Speaker 1: Guess what, Mango? What's that? Will? So? Have you heard
Speaker 1: that mothers and babies can actually synchronize their heartbeats just
Speaker 1: by smiling at each other? This is from Gizmodo, but
Speaker 1: apparently and they were researchers in Israel, and they were
Speaker 1: looking at mothers and their children, and they had the
Speaker 1: mothers interact with their three month olds in various ways.
Speaker 1: So they were monitoring their cardiac output as they did this,
Speaker 1: and when they gazed at each other and smiled, they
Speaker 1: quote coordinated their heart rhythms within lags of one second.
Speaker 1: Isn't that wild? That's insane. I mean, you know other
Speaker 1: animals can do this through contact, but humans, and specifically
Speaker 1: mothers and infants, seem to be the only ones who
Speaker 1: can sync up just by looking at each other affectionately.
Speaker 1: But Today's Nine Things is a Mother's Day tribute, including
Speaker 1: a few of history's best moms, why we love them
Speaker 1: so much, and what makes them so special? So let's
Speaker 1: dig in, y Hey, their podcast listeners, welcome to Part
Speaker 1: Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson, and as always I'm joined
Speaker 1: by my good friend Mangesh Ticketer and sitting behind the
Speaker 1: soundproof glass reading his copy of Yo Mama is so extraordinary,
Speaker 1: a treasury of Yo Mama compliments. That's our friend and
Speaker 1: producer Tristan McNeil. Now, I had not seen this book before, Mango.
Speaker 1: Have you seen this? Yeah, it's it's a pretty great
Speaker 1: and he was actually reading something earlier. And they're way
Speaker 1: better than your mama jokes actually really yeah, because they're
Speaker 1: all compliments. But it's all like your mom was so extraordinary, right, right.
Speaker 1: The only joke about moms that I ever really remember
Speaker 1: isn't like a standard joke, but one that our old boss,
Speaker 1: Felix Dennis, made and he both loved and was terrified
Speaker 1: of his mom. And when he was describing her to us,
Speaker 1: I don't know if you remember this, but he said, uh,
Speaker 1: she looks and acts like Margaret Thatcher without any of
Speaker 1: the soft bits. Just to remember that. Yeah, but today's
Speaker 1: show is obviously a celebration of moms, and I know
Speaker 1: that we used to say that when we first started
Speaker 1: Mental Flass the only people who subscribed were your mom,
Speaker 1: my mom, and two under two, our mom's friends, and
Speaker 1: it sounded like a joke, but it wasn't really at all.
Speaker 1: And we obviously have so much to thank our own
Speaker 1: mom's Paula and Lolita for well, and of course we
Speaker 1: have wives who are wonderful mothers as well, so lots
Speaker 1: of moms in our lives to be grateful for. But
Speaker 1: let's kick this off. So I started the show with
Speaker 1: a quick fact about heartbeats. So where do you want
Speaker 1: to take it from there? Um, sticking with this science theme,
Speaker 1: here's the fact I learned from Sithonian about teenage drivers. Now,
Speaker 1: apparently kids drive much safer when their moms are nearby,
Speaker 1: which I guess makes sense. And basically, the test was
Speaker 1: set up so that kids would be on this simulation
Speaker 1: and then they drive up to a yellow light, and
Speaker 1: when their moms were around, they tend to stop for
Speaker 1: the red but if they were alone, they punched the
Speaker 1: accelerator and race through. But what's interesting about the experiment
Speaker 1: is how their brains were rewarding them for their driving.
