Something You Should Know

Why does time seem to move faster and faster the older you get? Summers that once felt endless suddenly seem to disappear in a flash. There are some intriguing theories about why our perception of time changes — and what may actually slow it down.

Your brain is constantly interpreting the world, making predictions and influencing what you think and do — usually without you realizing it. That helps explain some surprisingly common quirks of human behavior. Why do we tend to believe we have more control over events than we really do? Why are we so easily influenced by advertising even when we know exactly what advertisers are trying to accomplish? And why does your sense of time change so dramatically over the course of your life?

Here to explore these and other fascinating questions about how your mind works is Art Markman, professor of psychology and marketing at the University of Texas at Austin. He is the author of Brain Briefs: Answers to the Most (and Least) Pressing Questions About Your Mind (https://amzn.to/2xcxdyJ). Art explains some of the hidden mental processes quietly shaping the way you experience the world — and why understanding them can help you better understand yourself.

Your brain is doing a lot behind the scenes that you never notice. And some of what it is doing may explain behaviors and experiences you have probably wondered about for years.

Art Markman’s website: http://www.smartthinkingbook.com/

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Why do leaves turn such spectacular colors every fall? It seems as if the green simply changes to red, orange or yellow — but that isn’t quite what happens. There is a lot more going on inside those leaves than you might imagine. Listen as I explain the fascinating process that creates the colors of autumn. https://www.weather.gov/dvn/climate_fall_colors

When you want to make a big change — lose weight, save money, get ahead at work, break a habit — the usual advice is to buckle down and try harder. But there may be a much smarter and easier way. Research shows that where you are and who you surround yourself with can dramatically change what you do and who you become. Angela Duckworth joins me to explain why changing your situation can sometimes be far more effective than relying on willpower — and how to deliberately put yourself in places and around people that bring out your best. Angela is a psychologist and professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Her TED Talk is one of the most watched of all time, and her book Grit was a #1 New York Times bestseller. Her new book is Situated: Find the People and Places That Bring Out Your Best (https://amzn.to/4xvpE3g).

Cats are strange pets when you think about it. They can be affectionate one minute and act as if you don't exist the next. Yet humans have welcomed hundreds of millions of them into our homes. So how did this unlikely relationship begin? It turns out cats had something humans desperately needed — and humans had something cats wanted just as badly. Rod Phillips reveals the remarkable history of how cats worked their way into human civilization and ultimately into our homes and hearts. Rod is a professor of history at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and author of Cats: A History (https://amzn.to/3SEKrCi).

Why does food often taste so lousy on an airplane? You might blame the airline or whoever prepared your meal, but part of the problem is actually you. At 35,000 feet, something happens that can make perfectly good food taste surprisingly different. Listen and you may never judge airplane food quite the same way again. https://www.cntraveler.com/stories/2014-04-03/why-airline-food-tastes-so-bad

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TREES.COM: Right now, ⁠https://Trees.com ⁠have great deals on planting essentials, up to half off on select plants. And listeners to our show get 20% OFF their purchase when using the promo code SYSK at checkout.

MONARCH: Write your own money story with Monarch! Use promo code SYSK at ⁠⁠https://Monarch.com⁠⁠ to get your 1st year of Monarch Core half off at just $50

VINTED: Ready to clean out your closet and make some extra money?Download the Vinted app for free and start listing! With no seller fees, you keep every dollar you earn and for a limited time, enjoy free shipping in the US on Vinted.

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QUINCE: Find your next Fall favorites at Quince! Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Quince.com/sysk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too!

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Some very popular drinks can do a surprising amount of damage to your teeth. Which ones are the worst offenders? This episode begins with what certain drinks do to your tooth enamel and some simple ways to minimize the damage if you drink them. https://news.uthscsa.edu/more-u-s-teeth-susceptible-to-silent-enamel-eating-syndrome/

You are surrounded by gases every moment of your life. They fill your lungs, power engines, warm the planet and help create stars—yet gases may be the least understood materials in our world. Mark Miodownik reveals the fascinating and often surprising ways gases shape our lives. He is professor of materials and society at University College London and author of It’s a Gas: The Sublime and Elusive Elements That Expand Our World (https://amzn.to/3XDpcjX).

People casually say they’re “addicted” to their phones, shopping, social media or video games. But when does something you enjoy—or simply do a lot—cross the line into addiction? And why are some things so incredibly hard to stop? Psychotherapist Talitha Fosh explains what really makes us get hooked and what it takes to break free. She is author of Hooked: Why We Are Addicted and How to Break Free (https://amzn.to/3XDW8sq).

The shoes you wear while driving can actually affect how safely you control the car—and some popular types of footwear are particularly bad choices. So what should you wear, and is driving barefoot really dangerous? Listen as I sort out the best and worst footwear for driving. https://www.rd.com/list/shoes-shouldnt-wear-driving/

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TREES.COM: Right now, ⁠https://Trees.com ⁠have great deals on planting essentials, up to half off on select plants. And listeners to our show get 20% OFF their purchase when using the promo code SYSK at checkout.

