1 00:00:03,080 --> 00:00:05,960 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow Your Mind from how Stuff 2 00:00:05,960 --> 00:00:14,160 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey, welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind. 3 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:16,599 Speaker 1: My name is Robert Lamb and Julie Douglas. And this 4 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:19,520 Speaker 1: is a special listener mail edition, so we better call 5 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:25,280 Speaker 1: the robot over here added fanfare for the robot night. Yeah, 6 00:00:25,480 --> 00:00:28,720 Speaker 1: but we've been neglecting him recently. We have been running 7 00:00:28,720 --> 00:00:31,800 Speaker 1: the habit of of just focusing on the episodes, and 8 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:33,560 Speaker 1: we continue to get all this great listener mail in 9 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:36,320 Speaker 1: and we we read it. We we really appreciate it. 10 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:39,080 Speaker 1: We respond where we can during our busy days. But 11 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: eventually we build up enough. We have to get to it. 12 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:44,640 Speaker 1: We have to let the robot out of his way, 13 00:00:45,080 --> 00:00:47,280 Speaker 1: and and then this is what happens. We devote a 14 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:52,440 Speaker 1: whole episode, especially your your feedback about names. We received 15 00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:57,960 Speaker 1: so many about nomini determinism, about how the name that 16 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:01,520 Speaker 1: we were given, how it affects our ultimate outcome in life, 17 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:04,120 Speaker 1: our opportunities in life, and how we see ourselves, how 18 00:01:04,120 --> 00:01:07,600 Speaker 1: other people see us and treat us. And uh, obviously 19 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:10,240 Speaker 1: everyone out there has a name. Everyone out there has 20 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:13,560 Speaker 1: has some sort of an opinion on to what extent 21 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:15,760 Speaker 1: their name is affecting who they are so we we 22 00:01:15,920 --> 00:01:17,959 Speaker 1: received a lot of cool content. We cannot go through 23 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:20,720 Speaker 1: all of it. Yeah, at some point I feel like 24 00:01:20,760 --> 00:01:25,640 Speaker 1: we had something like six a day just on nominative determinism. 25 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:30,479 Speaker 1: So yeah, let him all right? Uh. We heard from 26 00:01:30,560 --> 00:01:33,679 Speaker 1: Polly who wrote in and mentioned that her name was 27 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:37,480 Speaker 1: supposed to be Apollonia, which, of course uh is the 28 00:01:37,520 --> 00:01:41,959 Speaker 1: god of music, poetry, art oracles, archery, plague, medicine, sun light, 29 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:44,640 Speaker 1: and knowledge. But she says her parents chickened out and 30 00:01:44,760 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 1: named her Pauline instead, but she went back around and 31 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:53,640 Speaker 1: reclaimed Apollonia, and so she writes to us as Polly okay, 32 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:57,080 Speaker 1: and also the Muse of Prince you forgot Apollonia? The 33 00:01:57,160 --> 00:02:01,760 Speaker 1: Muse of Princes and Prince Prince singer up. I believe 34 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:04,720 Speaker 1: like there's a character Apollonia. Oh, I could be wrong. 35 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:06,560 Speaker 1: I remember there was a character in the movie over 36 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:09,560 Speaker 1: Drawn at the Memory Bank named Papolonia. But that's that's 37 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:12,960 Speaker 1: my main uh in for that name, all right. We 38 00:02:13,040 --> 00:02:19,400 Speaker 1: also heard from our listener Jasper. Jasper was actually given 39 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:22,000 Speaker 1: the birth name Luke. He says he grew up in 40 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:24,680 Speaker 1: a very strict with a very strict Christian dad, and 41 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:26,520 Speaker 1: he was getting into the trouble trouble all the time. 42 00:02:26,520 --> 00:02:29,079 Speaker 1: So he associated that name of getting caught and Luke 43 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:31,480 Speaker 1: of course means light and an enlightened one and has 44 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:34,519 Speaker 1: the same route as the as the name Lucifer. And 45 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:38,359 Speaker 1: so he ended up eventually rebelling against his former identity 46 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:42,600 Speaker 1: and choosing Jasper as his new identity, which which I 47 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:44,880 Speaker 1: think this is. You know, this is an important aspect 48 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:46,919 Speaker 1: in a lot of people's history with their names. You're 49 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:49,320 Speaker 1: either you're given one version of your name and you 50 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 1: ended up sort of shifting it into into your own 51 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:55,680 Speaker 1: personal identity, or many people just straight up abandon it. 52 00:02:55,760 --> 00:02:59,480 Speaker 1: Sometimes they're abandoning the simple name for the stranger name, 53 00:03:00,320 --> 00:03:02,400 Speaker 1: or it seems like just as often it's the it's 54 00:03:02,440 --> 00:03:05,040 Speaker 1: the the opposite of that, they end up taking the 55 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:07,640 Speaker 1: strange name and exchanging it for the normal one. It's 56 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:11,440 Speaker 1: kind of like the star Bellied speeches and the star machine, right. Yeah, 57 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: I think I took the E off of my name 58 00:03:14,400 --> 00:03:19,320 Speaker 1: at one point, as as a tiny youth a youth, yeah, 59 00:03:19,480 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 1: And then another point I think I wanted to put 60 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:24,720 Speaker 1: some boom lots over the you. But what's the point 61 00:03:24,720 --> 00:03:28,520 Speaker 1: of that? Yeah, pretty Julie that's true. Yeah, yeah, I 62 00:03:28,600 --> 00:03:31,720 Speaker 1: just shifted around from various boring versions of my boring name. 63 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:35,560 Speaker 1: I mean, it's basically just varying levels of masculine and feminine. 