1 00:00:03,279 --> 00:00:06,200 Speaker 1: Welcome to Part Time Genius, the production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:11,600 --> 00:00:13,880 Speaker 1: I guess what mego with that? Well, all right, so 3 00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:17,000 Speaker 1: I was reading up this week on strange advantages that 4 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 1: certain people have. You know, we're always trying to get 5 00:00:19,200 --> 00:00:22,520 Speaker 1: a leg up on people super competitive, as our listeners 6 00:00:22,520 --> 00:00:25,480 Speaker 1: may know. But it turns out that left handed people 7 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:28,520 Speaker 1: have a pretty distinct advantage. Like when it comes to 8 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:32,280 Speaker 1: one on one sports. Do you take boxing, tennis, fencing, 9 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:35,760 Speaker 1: even pitching a baseball If it involves taking aim at 10 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:38,720 Speaker 1: an opponent, lefties have a little bit of an edge. 11 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:41,599 Speaker 1: And if you look at professional sports, the numbers actually 12 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:44,360 Speaker 1: bear this out. For instance, back in two thousand seventeen, 13 00:00:44,880 --> 00:00:47,960 Speaker 1: one third of Major League baseball players were left handed. 14 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:50,760 Speaker 1: That's kind of crazy, isn't it, as well as of 15 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:55,680 Speaker 1: the top ranking boxers and of the top ranking fencers. Meanwhile, 16 00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:58,280 Speaker 1: it's a completely different story for the more team oriented 17 00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:01,720 Speaker 1: sports like basketball or football. So why do you think 18 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:03,920 Speaker 1: that is? Well, it ultimately comes down to how rare 19 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:06,440 Speaker 1: lefties are. It's estimated that only ten perent of the 20 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:08,920 Speaker 1: people in the world are left handed. That means that 21 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:11,120 Speaker 1: if you're a right handed tennis player, for example, you've 22 00:01:11,160 --> 00:01:14,800 Speaker 1: probably only ever gone up against other right handed players, 23 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:17,520 Speaker 1: and the same is true for left handed players too. 24 00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:21,399 Speaker 1: Right like of the world is right handed, then left 25 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 1: handed players are also mostly squaring off with right e's. 26 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:27,160 Speaker 1: This was something I really didn't think about. So the 27 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:29,240 Speaker 1: result is that when a left handed player goes up 28 00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:31,840 Speaker 1: against the right handed one is just another day at 29 00:01:31,880 --> 00:01:35,039 Speaker 1: the office. Same but that's not the case for a 30 00:01:35,120 --> 00:01:37,720 Speaker 1: right handed player. The right handers don't really know what 31 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:40,320 Speaker 1: to expect, and that makes it easier for them to 32 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:42,039 Speaker 1: be caught off guard. It makes sense, like when you 33 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:43,920 Speaker 1: think about it. Playing baseball as a kid, if you 34 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:46,080 Speaker 1: saw a lefty throwing to you like it was, it 35 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:50,400 Speaker 1: just looked so strangely. It's almost like when a boxer throws, 36 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:53,120 Speaker 1: I mean left hook, you know that old south pas surprise. 37 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:57,440 Speaker 1: I don't know if that's a real boxing well, just 38 00:01:57,480 --> 00:01:59,280 Speaker 1: like when you were a big boxer as a kid 39 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 1: and left but weirdly enough, some researchers think the main 40 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 1: reason why left handed trade is still around today is 41 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:10,560 Speaker 1: because it's always granted this element of surprise and combat. 42 00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:12,919 Speaker 1: For example, there was a study in two thousand five 43 00:02:12,919 --> 00:02:16,440 Speaker 1: where researchers looked at the remains of primitive societies and 44 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:19,040 Speaker 1: made a breakdown of how many people were left handed 45 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:21,720 Speaker 1: and how many were right handed, And amazingly, they found 46 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 1: that about three percent of the population was left handed 47 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:28,080 Speaker 1: in the more peaceful societies, but a whopping twenty seven 48 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:31,480 Speaker 1: percent were left handed and the more warlike Yeah. So, 49 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:33,959 Speaker 1: in other words, think twice if you've ever challenged the 50 00:02:34,080 --> 00:02:38,000 Speaker 1: left handed boxer, Historically speaking, it probably isn't gonna go 51 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:41,000 Speaker 1: so well for you. Well, I'm not sure i'd fear 52 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:46,400 Speaker 1: that much better against right handed boxes that. There's plenty 53 00:02:46,400 --> 00:02:48,720 Speaker 1: more where that came from, because today's show is all 54 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:52,560 Speaker 1: about the unusual advantages that everyday people enjoy, from the 55 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:55,960 Speaker 1: high social standing of tall people to the surprising success 56 00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:58,920 Speaker 1: rate behind your lucky rabbit's foot. There's all sorts of 57 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:01,240 Speaker 1: ways to get the upper hand in life, even if 58 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:25,359 Speaker 1: you aren't left handed. So let's dive in. H he 59 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:27,919 Speaker 1: their podcast listeners, welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm Will 60 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:30,119 Speaker 1: Pearson and as always I'm joined by my good friend 61 00:03:30,120 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 1: Man Guesh Ticketer and on the other side of that 62 00:03:32,360 --> 00:03:36,120 Speaker 1: soundproof glass working the soundboard with his left hand. Today 63 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:40,880 Speaker 1: Impress that is our brilliant producer Lowell, and I should 64 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:43,000 Speaker 1: say that law is not, in fact left handed, so 65 00:03:43,040 --> 00:03:47,000 Speaker 1: this is something at least somewhat notable. So anyway, Mango, 66 00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:48,920 Speaker 1: where do you want to start? Yeah, and we've never 67 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:53,440 Speaker 1: faced a left handed producer before, so I um, I 68 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:55,400 Speaker 1: actually do want to stick with actual sports and talking 69 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:57,800 Speaker 1: about something I had always wondered about until this week, 70 00:03:57,880 --> 00:04:00,560 Speaker 1: and that's whether or not home field advantages a real thing, 71 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:03,160 Speaker 1: Like does the location of a game factor into an 72 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:05,840 Speaker 1: athlete's performance or do teams play the same whether they're 73 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:07,920 Speaker 1: on their own turf or not? What? It's kind of 74 00:04:07,960 --> 00:04:10,200 Speaker 1: an age old question, and if I had to guess, 75 