MONARCH: Write your own money story with Monarch! Use promo code SYSK at ⁠⁠https://Monarch.com⁠⁠ to get your 1st year of Monarch Core half off at just $50

VINTED: Ready to clean out your closet and make some extra money?Download the Vinted app for free and start listing! With no seller fees, you keep every dollar you earn and for a limited time, enjoy free shipping in the US on Vinted.

WAYFAIR: Ready to upgrade your home for way less? Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Wayfair.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ right now to shop all things home and get your space ready for less.

QUINCE: Find your next Fall favorites at Quince! Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Quince.com/sysk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too!

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When the power goes out, how long will food in your refrigerator and freezer stay safe? And how bad is it to open the door and check? Consumer Reports has some useful answers that could save you from throwing out perfectly good food—or eating something you shouldn’t. https://www.consumerreports.org/home-garden/emergency-preparedness/what-to-feed-your-family-when-the-power-is-out-a4425760304/

Before you trust an airplane, a child’s toy or just about anything else, it has probably been subjected to some serious testing—and some of those tests get wonderfully weird. Engineers have fired chickens into jet engines and enlisted real bears to test bear-proof containers. Alex Davies takes us inside this strange, mostly invisible world of product testing. He is a senior editor at Amazon and author of Kobuk the Destroyer: And Other Tales from the Wild, Unseen World of Test Engineering (https://amzn.to/3UR4YEg).

You may not consider yourself especially sensitive—but chances are you know someone who feels things more intensely than others. Criticism can really sting, rejection can linger, and an offhand remark can hit surprisingly hard. Why are some people wired this way, and is it something they need to change? Psychiatrist Dr. Sasha Hamdani explains the science of sensitivity, rejection and resilience. She is author of Too Sensitive: Rejection, Resilience, and the Science of Feeling Deeply (https://amzn.to/4c9bgFn).

When you are suspicious that someone is lying to you, watching them for clues may be counterproductive. Those commonly believed visual giveaways are often inaccurate. But there is another way to help confirm
whether someone is lying that can be much more accurate and it easy to do. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/may/14/hidden-secret-to-spotting-a-liar-voice-inflections

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TREES.COM: Right now, https://Trees.com have great deals on planting essentials, up to half off on select plants. And listeners to our show get 20% OFF their purchase when using the promo code SYSK at checkout.

MONARCH: Write your own money story with Monarch! Use promo code SYSK at ⁠https://Monarch.com⁠ to get your 1st year of Monarch Core half off at just $50

VINTED: Ready to clean out your closet and make some extra money?Download the Vinted app for free and start listing! With no seller fees, you keep every dollar you earn and for a limited time, enjoy free shipping in the US on Vinted.

WAYFAIR: Ready to upgrade your home for way less? Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Wayfair.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ right now to shop all things home and get your space ready for less.

QUINCE: Find your next Fall favorites at Quince! Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Quince.com/sysk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too!

DELL: Built for those who want better. The Dell XPS, built for you!

INDEED: Get a $75 Sponsored Job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Indeed.com/PODCAST⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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Why do you believe some people almost immediately, while others make you skeptical? You might assume credibility comes down to expertise, experience and having the facts on your side. But there is much more going on. Research shows that we respond to subtle signals that can make someone seem more believable — sometimes before we’ve really considered what they’re saying.

Even more surprising, some of the things people do to appear credible can actually make them less convincing. And many of the signals that influence us have little to do with the actual message.

Understanding this matters more than ever. Every day we have to decide which experts, politicians, salespeople, coworkers, influencers and strangers we should believe — and which ones we shouldn’t.

Stephen Martin is a visiting professor of behavioral science at Columbia University and an expert on influence and persuasion. He is co-author of Messengers: Who We Listen To, Who We Don’t, and Why (https://amzn.to/2MDAtej). He joins me to explain the surprisingly subtle characteristics that make people seem credible, why they work on us, and how understanding them can help you become more persuasive — and a little harder to fool.

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MONARCH: Write your own money story with Monarch! Use promo code SYSK at ⁠https://Monarch.com⁠ to get your 1st year of Monarch Core half off at just $50

AQUATRU: Head to ⁠https://AquaTru.com⁠ now and get 20% off your purifier using promo code SYSK AquaTru even comes with a 30-day best-tasting water guarantee or your money back!

WAYFAIR: Ready to upgrade your home for way less? Head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Wayfair.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ right now to shop all things home and get your space ready for less.

QUINCE: Find your next Fall favorites at Quince! Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Quince.com/sysk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada, too!

DELL: Built for those who want better. The Dell XPS, built for you!

INDEED: Get a $75 Sponsored Job credit to help get your job the premium status it deserves at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Indeed.com/PODCAST⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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