Learn about how you can beat stress with some help from your significant other; the forgotten astronomer behind the Big Bang Theory; and a hundred-year-old productivity secret. In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories from Curiosity.com to help you get smarter and learn something new in just a few minutes: One Sweet Way to Beat Stress: Think of Your Significant Other — https://curiosity.im/2Dianck The Forgotten Astronomer Behind The Big Bang Theory Was Also a Priest — https://curiosity.im/2DPZOi5 The Ivy Lee Method Is a 100-Year-Old Productivity Secret — https://curiosity.im/2DQdBoQ If you love our show and you're interested in hearing full-length interviews, then please consider supporting us on Patreon. You'll get exclusive episodes and access to our archives as soon as you become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/curiositydotcom Download the FREE 5-star Curiosity app for Android and iOS at https://curiosity.im/podcast-app. And Amazon smart speaker users: you can listen to our podcast as part of your Amazon Alexa Flash Briefing — just click “enable” here: https://curiosity.im/podcast-flash-briefing.
Learn about how you can beat stress with some help from your significant other; the forgotten astronomer behind the Big Bang Theory; and a hundred-year-old productivity secret.
In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories from Curiosity.com to help you get smarter and learn something new in just a few minutes:
If you love our show and you're interested in hearing full-length interviews, then please consider supporting us on Patreon. You'll get exclusive episodes and access to our archives as soon as you become a Patron! https://www.patreon.com/curiositydotcom
Download the FREE 5-star Curiosity app for Android and iOS at https://curiosity.im/podcast-app. And Amazon smart speaker users: you can listen to our podcast as part of your Amazon Alexa Flash Briefing — just click “enable” here: https://curiosity.im/podcast-flash-briefing.
Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/a-romantic-way-to-beat-stress-the-priest-behind-the-big-bang-theory-and-the-ivy-lee-method
CODY: Hi! We’re here from curiosity-dot-com to help you get smarter in just a few minutes. I’m Cody Gough.
ASHLEY: And I’m Ashley Hamer. Today, you’ll learn about how you can beat stress with some help from your significant other; the forgotten astronomer behind the Big Bang Theory; and a hundred-year-old productivity secret.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
One Sweet Way to Beat Stress: Think of Your Significant Other — https://curiosity.im/2Dianck (Ashley)
According to new research, just thinking about your significant other can help you beat stress. And it might even reduce your perception of pain. [CODY: why do you think I have a framed picture of my wife right on my desk? / ad lib]
ASHLEY: Scientists have known for a while that being in a loving relationship doesn't just FEEL good — it's good FOR you. Studies show that people with better social relationships have a lower risk of death, while being divorced increases a person’s chance of dying early. There are lots of reasons why this might be; I mean, a partner might do stuff like make sure you go to the doctor, or give you the Heimlich maneuver if you choke on your food. But the simplest reason might be that having a partner in crime makes it easier to cope with everyday stress. That’s what researchers from the University of Arizona wanted to test out. So for a study published last month in the journal Psycho-physiology, the team gave a hundred college students a stress test. In this case, participants had to dunk one foot in nearly freezing water for four whole minutes. OUCH. Some of the students had their romantic partner right there with them, some students were told to think about their partner, and the rest were just supposed to think about the events of the day. They all worse sensors to measure their blood pressure and heart rate, and they answered questions before and during the test about how much pain they were in. You know where this is going. BOTH the participants who had their partner with them OR who were just thinking about their partner showed a reduction in a thing called cardiovascular reactivity. That’s basically how much a person's heart rate and blood pressure respond to stress. High cardiovascular reactivity may be one risk factor for problems like heart disease and high blood pressure. Here’s what the researchers said about these results: quote, “This suggests that one way being in a romantic relationship might support people's health is through allowing people to better cope with stress and lower levels of cardiovascular reactivity to stress across the day. And it appears that thinking of your partner as a source of support can be just as powerful as actually having them present,” unquote. [ad lib]