00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:12,760 Speaker 1: I'd say there's at least some truth to it. I mean, 76 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:16,279 Speaker 1: I know some sports leagues have regulations to ensure that 77 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:19,040 Speaker 1: playing fields are mostly the same from place to place, 78 00:04:19,160 --> 00:04:21,960 Speaker 1: but there's still the psychological element of it all, Like 79 00:04:22,040 --> 00:04:24,479 Speaker 1: you have to figure players would be more at ease 80 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 1: in the place that they're used to playing. Yeah, I mean, 81 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:29,280 Speaker 1: in the world the bathrooms are the best places to 82 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:32,039 Speaker 1: get nachos. The way team is not going to know 83 00:04:32,120 --> 00:04:34,480 Speaker 1: any of that, but it's very, very true. I love 84 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:36,880 Speaker 1: that your conception of home field advantages. Knowing where to 85 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:41,039 Speaker 1: find that the tastiest snacks. But you're right about home 86 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:43,480 Speaker 1: field advantage being a real thing, and and a good 87 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:46,200 Speaker 1: deal of why that is does have to do with psychology. 88 00:04:46,360 --> 00:04:49,280 Speaker 1: So first I want to give a little bit of background. Um, 89 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:51,520 Speaker 1: there have been a bunch of studies into home field 90 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:54,360 Speaker 1: advantage over the years, covering a wide variety of different sports, 91 00:04:54,440 --> 00:04:57,320 Speaker 1: and the results have been shockingly consistent, like the home 92 00:04:57,400 --> 00:05:00,400 Speaker 1: team wins more games away than away teams, and not 93 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:03,840 Speaker 1: by small margin either. In two ten, as psychologist named 94 00:05:03,880 --> 00:05:06,960 Speaker 1: Jeremy Jamison put together a review of all the different 95 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:09,320 Speaker 1: home field advantage studies out there, and based on the 96 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:11,920 Speaker 1: combined data, it concluded that a home team will win 97 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:14,839 Speaker 1: roughly six of all its games its place. That suks 98 00:05:14,839 --> 00:05:16,560 Speaker 1: a little bit higher than that I would have guessed. 99 00:05:16,560 --> 00:05:19,360 Speaker 1: So what's actually fueling that advantage, like you said, has 100 00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:21,680 Speaker 1: something to do with the psychology of the players, that's right. 101 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:23,400 Speaker 1: So part of it goes back to what you allude 102 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:26,080 Speaker 1: to earlier, like the players familiarity with where they're playing, 103 00:05:26,400 --> 00:05:29,320 Speaker 1: kind of feeling at ease in this environment. It tends 104 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:31,680 Speaker 1: to contribute a lot to the home field advantage. In fact, 105 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:33,919 Speaker 1: according to one study, if a team moves into a 106 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:37,040 Speaker 1: new home stadium, it'll have a weaker home field advantage 107 00:05:37,080 --> 00:05:39,400 Speaker 1: until the players get acclimated to the new space. Oh 108 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:42,360 Speaker 1: that's interesting. So so you're feeling at home in your 109 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:45,520 Speaker 1: home field at some point. So what else is a factor? 110 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:47,120 Speaker 1: The next one is something I know we can both 111 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:50,320 Speaker 1: relate to, and and that's travel fatigue. Like, I don't 112 00:05:50,360 --> 00:05:51,920 Speaker 1: travel as much as you do, but it can get 113 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:54,360 Speaker 1: pretty exhausting trying to adjust to new cities and time 114 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:57,600 Speaker 1: zones and all the while taking meetings and missing home. 115 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:00,839 Speaker 1: But you know, imagine all of that except in between flights, 116 00:06:00,880 --> 00:06:03,200 Speaker 1: you play hours and hours of tackle football in front 117 00:06:03,240 --> 00:06:06,440 Speaker 1: of like thousands of screaming fans. Like jet like suddenly 118 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:09,880 Speaker 1: becomes like a million times more tiring. Yeah, yeah, I 119 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:11,800 Speaker 1: do kind of want somebody to tackle you before our 120 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:16,160 Speaker 1: next meete, just to see for ourselves, Like yeah, they 121 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:18,520 Speaker 1: we gotta we gotta live by example here. But all right, 122 00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:20,719 Speaker 1: So you're saying there's a link between how far a 123 00:06:20,760 --> 00:06:24,360 Speaker 1: team travels and how well they play against the home 124 00:06:24,400 --> 00:06:27,360 Speaker 1: team competitors. Yeah, it seems like the further team has 125 00:06:27,400 --> 00:06:29,440 Speaker 1: to travel, the bigger the advantage for the home team, 126 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:31,880 Speaker 1: and the last factor at play kind of goes along 127 00:06:31,920 --> 00:06:34,160 Speaker 1: with that travel component, because the other downside for the 128 00:06:34,240 --> 00:06:36,560 Speaker 1: way team is that it can't bring its fan base along. 129 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:39,400 Speaker 1: Like a crowd's behavior has a major impact on how 130 00:06:39,400 --> 00:06:41,440 Speaker 1: well the players perform. You and I know this from 131 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:43,800 Speaker 1: going to Duke and and having that whole advantage there. 132 00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:46,320 Speaker 1: But you know, at an away game, most of the 133 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:48,400 Speaker 1: people in the crowd will be rooting for the home team. 134 00:06:48,520 --> 00:06:51,240 Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, And and that obviously gives the home team 135 00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:54,159 Speaker 1: a little morale boost, but imagine it also deflates the 136 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:56,760 Speaker 1: away team, Like it can't be a great feeling to 137 00:06:56,800 --> 00:06:59,080 Speaker 1: hear a stadium full of people cheering for the other 138 00:06:59,120 --> 00:07:01,560 Speaker 1: guy or against to you. But you know, all the 139 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:04,320 Speaker 1: stuff we've mentioned, the crowd, the field, the travel time, 140 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:07,320 Speaker 1: all of that factors into the psychological state of the players, 141 00:07:07,440 --> 00:07:10,560 Speaker 1: and that positive mindset is really the biggest contributor to 142 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:13,600 Speaker 1: home field advantage. If all the players are feeling motivated 143 00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:16,040 Speaker 1: and upbeat about the conditions of the game, that's likely 144 00:07:16,080 --> 00:07:17,960 Speaker 1: to show up in their performance. Yeah, I mean it 145 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:21,120 Speaker 1: makes sense, but I'm still wondering, like if this advantage 146 00:07:21,200 --> 00:07:23,280 Speaker 1: is the same from sport to sport. Like I know 147 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:25,760 Speaker 1: you said that studies have looked at a wide range 148 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:28,680 Speaker 1: of different sports, but we're some sports better for the 149 00:07:28,720 --> 00:07:30,960 Speaker 1: home team than others Or was it always pretty much 150 00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:33,800 Speaker 1: the same degree of advantage? Yeah, so I wondered about 151 00:07:33,840 --> 00:07:35,840 Speaker 1: that too, and it seems like it really does