maybe, I mean, there was a team at Georgetown 420 00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:10,640 Speaker 1: that took on this challenge back in two thousand and fifteen, 421 00:21:11,080 --> 00:21:13,960 Speaker 1: and they found that acupuncture might actually work by suppressing 422 00:21:14,040 --> 00:21:16,640 Speaker 1: some of those stress hormones that we talked about earlier. 423 00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:19,919 Speaker 1: So in humans, are central stress response is called the 424 00:21:20,119 --> 00:21:23,600 Speaker 1: h p A and this stands for the hypothalamus pituitary 425 00:21:23,680 --> 00:21:27,080 Speaker 1: adrenal axis, and believe it or not, this complex feedback 426 00:21:27,119 --> 00:21:30,120 Speaker 1: system is linked to an acupuncture point on our shens 427 00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:33,040 Speaker 1: of all things. Not Luckily, there appears to be a 428 00:21:33,080 --> 00:21:35,760 Speaker 1: similar point on the pause of what else but rats, 429 00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:38,840 Speaker 1: and so researchers were able to use them for a 430 00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:42,040 Speaker 1: study instead. And so first they stressed out the rats 431 00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:45,400 Speaker 1: by exposing them the cold conditions, and then they tested 432 00:21:45,440 --> 00:21:48,760 Speaker 1: how these cold rats responded to stimulation on that specific 433 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:52,680 Speaker 1: Paul point. So it turns out the acupuncture greatly reduced 434 00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:55,080 Speaker 1: the activity in the rats hp A axis and it 435 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:58,080 Speaker 1: was blocking the production of stress hormones. And this is 436 00:21:58,160 --> 00:22:01,359 Speaker 1: much like the anti anxiety medication might do. So, you know, 437 00:22:01,359 --> 00:22:03,920 Speaker 1: while there's still more research to be done, the evidence 438 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:06,840 Speaker 1: does suggest that acupuncture holds more water than many people 439 00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:09,840 Speaker 1: give it credit for. Well, for those of you out 440 00:22:09,880 --> 00:22:12,200 Speaker 1: there who have no interest in like poking yourself or 441 00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:14,720 Speaker 1: prodding yourself before a big speech or game or whatever, 442 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:17,520 Speaker 1: you can actually make do with stress toys. And this 443 00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:20,320 Speaker 1: is anything from fidget widgets to paper clips too, stress 444 00:22:20,359 --> 00:22:23,359 Speaker 1: balls to silly putty, even that little zen garden that 445 00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:25,600 Speaker 1: Tristan's been raking the heck out of for half an hour, 446 00:22:25,720 --> 00:22:30,480 Speaker 1: and he's he's only getting more aggressive, I know. But 447 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:33,320 Speaker 1: the strange thing is it really works. So there's this 448 00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:37,000 Speaker 1: pair of researchers from Polytechnic Institute at an n y U, 449 00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:40,160 Speaker 1: and they've been doing a study on these kinds of objects, 450 00:22:40,520 --> 00:22:44,359 Speaker 1: and they claim that stress toys function as quote, playful 451 00:22:44,520 --> 00:22:48,720 Speaker 1: secondary interactions that are able to engage bodily movement, effective states, 452 00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:53,320 Speaker 1: and cognition to support primary serious tests. I mean, that 453 00:22:53,480 --> 00:22:56,520 Speaker 1: feels like a high salutant way to talk about paper clips, 454 00:22:56,560 --> 00:22:58,639 Speaker 1: but but I get it, and and I'm curious. I mean, 455 00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:01,760 Speaker 1: have there been any studies just on stress balls, because 456 00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:04,080 Speaker 1: it feels like there was a time when these things 457 00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:06,520 Speaker 1: were the most popular thing in the world, Like you 458 00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:09,240 Speaker 1: remember this, and everybody was giving away these stress balls. 