Learn about how you can slash your exercise time with high-intensity interval training (HIIT) — and the science that backs it up; how “collective narcissism” can make groups toxic; and how dolphins make friends strategically.
Learn about how you can slash your exercise time with high-intensity interval training (HIIT) — and the science that backs it up; how “collective narcissism” can make groups toxic; and how dolphins make friends strategically.
HIIT Is the Science-Backed Workout That Can Slash Your Exercise Time by Ashley Hamer
"Collective narcissism" makes members of groups and nations toxic — but you can fight it by Kelsey Donk
Dolphins make friends strategically by Steffie Drucker
Subscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://www.amazon.com/Curiosity-com-Curiosity-Daily-from/dp/B07CP17DJY
Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/a-science-backed-workout-in-10-minutes-how-collective-narcissism-makes-groups-toxic-and-how-dolphins-make-friends
CODY: Hi! You’re about to get smarter in just a few minutes with Curiosity Daily from curiosity-dot-com. I’m Cody Gough.
ASHLEY: And I’m Ashley Hamer. Today, you’ll learn about a science-backed workout that can slash your exercise time; how “collective narcissism” can make groups toxic; and how dolphins use strategy to make friends.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
The pandemic has left us with fewer options for exercise. Gyms are closed or limiting attendance, and workout classes are happening less often or not at all. If you’re looking for a new way to get your sweat on, I’ve got a suggestion that’s backed by science. Studies show high-intensity interval training, or HIIT, can get you the benefits of a 45-minute workout in as little as 10 minutes. And you can do it in your living room. Here’s how it works.
The basic concept of HIIT centers on intervals: in other words, short bursts of really intense cardio interspersed with rest periods. The idea is that making your heart work at a high intensity for short periods can get you the same benefits as working at medium intensity for one long, uninterrupted period of time.
It might sound too good to be true, but it has science to back it up. In 2008, researchers had people perform four to six all-out intervals of just 30 seconds each, with rests in between, three days per week. Even though their workouts were just about 10 minutes long, these people showed the same muscular and fat-burning benefits as participants who cycled at a moderate pace for 40–60-minutes five days per week. Another study that had participants do a similar HIIT workout found that they had the same improvements as moderate-intensity cyclists in endurance, insulin resistance, and the microscopic muscle structures responsible for energy production and oxygen consumption.
Though the science says that the benefits of HIIT are mostly identical to that of steady-state cardio, there are two big differences. The most obvious is that HIIT takes much less time. But there's another important difference: HIIT requires intense, all-out effort. It's unpleasant, to put it mildly. If you already do long, moderate running or biking workouts and you mostly enjoy it, that grueling effort may not be worth it to you. If, however, the time commitment is what's keeping you from even starting a workout routine, HIIT may be the plan for you.
If you want to try it, grab a bike, your running shoes, or even a jump rope. Start with 2 minutes at an easy pace, followed by 20 seconds at near maximum effort. Do that twice more, then end with a 3 minute cool down. And you’re done! I just...hope you brought a towel.
What do you call it when a person believes so firmly that their group is better than any others that they lash out against outsiders? According to social psychologists, that’s called “collective narcissism,” and it can quietly poison groups, organizations, and yes — even entire nations.
You’re probably familiar with narcissism on an individual level. When a person is a narcissist, they tend to have a grandiose sense of their own importance and not much empathy for anyone who isn’t them. They have unstable levels of self-esteem that depend on the admiration of others. Narcissism gets the “collective” label when it’s about a group identity, whether it’s racial, political, national, or social. It can even apply to informal groups, like fandoms and social clubs. While comparing collective narcissism to individual narcissism is a helpful way to understand it, that’s where the relationship ends. I want to make sure to point out that individual narcissists don’t automatically become collective narcissists.
Collective narcissism is a relatively new field of study. But it’s not a new idea. The term was first used in 1930 by philosopher Theodor Adorno to describe the attitude that fueled support for Nazi rule. Now, perhaps unsurprisingly, collective narcissism is having a little renaissance.