Speaker 1: So when they were alone, scans shown that the brain's
Speaker 1: reward center actually lit up when they ran the yellow light,
Speaker 1: but when they were with their moms, the same thing
Speaker 1: happened if they hit the brakes. Oh wow, that's pretty interesting. Well,
Speaker 1: you know, our brains are actually rewarding us when we
Speaker 1: listen to our moms or do the things we think
Speaker 1: will impress them. Well, since we're talking so much about
Speaker 1: the science of moms, here's one fact that comes from
Speaker 1: The Guardian, and it covers the scientific reason why moms
Speaker 1: here their babies cry before others do. So. I don't
Speaker 1: know if this is where you're going with us, but
Speaker 1: my wife and I used to fight about this when
Speaker 1: Henry and Ruby were babies, because I'm actually not a
Speaker 1: very heavy sleeper. But when our kids were infants, Lizzie
Speaker 1: used to accuse me of like never getting up or
Speaker 1: never hearing the babies like little muse, especially when they
Speaker 1: were tiny. Maybe that was true. I was also surprised,
Speaker 1: like I I couldn't hear them as well, because She's
Speaker 1: not that light a sleeper. But I'm excited to go
Speaker 1: home and settle some long simmering arguments that if you're
Speaker 1: a science is in my favor, so I'm gonna go on. Well,
Speaker 1: as you've probably read, ox eetocin levels spike and a
Speaker 1: mother's brain after she gives birth, but studies from n
Speaker 1: y U show that this actually affects the way the
Speaker 1: brain processes and interprets auditory signals and will make a
Speaker 1: mom much more sensitive to a baby's cries. That's pretty fascinating.
Speaker 1: So does oxytocin give you like superhering if you inject
Speaker 1: something into a mail as well? Yeah, I'm not sure
Speaker 1: about that. But the scientist did inject the oxytocin into
Speaker 1: virgin mice and they saw their mothering and stinks kick in.
Speaker 1: Not only did they respond quickly to baby my squeals,
Speaker 1: but they had an urge to help them, often carrying
Speaker 1: them to their nest on their backs. Well I like that,
Speaker 1: and let's move off science for a second and talk
Speaker 1: about Mother's Day itself. Now, you might know that Mother's
Speaker 1: Day was launched in America at least by Anna Jarvis.
Speaker 1: And you might have also heard that by the end
Speaker 1: of her life she hated Mother's Day and had turned
Speaker 1: against it. But I actually didn't remember the details about this,
Speaker 1: so here are a few of them. Basically, Anna's mom
Speaker 1: and was a Civil War nurse, and she cared for
Speaker 1: soldiers on both sides of the divide, and she even
Speaker 1: tried to orchestrate this peace day between moms of soldiers.
Speaker 1: It was called Mother's Friendship Day, and so it was
Speaker 1: supposed to unite people from the Union and the Confederate side.
Speaker 1: But when she passed, and I was struck by the
Speaker 1: number of cards and notes she got about her mom,
Speaker 1: and she actually decided to celebrate her mom and all
Speaker 1: moms by creating a day for them Mother's Day. But
Speaker 1: what's interesting is sort of the derision she got from
Speaker 1: senators and all this pushback, and uh, this is according
Speaker 1: to Jonathan mullin Nick's research. But one Colorado senator, this
Speaker 1: guy named Henry Moore Teller, he called the day puerile,
Speaker 1: absolutely absurd, and he declared every day with me as
Speaker 1: a Mother's Day. So he was annoyed by this. And
Speaker 1: then uh, he actually had support from this new Hampshire
Speaker 1: senator who was also installed by the Day and he
Speaker 1: complained as though the memory of my late mother could
Speaker 1: only be kept green by some outward demonstration on Sunday
Speaker 1: May ten. Goodness, I mean, obviously there was a lot
Speaker 1: of resistance. So how did she make Mother's Day a thing? Basically,
Speaker 1: she got florists on her side. She also had the
Speaker 1: backing of Sunday schools and other organizations too. So the
Speaker 1: resolution finally swept through Congress. When I went through in
Speaker 1: nineteen fourteen, but she was sort of in the pocket
Speaker 1: of Big Flower and they ran with it. Like not
Speaker 1: only did they have her talk at conventions and on
Speaker 1: a speaking tour, but they actually started marketing white carnations
Speaker 1: as a tribute to moms who passed away, and colorful,
Speaker 1: bright ones for your mom if she's alive. But um,
Speaker 1: you know, as the day became more and more commercialized
Speaker 1: and less about this respectful and also reflective day for
Speaker 1: thinking about your mom, Anna Jarvis got more and more incensed,
Speaker 1: and eventually she wished she could take the day back.