64 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:38,080 Speaker 1: You have Robert, you have Rob, you have Robbie, you 65 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 1: have Bob, Bob, and it seems like Robin was name. 66 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:43,200 Speaker 1: You know, people would refer to me as all of those, 67 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:44,920 Speaker 1: depending on where they were in my family. Didn't you 68 00:03:44,960 --> 00:03:47,280 Speaker 1: post something once that it was like the lifespan of 69 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:50,920 Speaker 1: the name Robert, Like as a young kid, the boys 70 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:54,160 Speaker 1: called Robbie. Yeah, you know, I can't take credit for 71 00:03:54,200 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 1: creating it, but someone on the internet created this kind 72 00:03:57,040 --> 00:04:00,000 Speaker 1: of timeline. Yeah, where it's it's like the cycle of life. 73 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:02,240 Speaker 1: In the in the morning, in the dawn of your years, 74 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:08,640 Speaker 1: I guess you're a Robbie, you Robert, and then in 75 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: the sunset years your Bob. Yeah. All right, Now here's 76 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:15,240 Speaker 1: an interesting, uh a bit of feedback on the same topic, 77 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:17,640 Speaker 1: and this comes to us from page page right soon 78 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:19,520 Speaker 1: and says, I'm surprised you didn't discuss or at least 79 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:22,359 Speaker 1: mentioned changing one's name and adulthead, or or for that matter, 80 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:24,719 Speaker 1: in infancy. A friend of mine had to rename her 81 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:27,280 Speaker 1: child because no one could pronounce the original name. I 82 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:29,520 Speaker 1: was born with a name which stereotypically did not match 83 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:32,520 Speaker 1: my gender. There were several boys all through primary school 84 00:04:32,680 --> 00:04:35,200 Speaker 1: with the same name, and perhaps that influence my departure 85 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:38,440 Speaker 1: from the feminine. Apparently, at as young as five or six, 86 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:41,800 Speaker 1: I was introducing myself by different names, and at fifteen 87 00:04:41,839 --> 00:04:45,920 Speaker 1: started going by a nickname completely disconnected from my birth name. 88 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:48,680 Speaker 1: Nicknames changed, and eventually, when I was eighteen, I worked 89 00:04:48,680 --> 00:04:51,560 Speaker 1: out what would be a good new name for myself, 90 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:53,680 Speaker 1: then went down to the Office of Births, Deaths, and 91 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:57,120 Speaker 1: Marriages and changed it. I've been Paige ever since, and 92 00:04:57,240 --> 00:04:59,840 Speaker 1: just hearing my birth name makes me I'm comfortable. Did 93 00:04:59,839 --> 00:05:03,440 Speaker 1: I've perhaps change my destiny by changing my name? How 94 00:05:03,520 --> 00:05:06,240 Speaker 1: does hating one's name and refusing to use it whenever 95 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:10,400 Speaker 1: possible affect things? How are babies or children affected when 96 00:05:10,440 --> 00:05:12,880 Speaker 1: their name is changed? And how do children who cannot 97 00:05:12,880 --> 00:05:15,880 Speaker 1: pronounce their names fair? My daughter has a speech impediment 98 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:19,760 Speaker 1: and cannot pronounce her shortened name uh Meiwi versus neely 99 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:23,279 Speaker 1: let alone her first long name. Thanks for the podcast. 100 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:25,160 Speaker 1: I've been listening for over a year now. Uh And 101 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:27,320 Speaker 1: when I found you. I devoured them all as quickly 102 00:05:27,360 --> 00:05:30,719 Speaker 1: as I could. Page I read this entire email because 103 00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:33,159 Speaker 1: here on the episode, because I think she did raise 104 00:05:33,160 --> 00:05:35,320 Speaker 1: a lot of cool points. It's gonna be, you know, 105 00:05:35,400 --> 00:05:38,480 Speaker 1: chewing over the uh, the issues involved in naming and 106 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:41,320 Speaker 1: reclaiming a name or abandoning a name. I kind of 107 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:43,920 Speaker 1: feel like altering your name is a sort of rite 108 00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:46,240 Speaker 1: of passage anyway, and it does seem to happen in 109 00:05:46,279 --> 00:05:48,520 Speaker 1: those teenage years when you're trying to figure out what 110 00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:53,200 Speaker 1: your personality is, who you want to be in the world. Yeah, indeed, 111 00:05:53,279 --> 00:05:56,040 Speaker 1: and uh And as far as the speech issue goes, um, 112 00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:59,120 Speaker 1: my son has some catching up on his speech because 113 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:02,440 Speaker 1: he had a cliff flip cleft ballot and his name 114 00:06:02,480 --> 00:06:05,120 Speaker 1: is is Sebastian, but he we just call him Bastion 115 00:06:05,279 --> 00:06:07,040 Speaker 1: and the home because you know, you can, you can 116 00:06:07,080 --> 00:06:10,159 Speaker 1: say that easier. And I also think I, like a 117 00:06:10,200 --> 00:06:12,400 Speaker 1: little toddler, seemed to really go for more of the 118 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:15,120 Speaker 1: one or two syllables anyway, Like that third syllable that's 119 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:16,840 Speaker 1: just something to trip over, so you might as well 120 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:19,600 Speaker 1: cut it down. Um. But we also made sure that 121 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:22,320 Speaker 1: we named the new cat a name that he could 122 00:06:22,320 --> 00:06:23,960 Speaker 1: stay easily because they're like, we want him to be 123 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:25,560 Speaker 1: able to say the cat's name. We're not gonna give 124 00:06:25,560 --> 00:06:28,480 Speaker 1: it some crazy name like Zartagnan or something. So we 125 00:06:28,640 --> 00:06:31,960 Speaker 1: called the new cat Mochi, and that he can say. Yeah. 126 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:36,400 Speaker 1: One of my daughter's earliest little snugly toys was named 127 00:06:36,440 --> 00:06:39,200 Speaker 1: as Morelda, and people would get so annoyed with us. 128 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:42,159 Speaker 1: They like, what she can't pronounce as Morelda? What would 129 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:45,760 Speaker 1: she she call it? Um? She never really cottoned to it, 130 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:49,679 Speaker 1: so we never had to worry about it. But shoot high, 131 00:06:49,839 --> 00:06:51,640 Speaker 1: That's what I'm saying, because they seem to come up 132 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:54,080 Speaker 1: with like if they if they can't or don't want 133 00:06:54,080 --> 00:06:57,200 Speaker 1: to say all the syllables and something. They they're really 134 00:06:57,240 --> 00:06:59,920 Speaker 1: weird about how they choose, pick and choose. For instance, 135 00:07:00,839 --> 00:07:05,839 Speaker 1: my son, for whatever reason, is still calling water ewa, 136 00:07:06,279 --> 00:07:08,920 Speaker 1: Like why, Like, clearly you can say waw and you 137 00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:11,160 Speaker 1: I mean you could, you could, You could hit it 138 00:07:11,200 --> 00:07:13,760 Speaker 1: more on the head, I think, But instead he's calling 139 00:07:13,760 --> 00:07:15,200 Speaker 1: it ewa to the point where I have to stop 140 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:18,840 Speaker 1: myself from thinking of it as ewa because it does 141 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:20,840 Speaker 1: it does sound give him that it sounds good. You 142 00:07:20,840 --> 00:07:23,120 Speaker 1: did ask me to give you give you your class 143 00:07:23,120 --> 00:07:26,720 Speaker 1: of EA the other day and I was like, what, yeah, 144 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:28,960 Speaker 1: all right, here's another but listener mail. This comes to 145 