459 00:23:09,240 --> 00:23:11,200 Speaker 1: I know, I feel like I came back with three 460 00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:14,240 Speaker 1: stress balls a week just from walking around campus or whatever. 461 00:23:14,280 --> 00:23:17,159 Speaker 1: But uh, there's actually no definitive research on it. I 462 00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:20,520 Speaker 1: did find one study that showed that brief distractions actually 463 00:23:20,560 --> 00:23:23,720 Speaker 1: help people concentrate. So you think about like checking your 464 00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:27,159 Speaker 1: email or watching a short YouTube clip or you know, 465 00:23:27,600 --> 00:23:29,280 Speaker 1: all that type of thing can serve as a mini 466 00:23:29,359 --> 00:23:32,280 Speaker 1: vacation for your brain and it kind of resets your 467 00:23:32,280 --> 00:23:35,040 Speaker 1: attention span, which makes sense unless you get back to work, 468 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:37,320 Speaker 1: and when you do, your focus is more readily there. 469 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:39,600 Speaker 1: But this is where the team from n YU comes 470 00:23:39,600 --> 00:23:42,960 Speaker 1: in because, according to them, fidget widgets have an advantage 471 00:23:43,000 --> 00:23:45,679 Speaker 1: over these other kinds of diversions. And that's because stress 472 00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:48,199 Speaker 1: toys are typically used just for the enjoyment of the 473 00:23:48,240 --> 00:23:51,720 Speaker 1: experience itself. So with something like a smartphone game, like 474 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:54,760 Speaker 1: you might find relief from work, but you're also setting 475 00:23:54,760 --> 00:23:56,439 Speaker 1: a new kind of goal as you're playing it, like 476 00:23:56,480 --> 00:23:58,159 Speaker 1: you've got to beat this level or you've got to 477 00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:00,800 Speaker 1: get this high score. And on the other hand, like 478 00:24:00,800 --> 00:24:03,520 Speaker 1: when you're squeezing a stress ball, all you're doing is 479 00:24:03,520 --> 00:24:07,200 Speaker 1: squeezing a stress ball, right, I mean it's something that's 480 00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:09,880 Speaker 1: done just as a simple form of mindless fun. Then 481 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:12,679 Speaker 1: it actually stands a better chance of relieving your stress 482 00:24:12,680 --> 00:24:15,360 Speaker 1: than any of the other stuff we mentioned. But there's 483 00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:17,640 Speaker 1: actually this other great study I have to bring up 484 00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:21,800 Speaker 1: because it involves fake smiles. Fake smile, Sorry, we'll tell 485 00:24:21,800 --> 00:24:24,720 Speaker 1: me about it. So you remember that episode we did 486 00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:27,600 Speaker 1: on Exercise will back where there was this one study 487 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:30,040 Speaker 1: about how when you smile when you're running, it can 488 00:24:30,080 --> 00:24:33,080 Speaker 1: improve your endurance. Yeah, I remember that one, but it's 489 00:24:33,119 --> 00:24:36,879 Speaker 1: it was only if the smile was like truly genuine though, right, Yeah, 490 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:40,040 Speaker 1: so apparently fake smiles are actually good for something else. 491 00:24:40,080 --> 00:24:42,600 Speaker 1: So this is an experiment I actually