In a 2009 study, researchers described collective narcissism as an emotional investment in an unrealistic belief about a group’s greatness. The researchers conducted five studies and found that collective narcissism can actually predict aggression toward other groups. So it’s not just about having pride in your group — that can be a good thing. It’s about having outsized pride that makes you hostile to those who don’t belong. That’s a bad thing.
The problem here is that research has shown that collective narcissists tend to perceive any success of another group — like, say, the empowerment of minority groups — as a threat. Collective narcissists try to protect their own position by knocking the other group down a peg.
The bummer is that collective narcissism isn’t new, and it’s powerful enough that it won’t go away anytime soon, either. So all we can do for now is try to understand it so we can fight against it — both in ourselves and in others.
ASHLEY: Today’s episode is sponsored by KiwiCo.
CODY: KiwiCo creates super cool hands-on projects. They’re designed to expose kids to concepts in STEAM — that's science, technology, engineering, art and design, and math — all from the comfort of home!
ASHLEY: Each box is delivered monthly and comes with all the supplies needed for that month's project. And each line caters to different age groups, covering a variety of topics.
CODY: Your kids will be able to play and learn independently thanks to kid-friendly instructions. The projects provide hours of entertainment, and kids can put them together with their loved ones! It’s a great opportunity for quality time with family and friends.
ASHLEY: With KiwiCo’s hands-on art and science projects, kids can engineer a walking robot, blast off a bottle rocket, explore colorful, kid-friendly chemistry, and a whole lot more — all from the comfort of home.
CODY: They have everything you need to make STEAM seriously fun — delivered to your doorstep. Get your first month FREE on select crates at kiwico-dot-com-slash-CURIOSITY. That’s K-I-W-I-C-O dot com slash CURIOSITY
Being a teenager is tough. You’re shaping your identity by figuring out what you like and which social group you belong to, all while learning how to be an independent adult. The friends you make along the way can be key to getting a job or meeting your romantic partner. Well, new research says that young bottlenose dolphins have it about the same. They choose the friends and activities that will serve them best in adulthood.
Unlike baby humans, young dolphins are pretty much on their own starting around age 3 or 4, when they’re weaned from their mothers. For this study, scientists from Georgetown and Duke University wanted to know what they’re up to when adults aren’t around.
The team analyzed decades’ worth of records from the Shark Bay Dolphin Research Project, which has collected data on wild dolphins living in Australia’s Shark Bay since 1984. The nearly 2,000 dolphins from this group tend to stay in the area throughout their lives, which allows scientists to study them from birth to adulthood.
To us humans, the dolphin social scene seems...chaotic. Juveniles will switch social groups as much as every 10 minutes! Can you imagine the pandemonium in the dolphin cafeteria? But the team found they also have a few close friends they prefer to spend time with. Dolphins usually pick besties of the same sex, but males and females spend their time differently. Young males act much like human boys, making physical contact and mimicking each other. Females tend to be more solitary and forage for food twice as much as the boys.
Scientists say the way the young’uns spend their free time is good practice for adulthood. Adult males are pretty rough on the ladies, biting and slapping them to get them to mate (charming, right?). Sometimes when there aren’t many mates to choose from, males form small gangs and make alliances to steal a female from a rival group. After the birth, though, dad takes off and mom raises the calf solo for several years. So you can see why acclimating to alone time and developing foraging skills would be useful to young females before they have a mouth to feed.
With the soap opera-style drama of young dolphins’ social lives, the findings really give truth to the saying, “choose your friends wisely.”
Let’s recap what we learned today to wrap up. Starting with
[ad lib optional]
CODY: Today’s stories were written by Ashley Hamer, Kelsey Donk, and Steffie Drucker, and edited by Ashley Hamer, who’s the managing editor for Curiosity Daily.
ASHLEY: Scriptwriting was by Cody Gough and Sonja Hodgen. Curiosity Daily is produced and edited by Cody Gough.
CODY: Join us again tomorrow to learn something new in just a few minutes.
ASHLEY: And until then, stay curious!