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:32,080 Speaker 1: us from Nathan in Australia. Nathan says, my grandfather's name 146 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:34,920 Speaker 1: was Victor. He was a champion rugby league player, lawn 147 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:39,400 Speaker 1: bowler and golfer. So there's another example of of a 148 00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:43,400 Speaker 1: name that may or may not have have pushed uh 149 00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:48,640 Speaker 1: the individual onto Victory. Uh. And on a similar note, 150 00:07:48,680 --> 00:07:51,240 Speaker 1: here's one from Victoria, also in Australia. We have a 151 00:07:51,280 --> 00:07:53,880 Speaker 1: lot of listeners in Australia. She writes it and says, 152 00:07:53,880 --> 00:07:55,600 Speaker 1: I thought you might be interesting in a story about 153 00:07:55,640 --> 00:07:57,280 Speaker 1: my name. As you can see from my email, it's 154 00:07:57,360 --> 00:08:00,559 Speaker 1: Victoria's strike But here's more to it because, as you see, 155 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:03,400 Speaker 1: I'm adopted. Five years ago. I found my biological family 156 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:08,239 Speaker 1: and their surname is Force, so technically i'm Victoria's Strike Force. 157 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:11,280 Speaker 1: My boyfriend, on the other hand, has been terribly unlucky. 158 00:08:11,360 --> 00:08:17,080 Speaker 1: His name is Ben Ben Laden been Lodden, perhaps eat 159 00:08:17,200 --> 00:08:21,080 Speaker 1: way close enough to conceivably caused some problems. I want 160 00:08:21,080 --> 00:08:22,840 Speaker 1: to think through the podcast it rocks and makes my 161 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:26,960 Speaker 1: daily train ride to work a joy. Victoria, we had 162 00:08:27,400 --> 00:08:29,880 Speaker 1: Gillian right into us uh and give us some some 163 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:32,520 Speaker 1: very cool feedback on the episode and on some other 164 00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:35,960 Speaker 1: topics as well. But pointed out that they worked in 165 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:39,920 Speaker 1: a hospital where there was a doctor doctor the last 166 00:08:39,960 --> 00:08:43,280 Speaker 1: name d O C K T O R so and 167 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:46,880 Speaker 1: people refer to the doctor as doctor, doctor, doctor doctor. Yes, 168 00:08:47,600 --> 00:08:49,800 Speaker 1: and here's an interesting question. Finally, this has brought up 169 00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:53,440 Speaker 1: to us by our listeners. Zerik Zerrec of course has 170 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:56,200 Speaker 1: a very cool first name of him, may say so, 171 00:08:56,280 --> 00:08:58,760 Speaker 1: a very creative first name. So he mentioned that he 172 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:00,680 Speaker 1: even though his parents were very on of the name 173 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:03,280 Speaker 1: and uh and and and stead, that they made it 174 00:09:03,400 --> 00:09:07,800 Speaker 1: up for him especially, he felt he felt limited, but 175 00:09:07,920 --> 00:09:10,000 Speaker 1: he felt like it wasn't his name. It felt alien 176 00:09:10,080 --> 00:09:12,560 Speaker 1: to him anyway. He asked, do you think you quote 177 00:09:12,600 --> 00:09:16,720 Speaker 1: normals unquote could explain to a person with a weird, foreign, 178 00:09:16,760 --> 00:09:19,600 Speaker 1: meaningless name, what it feels like to have a common name. 179 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:22,040 Speaker 1: Does it just feel like nothing? Because that's more or 180 00:09:22,120 --> 00:09:25,120 Speaker 1: less how I feel about my name most of the time. 181 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:27,760 Speaker 1: And that's an interesting question because, like I say, I've 182 00:09:27,760 --> 00:09:31,000 Speaker 1: always felt like my name is boring, and I've always 183 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:34,760 Speaker 1: felt like my normal name is just it's almost like 184 00:09:34,760 --> 00:09:36,760 Speaker 1: a number I'm given like, I don't feel a particular 185 00:09:36,760 --> 00:09:39,400 Speaker 1: attachment or identity to it. I am just sort of 186 00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:41,600 Speaker 1: I am who I am in spite of having the 187 00:09:41,679 --> 00:09:43,840 Speaker 1: name Robert Lamb. Well, I mean, the thing is is 188 00:09:43,880 --> 00:09:47,720 Speaker 1: that when you have a normal name and you're introducing yourself, 189 00:09:47,760 --> 00:09:51,160 Speaker 1: people often misremember it as another normal name, like Surely 190 00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:55,080 Speaker 1: or Judy, Julie, you know, and so Zak. I would 191 00:09:55,080 --> 00:09:57,080 Speaker 1: say that people probably pay a little bit more attention 192 00:09:57,120 --> 00:10:00,480 Speaker 1: to your name, maybe even more attention to you as 193 00:10:00,480 --> 00:10:03,640 Speaker 1: a person, because they don't automatically have these sort of 194 00:10:03,679 --> 00:10:07,640 Speaker 1: common associations with your name. I think it's kind of awesome, 195 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:11,000 Speaker 1: although I understand like if you don't, maybe there's a 196 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:15,120 Speaker 1: sense of otherness with that name that you might feel 197 00:10:15,520 --> 00:10:20,760 Speaker 1: more than the average Joe. Yeah, it's it does seem 198 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:22,920 Speaker 1: like a situation where you can't really win. You give 199 00:10:22,960 --> 00:10:24,840 Speaker 1: a kid a weird name, they're gonna want a normal one. 200 00:10:24,880 --> 00:10:26,400 Speaker 1: You give them get a normal name, they're gonna a 201 00:10:26,480 --> 00:10:29,200 Speaker 1: weird one. Maybe that solution is you have to give 202 00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:31,120 Speaker 1: them both and then they can sort of pick and 203 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:33,360 Speaker 1: choose which one they want to go with. Well, isn't 204 00:10:33,360 --> 00:10:37,360 Speaker 1: there already that that idea that this generation um will 205 00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:40,319 Speaker 1: need to change their name by age eighteen anyway because 206 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:44,000 Speaker 1: of security issues and oversharing on the internet. It is 207 00:10:44,120 --> 00:10:47,800 Speaker 1: just true. So and I wonder to what extent the 208 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:51,800 Speaker 1: the normal abnormal name shift will feature into that. Do 209 00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:55,119 Speaker 1: you tend to have a crazier name during this rebellious 210 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:56,840 Speaker 1: wild stage? Or is that when you have a normal 211 00:10:56,920 --> 00:10:59,320 Speaker 1: name and you're rebelling against it. And if we're going 212 00:10:59,360 --> 00:11:01,160 Speaker 1: to live to be five undred years old, as Albredy 213 00:11:01,160 --> 00:11:04,840 Speaker 1: de Gray that bio gerontologists says, maybe just keep changing 214 00:11:04,840 --> 00:11:07,960 Speaker 1: your name like every century. Right, Yeah, just keep reinventing 215 00:11:07,960 --> 00:11:10,480 Speaker 1: yourself because you're going to forget most of it, everything 216 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:13,800 Speaker 1: that's happened to you anyway, right, yeah, alright. We got 217 00:11:13,920 --> 00:11:16,680 Speaker 1: a couple of emails about pro pri exception, this idea 218 00:11:16,760 --> 00:11:18,920 Speaker 1: of figuring out where your body is and space and time, 219 00:11:19,280 --> 00:11:21,920 Speaker 1: and uh, here is one from Brenna. She says, I 220 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:24,560 