Walk into a meeting room, classroom, or even your own living room, and chances are you’ll sit in the same spot you’ve chosen before. And if someone else is sitting there, it feels all wrong. But why? It’s a small behavior that reveals something surprisingly deep about how humans think. ⁠https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Place_attachment⁠ (more…)

What does it really mean to be happy? Even the happiest people aren’t happy all the time. Maybe happiness isn’t a constant emotion at all — maybe it’s a philosophy. A way of living. A sense of meaning shaped by what you do and who you do it for. (more…)

Sometimes a great idea doesn’t come from thinking harder — but from shifting your body. Research suggests that posture can influence how creatively and flexibly you think, meaning the position you’re in during a brainstorming session could actually affect whether you have that “Eureka!” moment. Listen to how that works as we open this episode. ⁠https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27992759⁠ (more…)

Fresh flowers brighten any room — but they fade fast. You’ve probably heard all kinds of tricks to keep them alive longer: flower food packets, aspirin, sugar, even pennies in the vase. But there is one surprisingly simple additive that appears to work better than most, and it’s probably already in your kitchen. ⁠https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-12981249/⁠ (more…)

When men get sick with a cold or the flu, do they actually suffer more than women — or just complain louder? Some fascinating research suggests there may be real biological differences in immune response between the sexes, which could explain the infamous “man cold.” I break down what scientists have discovered and what it really means. ⁠https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29229663/⁠ (more…)