very 152 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:38,640 Speaker 1: depending on the sport. For example, there's a sports author 153 00:07:38,760 --> 00:07:41,360 Speaker 1: named John Bois who took three years worth of win 154 00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:43,600 Speaker 1: and lost data and he took it from four different 155 00:07:43,640 --> 00:07:47,760 Speaker 1: pro leagues, so hockey, baseball, football, and basketball. Then he 156 00:07:47,800 --> 00:07:50,080 Speaker 1: extrapolated how each of the different win counts would have 157 00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:52,040 Speaker 1: been affected if the teams had played all of their 158 00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:54,720 Speaker 1: games at home, so like no away games at all. 159 00:07:55,240 --> 00:07:57,760 Speaker 1: And what he found was that the NHL teams and 160 00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:00,640 Speaker 1: MLB teams would have experienced the smallest boost from the 161 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:03,160 Speaker 1: home field advantage of all the leagues. They would have 162 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:06,120 Speaker 1: won each a little shy of I guess five and 163 00:08:06,120 --> 00:08:08,880 Speaker 1: a half percent more games than they actually did, which 164 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:10,800 Speaker 1: is still nothing is sneeze at, particularly if you've got 165 00:08:10,800 --> 00:08:13,040 Speaker 1: money riding on those games. But the NFL teams would 166 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:15,920 Speaker 1: have seen the second biggest boost, about six point four percent, 167 00:08:16,280 --> 00:08:18,520 Speaker 1: and then NBA teams would have seen the biggest boost 168 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 1: by far if they had played all of their games 169 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:22,360 Speaker 1: at home for a three year period, they would have 170 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:25,440 Speaker 1: won ten percent more games than they actually do. You know, 171 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:28,280 Speaker 1: I think about this in in football. I feel like 172 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:31,520 Speaker 1: it makes sense because you think about the intensity of 173 00:08:31,520 --> 00:08:34,440 Speaker 1: the cheering when the offense is trying to call plays 174 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:36,679 Speaker 1: or whatever like whatever they do in that scenario, right, 175 00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:38,520 Speaker 1: and it's hard for them to hear each other, and 176 00:08:38,559 --> 00:08:40,840 Speaker 1: it seems like you could get them rattled. But do 177 00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:43,079 Speaker 1: we know why the advantage would be so much greater 178 00:08:43,160 --> 00:08:47,080 Speaker 1: for NBA teams, Well, we don't, but I guess one 179 00:08:47,080 --> 00:08:48,920 Speaker 1: of the things that Bo has pointed out was that 180 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:51,880 Speaker 1: the playing dimensions of a basketball court don't really very 181 00:08:51,920 --> 00:08:54,200 Speaker 1: like they do in other sports such as baseball, and 182 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:55,959 Speaker 1: and on top of that, like NBA games are all 183 00:08:55,960 --> 00:08:59,200 Speaker 1: played inside, so weather is never a factor. So, in 184 00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:01,559 Speaker 1: other words, the hometown, crowd and trial factors are still 185 00:09:01,600 --> 00:09:04,319 Speaker 1: in play for NBA teams, but the environmental factor might 186 00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:07,199 Speaker 1: not play his large role in in the players mindsets 187 00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:11,040 Speaker 1: as as it does in baseball or even football. All right, Well, 188 00:09:11,080 --> 00:09:13,360 Speaker 1: believe it or not, home field advantage isn't the only 189 00:09:13,480 --> 00:09:16,640 Speaker 1: kind of location based benefit in the sports world. There's 190 00:09:16,679 --> 00:09:18,959 Speaker 1: also something I was reading about this week called small 191 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:21,880 Speaker 1: town advantage, and the gist of this is that people 192 00:09:21,920 --> 00:09:24,400 Speaker 1: who grew up in a small town they like fifty 193 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:27,560 Speaker 1: thou people or under, they will have a higher chance 194 00:09:27,600 --> 00:09:30,600 Speaker 1: of becoming a professional athlete than someone for a more 195 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:33,280 Speaker 1: populated city or town. That's something I've not seen before, 196 00:09:33,600 --> 00:09:35,840 Speaker 1: and the numbers behind this are actually pretty remarkable. So 197 00:09:35,880 --> 00:09:38,959 Speaker 1: there was this two thousand seventeen article in Pacific Standard 198 00:09:39,360 --> 00:09:42,440 Speaker 1: that only about of the u S population lives in 199 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:45,800 Speaker 1: a town with under fifty thou people. Yet despite that, 200 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:49,360 Speaker 1: nearly half of all NFL and p g A players 201 00:09:49,400 --> 00:09:52,520 Speaker 1: are from towns that size, and the same trends present 202 00:09:52,559 --> 00:09:55,480 Speaker 1: to a slightly lesser degree in other sports too. That's 203 00:09:55,640 --> 00:09:59,520 Speaker 1: I think it's like NHL players somewhere around that same 204 00:09:59,559 --> 00:10:03,079 Speaker 1: staff or Major League Baseball players come from towns fewer 205 00:10:03,120 --> 00:10:05,840 Speaker 1: than fifty thousand, and for the NBA, I think it's 206 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:09,079 Speaker 1: it's twenty eight percent, So pretty interesting. That's pretty crazy, 207 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:11,480 Speaker 1: especially since you think the opposite would be true, right, 208 00:10:11,520 --> 00:10:14,480 Speaker 1: like the larger cities would have access to more equipment, 209 00:10:14,720 --> 00:10:19,080 Speaker 1: maybe more competition, and more opportunities for players to be discovered. Yeah, 210 00:10:19,080 --> 00:10:21,360 Speaker 1: I mean, the truth is it's tough to pinpoint why 211 00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:24,760 Speaker 1: small towns make such great incubators for pro athletes. I mean, 212 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:27,480 Speaker 1: it could be there's something unique about the atmosphere of 213 00:10:27,480 --> 00:10:31,400 Speaker 1: small towns that make it particularly conducive to athletic development. 214 00:10:31,559 --> 00:10:34,840 Speaker 1: The close knit community spirit, or the level of importance 215 00:10:34,840 --> 00:10:37,600 Speaker 1: that rural areas tend to place on sports. Maybe, But 216 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:40,640 Speaker 1: whatever first got the trend rolling, it's kind of become 217 00:10:40,679 --> 00:10:44,000 Speaker 1: a self perpetuating cycle at this point. What do you 218 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:46,319 Speaker 1: mean by that, Well, small town residents tend to know 219 00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:50,559 Speaker 1: how many legends their areas have produced, like Bo Jacks. 