Speaker 1: enjoyed your recent podcast. I am a therapist who works 221 00:11:24,600 --> 00:11:27,800 Speaker 1: with infants and toddlers with special needs ages zero at five. 222 00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:30,760 Speaker 1: Many of my kids have challenges with appropriate exception, and 223 00:11:30,840 --> 00:11:36,160 Speaker 1: children delays ippropriate exception often present its difficulty interacting with 224 00:11:36,240 --> 00:11:40,319 Speaker 1: objects in themselves. For example, the children's song Wheels on 225 00:11:40,360 --> 00:11:42,760 Speaker 1: the Bus encourages children to rotate their arms in a 226 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:45,679 Speaker 1: circular pattern around each other. Robert narrating this right now, 227 00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:50,400 Speaker 1: It is a good song. Children need motor planning appropriate 228 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:53,520 Speaker 1: exception to carry out this action. However, because they don't 229 00:11:53,640 --> 00:11:56,720 Speaker 1: yet understand where their body is in space and time 230 00:11:56,800 --> 00:11:59,760 Speaker 1: in relation to itself, they often have greater difficulty with 231 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:04,280 Speaker 1: this complex action. And she goes on to say that, um, 232 00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:07,120 Speaker 1: if they have delays appropriate reception, it's not uncommon that 233 00:12:07,160 --> 00:12:11,880 Speaker 1: their vestibular sense is affected as well, and when that's affected, 234 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:15,040 Speaker 1: it can be really difficult to manage properceptive needs. So 235 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:17,840 Speaker 1: you're talking about balance and coordination, and she says that 236 00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:21,480 Speaker 1: in adults you can kind of adapt, but in kids, 237 00:12:21,520 --> 00:12:24,360 Speaker 1: it's really hard on paraphrasing, by the way, she says, 238 00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:26,960 Speaker 1: because they never learn the skill to begin with. And 239 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:29,720 Speaker 1: so she says, if there are any listeners with kids 240 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:34,200 Speaker 1: who have difficulty with propriate reception or vestibular development, she 241 00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:37,240 Speaker 1: wanted to share a couple of at home activities that 242 00:12:37,360 --> 00:12:40,040 Speaker 1: parents can do with her kids. Um. She says that 243 00:12:40,280 --> 00:12:43,520 Speaker 1: activities that involve heavy pushing and pulling, which in turn 244 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:47,320 Speaker 1: provide greater sensory feedback. You can fill a wagon with 245 00:12:47,400 --> 00:12:50,480 Speaker 1: toys to pull, pushing a toy grocery cart or rolling 246 00:12:50,520 --> 00:12:53,080 Speaker 1: weighted balls. She said. That's a great start, but no 247 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:55,280 Speaker 1: more than temperation or their body weight for the pushing 248 00:12:55,280 --> 00:12:57,480 Speaker 1: and pulling. You can buy a pop up tennel or 249 00:12:57,520 --> 00:13:00,720 Speaker 1: a tent to give them practice traveling through different spaces. Again, 250 00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:03,560 Speaker 1: we take all of this for granted, right, um, she said, 251 00:13:03,559 --> 00:13:06,400 Speaker 1: A good old fashioned pillow forward is great too, and 252 00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:10,040 Speaker 1: songs like head, shoulders, knees and toes if you know 253 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:13,200 Speaker 1: that one, if you're happy and you know it, ladybug. 254 00:13:13,720 --> 00:13:16,560 Speaker 1: These are all good for coordination with body parts. And finally, 255 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:18,600 Speaker 1: she says that you could kind of create a swing 256 00:13:18,679 --> 00:13:21,520 Speaker 1: with a blanket or a towel. Says she used as 257 00:13:21,559 --> 00:13:24,040 Speaker 1: a toy parachute, and she twists the ends together with 258 00:13:24,040 --> 00:13:26,080 Speaker 1: the child inside. She gently lifts the child a couple 259 00:13:26,120 --> 00:13:28,880 Speaker 1: inches off the floor and let some swing from side 260 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:30,880 Speaker 1: to side, and that the kids love this and they 261 00:13:30,920 --> 00:13:34,400 Speaker 1: pop their head out to see what's going on. Um. Again, 262 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:37,320 Speaker 1: things that we take for granted, this idea that you're 263 00:13:37,360 --> 00:13:41,000 Speaker 1: moving through space and time, and always I've always wondered 264 00:13:41,040 --> 00:13:44,520 Speaker 1: about this because I've noticed that as my daughter develops. 265 00:13:44,559 --> 00:13:47,480 Speaker 1: She's five years old now, um, but she seems to 266 00:13:47,520 --> 00:13:49,800 Speaker 1: be going through a growth spurt. She seems to be 267 00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:52,320 Speaker 1: falling a lot more. And I wonder if it's because 268 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:55,880 Speaker 1: the borders of your body are rapidly changing and you 269 00:13:55,960 --> 00:13:59,760 Speaker 1: don't You're not as um as familiar with how your 270 00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:01,400 Speaker 1: body he is moving through space and time. It's like 271 00:14:01,480 --> 00:14:05,600 Speaker 1: having iTunes or Adobe on your machine. It constantly needs 272 00:14:05,600 --> 00:14:08,760 Speaker 1: the updates. And yes, there you can't keep up with 273 00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:12,280 Speaker 1: a number of updates that are required to properly orient 274 00:14:12,360 --> 00:14:14,600 Speaker 1: yourself in time and space. Perhaps, Yeah, And I also 275 00:14:14,640 --> 00:14:17,000 Speaker 1: remember too that when I was pregnant, particularly in the 276 00:14:17,040 --> 00:14:19,680 Speaker 1: third trimester, I really did not know where I was. 277 00:14:20,040 --> 00:14:21,920 Speaker 1: I mean like I would go through I would bump 278 00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:23,840 Speaker 1: into things all the time because I didn't really have 279 00:14:23,840 --> 00:14:25,440 Speaker 1: a sense of the borders of my body. And I 280 00:14:25,520 --> 00:14:29,880 Speaker 1: wonder if any other women experienced that. So proprioception continues 281 00:14:29,920 --> 00:14:33,080 Speaker 1: to be this really fascinating topic. Yeah, I had we 282 00:14:33,120 --> 00:14:37,200 Speaker 1: receiving another email on the topic from Michael. Michael wrote 283 00:14:37,200 --> 00:14:41,040 Speaker 1: in with an email titled propri exception Glitches. He says, 284 00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:43,840 Speaker 1: several years ago, I had a table saw accident. The 285 00:14:43,960 --> 00:14:46,720 Speaker 1: resulted in my left index finger spending a couple of 286 00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:49,520 Speaker 1: months wrapped in bandages. When the bandages came out, my 287 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:52,120 Speaker 1: doctor told me to touch as many different textures as 288 00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:54,920 Speaker 1: possible and to look at my finger as I did it, 289 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:57,080 Speaker 1: so that my brain would know how to interpret the 290 00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:00,400 Speaker 1: signals it was receiving. The damage to my finger, followed 291 00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:04,920 Speaker 1: by a long swaddling, essentially rebooted my brain's relationship with 292 00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:07,560 Speaker 1: my finger, and I had to retrain it. During this 293 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:10,880 Speaker 1: reboot process, I developed a habit of rubbing my index 294 00:15:10,960 --> 00:15:14,560 Speaker 1: finger and thumb together. Several years later, I injured my 295 00:15:14,640 --> 00:15:17,520 Speaker 1: thumb and was surprised to find that my index finger 296 00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:20,840 Speaker 1: was also feeling the pain of the injury. Apparently a 297 00:15:20,840 --> 00:15:23,560 Speaker 1: few wires end up getting crossed thanks to my little 298 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:28,520 Speaker 1: nervous tick. Huh okay um. Here's another one about appropriate exception. 