Speaker 1: In fact, there's this one great scene where she's at
Speaker 1: Wanta Maker's department store in Philly and she ordered a
Speaker 1: Mother's Day salad because she saw it on the menu
Speaker 1: and it was just like a typical salad. When she
Speaker 1: got it, she was so angry. She stood up, she
Speaker 1: dumped it on the floor, threw her money down, and
Speaker 1: then huffed out. And uh. It was like any little
Speaker 1: commercial use of Mother's Day, especially the dumb ones like
Speaker 1: a Mother's Day salad, would just set her off with
Speaker 1: the rest of her life. I just love a good
Speaker 1: Mother's Day salad. You know. I can't tell if she
Speaker 1: would have liked or hated Tristan's Yomama So extraordinary book.
Speaker 1: I'm I'm guessing she probably would have hated. But you know,
Speaker 1: you know what's funny, I didn't realize there's so many
Speaker 1: other Mother's Days around the world, Like not everyone celebrates
Speaker 1: it on the same day, let alone the same month.
Speaker 1: That is pretty interesting. So do you have any favorites?
Speaker 1: You know, maybe Bolivia is because it has such an
Speaker 1: unusual origin. Apparently, when Bolivia fought for independence in the
Speaker 1: early nineteenth century, all the men were caught in the fighting.
Speaker 1: You know, many were dying or injured on the battlefields.
Speaker 1: But in coach Obamba, the moms wanted to do something,
Speaker 1: so on May they united to fight on Corinia Hill.
Speaker 1: And while hundreds of them died in battle, that day
Speaker 1: that the heroines of Corinia took on the Spanish army
Speaker 1: is known in Bolivia as Mother's Day. So here's a
Speaker 1: mom I wouldn't trust, but who I'm sure made her
Speaker 1: boy proud, and that's Jesse James Momzarelda. So after James
Speaker 1: passed away, all these travelers used to come to is
Speaker 1: at the outlaw's grave and often they'd give condolences to
Speaker 1: Jesse James's mom, and that's where she smelled opportunity. So
Speaker 1: Zarelda would pretend to be so touched by their actions,
Speaker 1: like they're coming all this way to pay their respects,
Speaker 1: that she'd offered to sell them Jesse's gun along with
Speaker 1: a note of authenticity. And of course this was a
Speaker 1: huge scam, like she used to get these neighborhood boys
Speaker 1: to scavenge and steal guns for her, and then she
Speaker 1: just resell them. But as legend of the scam grew,
Speaker 1: the fake guns got their own reputation and they were
Speaker 1: called Zarelda's and now they're highly prized collectibles in their
Speaker 1: own right. All right, Well, here's the fact I thought
Speaker 1: was interesting, and especially in light of Prince Harry's getting married.
Speaker 1: But Princess Diana once took the boys to Disney World
Speaker 1: and actually made them stand in lines. Can you imagine this?
Speaker 1: So she really tried to instill a sense of normalcy
Speaker 1: in their lives, and reportedly she'd take them for burgers
Speaker 1: and McDonald's, let their kids wear jeans and baseball hats.
Speaker 1: And this all tends to break protocol with what's allowed
Speaker 1: for a young prince of worse. What's less reported is
Speaker 1: that when they were at Disney, they rented out the
Speaker 1: entire tenth floor of the Grand Floridian and had to
Speaker 1: use the underground tunnels at Disney to get around because
Speaker 1: they'd get mobbed by the paparazzi. You know, kind of
Speaker 1: like when when we go and we have to floor.
Speaker 1: But anyway, Diana is making her kids wait in line
Speaker 1: for the roller coasters and rides. Was was really part
Speaker 1: of her attempt to keep her kids grounded. That's pretty amazing. Well,
Speaker 1: we still got a few more facts for you, but
Speaker 1: first a quick break. Welcome back to Part Time Genius,
Speaker 1: where we're talking about moms, So Will. There are obviously
Speaker 1: so many great stories and facts about moms. Mr Rogers
Speaker 1: mom knit all the sweaters on the show that used
Speaker 1: to wear, which is just, you know, the most Mr.