paid a witness, 492 00:24:42,640 --> 00:24:47,120 Speaker 1: but researchers used chopsticks to manipulate participants faces into one 493 00:24:47,160 --> 00:24:51,040 Speaker 1: of three expressions. Like they use the chopsticks to press 494 00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:54,679 Speaker 1: their faces into like a neutral expression and a standard smile, 495 00:24:54,880 --> 00:24:58,080 Speaker 1: and then the so called genuine smile, where it also 496 00:24:58,160 --> 00:25:01,480 Speaker 1: pressed the muscles around their eyes. And once their expressions 497 00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:04,080 Speaker 1: were set, the volunteers were asked to complete a series 498 00:25:04,119 --> 00:25:07,800 Speaker 1: of stressful multitasking activities. All will continue to hold the 499 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:11,600 Speaker 1: shopsticks in place. See this is where I'm jealous of scientists, 500 00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:14,080 Speaker 1: because even if you didn't actually believe there was something 501 00:25:14,119 --> 00:25:16,119 Speaker 1: you could find for this, you could just say, like, 502 00:25:16,200 --> 00:25:18,720 Speaker 1: we're trying to study for this for science, so I'm 503 00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:21,320 Speaker 1: gonna stick some chopsticks in your face and move your 504 00:25:21,320 --> 00:25:23,720 Speaker 1: face around. But I'm with you. I want to see 505 00:25:23,720 --> 00:25:26,600 Speaker 1: this experiment too. But I'm curious here, like how was 506 00:25:26,640 --> 00:25:29,320 Speaker 1: their stress level monitored or was this really just some 507 00:25:29,359 --> 00:25:31,159 Speaker 1: elaborate hoax like I said, to get, you know, to 508 00:25:31,160 --> 00:25:34,199 Speaker 1: get to be able to press these chopsticks into people's faces. No, 509 00:25:34,560 --> 00:25:37,040 Speaker 1: it was a real thing. And researcher was actually tracked 510 00:25:37,080 --> 00:25:39,640 Speaker 1: the volonteers heart rates through the experiment, and they also 511 00:25:39,720 --> 00:25:41,879 Speaker 1: had each person give a self report of how stress 512 00:25:41,920 --> 00:25:44,200 Speaker 1: they felt at different times. And in the end, the 513 00:25:44,200 --> 00:25:46,600 Speaker 1: people who maintained the neutral expressions had the highest heart 514 00:25:46,680 --> 00:25:49,359 Speaker 1: rates of all the participants. And granted, the people with 515 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:52,399 Speaker 1: the genuine smiles were the most relaxed and gave the 516 00:25:52,440 --> 00:25:55,480 Speaker 1: most positive reports, but even the people who were forced 517 00:25:55,520 --> 00:25:58,760 Speaker 1: with standard smiles, they responded more positively than those who 518 00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:01,600 Speaker 1: didn't smile at all. I mean, that is pretty amazing. 519 00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:03,520 Speaker 1: So I'm going to try that the next time I'm 520 00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:06,159 Speaker 1: stuck in traffic. I'm gonna keep some chopsticks in my 521 00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:08,960 Speaker 1: glove compartment and then when I get stressed, I'm just 522 00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:11,840 Speaker 1: gonna pull them out and just shove them into my cheeks. Well, 523 00:26:11,840 --> 00:26:13,480 Speaker 1: I don't know if that will make you feel better. 524 00:26:13,520 --> 00:26:17,040 Speaker 1: If it's definitely gonna make me feel better, alright, Well, 525 00:26:17,080 --> 00:26:19,520 Speaker 1: I do want to talk about one other aspect of stress, 526 00:26:19,680 --> 00:26:21,560 Speaker 1: and that's the fact that it's on the rise in 527 00:26:21,600 --> 00:26:25,320 Speaker 1: our country, according to a two thousand seventeen national survey. 