220 00:10:50,559 --> 00:10:52,520 Speaker 1: I mean, how many times a day do I remind 221 00:10:52,559 --> 00:10:55,679 Speaker 1: you that Bo Jackson came from the Birmingham area, right, 222 00:10:56,120 --> 00:10:58,240 Speaker 1: you know, to Wayne Gretzky. And that makes the dream 223 00:10:58,280 --> 00:11:00,160 Speaker 1: of making it to the big league seem all the 224 00:11:00,240 --> 00:11:03,320 Speaker 1: more attainable for the next crop of players. And it 225 00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:05,400 Speaker 1: is something that makes sense. So if somebody grew up 226 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:08,280 Speaker 1: in your neighborhood and you see them turn pro, then 227 00:11:08,320 --> 00:11:11,000 Speaker 1: it stands the reason that maybe you could too. Yeah, 228 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:13,400 Speaker 1: you know, I used to live in Greenville and North 229 00:11:13,440 --> 00:11:16,120 Speaker 1: Carolina and and Kinston was right next door. And the 230 00:11:16,240 --> 00:11:19,040 Speaker 1: number of star basketball players and football players that will 231 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:23,000 Speaker 1: come out of is pretty remarkable. Um, but not Jackson, No, 232 00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:26,840 Speaker 1: not win Gretzky. But you know, there's one more sports 233 00:11:26,880 --> 00:11:28,880 Speaker 1: advantage I wanted to talk about, and that's the fact 234 00:11:28,920 --> 00:11:31,880 Speaker 1: that being short can actually give players a big advantage 235 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:34,800 Speaker 1: in soccer. It's it's funny, but one of our friends 236 00:11:34,880 --> 00:11:36,920 Speaker 1: kids learned from his doctor that he might be you know, 237 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:39,640 Speaker 1: six foot or whatever like these projections, and he was 238 00:11:39,880 --> 00:11:43,000 Speaker 1: totally depressed because he would He was hoping he'd be 239 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:45,640 Speaker 1: like five seven, like Messy or five eight, which is 240 00:11:45,720 --> 00:11:47,920 Speaker 1: just funny to think about, especially for someone like me. 241 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:51,880 Speaker 1: But you know, it's kind of counterintuitive since bigger is 242 00:11:51,960 --> 00:11:53,840 Speaker 1: usually better when it comes to sports. But in the 243 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:56,559 Speaker 1: case of soccer, being tall is only helpful if you're 244 00:11:56,559 --> 00:11:59,240 Speaker 1: a defender or a goalie. For the other positions like 245 00:11:59,320 --> 00:12:02,200 Speaker 1: forwards and fielders, the edge goes to the shorter players. 246 00:12:02,440 --> 00:12:05,280 Speaker 1: So why is that the main reason is that shorter 247 00:12:05,320 --> 00:12:08,040 Speaker 1: players tend to have better control of their limbs, which 248 00:12:08,080 --> 00:12:11,520 Speaker 1: allows them to change direction faster than a tall player could. Uh. 249 00:12:11,559 --> 00:12:14,080 Speaker 1: That kind of nimbleness really keeps defenders on their toes 250 00:12:14,120 --> 00:12:16,000 Speaker 1: and and makes it harder to box in a short 251 00:12:16,000 --> 00:12:19,320 Speaker 1: opponent or to anticipate their movements. But that's not the 252 00:12:19,320 --> 00:12:21,880 Speaker 1: only advantage, you know. According to The Atlantic, studies have 253 00:12:21,920 --> 00:12:24,600 Speaker 1: shown that tall players are called for fouls more frequently 254 00:12:24,600 --> 00:12:27,120 Speaker 1: than shorter players. That could just be that the referees 255 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:30,480 Speaker 1: are associating height with aggression, or maybe the longer limbs 256 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:33,199 Speaker 1: are more visible. But you know, I'm not sure exactly 257 00:12:33,240 --> 00:12:35,960 Speaker 1: what the reason is, but but tall folks definitely get 258 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:39,480 Speaker 1: carded more. Yeah, and I know in other sports like basketball, 259 00:12:39,520 --> 00:12:42,880 Speaker 1: it's obviously an advantage overall to be tall. But it 260 00:12:42,960 --> 00:12:45,120 Speaker 1: is also interesting to watch, you know, when you used 261 00:12:45,120 --> 00:12:47,040 Speaker 1: to watch guys like Shack play and they could just 262 00:12:47,080 --> 00:12:49,640 Speaker 1: get hammered all day long and nobody would call them. 263 00:12:49,880 --> 00:12:52,000 Speaker 1: A lot of times Everson will pull someone down and 264 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:55,560 Speaker 1: get called exactly exactly. It's so bizarre to to look 265 00:12:55,559 --> 00:12:57,760 Speaker 1: at these stats, but you know, it's interesting to see 266 00:12:57,760 --> 00:13:01,800 Speaker 1: how different levels of influence people can have over these advantages. 267 00:13:01,880 --> 00:13:04,840 Speaker 1: Like with home field advantage, it kind of comes down 268 00:13:04,880 --> 00:13:07,679 Speaker 1: to the player's mindset and how they respond to things 269 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:11,040 Speaker 1: outside their control. And with the small town advantage, like 270 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:13,960 Speaker 1: that's something people could actually seek out if they were 271 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:16,480 Speaker 1: so inclined, Like if you had a young kid that 272 00:13:16,559 --> 00:13:18,800 Speaker 1: wants to be a pro football player, you could move 273 00:13:18,880 --> 00:13:21,719 Speaker 1: to a small town and theoretically they could reap the 274 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:24,400 Speaker 1: advantage of that. But now we're getting into stuff like 275 00:13:24,480 --> 00:13:27,520 Speaker 1: height and the social stigma surrounding height, and those are 276 00:13:27,559 --> 00:13:30,760 Speaker 1: things that nobody really has much say in. You know, Yeah, 277 00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:32,520 Speaker 1: that seems like a good distinction to make, and why 278 00:13:32,520 --> 00:13:34,480 Speaker 1: don't we check out some of those advantages. Right after 279 00:13:34,520 --> 00:13:50,719 Speaker 1: this break, you're listening to part Time Genius and we're 280 00:13:50,720 --> 00:13:53,240 Speaker 1: talking about some of the lesser known advantages that certain 281 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:55,959 Speaker 1: groups of people enjoy. And since we closed out the 282 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:58,440 Speaker 1: last segment with a short person perk, I think it's 283 00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:01,240 Speaker 1: only fair we balance out and go for for one 284 00:14:01,320 --> 00:14:03,360 Speaker 1: for the tall people out there. So here we go. 285 00:14:03,920 --> 00:14:06,760 Speaker 1: Tall people make more money than short people. That's it, 286 00:14:06,960 --> 00:14:09,320 Speaker 1: end the story. So I hate this already, but I 287 00:14:09,320 --> 00:14:11,000 Speaker 1: feel like you need to explain a little bit. Well. 288 00:14:11,040 --> 00:14:13,600 Speaker 1: According to a two thousand fifteen study published in the 289 00:14:13,679 --> 00:14:17,760 Speaker 1: Journal of Human Capital, salary rates trend upward right along 290 00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:21,080 Speaker 1: with height in most Western countries, so much so that 291 00:14:21,120 --> 00:14:24,040 Speaker 1: if one employee is four or five inches taller than another, 292 00:14:24,440 --> 00:14:27,880 Speaker 1: the taller person would make anywhere between nine and fifteen 293 00:14:27,960 --> 00:14:31,400 Speaker 1: percent more than the short who imagine being a seventh 294 00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:34,000 Speaker 1: fetter would be so rich. But put another way, an 295 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:36,040 Speaker 1: extra inch of height could be worth as much as 296 00:14:36,120 --> 00:14:40,120 Speaker 1: eight hundred dollars per year in additional earnings. Match that 297 00:14:40,160 --> 00:14:43,120 Speaker 1: to inflation rates, track it over thirty years, and you're 298 00:14:43,160 --> 00:14:46,840 Speaker 1: looking at hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra income 299 00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:50,560 Speaker 1: just for being tall. So I guess, setting aside the 300 00:14:50,600 --> 00:14:54,320 Speaker 1: sheer injustice of this tall I'm curious to hear what's 301 00:14:54,400 --> 00:14:56,480 Speaker 1: driving this because I feel like this would have made 302 00:14:56,560 --> 00:14:59,440 Speaker 1: sense like centuries ago, right when most of the jobs 303 00:14:59,480 --> 00:15:02,400 Speaker 1: relied on size or strength or whatever. But it seems 304 00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:04,360 Speaker 1: strange that the trend would continue in an era of 305 00:15:04,400 --> 00:15:07,560 Speaker 1: like the desk job, right, like maybe someone who's taller 306 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:09,760 Speaker 1: can reach the high shelf in the break room or 307 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:13,600 Speaker 1: something that height doesn't really help with Excel sheets, well, 308 00:15:13,640 --> 00:15:16,160 Speaker 1: it doesn't make a lot of sense on paper. And 309 00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:19,080 Speaker 1: you know, one theory is that employers aren't paying strictly 310 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:22,480 Speaker 1: based on height. Instead, it's that taller people are landing 311 00:15:22,520 --> 00:15:25,680 Speaker 1: higher paying jobs because their height lends them to more 312 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:29,600 Speaker 1: self confidence or better social skills, which allows them to 313 00:15:29,640 --> 00:15:32,920 Speaker 1: climb the pay ladder faster. Anyway, if you're angling for 314 00:15:32,960 --> 00:15:35,680 Speaker 1: a raise at work, adding some lists to your shoes 315 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:38,240 Speaker 1: might actually help. So think about that. I'm sure that's 316 00:15:38,240 --> 00:15:43,000 Speaker 1: how Tom Cruise got that big payday, right. So, sticking 317 00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:45,000 Speaker 1: with our theme of things that are beyond our control, 318 00:15:45,120 --> 00:15:47,440 Speaker 1: here's another bombshell. I bet you never would have guessed 319 00:15:47,760 --> 00:15:52,480 Speaker 1: their advantages to being attractive. What you don't say, mango? 