299 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:31,960 Speaker 1: This is from J in Tilsonburg, Ontario, Canada, and he 300 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:34,280 Speaker 1: says that when I was younger, I raised a bit 301 00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:37,240 Speaker 1: of motocross and rode for fun since I was eight 302 00:15:37,320 --> 00:15:40,560 Speaker 1: years old. On a few rare occasions, when racing as 303 00:15:40,560 --> 00:15:42,840 Speaker 1: hard as I could, I would get into an almost 304 00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:46,400 Speaker 1: meditative mind state where I would swear the bike felt 305 00:15:46,400 --> 00:15:48,600 Speaker 1: like a part of me. I could almost feel the 306 00:15:48,640 --> 00:15:51,600 Speaker 1: ground under my front tire as if an extension of 307 00:15:51,640 --> 00:15:55,080 Speaker 1: my arms, uh, and the field attraction left in the 308 00:15:55,160 --> 00:15:58,200 Speaker 1: soil through the soles of my feet while either in 309 00:15:58,240 --> 00:16:00,200 Speaker 1: the air on the throttle where I end it and 310 00:16:00,240 --> 00:16:03,880 Speaker 1: the bike began felt blurred. This was also when I 311 00:16:03,920 --> 00:16:07,440 Speaker 1: felt the fastest and most confident on the bike. Now, 312 00:16:07,480 --> 00:16:09,840 Speaker 1: I was no superstar racers, so I wonder whether the 313 00:16:09,920 --> 00:16:13,560 Speaker 1: pros or other bikers have had the sensation. Thanks again, Jay, 314 00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:17,640 Speaker 1: our boss are sort of not boss anymore. Um connell 315 00:16:17,760 --> 00:16:21,680 Speaker 1: actually uses a motorcycle, and he had said, he had 316 00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:24,359 Speaker 1: mentioned before uses that as his main form of transportation, 317 00:16:24,840 --> 00:16:28,720 Speaker 1: that when he's in traffic and he's on the highway, 318 00:16:28,800 --> 00:16:31,240 Speaker 1: that he gets into this meditative state with the bike 319 00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:36,320 Speaker 1: because it's uh such a trepidacious ride that he really 320 00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:40,800 Speaker 1: has to focus all of his energy into what he's 321 00:16:40,880 --> 00:16:42,760 Speaker 1: doing on that bike. And I thought, well, that's kind 322 00:16:42,760 --> 00:16:44,480 Speaker 1: of interesting. That sort of lines up with what Jay 323 00:16:44,520 --> 00:16:49,560 Speaker 1: is saying. All right. We also recently did a rerun 324 00:16:49,560 --> 00:16:51,640 Speaker 1: of our episode on the Science of Beards, which is 325 00:16:51,680 --> 00:16:53,760 Speaker 1: a popular episode, and to no one's surprise, it was 326 00:16:53,800 --> 00:16:57,400 Speaker 1: popular again the second time. Uh So we received this 327 00:16:57,440 --> 00:17:01,360 Speaker 1: one from Renee. Renee writes, and I'm sending this on 328 00:17:01,400 --> 00:17:03,680 Speaker 1: account of the Signs of Beards episode, which I listened 329 00:17:03,680 --> 00:17:06,040 Speaker 1: to today while running. The topic of facial hair has 330 00:17:06,040 --> 00:17:09,560 Speaker 1: always interested me. Why certain people prefer certain styles, different reasons, 331 00:17:09,560 --> 00:17:11,919 Speaker 1: why people have it, etcetera. I enjoyed your episode and 332 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:13,679 Speaker 1: thought you would like to hear some things. I know, 333 00:17:14,080 --> 00:17:16,320 Speaker 1: when you talked about Abraham Lincoln liking to wrestle and 334 00:17:16,359 --> 00:17:18,439 Speaker 1: having a beard, I was surprised you did not mention 335 00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:21,280 Speaker 1: the story of why he grew his beard. You might 336 00:17:21,320 --> 00:17:23,400 Speaker 1: already know it, but here is some of the letter 337 00:17:23,480 --> 00:17:27,240 Speaker 1: written to Lincoln while he was running for office. I'm 338 00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:31,120 Speaker 1: going to summon my Laura Ingles Wilder here. Okay, dear sir, 339 00:17:31,400 --> 00:17:33,560 Speaker 1: my father has just come home from the fair and 340 00:17:33,640 --> 00:17:36,760 Speaker 1: brought home your picture and Mr Hamlin's. I am a 341 00:17:36,760 --> 00:17:39,359 Speaker 1: little girl, only eleven years old, but want you to 342 00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:41,720 Speaker 1: be President of the United States very much, so I 343 00:17:41,760 --> 00:17:44,399 Speaker 1: hope you won't think me very bold to write to 344 00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:47,080 Speaker 1: such a great man as you are. I have got 345 00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:49,879 Speaker 1: four brothers and part of them will vote for you anyway, 346 00:17:49,960 --> 00:17:52,639 Speaker 1: And if you let your whiskers grow. I will try 347 00:17:52,720 --> 00:17:55,400 Speaker 1: and get the rest of them to vote for you. 348 00:17:55,400 --> 00:17:58,160 Speaker 1: You would look a great deal better, for your face 349 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:02,000 Speaker 1: is so thin. All the eies like whiskers, and they 350 00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:04,680 Speaker 1: would tease their husbands to vote for you, and then 351 00:18:04,720 --> 00:18:07,000 Speaker 1: you would be president. My father is going to vote 352 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:09,160 Speaker 1: for you, and if I was a man, I would 353 00:18:09,240 --> 00:18:11,880 Speaker 1: vote for you too. But I will try to get 354 00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:14,440 Speaker 1: everyone to vote for you that I can. Well, there 355 00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:16,439 Speaker 1: you go from the from the mouths of babes right 356 00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:20,160 Speaker 1: talking about whiskers, how adorable, making his face looked thicker 357 00:18:20,200 --> 00:18:23,160 Speaker 1: and more more capable of taking a punch. I think 358 00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:26,679 Speaker 1: she was like the first focus group. Yeah, accidentally, I 359 00:18:26,680 --> 00:18:28,960 Speaker 1: think she was. All right, here's another one about beards. 360 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:31,359 Speaker 1: Is it from Martin Howdy from Texas? Y'all, I just 361 00:18:31,400 --> 00:18:34,159 Speaker 1: heard your podcast on beers. As a bearded fellow, I 362 00:18:34,160 --> 00:18:36,520 Speaker 1: thought i'd cheer some of my experience with the general public. 363 00:18:36,720 --> 00:18:38,600 Speaker 1: I have it quite the mixed reaction to my beard. 364 00:18:38,600 --> 00:18:40,359 Speaker 1: But the one thing that really struck me was that 365 00:18:40,440 --> 00:18:43,560 Speaker 1: the larger portion of the younger generation has a positive 366 00:18:43,600 --> 00:18:45,800 Speaker 1: reaction to my beard and is usually impressed, but the 367 00:18:45,840 --> 00:18:49,360 Speaker 1: older thirties and up seemed to have a more negative reaction. 