Something You Should Know

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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Have you ever been completely stuck trying to solve a problem or come up with a new idea? There is a remarkably simple thing you can do that research shows can get your creative juices flowing. And it works surprisingly well. https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2014/04/walking-vs-sitting-042414

Can you actually think yourself sick? Absolutely. It’s called the nocebo effect — essentially the evil twin of the placebo effect. If a doctor warns you that a medication might cause certain side effects, simply hearing that can make those symptoms more likely to occur. The same thing can happen when you read about an illness or medication online. Your expectations can trigger very real physical symptoms. So how does that happen — and how do you protect yourself from it? Helen Pilcher is a science writer with a PhD in neuroscience from London’s Institute of Psychiatry, and she has some remarkable examples of the nocebo effect in action. She is author of This Book May Cause Side Effects: The Curious and Dangerous Power of the Nocebo Effect, Placebo’s Evil Twin (https://amzn.to/4qvrdLU).

Why are sideburns called sideburns? How could the first automatic door possibly have been invented before the birth of Christ? And where in the world did the word dude come from? Those are just a few of the strange facts and curious word origins explored by Jess Zafarris. She joins me to reveal some fascinating bits of history and language that will leave you with plenty of things you never knew you wanted to know. Jess is co-author of A Miscellany of Weird and Wonderful Facts for Curious Humans Who Have Nothing Better to Do Than Read (https://amzn.to/4wFtLZq).

When you say something embarrassing, have a bad hair day or just feel awkward in a group, it can seem as if everyone notices. But how closely are other people really paying attention to you? Psychologists have studied this, and what they discovered should make your next embarrassing moment a little easier to handle. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/199612/why-bad-hair-days-may-not-matter

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Eye contact can be tricky. Too little can make you seem bored or distracted. Too much can get uncomfortable fast. So what is the right amount? This episode begins with some fascinating research on eye contact and the subtle signals you send with your eyes. http://www.spring.org.uk/2013/07/how-eye-contact-works.php

Someone tells you a secret and makes you promise not to tell. You intend to keep that promise — so why can the urge to tell someone else become so strong? Secrets can weigh on us, yet revealing one can damage relationships and destroy trust. So which secrets do we keep, which do we tell and who do we tell them to? Andrew Gold is an investigative journalist, podcaster and filmmaker who has made documentaries for the BBC and HBO. He is author of The Psychology of Secrets: My Adventures with Murderers, Cults and Influencers (https://amzn.to/3MiwXoS). Listen as he explores why keeping something to yourself can be surprisingly difficult.

Why is the alphabet in the order ABCDE? Why do we have uppercase and lowercase letters? What’s the dot over a lowercase i and j for? And why do we capitalize I? Behind many of the oddities of English are some wonderful stories. Linguist Paul Anthony Jones joins me to explain how some of the strangest features of our language got that way. He has a popular YouTube channel devoted to language and is author of Why Is This a Question?: Everything About the Origins and Oddities of Language You Never Thought to Ask (https://amzn.to/3Z0Nrtm).

Humans have long debated monogamy, but some animals seem to have it figured out. A handful form remarkably strong pair bonds that can last for years — sometimes for life. Listen as I reveal which creatures are among nature’s most devoted couples. https://www.treehugger.com/animals-that-mate-for-life-4869332

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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

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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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Want to significantly improve your chances of getting a good night’s sleep? There is one surprisingly simple thing you can do during the day that may actually help you sleep better that night. And no, it doesn’t involve exercise, meditation or giving up your phone. This episode begins with what it is and why it may work. https://sleepopolis.com/news/make-bed-better-sleep/

Every language and every culture has swear words. We’re taught as children not to say them, yet somehow we all learn exactly what they are. So why does swearing exist in the first place? And why are certain words considered so much more powerful and offensive than others? It turns out that swearing serves some interesting purposes — and under the right circumstances, it may even have some benefits. Timothy Jay is one of the world’s leading authorities on the psychology of swearing. He is professor emeritus of psychology at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and author of Cursing in America (https://amzn.to/3CMIs36) and Why We Curse (https://amzn.to/46hZ2FN). Listen as he reveals where our swear words come from, why they have such emotional punch and what happens when we use them.

Confidence is one of those qualities that seems easy to recognize in other people and much harder to summon up in yourself — especially at the exact moment you need it. Maybe you need to speak up, walk into a room full of strangers, ask for something you want or handle a difficult conversation. So can you actually become more confident on demand? Selena Rezvani says you can, and the techniques are surprisingly practical. Selena is a speaker, journalist and author of Quick Confidence: Be Authentic, Create Connections and Make Bold Bets on Yourself (https://amzn.to/43WVJ59). She joins me with simple strategies you can use to quiet self-doubt, appear more confident and actually feel more confident when it counts.

Could changing the expression on your face actually change the way you feel? There is a remarkably simple thing you can do with your face right now that may give your mood a little lift. Listen as I explain what to do — and the intriguing reason it appears to work. Source: Dr. Stephanie McClellan, author of The Ultimate Stress Relief Plan for Women (https://amzn.to/3NLj04s).

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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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Processed food has gotten a pretty terrible reputation. We’re warned to avoid foods with long ingredient lists, mysterious additives and chemical names we can’t pronounce. “Ultra-processed” has practically become another way of saying “bad for you.” But is that a useful way to judge what we eat? After all, almost everything we eat has been processed in some way, and everything we eat — including perfectly natural food — is made of chemicals.

So how can you tell which ingredients are worth worrying about and which ones just sound scary? Why do manufacturers put preservatives, emulsifiers, artificial flavors, stabilizers and other additives into food in the first place? And does a complicated-looking ingredient label actually tell you much about whether a food is healthy?

Here to sort through the chemistry is George Zaidan, an MIT-trained chemist who created National Geographic’s web series Ingredients: The Stuff Inside Your Stuff. He is also author of Ingredients: The Strange Chemistry of What We Put in Us and on Us (https://amzn.to/2Zykgij).

Listen as George explains what some of those strange-sounding ingredients actually are, what they do, what the science says about their safety and why our instincts about “natural” versus “chemical” can sometimes lead us astray. If you have ever stood in a grocery store reading a label and wondered, “What IS all this stuff?” this conversation may change the way you look at what’s in your food.

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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!

SHOPIFY: It's time to turn those "what ifs" into CHA CHING with Shopify Today! Sign up for your $1 per month trail and start selling today at ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Shopify.com/realm⁠⁠⁠⁠

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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