320 00:15:52,640 --> 00:15:55,400 Speaker 1: Come on. So what's funny about this is that even 321 00:15:55,560 --> 00:15:58,480 Speaker 1: scientists benefit from this. So, according to new research from 322 00:15:58,480 --> 00:16:01,000 Speaker 1: the University of Essex and the Universe Said Cambridge, the 323 00:16:01,040 --> 00:16:03,760 Speaker 1: way that a scientist looks affects the level of interest 324 00:16:03,760 --> 00:16:07,240 Speaker 1: in their work and they're perceived credibility. As one of 325 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:09,880 Speaker 1: the psychologists behind the study explained, this is true because 326 00:16:09,960 --> 00:16:13,720 Speaker 1: quote people partly treat science communication as a form of entertainment, 327 00:16:13,880 --> 00:16:17,400 Speaker 1: where emotional impact in the esthetic appeal are desirable qualities. 328 00:16:18,360 --> 00:16:20,600 Speaker 1: Like it's weird to think society might buy into an 329 00:16:20,680 --> 00:16:23,120 Speaker 1: argument that the world is flat or some other ridiculous 330 00:16:23,160 --> 00:16:26,320 Speaker 1: argument like if the scientist is is just attractive enough. 331 00:16:27,120 --> 00:16:29,160 Speaker 1: It sounds a little like that thirty Rock episode where 332 00:16:29,240 --> 00:16:32,360 Speaker 1: John Hamm becomes a doctor and a Tennyson starter and 333 00:16:32,440 --> 00:16:34,760 Speaker 1: like he's horrible at all. These things that people keep 334 00:16:34,800 --> 00:16:37,040 Speaker 1: getting in the past because he's so handsome. But uh, 335 00:16:37,440 --> 00:16:40,000 Speaker 1: I actually clarified this with GiB because I was thinking 336 00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:41,920 Speaker 1: the same thing you were, and the link here between 337 00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:46,040 Speaker 1: attractiveness and credibility isn't quite what you're thinking. So over 338 00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:48,920 Speaker 1: the course of six studies, researchers were able to show 339 00:16:48,920 --> 00:16:52,480 Speaker 1: that scientists who peer competent, moral, and attractive are more 340 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:55,640 Speaker 1: likely to garner interest in their work, which isn't a surprise, right, 341 00:16:55,840 --> 00:16:59,120 Speaker 1: But then the researchers continued writing, quote, the scientists who 342 00:16:59,200 --> 00:17:03,080 Speaker 1: appear competent, in and moral, but who are relatively unattractive 343 00:17:03,440 --> 00:17:07,000 Speaker 1: create a stronger impression of doing high quality research. So 344 00:17:07,160 --> 00:17:08,760 Speaker 1: just to get this right, so the public is more 345 00:17:08,800 --> 00:17:12,280 Speaker 1: likely to pay attention to the research of an attractive scientist, 346 00:17:12,320 --> 00:17:15,280 Speaker 1: but less likely to believe what they're saying. Like, is 347 00:17:15,280 --> 00:17:18,080 Speaker 1: that right? Yeah, they're basically like cer no diverge racking. 348 00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:21,000 Speaker 1: But basically, the next time the public needs to be 349 00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:24,320 Speaker 1: informed about a scientific breakthrough, it's probably best to pair 350 00:17:24,359 --> 00:17:27,320 Speaker 1: scientists to give a presentation like an attractive one to 351 00:17:27,320 --> 00:17:30,080 Speaker 1: win the audience's approval, and you know, an ugly one 352 00:17:30,080 --> 00:17:33,280 Speaker 1: to give it credibility. The old Watson and Crick is 353 00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:35,880 Speaker 1: what they call it, I think, so I have no idea. 354 00:17:36,119 --> 00:17:39,680 Speaker 1: That's interesting though, Well, since we're on the subject of scientists, 355 00:17:39,720 --> 00:17:41,679 Speaker 1: have you ever noticed how we tend to refer to 356 00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:44,800 Speaker 1: the male ones by their surnames, but we call female 357 00:17:44,880 --> 00:17:48,640 Speaker 1: scientists by their full names, Like Darwin is just Darwin. 358 00:17:48,760 --> 00:17:51,320 Speaker 1: But have you ever heard anyone just say Cury like 359 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:53,920 Speaker 1: it's always Marie Curry, Right, I know it's just making 360 00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:56,840 Speaker 1: a joke about Watson Crick, but like I know Rosalind 361 00:17:56,840 --> 00:17:59,280 Speaker 1: Franklin's full name, but I know one of them is James, 362 00:17:59,320 --> 00:18:01,360 Speaker 1: but I don't know which one. Yeah, I mean, there's 363 00:18:01,359 --> 00:18:04,840 Speaker 1: actually even a name for this bias. It's called surname bias. 364 00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:07,920 Speaker 1: So basically, when we hear someone called by their surname, 365 00:18:08,359 --> 00:18:11,359 Speaker 1: it tends to improve our perception of them. Maybe it 366 00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:14,119 Speaker 1: makes them seem more important or dignified in our minds, 367 00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:16,919 Speaker 1: maybe stronger or more imminent or something like that. But 368 00:18:17,440 --> 00:18:19,880 Speaker 1: the main problem with this is that we don't wield 369 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:23,199 Speaker 1: that surname bias fairly so. According to a string of 370 00:18:23,320 --> 00:18:26,800 Speaker 1: recent studies, on average, and regardless of gender, people are 371 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:29,679 Speaker 1: twice as likely to refer to men by their surnames 372 00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:33,200 Speaker 1: than they are women. And those findings hold true across 373 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:37,840 Speaker 1: you know, a lot of different professions, whether it's politics, science, literature, 374 00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:40,760 Speaker 1: like the list goes on. So how exactly does this 375 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:43,000 Speaker 1: advantage play in real life? Like what's the payoff for 376 00:18:43,200 --> 00:18:46,200 Speaker 1: being just being called by your last name? Alright, we're 377 00:18:46,240 --> 00:18:48,440 Speaker 1: just going back to the scientists for a minute. There 378 00:18:48,520 --> 00:18:50,600 Speaker 1: was a study back in two thousand and seventeen were 379 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:53,480 Speaker 1: more than five hundred participants were asked to determine who 380 00:18:53,520 --> 00:18:56,760 Speaker 1: among a group of scientists should receive a half million 381 00:18:56,800 --> 00:18:59,639 Speaker 1: dollars science grant. Some of the scientists were referred to 382 00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:02,920 Speaker 1: by or full names and others by their surnames. And 383 00:19:02,960 --> 00:19:04,920 Speaker 1: as you can probably guess by what we've been saying, 384 00:19:04,960 --> 00:19:09,679 Speaker 1: the participants showed a clear preference for this surname only contenders. 