368 00:18:49,640 --> 00:18:52,159 Speaker 1: One seventy is fellow even went so far as to 369 00:18:52,200 --> 00:18:55,520 Speaker 1: tell me that society would fix me and that if 370 00:18:55,560 --> 00:18:59,480 Speaker 1: I didn't shave that bleep off, I'd wind up in 371 00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:01,840 Speaker 1: a loony it. Uh. The older people get, the more 372 00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:05,640 Speaker 1: negative their statements. Besides that, my girlfriend likes my beard 373 00:19:05,680 --> 00:19:07,240 Speaker 1: and most of my friends are in agreement that I 374 00:19:07,280 --> 00:19:10,359 Speaker 1: look better with it than without it. That might be 375 00:19:10,359 --> 00:19:12,919 Speaker 1: because I have a hatchet face. Oh we doubt that. 376 00:19:13,440 --> 00:19:15,720 Speaker 1: The podcast was the first podcast and made me go 377 00:19:15,800 --> 00:19:18,200 Speaker 1: to y'all's website, and speaking of faces, I was surprised 378 00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:20,640 Speaker 1: at how y'all looked. Y'all should do a podcast about 379 00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:23,359 Speaker 1: voices and faces and how we associate them. I thoroughly 380 00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:27,400 Speaker 1: enjoy the show. Keep up the good work, Martin. All right, 381 00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:30,120 Speaker 1: thanks Martin. Yeah. We uh we hear from listeners from 382 00:19:30,119 --> 00:19:32,240 Speaker 1: time to time they're like, oh my god, I saw 383 00:19:32,800 --> 00:19:35,800 Speaker 1: photos of you guys and not at all what I imagined, 384 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:39,479 Speaker 1: and I'm deeply upset because I imagine something else for you. Well, 385 00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:41,800 Speaker 1: you know, he mentioned you know, uh, Martin here is 386 00:19:41,840 --> 00:19:45,960 Speaker 1: from Texas, and I instantly thought, uh, two MPR there 387 00:19:46,040 --> 00:19:49,479 Speaker 1: is there's one MPR reporter from Texas. This often featured 388 00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:53,679 Speaker 1: you've probably heard him as a real, real Texan voice, 389 00:19:53,680 --> 00:19:56,439 Speaker 1: but a soothing voice almost like there's a little bit 390 00:19:56,480 --> 00:19:58,919 Speaker 1: of Wilford Brimley in there, and a little bit of 391 00:19:59,240 --> 00:20:02,159 Speaker 1: h and Marie Stouffer from the old you know, a 392 00:20:02,760 --> 00:20:05,919 Speaker 1: wildlife show. Very soothing and and so I form in 393 00:20:05,960 --> 00:20:08,720 Speaker 1: my mind this kind of picture of this bearded Wilfred 394 00:20:08,720 --> 00:20:11,280 Speaker 1: Brimley s guy, maybe a little a little bit of 395 00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:13,920 Speaker 1: that character from Parks and rec with a big mustache, 396 00:20:15,200 --> 00:20:17,520 Speaker 1: you know, uh, some of that going on. And then 397 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:19,920 Speaker 1: I look him up online and he's just a guy, 398 00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:22,360 Speaker 1: like does not look like my mental helt. I thought 399 00:20:22,359 --> 00:20:24,840 Speaker 1: you're gonna say, like he had a faux hawk. No, no, 400 00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:27,479 Speaker 1: he had, he doesn't. You know, he's not on the 401 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:29,119 Speaker 1: on the other end of the spectrum, but he's very 402 00:20:29,160 --> 00:20:30,919 Speaker 1: much at the middle end of the middle portion of 403 00:20:30,920 --> 00:20:33,520 Speaker 1: the spectrum where I just would not pick him out 404 00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:36,000 Speaker 1: of a lineup. Is that voice any day of the week. 405 00:20:36,520 --> 00:20:39,240 Speaker 1: I know it is interesting psychologically what we do, and 406 00:20:39,320 --> 00:20:42,320 Speaker 1: we make up these ideas of what people should look like. 407 00:20:42,359 --> 00:20:44,399 Speaker 1: And I do that a lot in fiction, you know, 408 00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:47,400 Speaker 1: so I can see how people when they're listening to 409 00:20:47,520 --> 00:20:50,840 Speaker 1: us might be a little bit like what's what you know? 410 00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:53,280 Speaker 1: Like I think I said before, nothing works me more 411 00:20:53,400 --> 00:20:56,400 Speaker 1: than being uh, you know, many pages into a book, 412 00:20:56,440 --> 00:20:59,520 Speaker 1: maybe even halfway through, and then the narrator decides to 413 00:20:59,520 --> 00:21:04,600 Speaker 1: tell me some it as a mustache. Noache, tell me 414 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:08,640 Speaker 1: like the first sentence. Alright, we have an email from 415 00:21:08,760 --> 00:21:12,199 Speaker 1: Will and he is talking about our episode Heartbeat in 416 00:21:12,240 --> 00:21:15,000 Speaker 1: the Brain. He says, Hey, guys, first time writing in 417 00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:17,520 Speaker 1: long time listener. While listening to Heartbeat in the Brain, 418 00:21:17,560 --> 00:21:20,120 Speaker 1: Hole in the Skull podcast on my way into work 419 00:21:20,160 --> 00:21:21,919 Speaker 1: this morning, I found it very interesting, as I do 420 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:24,680 Speaker 1: most of the topics. As I was listening, I couldn't 421 00:21:24,680 --> 00:21:26,840 Speaker 1: help but think about a different kind of hole in 422 00:21:26,840 --> 00:21:31,920 Speaker 1: the school for quote unquote medical purposes, allabotomy. I first 423 00:21:31,960 --> 00:21:33,919 Speaker 1: heard of a lot body of procedure while at college. 424 00:21:33,960 --> 00:21:36,640 Speaker 1: I went to college down the road from Weston, West Virginia, 425 00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:40,639 Speaker 1: at West Virginia Wesleyan College, which is home to the 426 00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:43,960 Speaker 1: second largest handstone building in the world, now known as 427 00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:48,440 Speaker 1: trans Alleghanty Lunatic Asylum. When it was first built, though 428 00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:51,200 Speaker 1: it was known as Western State Hospital. As the new 429 00:21:51,359 --> 00:21:54,159 Speaker 1: name implies, the Western State Hospital with Mental Hospital and 430 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:57,840 Speaker 1: operated from eighteen sixty four to nine and has a 431 00:21:57,960 --> 00:22:01,119 Speaker 1: very dark history over the one in thirty years of 432 00:22:01,160 --> 00:22:04,159 Speaker 1: it being open. I believe that either the history of 433 00:22:04,280 --> 00:22:07,240 Speaker 1: West Instant Hospital or lobotomies would be an awesome follow 434 00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:10,840 Speaker 1: up after the treped Nation podcast always Listening, will Um 435 00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:13,920 Speaker 1: thanks well, and that just reminded me that in one 436 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:18,520 Speaker 1: of the World Science Festival panels had to do with genetics. 437 00:22:19,119 --> 00:22:22,880 Speaker 1: Eugenics was brought up because eugenics sort of as they 438 00:22:22,920 --> 00:22:27,280 Speaker 1: discussed it, UM proliferated during a time period in which 439 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:30,600 Speaker 1: a lot of people were being put in mental institutions, 440 00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:34,240 Speaker 1: and they should not have been put into mental institutions. 