528 00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:29,080 Speaker 1: This was conducted by the American Psychological Association. The US 529 00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:33,000 Speaker 1: is currently undergoing a statistically significant increase in anxiety. And 530 00:26:33,280 --> 00:26:35,840 Speaker 1: this is the first time since the annual survey launched 531 00:26:35,880 --> 00:26:38,320 Speaker 1: back in two thousand six, so we're talking over a 532 00:26:38,359 --> 00:26:41,119 Speaker 1: decade now. And that may sound vague enough to not 533 00:26:41,160 --> 00:26:44,040 Speaker 1: worry about it too deeply, But when you couple that 534 00:26:44,119 --> 00:26:47,560 Speaker 1: with research from Harvard and Stanford Business schools which report 535 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:50,000 Speaker 1: that health problem stemming from job stress end up killing 536 00:26:50,040 --> 00:26:53,639 Speaker 1: about a hundred and twenty thousand people each year, you know, 537 00:26:53,640 --> 00:26:56,320 Speaker 1: it becomes clear pretty quickly that we can afford for 538 00:26:56,320 --> 00:26:59,080 Speaker 1: stress levels to get much higher. I mean, it's literally 539 00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:01,879 Speaker 1: killing us. Yeah, it's hard not to worry when you 540 00:27:01,920 --> 00:27:04,159 Speaker 1: hear stats like that, which is another problem in itself, 541 00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:07,199 Speaker 1: because even stressing about stress is bad for you. I 542 00:27:07,240 --> 00:27:10,520 Speaker 1: read about the study back where over seven thousand civil 543 00:27:10,520 --> 00:27:12,840 Speaker 1: servants in London whereas to rank how much they thought 544 00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:15,879 Speaker 1: their stress level affected their overall health, and then nearly 545 00:27:15,920 --> 00:27:18,920 Speaker 1: two decades later, the researchers took those answers and compared 546 00:27:18,920 --> 00:27:21,280 Speaker 1: them alongside a list of participants who wound up having 547 00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:24,320 Speaker 1: fatal or non fatal heart attacks in the years since 548 00:27:24,320 --> 00:27:27,440 Speaker 1: the servant And this is where things get weird. So 549 00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:29,960 Speaker 1: The Atlantic reported on this a few years later, and 550 00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:33,280 Speaker 1: this is how they summarize the findings. Eight percent of 551 00:27:33,320 --> 00:27:36,160 Speaker 1: the participants had reported that stress affected their health either 552 00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:38,959 Speaker 1: a lot or extremely and by the end of the study, 553 00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:41,320 Speaker 1: those same people were over twice as likely to have 554 00:27:41,320 --> 00:27:43,560 Speaker 1: suffered a heart attack as those who believed it didn't 555 00:27:43,560 --> 00:27:46,400 Speaker 1: impact their health at all. This was independent of how 556 00:27:46,480 --> 00:27:50,919 Speaker 1: much stress they actually experienced. So while psychological, biological, and 557 00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:54,520 Speaker 1: behavioral factors are all probably in play here, the takeaway 558 00:27:54,560 --> 00:27:56,920 Speaker 1: is simply that if you feel like stress is killing you, 559 00:27:57,160 --> 00:28:00,560 Speaker 1: there's a good chance it is. I mean, thankfully, they're 560 00:28:00,600 --> 00:28:03,480 Speaker 1: all kinds of effective ways to manage stress, and it's 561 00:28:03,560 --> 00:28:06,040 Speaker 1: much harder for some than others, but people turn to 562 00:28:06,119 --> 00:28:09,119 Speaker 1: things like exercise and controlled breathing as well as chronic 563 00:28:09,160 --> 00:28:13,200 Speaker 1: stress treatments like therapy and you know, even certain medications. Yeah, 564 00:28:13,240 --> 00:28:14,840 Speaker 1: and I also want to circle back to something we 565 00:28:14,920 --> 00:28:16,800 Speaker 1: talked about near the top of the show, which is 566 00:28:16,880 --> 00:28:20,280 Speaker 1: that idea of investing in socially supportive relationships. There's actually 567 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:22,400 