385 00:19:09,960 --> 00:19:12,840 Speaker 1: In fact, those candidates were a full fourteen percent more 386 00:19:12,920 --> 00:19:15,960 Speaker 1: likely to be recommended for the award. So if that 387 00:19:16,119 --> 00:19:19,800 Speaker 1: same strange advantages cropping up across all these different fields, 388 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:23,000 Speaker 1: it stands to reason that surname bias is a serious 389 00:19:23,040 --> 00:19:26,639 Speaker 1: contributor to the gender inequality in the workplace. And the 390 00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:28,639 Speaker 1: ironic part of this is that you know, the trend 391 00:19:28,680 --> 00:19:31,639 Speaker 1: of using women's full names actually may have started with 392 00:19:31,760 --> 00:19:35,080 Speaker 1: noble intentions as a way of drawing attention to the 393 00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:39,800 Speaker 1: presence and the contributions of women, especially in fields traditionally 394 00:19:39,800 --> 00:19:42,919 Speaker 1: associated with men. So the plan, though, it seems to 395 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:45,680 Speaker 1: have backfired since so many of us have this surname 396 00:19:45,720 --> 00:19:48,840 Speaker 1: bias kind of baked into us. I mean, that's a 397 00:19:48,880 --> 00:19:51,679 Speaker 1: little depressing, but I'm glad we're more aware of it, 398 00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:53,840 Speaker 1: and I think I am only going to call Marie 399 00:19:53,840 --> 00:19:57,080 Speaker 1: Curry Cury from now on. But why don't we switch 400 00:19:57,119 --> 00:19:59,040 Speaker 1: gears and talk about a few of the more even 401 00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:15,879 Speaker 1: handed advantages there right after this break? Welcome back to 402 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:18,720 Speaker 1: part time genius. Okay, well, so let's talk about advantages 403 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:20,880 Speaker 1: that are a little easier to come by, ones that 404 00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:24,400 Speaker 1: aren't as dependent on chance or circumstances. Did you come 405 00:20:24,400 --> 00:20:27,000 Speaker 1: across anything like that. Yeah, I feel like I've got 406 00:20:27,119 --> 00:20:29,800 Speaker 1: just the thing for you, because all you really need 407 00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:32,840 Speaker 1: for this one is a library card. Now. Being able 408 00:20:32,920 --> 00:20:35,520 Speaker 1: to read and having access to books are obviously big 409 00:20:35,520 --> 00:20:39,200 Speaker 1: advantages in life, especially during childhood, and hopefully it's clear 410 00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:42,080 Speaker 1: by now that you and I are big proponents of reading. 411 00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:45,959 Speaker 1: But according to new research, simply being around books might 412 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:49,080 Speaker 1: be a benefit in itself, even if you don't actually 413 00:20:49,160 --> 00:20:52,120 Speaker 1: read them. So my first question is, are you sure 414 00:20:52,119 --> 00:20:53,960 Speaker 1: we're supposed to be talking about this because my kids 415 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:57,800 Speaker 1: listening to this program just just sitting near the books. 416 00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:03,119 Speaker 1: But what's advantage of having unread books around? There's something 417 00:21:03,119 --> 00:21:06,399 Speaker 1: in social science called radiation effect. I think this is 418 00:21:06,440 --> 00:21:09,560 Speaker 1: so interesting. So that's when children grow up with books 419 00:21:09,640 --> 00:21:12,000 Speaker 1: in the house, they don't read them very much, but 420 00:21:12,119 --> 00:21:15,679 Speaker 1: still somehow benefit later in life just from having grown 421 00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:18,720 Speaker 1: up around books. It's a really weird phenomenon, but there's 422 00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:21,639 Speaker 1: a study on it recently by a sociologist at the 423 00:21:21,640 --> 00:21:26,240 Speaker 1: Australian National University. Her name is Joanna Secora, and along 424 00:21:26,280 --> 00:21:29,159 Speaker 1: with her colleagues, she pieced together five years worth of 425 00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:31,879 Speaker 1: developmental data on more than a hundred and sixty thousand 426 00:21:31,920 --> 00:21:35,520 Speaker 1: adults from thirty one different societies. These surveys were aimed 427 00:21:35,520 --> 00:21:40,199 Speaker 1: at assessing things like literacy, competency with numbers, even technology, 428 00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:42,320 Speaker 1: and part of this was asking the question of how 429 00:21:42,400 --> 00:21:45,760 Speaker 1: large of a home library the participants had during their adolescence. 430 00:21:46,440 --> 00:21:49,520 Speaker 1: Some of the findings from this we were actually pretty surprising. So, 431 00:21:49,560 --> 00:21:52,840 Speaker 1: for instance, the participants who only had a high school education, 432 00:21:53,200 --> 00:21:57,760 Speaker 1: but who had grown up around books. They boasted better literacy, numeracy, 433 00:21:57,840 --> 00:22:01,280 Speaker 1: and digital problem solving as adults than the college grads 434 00:22:01,280 --> 00:22:05,000 Speaker 1: and the survey who had grown up in bookless homes. 435 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:07,240 Speaker 1: That's interesting, and I'm guessing this all comes down to 436 00:22:07,280 --> 00:22:10,480 Speaker 1: someone in the house valuing knowledge or learning. Yeah, it 437 00:22:10,600 --> 00:22:13,199 Speaker 1: ultimately comes down to why the books are in the 438 00:22:13,280 --> 00:22:16,440 Speaker 1: house in the first place. So the lead researcher, Skora 439 00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:19,520 Speaker 1: sum this up well in a recent interview with Scientific American. 440 00:22:19,640 --> 00:22:22,399 Speaker 1: Here's what she said. If we grow up in a house, 441 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:25,439 Speaker 1: in a home where parents enjoy books, where books are 442 00:22:25,480 --> 00:22:28,679 Speaker 1: given as birthday presents and cherished and valued, this is 443 00:22:28,720 --> 00:22:31,119 Speaker 1: something that becomes part of our identity and gives us 444 00:22:31,119 --> 00:22:35,360 Speaker 1: this lifelong incentive to be literacy oriented, to always kind 445 00:22:35,359 --> 00:22:38,880 Speaker 1: of steer towards books and read more than we would otherwise. 446 00:22:39,320 --> 00:22:42,320 Speaker 1: It's fascinating, and honestly, I have so many books in 447 00:22:42,359 --> 00:22:44,440 Speaker 1: our house that we haven't read. I'm wondering if it's 448 00:22:44,440 --> 00:22:46,119 Speaker 1: a good life hack for you know, not having to 449 00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:48,720 Speaker 1: pay for my kids college. So good strategy. On an 450 00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:51,520 Speaker 1: opposite note, Gabe was telling me about Lucky Charms this 451 00:22:51,560 --> 00:22:54,240 Speaker 1: week and it's pretty much the opposite case, right. The 452 00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:58,080 Speaker 1: advantage depends entirely on the charm holders participation in it. 453 00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:00,640 Speaker 1: But there are you saying there really is some advantage 454 00:23:00,680 --> 00:23:03,920 Speaker 1: to carrying a lucky charm. It sounds impossible, but there's 455 00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:06,640 Speaker 1: a social psychology study from about a decade ago where 456 00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:10,720 Speaker 1: participants all performed better in memory and dexterity tests when 457 00:23:10,720 --> 00:23:13,199 Speaker 1: they were allowed to keep their lucky charms with them, 458 00:23:13,240 --> 00:23:15,639 Speaker 1: and when the charms were taken away their scores plummeted, 459 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:18,800 Speaker 1: and when the charms were returned, their scores increased again. 460 00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:22,000 Speaker 1: So then one it's like a placebo effect, but for 461 00:23:22,119 --> 00:23:25,040 Speaker 1: luckiness instead of health. Yes, sort of. I mean the 462 00:23:25,280 --> 00:23:28,120 Speaker 1: researchers theorized that the people would lucky charms perform better 463 00:23:28,160 --> 00:23:31,199 Speaker 1: because they stuck with the problems longer than those without charms. 