441 00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:36,960 Speaker 1: A number of these people they might have been UM 442 00:22:37,119 --> 00:22:40,160 Speaker 1: drug or alcohol addicts, or they may have just had 443 00:22:40,240 --> 00:22:44,480 Speaker 1: anxiety problems. In society's um idea here in the late 444 00:22:44,480 --> 00:22:46,760 Speaker 1: eight hundreds was just lock them up. At the same time, 445 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:49,359 Speaker 1: you've got eugenics happening, and they're saying maybe we could 446 00:22:49,440 --> 00:22:54,760 Speaker 1: root out these sort of unsavory characters and UM along 447 00:22:54,800 --> 00:23:00,480 Speaker 1: those lines, people began to be sterilized in these institutions. Well, 448 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:03,600 Speaker 1: we also have a number of other things happening, like lobotomies, 449 00:23:03,760 --> 00:23:05,639 Speaker 1: and so I agree. I think this is a really 450 00:23:05,800 --> 00:23:08,919 Speaker 1: ripe area for exploration, so it's not quite on the 451 00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:12,000 Speaker 1: same level. It's the procedure that came up there in 452 00:23:12,000 --> 00:23:16,280 Speaker 1: our Digestion series about the individual who was treating constipation 453 00:23:16,800 --> 00:23:20,960 Speaker 1: chronic constipation by removing the uh, the large intestines and 454 00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:24,800 Speaker 1: just rerouting it. Right. For a second, I thought you 455 00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:28,240 Speaker 1: were talking about that moment in Mary Rich's Gulp in 456 00:23:28,280 --> 00:23:32,080 Speaker 1: which they were talking about which president is it? Um. 457 00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:34,720 Speaker 1: He had got shot in the liver and so he 458 00:23:34,760 --> 00:23:38,280 Speaker 1: couldn't be I think so he had to be fed 459 00:23:38,280 --> 00:23:42,600 Speaker 1: through the anus. Yeah, that read the rectal feeding. Yeah, uh, 460 00:23:43,000 --> 00:23:45,600 Speaker 1: I don't really have anything. I was not talking about 461 00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:48,359 Speaker 1: rectal feeding, but the thank you. That's why I just 462 00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:49,800 Speaker 1: had that moment where I was like, I don't know 463 00:23:49,840 --> 00:23:52,320 Speaker 1: how to get out of this. Robert help, Well, let's 464 00:23:52,320 --> 00:23:54,000 Speaker 1: get out of by grabbing another listener mail from the 465 00:23:54,080 --> 00:23:57,720 Speaker 1: robot here. This one comes to us from You'll You'll 466 00:23:57,760 --> 00:23:59,680 Speaker 1: write to us and says one of my favorite facts 467 00:23:59,680 --> 00:24:01,760 Speaker 1: about the moon, which we recently did an episode on, 468 00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:03,879 Speaker 1: is that it moves away from the Earth at a 469 00:24:03,960 --> 00:24:06,200 Speaker 1: rate of about one point five inches per year over 470 00:24:06,240 --> 00:24:09,320 Speaker 1: an average person's lifetime eighty years or so the moon 471 00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:11,680 Speaker 1: would have moved around ten feet away from the Earth. 472 00:24:11,840 --> 00:24:14,439 Speaker 1: There's something comforting and strangely intimate about being able to 473 00:24:14,480 --> 00:24:17,480 Speaker 1: visualize something that's happening on a celestial scale and relate 474 00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:20,240 Speaker 1: it to one's time on this planet. Well, certainly we 475 00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:24,080 Speaker 1: can relate our time on this planet constantly to celestial movements, 476 00:24:24,119 --> 00:24:26,240 Speaker 1: which is kind of which is kind of beautiful in 477 00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:28,440 Speaker 1: a way. Yeah, and I thought that was a beautiful 478 00:24:28,520 --> 00:24:30,600 Speaker 1: email and kind of in the sort of like Nil 479 00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:34,600 Speaker 1: de grass Cosmos column of looking at the universe in 480 00:24:34,480 --> 00:24:38,520 Speaker 1: a in a very big and poetic way. So thank you, you'll. Um, 481 00:24:38,720 --> 00:24:41,760 Speaker 1: we have an email from Alliston on super Stimuli and 482 00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:46,159 Speaker 1: she attached a picture of Conan the Barbarian. By the way, yes, Swartzenegger, 483 00:24:46,400 --> 00:24:49,640 Speaker 1: great film. Actually I think this one is a different 484 00:24:50,840 --> 00:24:54,040 Speaker 1: a different Conan the Barbarian is the one played by 485 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:56,440 Speaker 1: the guy from Game of Thrones then or the TV 486 00:24:56,480 --> 00:25:00,359 Speaker 1: show maybe even I think so he's got giant pecks. Well, 487 00:25:00,400 --> 00:25:03,520 Speaker 1: I'll just put it that way. That could be an Okay, 488 00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:05,760 Speaker 1: she says, When I think of super Stimuli, my mind 489 00:25:05,760 --> 00:25:08,520 Speaker 1: goes straight to those big, tall and muscular guys and 490 00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:13,359 Speaker 1: action movies who don't really exist outside of bodybuilding and 491 00:25:13,400 --> 00:25:17,879 Speaker 1: pro pro wrestling. It's such an unreal and unrealistic body type. 492 00:25:17,920 --> 00:25:20,960 Speaker 1: But there's something so compelling about the image. I'm sure 493 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:24,200 Speaker 1: this is my version version of the super feminized women 494 00:25:24,320 --> 00:25:27,480 Speaker 1: in pornography. I can't imagine actually having a dude like 495 00:25:27,560 --> 00:25:29,800 Speaker 1: that over for a pot. Look, I don't think he'd 496 00:25:29,840 --> 00:25:32,159 Speaker 1: fit in the chairs at my table, So why do 497 00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:34,800 Speaker 1: I go all gooey for them in movies? It's pure 498 00:25:35,160 --> 00:25:38,119 Speaker 1: super stimula. Great episode. I love your podcast and I 499 00:25:38,160 --> 00:25:39,760 Speaker 1: hope that you do them for a very long time. 500 00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:42,760 Speaker 1: Thank you, Allison. And that just reminded me too of 501 00:25:42,920 --> 00:25:45,840 Speaker 1: Joe Mangelo. I believe that's his name. He was in 502 00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:50,919 Speaker 1: True Blood. You play the giant wolf. Dude. Yeah, like 503 00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:53,920 Speaker 1: that is super normal stimuli. So I think it's really 504 00:25:53,960 --> 00:25:56,119 Speaker 1: interesting to look at it from the male perspective. We 505 00:25:56,119 --> 00:26:00,320 Speaker 1: always think about the male gaze, thinking about females and corn. 506 00:26:01,160 --> 00:26:03,440 Speaker 1: But yeah, no, he's a handsome man. I'll give it 507 00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:06,359 Speaker 1: to him. I mean, I give I will admit that 508 00:26:06,400 --> 00:26:08,720 Speaker 1: he's a handsome man. That's what I'm trying to her point. 509 00:26:08,960 --> 00:26:11,800 Speaker 1: You know, how how practical is that when you want 510 00:26:11,800 --> 00:26:13,760 Speaker 1: to have someone over for Pollock, you can't have someone 511 00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:16,080 Speaker 1: crushing your chairs. Yeah, and then you don't want them 512 00:26:16,119 --> 00:26:18,000 Speaker 1: to come over to and there and all they eat 513 00:26:18,160 --> 00:26:19,800 Speaker 1: or you know, they have some sort of diet where 514 00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:21,840 Speaker 1: they have to eat two whole chicken breasts and then 515 00:26:22,119 --> 00:26:25,080 Speaker 1: some sort of protein shake every meal because their whole, 516 00:26:25,520 --> 00:26:29,399 Speaker 1: their whole life is about building and maintaining this body. Um. 517 00:26:29,480 --> 00:26:31,920 Speaker 1: And that's what I always remind myself if I'm watching 518 00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:37,040 Speaker 1: a movie and someone is particularly ripped, Um, I remind myself, well, 519 00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:39,679 Speaker 1: what does that person have to do in life but 520 00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:44,160 Speaker 1: remain ridiculously ripped. That's kind of their job roasted chickens. Yeah, 521 00:26:44,840 --> 00:26:46,720 Speaker 1: And actually I find that it tends to get in 522 00:26:46,760 --> 00:26:50,639 Speaker 1: the way of the film narrative if the actor is 523 00:26:50,720 --> 00:26:53,800 Speaker 1: unrealistically in shape. I didn't actually I haven't watched the 524 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:56,120 Speaker 1: show yet, but my wife watched this The Mr. Self 525 00:26:56,200 --> 00:26:59,600 Speaker 1: Ridge Show, which is the PBS show about self Ridge. 