Speaker 1: a good deal of evidence to suggest that a lot 568 00:28:22,440 --> 00:28:24,399 Speaker 1: of the stress we feel today is made worse by 569 00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:27,160 Speaker 1: some of the more isolating aspects of modern culture. So 570 00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:29,920 Speaker 1: you know, if this world has you feeling anxious, I'd 571 00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:33,960 Speaker 1: recommend indulging in some good old fashioned camaraderie because you know, 572 00:28:34,040 --> 00:28:36,520 Speaker 1: while other people are often a major cause of stress 573 00:28:36,520 --> 00:28:38,760 Speaker 1: in our lives, in some cases, they can also be 574 00:28:38,800 --> 00:28:41,440 Speaker 1: a way to relieve it. Yeah, it's definitely true. And 575 00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:45,720 Speaker 1: if all else fails, get yourself as in garden. All right, 576 00:28:45,760 --> 00:28:54,400 Speaker 1: why don't we start the fact off? So here's when 577 00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:56,440 Speaker 1: to kick this off. You don't want to separate a 578 00:28:56,480 --> 00:28:59,720 Speaker 1: cow from their best friend cow. According to research from 579 00:28:59,720 --> 00:29:02,720 Speaker 1: north Hampton University, when cows are penned in with their 580 00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:05,840 Speaker 1: best cow friends, a pallid they've grown up around, their 581 00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:08,400 Speaker 1: heart rates and stress levels go down. But when they're 582 00:29:08,400 --> 00:29:10,720 Speaker 1: putting a pen for thirty minutes with a cow stranger, 583 00:29:11,040 --> 00:29:14,520 Speaker 1: they get more stressed out, which you know sounds silly, 584 00:29:14,560 --> 00:29:16,880 Speaker 1: but the Boddy system is relevant to farmers because that 585 00:29:16,920 --> 00:29:20,800 Speaker 1: stress can actually decrease the cow's milk production. All right, 586 00:29:20,800 --> 00:29:22,800 Speaker 1: So you know how people who are stressed sometimes want 587 00:29:22,800 --> 00:29:25,520 Speaker 1: to sleep away that stress, Like even the stress of 588 00:29:25,520 --> 00:29:28,200 Speaker 1: a big argument can make you sleepy sometimes. Well there's 589 00:29:28,200 --> 00:29:31,280 Speaker 1: a reason for this. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania 590 00:29:31,360 --> 00:29:33,880 Speaker 1: stressed out a bunch of round worms, and then they 591 00:29:33,920 --> 00:29:36,840 Speaker 1: found that there's a gene that helps repair damage DNA 592 00:29:37,320 --> 00:29:40,280 Speaker 1: by making them sleepy, and that helps sedate them when 593 00:29:40,320 --> 00:29:43,040 Speaker 1: they were stressed. And according to the Atlantic, the idea 594 00:29:43,040 --> 00:29:45,400 Speaker 1: is that some types of stress and due sleep occur 595 00:29:45,520 --> 00:29:49,160 Speaker 1: because the body maybe trying to patch up its genes. Huh. 596 00:29:49,280 --> 00:29:53,560 Speaker 1: That's fascinating. So, for no particular reason, I looked up 597 00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:57,040 Speaker 1: celebrities and how they relieve stress. So Keanu Reeves has 598 00:29:57,040 --> 00:29:59,080 Speaker 1: a very Buddhist approach. He has too much money, and 599 00:29:59,120 --> 00:30:01,440 Speaker 1: worrying about your bank account can cause stress. So his 600 00:30:01,480 --> 00:30:03,560 Speaker 1: advice is to give lots of your money away and 601 00:30:03,880 --> 00:30:07,440 Speaker 1: live simply, mostly out of a suitcase in hotels. If 602 00:30:07,520 --> 00:30:09,840 Speaker 1: selling everything and living in a hotel doesn't calm you down, 603 00:30:09,880 --> 00:30:12,920 Speaker 1: you can also follow Kendall Jenner's approach. She says, my 604 00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:15,840 Speaker 1: way to the stresses to either listen to music or 605 00:30:15,880 --> 00:30:19,200 Speaker 1: talk to my sister Courtney Kardashian, which is good advice. 