464 00:23:31,640 --> 00:23:33,960 Speaker 1: Because they believed in the luckiness of their objects, they 465 00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:36,719 Speaker 1: felt more equipped and capable when faced with a tough challenge, 466 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:40,240 Speaker 1: and that confidence ultimately boosted them over the top. You know, 467 00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:42,879 Speaker 1: it's funny because there's this urge to like look sideways 468 00:23:42,880 --> 00:23:45,000 Speaker 1: of people for putting so much faith and like a 469 00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:47,680 Speaker 1: rabbit's phone or whatever. The lucky charm is. But I 470 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:49,760 Speaker 1: guess there must be some reason why they believe in 471 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:52,439 Speaker 1: an object's luck in the first place, right, Like something 472 00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:55,520 Speaker 1: must have convinced them. It's just hard to imagine exactly 473 00:23:55,520 --> 00:23:57,560 Speaker 1: what that could be. Yeah, I mean, I think it 474 00:23:57,600 --> 00:23:59,760 Speaker 1: helps to remember that what we think of as luck 475 00:23:59,880 --> 00:24:02,560 Speaker 1: is really more about brain chemistry and worldviews than it 476 00:24:02,680 --> 00:24:05,960 Speaker 1: is about you know, chance or magic. Like our our 477 00:24:05,960 --> 00:24:08,720 Speaker 1: brains are hardwired to look for patterns, and we often 478 00:24:08,760 --> 00:24:11,080 Speaker 1: have good incentive to find them, like even if they 479 00:24:11,119 --> 00:24:14,040 Speaker 1: aren't really there. For example, I if I make a 480 00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:16,680 Speaker 1: conscious choice to wear I don't know, a shirt with 481 00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:18,200 Speaker 1: a bear on it, and then I end up having 482 00:24:18,240 --> 00:24:19,800 Speaker 1: a great day at work, there's a part of me 483 00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:21,439 Speaker 1: that will take notice of that and link the two 484 00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:24,399 Speaker 1: events wearing the bear shirt and then having a good 485 00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:25,960 Speaker 1: day at the office. And and then if I wear 486 00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:28,080 Speaker 1: the bear shirt a second time and have another great 487 00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:31,000 Speaker 1: day at work like that mental connection will become even stronger, 488 00:24:31,040 --> 00:24:33,879 Speaker 1: and and I might think there's something going on and 489 00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:36,040 Speaker 1: that shirt is lucky or whatever. You know. I know 490 00:24:36,119 --> 00:24:37,960 Speaker 1: we talked about a lot of business ideas, but like, 491 00:24:38,080 --> 00:24:40,240 Speaker 1: just hearing you talk about this, it kind of makes 492 00:24:40,240 --> 00:24:41,720 Speaker 1: me think we need to get in the bear st 493 00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:44,480 Speaker 1: I think it's gonna be our next thing. But as 494 00:24:44,560 --> 00:24:46,560 Speaker 1: bizarre as it all sounds, I have to admit, it's 495 00:24:46,600 --> 00:24:49,119 Speaker 1: sort of comforting to think that there could actually be 496 00:24:49,920 --> 00:24:52,040 Speaker 1: away for us to kind of make our own luck. 497 00:24:52,080 --> 00:24:53,960 Speaker 1: Like that. It reminds me of something I read in 498 00:24:53,960 --> 00:24:56,960 Speaker 1: The Atlantic this week about the social advantage that comes 499 00:24:57,000 --> 00:25:01,880 Speaker 1: with having pockets Mango like pant pockets. Yeah, yeah, exactly. 500 00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:04,520 Speaker 1: It turns out the word pocket is an Anglo Norman 501 00:25:04,560 --> 00:25:09,080 Speaker 1: word meaning little bag, And when pockets first came on 502 00:25:09,119 --> 00:25:12,240 Speaker 1: the scene in the late seventeenth century, that's essentially what 503 00:25:12,320 --> 00:25:15,600 Speaker 1: they were, like, these small, detachable bags that were tied 504 00:25:15,640 --> 00:25:18,200 Speaker 1: around the waist with a draw string. And it wasn't 505 00:25:18,280 --> 00:25:21,560 Speaker 1: until the eighteen fifties, when clothes became more tightly fitted, 506 00:25:21,840 --> 00:25:25,400 Speaker 1: that pockets started to be sewn directly into the garments. 507 00:25:25,880 --> 00:25:27,760 Speaker 1: And this new kind of pocket was smaller than the 508 00:25:27,760 --> 00:25:30,000 Speaker 1: old draw string version, but it kind of made up 509 00:25:30,000 --> 00:25:33,360 Speaker 1: for that by being so much harder to steal. Honestly, though, 510 00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:35,719 Speaker 1: if you were a woman living during this time period, 511 00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:38,960 Speaker 1: you wouldn't really care which kind of pockets you had, 512 00:25:39,040 --> 00:25:41,920 Speaker 1: so long as you did have pockets. And that's because 513 00:25:41,960 --> 00:25:45,159 Speaker 1: pockets were a game changer for women. So it seems 514 00:25:45,200 --> 00:25:48,240 Speaker 1: like such a small thing, but being able to easily 515 00:25:48,320 --> 00:25:52,000 Speaker 1: and discreetly carry objects that, you know, it is an advantage. 516 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:55,000 Speaker 1: But before pockets came along, that really wasn't much of 517 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:57,960 Speaker 1: an option for women. Now remember this is all prior 518 00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:01,040 Speaker 1: to the rise of handbags and backpack and so suddenly 519 00:26:01,119 --> 00:26:03,600 Speaker 1: women were able to move outside the home because now 520 00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:06,080 Speaker 1: they had a private space to hold, you know, whatever 521 00:26:06,119 --> 00:26:08,640 Speaker 1: they needed throughout the day. That's funny. I never really 522 00:26:08,680 --> 00:26:11,560 Speaker 1: thought of pockets as a symbol of independence. But you know, 523 00:26:12,040 --> 00:26:14,840 Speaker 1: if you can't have your wallet or phone or keys 524 00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:17,199 Speaker 1: on you like, you can't really move through not like 525 00:26:17,240 --> 00:26:19,480 Speaker 1: public spaces. Yeah, it's right. And in fact, I don't 526 00:26:19,480 --> 00:26:21,639 Speaker 1: know if you remember this, but there's a great scene 527 00:26:21,640 --> 00:26:24,000 Speaker 1: about pockets and the wind and the willows. Do you 528 00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:27,560 Speaker 1: remember all the scenes from you say pockets this? Yeah, 529 00:26:28,560 --> 00:26:31,200 Speaker 1: it's when Mr Toad is trying to escape from jail 530 00:26:31,320 --> 00:26:33,960 Speaker 1: after being locked up, you know, for joy riding in 531 00:26:34,000 --> 00:26:36,800 Speaker 1: his motor car and he ends up disguising himself as 532 00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:40,320 Speaker 1: the prisons washer woman in order to slip past the guards. 533 00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:43,320 Speaker 1: But he finds out that the stolen clothes he's wearing 534 00:26:43,440 --> 00:26:46,359 Speaker 1: don't include pockets, and so listen to how he takes 535 00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:49,560 Speaker 1: the news to this horror. Toad recollected that he had 536 00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:52,640 Speaker 1: left both coat and waistcoat behind him and his cell. 537 00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:56,520 Speaker 1: All that makes life worth living, all that distinguishes the 538 00:26:56,560 --> 00:27:00,480 Speaker 1: many pocketed animal, the lord of creation, from the feior 539 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:04,000 Speaker 1: one pocketed or no pocketed productions that hop or trip 540 00:27:04,040 --> 00:27:08,840 Speaker 1: about permissively unequipped for the real contest. Pretty defenditive right there. 541 00:27:09,119 --> 00:27:12,360 Speaker 1: So even m your toad realized the freedom grunted by pockets, 542 00:27:12,560 --> 00:27:15,439 Speaker 1: and not just him. So back in the nineteenth century 543 00:27:15,440 --> 00:27:19,040 Speaker 1: you'd see posted advertisements for runaway slaves, and some of 544 00:27:19,040 --> 00:27:22,560 Speaker 1: the descriptions would warn that just because his clothes have pockets, 545 00:27:22,880 --> 00:27:26,000 Speaker 1: that doesn't mean he's a free man. So I guess 546 00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:28,520 Speaker 1: we should be grateful for pockets, is what I'm saying. 547 00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:31,280 Speaker 1: I'm just gonna keep saying pockets. But they give us 548 00:27:31,320 --> 00:27:34,280 Speaker 1: this agency in public that was denied to so many 549 00:27:34,320 --> 00:27:36,520 Speaker 1: people for a long long time. Plus where else are 550 00:27:36,520 --> 00:27:39,199 Speaker 1: you gonna keep your lucky charms? Right? So you know, 551 00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:41,720 Speaker 1: we started today's show talking about one on one competitions, 552 00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:43,479 Speaker 1: and now it's time to close it by holding one 553 00:27:43,520 --> 00:27:54,920 Speaker 1: of our own. It's time for the fact off. Yeah, okay, 554 00:27:54,960 --> 00:27:57,280 Speaker 1: So I came across a bunch of different advantages this 555 00:27:57,320 --> 00:27:59,359 Speaker 1: week that all center on the sound of your voice 556 00:27:59,359 --> 00:28:02,000 Speaker 1: and how it can fluence the way people perceive you. So, 557 00:28:02,080 --> 00:28:03,879 Speaker 1: for example, men are more likely to vote for men 558 00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:06,840 Speaker 1: who have deeper, more masculine voices, and and ceo s 559 00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:09,680 Speaker 1: with deeper voices tend to manage larger companies and earn 560 00:28:09,800 --> 00:28:13,080 Speaker 1: larger salaries. But there's at least one profession where it 561 00:28:13,119 --> 00:28:15,240 Speaker 1: pays for men to be a little more soft spoken. 