526 00:26:59,640 --> 00:27:02,760 Speaker 1: The uh, the the American and went to Britain and 527 00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:07,600 Speaker 1: revolutionized the shopping mall experience over there. But Jeremy Piven 528 00:27:07,720 --> 00:27:10,199 Speaker 1: plays the character. And there's a scene where you know, 529 00:27:10,240 --> 00:27:13,880 Speaker 1: this dude early twentieth century is has a shirt off 530 00:27:13,880 --> 00:27:15,879 Speaker 1: and he's like super ripped in a way that you 531 00:27:15,960 --> 00:27:18,080 Speaker 1: just wouldn't and you just wouldn't expect that kind of 532 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:22,000 Speaker 1: body on someone, uh, in that position, in that time frame. No, 533 00:27:22,160 --> 00:27:24,199 Speaker 1: that was very unusual, it wasn't it. It's like when 534 00:27:24,200 --> 00:27:26,560 Speaker 1: you see super white teeth on an actor in a 535 00:27:26,960 --> 00:27:29,359 Speaker 1: in a period piece. You know, it's like super white, 536 00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:31,280 Speaker 1: straight teeth, Like, what are you doing that doesn't look 537 00:27:31,320 --> 00:27:34,159 Speaker 1: you're you're just by smiling, You're taking me out of 538 00:27:34,200 --> 00:27:37,240 Speaker 1: the historical immersion of the picture. I know, But there's 539 00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:40,359 Speaker 1: that whole willing suspension of disbelief. You got to meet 540 00:27:40,440 --> 00:27:44,480 Speaker 1: him halfway, Robert, and I will. I'll meet them halfway 541 00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:47,080 Speaker 1: on the fact that all Romans speak with a British accent, 542 00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:50,800 Speaker 1: but all Romans shouldn't have teeth that looked that perfect. 543 00:27:51,080 --> 00:27:54,119 Speaker 1: Fair enough, all right, We've got one more super normal 544 00:27:54,160 --> 00:27:58,480 Speaker 1: stimuli email from Mike, who says, while listening to the episode, 545 00:27:58,600 --> 00:28:01,240 Speaker 1: I couldn't help but think of about decisions I make 546 00:28:01,280 --> 00:28:04,960 Speaker 1: every day to either indulge or deny an instinct we're 547 00:28:04,960 --> 00:28:08,399 Speaker 1: talking about here. The supernormal stimuli is that sort of 548 00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:10,320 Speaker 1: thing where like you need a little bit of sugar, right, 549 00:28:10,320 --> 00:28:12,080 Speaker 1: you need a little bit of energy. But you don't 550 00:28:12,119 --> 00:28:15,960 Speaker 1: need a slice of cheesecake, he says, I would be 551 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:19,119 Speaker 1: interested in learning how the decision to deny instinct works 552 00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:22,639 Speaker 1: to result in a dose of dopamine. Let's say I 553 00:28:22,720 --> 00:28:25,080 Speaker 1: decline a piece of cheesecake and instead eat a stock 554 00:28:25,119 --> 00:28:27,800 Speaker 1: of celery. Do I feel great because I use my 555 00:28:27,880 --> 00:28:32,480 Speaker 1: imagination to calculate a supernormal positive outcome. Do people who 556 00:28:32,560 --> 00:28:36,720 Speaker 1: make virtuous choices actually do so in order to indulge 557 00:28:36,720 --> 00:28:41,880 Speaker 1: their dopamine habit? Mm? I don't. I mean, I understand 558 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:44,080 Speaker 1: where you're going here. Um, because we talked about this 559 00:28:44,120 --> 00:28:46,280 Speaker 1: in the last episode where we were talking about the 560 00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:48,520 Speaker 1: future of addiction, is that if you want to replace 561 00:28:48,760 --> 00:28:50,880 Speaker 1: a bad habit, you need to do it with another 562 00:28:50,920 --> 00:28:53,800 Speaker 1: habit because the neural pathway has been established. So if 563 00:28:53,880 --> 00:28:57,680 Speaker 1: you want to avoid drinking glasses of wine, go and 564 00:28:57,920 --> 00:29:00,240 Speaker 1: exercise because you're gonna get a high from a but 565 00:29:00,320 --> 00:29:04,200 Speaker 1: the celery stick. What if you did ants on a 566 00:29:04,280 --> 00:29:08,520 Speaker 1: log instead? Get a little peanut better in there? Yeah? Reasons? Well, 567 00:29:08,520 --> 00:29:11,200 Speaker 1: I guess it brings up the power of psychology, Like 568 00:29:11,240 --> 00:29:14,080 Speaker 1: to what degree can you trick yourself into making it 569 00:29:14,520 --> 00:29:19,120 Speaker 1: a reward? Yeah? I don't know. The salary. I can't 570 00:29:19,120 --> 00:29:22,560 Speaker 1: help but think of the recent skit on Portlandia where 571 00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:26,120 Speaker 1: a Stevie Simmy is on there trying to rebrand Celery 572 00:29:26,200 --> 00:29:28,840 Speaker 1: and make it exciting and sexy again, and all they 573 00:29:28,880 --> 00:29:30,760 Speaker 1: keep they can, they just keep coming back around to 574 00:29:30,760 --> 00:29:33,720 Speaker 1: ants on a log is the only real option to 575 00:29:33,720 --> 00:29:37,040 Speaker 1: to make Selery exciting? Because other than than that and 576 00:29:37,160 --> 00:29:39,640 Speaker 1: sup preparation, you know, what do you do with Celery? 577 00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:42,880 Speaker 1: I would agree you gotta tart that up yea into 578 00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:46,400 Speaker 1: a super normal stimuli. All right, So there you have it. 579 00:29:46,520 --> 00:29:49,800 Speaker 1: We've we've cleared out the listener mail a bit. Again. 580 00:29:50,040 --> 00:29:52,440 Speaker 1: We don't have time to to read or respond to 581 00:29:52,480 --> 00:29:54,840 Speaker 1: everything that that you guys and gals send us, but 582 00:29:54,880 --> 00:29:58,760 Speaker 1: we greatly appreciate it. Your feedback helps us know what's working, 583 00:29:58,840 --> 00:30:02,120 Speaker 1: what's maybe not working. You know what, what topics we 584 00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:04,480 Speaker 1: need to revisit, what topics we need to explore. For 585 00:30:04,520 --> 00:30:08,000 Speaker 1: the first time, we received lots of cool ideas and 586 00:30:08,280 --> 00:30:10,840 Speaker 1: we would love to continue to get those. So hey, 587 00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:12,200 Speaker 1: you want to find us, you want to reach out 588 00:30:12,200 --> 00:30:14,760 Speaker 1: to us, You can find us at stuff to Blow 589 00:30:14,800 --> 00:30:17,640 Speaker 1: your Mind dot com. That is our main side, our mothership, 590 00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:20,840 Speaker 1: our homepage. You will find all of our podcast episodes 591 00:30:20,880 --> 00:30:24,520 Speaker 1: are videos, blog posts, links out to our various social 592 00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:28,160 Speaker 1: media accounts including including Facebook, Twitter, and Tumbler. Also links 593 00:30:28,200 --> 00:30:32,120 Speaker 1: to our YouTube account, which is mind Stuff Show. Be 594 00:30:32,200 --> 00:30:34,640 Speaker 1: sure to go to that page if you want to 595 00:30:34,680 --> 00:30:37,760 Speaker 1: subscribe and check out all of our cool new video projects. 596 00:30:37,760 --> 00:30:42,200 Speaker 1: We're constantly thinking up new ways to engage YouTube viewers 597 00:30:42,760 --> 00:30:44,680 Speaker 1: in science and in our stuff to bil your mind 598 00:30:44,680 --> 00:30:48,000 Speaker 1: topics indeed, and make sure to drop us a line 599 00:30:48,040 --> 00:30:50,320 Speaker 1: if you have more thoughts. We want to hear them, 600 00:30:50,360 --> 00:30:52,280 Speaker 1: and you can do that at blow the Mind at 601 00:30:52,480 --> 00:30:59,240 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com for more on this and 602 00:30:59,280 --> 00:31:02,080 Speaker 1: thousands of other topics. Does it how staff works dot com. 603 00:31:08,040 --> 00:31:08,080 Speaker 1: H