Speaker 1: Rogers fact ever. And supposedly, Bonobo moms will shake their
Speaker 1: heads no at their baby chimps when the baby chimps
Speaker 1: play with their food. But I do want to know
Speaker 1: what's your last mom fact that you're gonna lay on us. Well,
Speaker 1: I want to share this fact about Nancy Edison, who
Speaker 1: was Thomas Edison's mom and there's this wonderful story that
Speaker 1: Thomas came home with a letter one day when he
Speaker 1: was seven, and this was from a teacher saying that
Speaker 1: he was addled and wasn't bright enough. But when his
Speaker 1: mom read the letter, she instead said out loud that
Speaker 1: Thomas was a genius and the school was too small
Speaker 1: for his intellect and that he'd have to be homeschooled instead.
Speaker 1: And then the story goes on that Thomas grew up
Speaker 1: believing that and only found out the real contents of
Speaker 1: the letter when he was an adult after his mom
Speaker 1: had passed away. Now the truth is a little less glamorous.
Speaker 1: Thomas Edison was in fact dyslexic and getting in trouble
Speaker 1: at school, and the teacher used a leather belt for discipline,
Speaker 1: and Thomas might have been on the wrong end of
Speaker 1: it a few times. But when his mom realized the
Speaker 1: school wasn't right for him and that he had a
Speaker 1: learning disability, she pulled him from the school and educated
Speaker 1: him herself. As he put it, my mother was the
Speaker 1: making of me. She was so true, so sure of me,
Speaker 1: and I felt I had something to live for, someone
Speaker 1: I must not disappoint. And then he went on to
Speaker 1: make the first cat boxing video, right, and the lightbulb
Speaker 1: Bengo and a million other things. So anyway, what's your
Speaker 1: last bat Well? I like that Nancy Edison stood up
Speaker 1: for her son, but I don't think anyone stood up
Speaker 1: for their children the way Isaiah Thomas's mom, Mary has so.
Speaker 1: In nineteen sixty six, Mary was a single mom and
Speaker 1: mother of nine, and she was at her home in
Speaker 1: Chicago when the Vice Lords, who was this notorious gang,
Speaker 1: came up to her front door and told her they
Speaker 1: were recruiting her sons. And this is according to the
Speaker 1: New York Times. The leader said, we want your boys.
Speaker 1: They can't be walking around here and not being a gang.
Speaker 1: And Mary Thomas, who was five four and ten pounds
Speaker 1: so she's like a tiny woman, she just faced off
Speaker 1: against this guy and said there's only one gang here
Speaker 1: and that's the Thomas Gang, and I leave that. It's
Speaker 1: just amazing, right, And then when they didn't leave, she
Speaker 1: went to the back of her house, got a shotgun
Speaker 1: and said, get off my portra. I'll blow you across
Speaker 1: the expressway. It's nuts. And for some reason they stopped
Speaker 1: their recruiting efforts. But by all accounts, she was a
Speaker 1: really tough woman, and when people would tell her that
Speaker 1: gangs were facing off, she'd actually just walked in between
Speaker 1: them and settled the disputes. Apparently she was the only
Speaker 1: mom Bobby Knight was ever afraid of. But all her
Speaker 1: kids actually graduated school as well, which in itself was amazing.
Speaker 1: I was reading about Isaiah and that he actually had
Speaker 1: to ride ninety minutes to school every day. He had
Speaker 1: to take two transfers on trains and buses just to
Speaker 1: get to high school, and she made sure he was
Speaker 1: there always. And uh. She also made him sign a
Speaker 1: contract that he'd finished his college degree, and even though
Speaker 1: he left early for the NBA, he honored that and
Speaker 1: secretly went back to school just to make her happy.
Speaker 1: So she's just kind of a remarkable woman. Yeah, and
Speaker 1: I think I actually heard they referred to their mom
Speaker 1: as deer right, which was short for mother dear. Yeah.
Speaker 1: I mean, there's tons of praise for Isaiah Thomas' mom,
Speaker 1: But who do you think should win this week's nine Things?
Speaker 1: You know what, I want to make sure both of
Speaker 1: our moms stay proud and happy, so I think maybe
Speaker 1: both of us should get it. What do you think
Speaker 1: or Tristan, or do you know what, Tristan. And as
Speaker 1: your mama's jokes so so, maybe we'll give it, Tristan.
Speaker 1: I think our moms will understand. But but a happy
Speaker 1: Mother's Day to our moms, to our sisters, to our grandma's,
Speaker 1: to all the other moms out there, and of course
Speaker 1: the other mother figures out there