606 00:30:19,280 --> 00:30:21,120 Speaker 1: I I'm going to talk to Courtney the next time 607 00:30:21,160 --> 00:30:24,520 Speaker 1: I'm stressed too. Yeah, I'm glad we're turning to Kindle 608 00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:28,680 Speaker 1: and Kianu for our stress relief ideas. Oh well, here's 609 00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:31,960 Speaker 1: something I didn't realize financial stress can hurt you physically. 610 00:30:32,400 --> 00:30:35,040 Speaker 1: This comes from Eileen and Chawa public policy professor at 611 00:30:35,080 --> 00:30:37,920 Speaker 1: U v A. She and her team analyzed over thirty 612 00:30:37,960 --> 00:30:41,000 Speaker 1: thousand households and they found that those with higher levels 613 00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:44,080 Speaker 1: of unemployment were more likely to purchase over the counter 614 00:30:44,080 --> 00:30:46,360 Speaker 1: pain killers. So they looked into it a little bit 615 00:30:46,440 --> 00:30:48,880 Speaker 1: more and set up these experiments where they discovered that 616 00:30:48,960 --> 00:30:53,120 Speaker 1: simply thinking about financial insecurity was enough to increase your pain. 617 00:30:53,480 --> 00:30:56,320 Speaker 1: I'm going to quote Scientific American here. It says people 618 00:30:56,400 --> 00:30:59,080 Speaker 1: reported feeling almost double the amount of physical pain in 619 00:30:59,120 --> 00:31:02,440 Speaker 1: their body after we're calling a financially unstable time in 620 00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:04,920 Speaker 1: their life, as compared with those who thought about a 621 00:31:04,960 --> 00:31:08,720 Speaker 1: secure period. They also conducted an ice bucket challenge where 622 00:31:08,720 --> 00:31:12,000 Speaker 1: they prime kids to feel anxious about their future employment 623 00:31:12,080 --> 00:31:15,120 Speaker 1: prospects and saw that their pain tolerance was less than 624 00:31:15,160 --> 00:31:18,680 Speaker 1: those who weren't stressed about their financial futures. I mean, 625 00:31:18,680 --> 00:31:20,600 Speaker 1: that's crazy, and it doesn't make you wonder if the 626 00:31:20,680 --> 00:31:24,280 Speaker 1: opioid epidemic in Sompard is related to like financial stress 627 00:31:24,320 --> 00:31:28,120 Speaker 1: and economic uncertainty. It's really interesting. So here's one I 628 00:31:28,160 --> 00:31:31,120 Speaker 1: really like, and it comes from discover So the scientist 629 00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:34,360 Speaker 1: Barry Marshall realized that ulcers weren't caused by stress, which 630 00:31:34,360 --> 00:31:37,480 Speaker 1: is what everyone thought forever. He believed they were caused 631 00:31:37,480 --> 00:31:40,480 Speaker 1: by this bacteria H. Pylori. But he couldn't convince any 632 00:31:40,520 --> 00:31:44,280 Speaker 1: mainstream gastroentrologists, and he couldn't prove his point with labmies either. 633 00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:47,600 Speaker 1: But because he was prohibited from experimenting on humans, he 634 00:31:47,680 --> 00:31:50,520 Speaker 1: did the only thing he ethically could. He used himself. 635 00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:53,200 Speaker 1: So he pulled H. Pylori from the gut of a 636 00:31:53,240 --> 00:31:56,000 Speaker 1: sick patient, put it in a broth, and drank it, 637 00:31:56,240 --> 00:31:59,800 Speaker 1: and before long you developed signs of an ulcer. And 638 00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:02,800 Speaker 1: the good news is that because it's bacterial, it can 639 00:32:02,840 --> 00:32:06,640 Speaker 1: actually be treated with antibiotics instead of the distressing things 640 00:32:06,680 --> 00:32:09,800 Speaker 1: that doctors have been recommending. And even better for him 641 00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:13,680 Speaker 1: at least, Marshall won a Nobel Prize for the efforts. Wow, 642 00:32:13,720 --> 00:32:15,840 Speaker 1: all right, well, here's a quick one. When forest or 643 00:32:15,880 --> 00:32:19,880 Speaker 1: overcrowded squirrels will boost their stress hormone during a pregnancy, 644 00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:23,000 