196 The Benefits of Cursing & How the World is Getting Better – Even If It Doesn’t Seem So

This episode begins with a look at some fascinating science of everyday life. For example, how the calorie count for food is determined, what does it take to actually crush a Lego brick, why water of the same temperature feels colder than air of the same temperature – and more. http://mentalfloss.com/article/66086/11-scientific-explanations-everyday-life

Do you swear? If so, why? Are there any benefits to swearing? And how has swearing changed over the years? These are a couple of the questions tackled by Emma Byrne author of the book, Swearing is Good For You. Listen to Emma and you may just come away with a whole new view of the power and usefulness of bad words.

You’ve heard the phrase – “Sex sells.” Right? Well actually sex doesn’t sell. Violence doesn’t sell either. You’ll hear about some fascinating research that shows that in terms of advertising effectiveness, sex and violence really get in the way. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3169550/Sex-DOESN-T-sell-Consumers-distracted-raunchy-violent-ads-forget-product-study-reveals.html#ixzz3gdzJRKwe

If you watch the news or look at social media a lot, you might think the world is becoming a harsh and terrible place. But could it just be perception? Could it really be that the world and the people in it are getting better and have been for a long time? That is the contention of Gregg Easterbrook author of It’s Better Than It Looks: Reasons for Optimism in an Age of Fear. Gregg explains that when you objectively measure the things that determine how our lives are trending – there are a lot of reasons to celebrate.

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