The Forgotten Astronomer Behind The Big Bang Theory Was Also a Priest — https://curiosity.im/2DPZOi5 (Cody)
Have you ever heard of a man named Georges Lemaître [JOR-ZHAY Luh-MET-rah]? He might be the greatest scientist of the 20th century you’ve probably never heard of. Ever heard of the Big Bang Theory? Yeah, this guy was kinda behind it. Oh, and one more thing to blow your mind? He was a Belgian Roman Catholic priest. [ad lib about how false dichotomies are bad]
CODY: Luh-MET-rah was a busy guy. He was awarded a Belgian War Cross as an army officer in World War I, and after that, he earned a couple degrees in math and philosophy. After that, he was ordained as a priest, and after THAT, he got permission to study at the prestigious Harvard Observatory… while working on a PhD in physics from MIT. How’s that for a resume? But the real reason I’m telling you about this guy is because of what he did in 1927. That’s when he released an article titled “A Homogeneous Universe of Constant Mass and Increasing Radius accounting for the Radial Velocity of Extra Galactic Nebulae.” Quite the title. The paper said the universe is expanding, and after he wrote it, Luh-MET-ra started to wonder when and how that expansion started. In 1931, he wrote a collection of essays about the beginning of the universe, which he called “now without yesterday,” or “the day without yesterday.” After a few more scientists pitched in to build up the idea, it turned into the Big Bang Theory. Unfortunately, Luh-MET-rah was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He wasn’t even eligible to win a Nobel Prize in 1927 because astronomy wasn’t considered a part of physics at the time. And Edwin Hubble got credit for providing the observational basis for all the stuff Luh-MET-rah had crunched the numbers on. We wouldn’t have Hubble’s Law or Hubble’s Constant without Luh-MET-rah’s work. But at least Einstein was a fan. After Luh-MET-rah described his theories at a talk in 1933 Einstein said, quote, "This is the most beautiful and satisfactory explanation of creation to which I ever listened,” unquote. A satisfying end to a beautiful story.
The Ivy Lee Method Is a 100-Year-Old Productivity Secret — https://curiosity.im/2DQdBoQ (Ashley)
Since Georges Lemaître [JOR-ZHAY Luh-MET-rah] was SUCH a productive guy, we thought it might make sense to wrap up today with a trick that might help YOU be more productive, too. And it’s a hundred years old, so who knows? Maybe Luh-MET-rah himself used it. I’m talking about what’s called the Ivy Lee Method, and some people swear by it even today. This trick comes from a guy named Ivy Lee, who a lot of people think of as a pioneer in public relations. In 1918, he was working as a productivity consultant and had a meeting with Charles Schwab, who was one of the richest men in the WORLD at the time. Lee gave Schwab a five-step method for making his team more efficient. Schwab used the method for 3 months, and he was so impressed, he paid Lee the equivalent of what would be four-hundred-THOUSAND dollars today. Did that get your attention? Here's the five-step Ivy Lee Method:
Step 1: At the end of your workday, write down the six most important things you need to accomplish the next day. NO MORE THAN SIX things.
Step 2: Rank those six items in order of how important they are.
Step 3: When you get into work the next day, focus ONLY on that FIRST, most important task. Once you’ve completed that task, move on to the next item.
Step 4: If you get to the end of your day and you haven’t gotten around to all six tasks, move the remaining things on your list to your new list for the next day.
Step 5: Repeat this process every working day. And that’s it! Give it a shot and let us know if the Ivy Lee Method makes a big difference in your life.
CODY: Today’s ad-free episode was brought to you by our Patrons. Special thanks to Scott Gates, Sergio Moreno, Michael Kovitch, Dane Norris, Hayden Fossey, and Emily for your support on Patreon. We really appreciate it!
ASHLEY: To learn more about how you can support Curiosity Daily, please visit patreon-dot-com-slash-curiosity-dot-com, all spelled out.
CODY: Join us again tomorrow for the award-winning Curiosity Daily and learn something new in just a few minutes. I’m [NAME] and I’m [NAME]. Stay curious!