Speaker 1: and that leads to faster growing squirrel pups, which of 645 00:32:23,040 --> 00:32:26,560 Speaker 1: course increases their chance of survival. That's fascinating. So here's 646 00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:29,200 Speaker 1: one I just learned the day that South Korean kids 647 00:32:29,240 --> 00:32:33,040 Speaker 1: take their college entrance exam is particularly stressful. It's an 648 00:32:33,160 --> 00:32:36,040 Speaker 1: eight hour exam and there are all sorts of traditions 649 00:32:36,040 --> 00:32:39,760 Speaker 1: around it, like underclassmen will actually form these cheering squads 650 00:32:39,800 --> 00:32:42,120 Speaker 1: to greet the test takers at the exam locations and 651 00:32:42,280 --> 00:32:45,600 Speaker 1: uh the stock market opens an hour later, as do 652 00:32:45,680 --> 00:32:48,840 Speaker 1: most businesses. Most parents can be found in temples or 653 00:32:48,920 --> 00:32:52,320 Speaker 1: churches just praying away the day. But the biggest indication 654 00:32:52,400 --> 00:32:54,560 Speaker 1: of how much stress is going on is that South 655 00:32:54,640 --> 00:32:57,440 Speaker 1: Korea actually cancels all flights on that day, so the 656 00:32:57,440 --> 00:33:00,440 Speaker 1: skies are completely quiet while the kids are concentrated. I 657 00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:02,920 Speaker 1: have to say, of all the facts that we've shared today, 658 00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:06,120 Speaker 1: that one actually makes me the most stressed just thinking 659 00:33:06,160 --> 00:33:09,560 Speaker 1: about it. But I will say, I'm looking over at Tristan, 660 00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:13,160 Speaker 1: I'm seeing him raking his zen garden, and it's making 661 00:33:13,200 --> 00:33:15,240 Speaker 1: me calm down a little bit. Sopemengo. I don't know 662 00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:16,720 Speaker 1: about you, but I feel like, for the first time, 663 00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:21,160 Speaker 1: we should actually give Tristan the fact off Trophy for Tristan. 664 00:33:21,280 --> 00:33:23,920 Speaker 1: The listeners, if we have forgotten any great facts about stress, 665 00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:25,920 Speaker 1: feel free to pass those two us. We love to 666 00:33:25,960 --> 00:33:27,880 Speaker 1: hear from You can email us part Time Genius and 667 00:33:27,960 --> 00:33:30,280 Speaker 1: How Stuff Works dot com, or you can call us 668 00:33:30,280 --> 00:33:33,320 Speaker 1: on our seven fact hotline that's one eight four four 669 00:33:33,360 --> 00:33:36,120 Speaker 1: pt Genius, or hit us up on Facebook or Twitter. 670 00:33:36,360 --> 00:33:51,800 Speaker 1: But thanks so much for listening. Congratulations Tristan, Thanks again 671 00:33:51,840 --> 00:33:54,040 Speaker 1: for listening. Part Time Genius is a production of How 672 00:33:54,080 --> 00:33:56,920 Speaker 1: Stuff Works and wouldn't be possible without several brilliant people 673 00:33:56,920 --> 00:33:59,840 Speaker 1: who do the important things we couldn't even begin to understand. 674 00:34:00,120 --> 00:34:02,760 Speaker 1: Christa McNeil does the editing thing. Noel Brown made the 675 00:34:02,760 --> 00:34:05,560 Speaker 1: theme song and does the mixy mixy sound thing. Jerry 676 00:34:05,680 --> 00:34:08,480 Speaker 1: Rowland does the exact producer thing. Gave Louesier is our 677 00:34:08,560 --> 00:34:11,880 Speaker 1: lead researcher, with support from the research Army including Austin Thompson, 678 00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:14,520 Speaker 1: Nolan Brown and Lucas Adams and Eve Jeff Cook gets 679 00:34:14,520 --> 00:34:16,640 Speaker 1: the show to your ears. Good job, Eves. If you 680 00:34:16,680 --> 00:34:18,560 Speaker 1: like what you heard, we hope you'll subscribe, And if 681 00:34:18,560 --> 00:34:20,480 Speaker 1: you really really like what you've heard, maybe you could 682 00:34:20,520 --> 00:34:22,480 Speaker 1: leave a good review for us. Do we do? We 683 00:34:22,520 --> 00:34:23,960 Speaker 1: forget Jason Jason, who