562 00:28:15,680 --> 00:28:18,960 Speaker 1: According to a study outlined and New Scientists, lawyers with gentler, 563 00:28:19,119 --> 00:28:22,200 Speaker 1: less masculine voices are more likely to win in court 564 00:28:22,240 --> 00:28:25,600 Speaker 1: than their gruffer, sounder colleagues. And the researchers behind the 565 00:28:25,640 --> 00:28:28,000 Speaker 1: study aren't a hundred percent sure why that is, but 566 00:28:28,040 --> 00:28:29,879 Speaker 1: they say it could be that the lawyers with deeper 567 00:28:29,920 --> 00:28:34,080 Speaker 1: voices are perceived as being overcompensating or trying to sound masculine. 568 00:28:34,119 --> 00:28:36,640 Speaker 1: Well that's interesting, all right. So here's a weird one. 569 00:28:36,760 --> 00:28:39,280 Speaker 1: It turns out that die hard opera fans have a 570 00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:42,680 Speaker 1: slight edge when it comes to chemistry class. This is 571 00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:45,680 Speaker 1: my favorite. So back in two thousand thirteen, a team 572 00:28:45,680 --> 00:28:49,640 Speaker 1: of chemists study the librettos of twenty famous operas, and 573 00:28:49,640 --> 00:28:52,280 Speaker 1: they found that the effects of twenty five different natural 574 00:28:52,360 --> 00:28:56,520 Speaker 1: and synthetic chemical materials were accurately described in them, everything 575 00:28:56,560 --> 00:29:00,880 Speaker 1: from snake venom to deadly nightshade. According to the Smithsonian, 576 00:29:00,880 --> 00:29:03,920 Speaker 1: the researchers hope that teachers will use the poison based 577 00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:08,000 Speaker 1: plots to help the students better engage with chemistry, because 578 00:29:08,040 --> 00:29:10,520 Speaker 1: if there is one thing teams love more than chemistry, 579 00:29:10,720 --> 00:29:14,560 Speaker 1: it's gotta be opera. So we talked about left handed 580 00:29:14,600 --> 00:29:17,080 Speaker 1: advantages at the top of the show, but there's one 581 00:29:17,120 --> 00:29:19,520 Speaker 1: more that's too random not to mention. According to a 582 00:29:19,560 --> 00:29:22,800 Speaker 1: report commissioned by the A Driving School, left handed drivers 583 00:29:22,880 --> 00:29:25,920 Speaker 1: have a much easier time passing their driving test. In fact, 584 00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:29,200 Speaker 1: six out of ten or fifty seven percent actually, of 585 00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:32,040 Speaker 1: the left handers passed their driving test on the first try, 586 00:29:32,160 --> 00:29:34,680 Speaker 1: according to the findings, and that means south pause are 587 00:29:34,720 --> 00:29:36,960 Speaker 1: a full ten percent more likely than right handers to 588 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:39,880 Speaker 1: pass on their first attempt. And as any Color points 589 00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:42,320 Speaker 1: out for ABC News, that puts left handed drivers in 590 00:29:42,360 --> 00:29:46,000 Speaker 1: good company with famous lefty drivers including buzz Aldren and 591 00:29:46,480 --> 00:29:49,160 Speaker 1: none other than Chewbacco himself. Who you know it was 592 00:29:49,160 --> 00:29:51,800 Speaker 1: also left handed. That's right, all right, Well, here's one 593 00:29:51,840 --> 00:29:54,840 Speaker 1: I was kind of surprised to learn. Actually, color blindness 594 00:29:54,920 --> 00:29:59,280 Speaker 1: can sometimes be an asset in combat situations. The ideas 595 00:29:59,320 --> 00:30:02,640 Speaker 1: that the condition forces a soldier to focus on patterns 596 00:30:02,800 --> 00:30:06,520 Speaker 1: instead of colors, which can be useful for spotting camouflaged 597 00:30:06,640 --> 00:30:09,520 Speaker 1: enemies in the field. So much so, in fact, that 598 00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:13,000 Speaker 1: color blind units were reportedly used during World War Two 599 00:30:13,360 --> 00:30:18,720 Speaker 1: to help identify snipers. That's fascinating. So here's a fun one. 600 00:30:18,840 --> 00:30:21,240 Speaker 1: It turns out that women are more attracted to men 601 00:30:21,520 --> 00:30:24,840 Speaker 1: if they're holding guitars, which is why someone taught the 602 00:30:24,880 --> 00:30:28,360 Speaker 1: house course in college called just Enough Guitar to Serenade 603 00:30:28,400 --> 00:30:31,520 Speaker 1: a Girl. That's right. I think the whole thing led 604 00:30:31,600 --> 00:30:34,600 Speaker 1: up to playing that song Tangerine by led zepplind That. Uh. 605 00:30:35,520 --> 00:30:37,400 Speaker 1: Let let me tell you about the study because it's interesting. 606 00:30:37,880 --> 00:30:40,600 Speaker 1: A team of researchers in France hired this beefcake guy 607 00:30:40,880 --> 00:30:42,920 Speaker 1: and over the course of a single afternoon, they had 608 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:45,440 Speaker 1: him hit on three women between the ages of eighteen 609 00:30:45,480 --> 00:30:48,320 Speaker 1: and twenty two, and in each case, the guy followed 610 00:30:48,320 --> 00:30:50,840 Speaker 1: the same routine, right beat for beat, he introduced himself 611 00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:53,240 Speaker 1: and he told the woman like, I think you're really pretty, 612 00:30:53,400 --> 00:30:55,280 Speaker 1: and then he proceeded to ask each one for her 613 00:30:55,320 --> 00:30:57,680 Speaker 1: phone numbers, so you know they could get a drink together. 614 00:30:58,200 --> 00:31:00,400 Speaker 1: But here's the twist. For a third of these counters, 615 00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:02,560 Speaker 1: the guy was carrying a guitar case, for another third 616 00:31:02,600 --> 00:31:04,920 Speaker 1: he was carrying a gym bag, and for the remaining 617 00:31:05,000 --> 00:31:07,600 Speaker 1: third he wasn't carrying anything. And wouldn't you know it, 618 00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:10,000 Speaker 1: when when he was carrying the guitar case, a shocking 619 00:31:10,240 --> 00:31:14,160 Speaker 1: thirty of the women gave him their numbers, compared that 620 00:31:14,200 --> 00:31:16,000 Speaker 1: with nine percent who did when he was carrying the 621 00:31:16,040 --> 00:31:19,840 Speaker 1: gym bag and when he was carrying nothing. And it's 622 00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:22,640 Speaker 1: pretty clear that music is the language of love. That's 623 00:31:22,680 --> 00:31:26,120 Speaker 1: wild though, like thirty two percent to fourteen percent. It's 624 00:31:26,160 --> 00:31:28,440 Speaker 1: not just like a small advantage, it's a huge advantage. 625 00:31:28,440 --> 00:31:30,720 Speaker 1: And nine percent with the gym bag because I think 626 00:31:30,880 --> 00:31:32,760 Speaker 1: like they just think he's a meat head or something. Wow, 627 00:31:32,920 --> 00:31:35,080 Speaker 1: that's pretty well. Well, it may not be the most 628 00:31:35,160 --> 00:31:37,400 Speaker 1: surprising fact of the day, but you managed to breathe 629 00:31:37,440 --> 00:31:40,080 Speaker 1: a little romance into the show, and for that alone, 630 00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:42,720 Speaker 1: I think you got to take the show. Mango, well 631 00:31:42,800 --> 00:31:46,440 Speaker 1: played thanks so much, and I accept this on behalf 632 00:31:46,480 --> 00:31:48,720 Speaker 1: of everyone who's faked playing a musical instrument to get 633 00:31:48,720 --> 00:31:51,400 Speaker 1: a date. But that's going to do it. For today's 634 00:31:51,440 --> 00:31:54,880 Speaker 1: Part Time Genius from Will Gave Blowl and myself, thanks 635 00:31:54,920 --> 00:31:57,040 Speaker 1: so much for listening. We'll be back soon with another 636 00:31:57,080 --> 00:32:13,840 Speaker 1: new episode. Ye Part Time Genius is a production of 637 00:32:13,920 --> 00:32:16,560 Speaker 1: I heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio, 638 00:32:16,640 --> 00:32:19,280 Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever 639 00:32:19,360 --> 00:32:20,520 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite show.