In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories to help you get smarter and learn something new in just a few minutes: Want to Send a Supportive Text? Science Says You Should Play It Cool Benjamin Franklin's Daily Schedule for Productivity Was Rigorous Dogs Are More Afraid of Fireworks Than Gunshots, Thunderstorms, or Traffic Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to learn something new every day withCody Gough andAshley Hamer. Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go to https://discoveryplus.com/curiosity to start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.
In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories to help you get smarter and learn something new in just a few minutes:
Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go to https://discoveryplus.com/curiosity to start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.
Full episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/saving-dogs-from-fireworks-benjamin-franklins-productivity-schedule-and-supportive-texting
[MUSIC PLAYING] CODY GOUGH: Hi. We've got three stories from curiosity.com to help you get smarter in just a few minutes. I'm Cody Gough.
ASHLEY HAMER: I'm Ashley Hamer. Today, you'll learn how to help your dog deal with fireworks, the best way to send a supportive text message, and Benjamin Franklin's rigorous daily schedule for productivity.
CODY GOUGH: Let's satisfy some curiosity.
ASHLEY HAMER: Cody, do you ever send people you know supportive text messages when they're about to do something super hard?
CODY GOUGH: I usually send supportive texts after. Like, I hope it went well or things are going well.
ASHLEY HAMER: Yeah.
CODY GOUGH: Not so much. Like, good luck on your test. But I have before. My friend just had a baby last month, and I think I sent him something like, hope you're getting sleep.
ASHLEY HAMER: Yeah. That's nice.
CODY GOUGH: Stuff like that. Do you do that?
ASHLEY HAMER: Yeah, I do. I have-- my best friend right now is taking a bunch of wine certification tests to get her sommelier, whatever--
CODY GOUGH: Yeah.
ASHLEY HAMER: --thing. And they're really hard, and I've been sending her the little things. But I am now learning that I should do it slightly differently.
CODY GOUGH: Oh, really?
ASHLEY HAMER: That's right. Because according to a new study, texting good luck, or you got this, or even don't worry is not the best way to support someone. Researchers from UC Irvine measured the blood pressure of female participants in a study while they gave parts of a speech and performed some mental math problems in front of a camera.
But before they did that, the researchers had the women's' heterosexual male partners send them text messages. Those were either supportive, like, don't worry, you'll be fine, or mundane and irrelevant, like, it's cold in here. The women who got the supportive text messages reported feeling more supported, loved, and cared for than the other women.
But the women who got the mundane text messages were more relaxed than the ones who got supportive messages. The researchers think this might be because of supportive text also reminds the person getting it that they're about to do something stressful or be judged or even need support. Plus, you might feel obligated to respond, which can add stress to the situation.
It's worth noting that this study only looked at effects on women in a lab setting, but it's worth considering the next time you want to support a friend in a high anxiety situation. Just letting someone know you're thinking about them can go a long way.
CODY GOUGH: I'm not part of the study. But I do remember back when we interviewed guests on the podcast, when I got texts from my wife saying something like, good luck with the interview or hope the interview goes well, I do seem to recall it wasn't super-- it was nice, and I did feel loved and supported.
ASHLEY HAMER: Sure, of course.
CODY GOUGH: But at the same time, I do think there was a small ping of a reminder that I'm about to do something that is stressful or can go wrong or like mattered. Like, the stakes were high.
ASHLEY HAMER: Yeah, definitely. If someone's telling me that they hope I do well, then boy, this must be something that's important to do well, huh?
CODY GOUGH: And you better not not do well.
ASHLEY HAMER: Yeah.
CODY GOUGH: So yeah, that's good to keep in mind.
ASHLEY HAMER: It is.
CODY GOUGH: It's America's birthday. Who's your favorite founding father, Ashley?
ASHLEY HAMER: I like John Adams. He seemed like a jerk, but he was a really smart jerk. Nobody liked him. He's an underdog.
CODY GOUGH: An underdog of the founding fathers.
ASHLEY HAMER: There's a great HBO miniseries about him.
CODY GOUGH: Oh, wow.
ASHLEY HAMER: Yeah.
CODY GOUGH: Nice. Well, we've written about Benjamin Franklin quite a lot on curiosity.com. And today, we're going to tell you about his rigorous daily schedule for productivity because America didn't found itself. It was a lot of people, actually.
ASHLEY HAMER: Yeah, a bunch.
CODY GOUGH: Plus, of war. But that's neither here nor there. Actually is because it's Independence Day. But we're not going to get into that. But here's what Benjamin Franklin did. And he wrote this down, so that's how we know what he did. From 5:00 to 8:00 AM, he would quote "rise, wash, and address powerful goodness, contrive day's business, and take the resolution of the day. Prosecute the present study and breakfast." unquote.
That's a lot of things from 5:00 to 8:00 AM. Then he would work from 8:00 to noon. Sounds familiar. From 12:00 to 2:00, he would read or look at his accounts and then eat. And then he'd work again from 2:00 to 6:00. And again, sounds pretty familiar. And then from 6:00 to 10:00, he would quote "put things in their places, supper, music or diversion or a conversation, examination of the day" unquote. That means he would only sleep, by the way, from 10:00 to 5:00, not a full eight hours for shame.
Anyway, a big key to the routine is Franklin's focus on himself. And that's actually pretty important when it comes to being productive with the things you need to do. He would also ask himself two questions to frame his day, and this is something you can try no matter what your schedule is like. During breakfast, he would ask himself, what good shall I do this day? And before bed, he would ask, what could have I done this day? It's a good way to frame self-improvement, which was really important for Franklin.
The best part of the story is that Franklin said in his autobiography that he was actually bad at sticking to his schedule. So don't worry the next time you get distracted. Nobody's perfect, not even Benjamin Franklin. And he invented a whole country.
ASHLEY HAMER: And lightning, apparently.
[LAUGHS]
Electricity? I don't know.
CODY GOUGH: Something like that.
[LAUGHS]
We may have our history wrong now. I'm not sure.
ASHLEY HAMER: Cody, what are you going to do for the 4th of July?
CODY GOUGH: Apparently, go to the beach with some friends.
ASHLEY HAMER: That sounds fun.
CODY GOUGH: Yeah.
ASHLEY HAMER: Oh yeah, we talked about that. I think I'm going to do that too but a different beach. I won't see you.
CODY GOUGH: Oh, all right.
ASHLEY HAMER: Maybe I'll see. I probably won't see you.
CODY GOUGH: All right. If you see me, you don't have to say anything.
ASHLEY HAMER: Yeah. I'll just pretend I don't know you.
[LAUGHTER]
Well I'm definitely going to watch some fireworks.
CODY GOUGH: Right.
ASHLEY HAMER: And in some places, it's really hard to get away from fireworks, including Chicago. There are fireworks literally every night at Navy Pier.
CODY GOUGH: Oh, I've heard fireworks the last night in my neighborhood.
ASHLEY HAMER: Oh, yeah, definitely.
CODY GOUGH: Just from people shooting them out.
ASHLEY HAMER: Yeah. And pets, I think we all know are not big fans of fireworks. In the United States, the day after Independence Day is the busiest day of the year for animal shelters taking in pets that ran away from their homes in a panic. That's bad and super sad.
CODY GOUGH: That's really sad.
ASHLEY HAMER: Studies have shown that 46% of pets, including cats, are afraid of fireworks, and that dogs are more scared of fireworks than they are of traffic, thunderstorms or even gunshots. But we do have some recommendations for helping your dog get through the holiday.
The Humane Society recommends creating a safe space for your dog to go when she hears scary noises. You can find that by following your dog's lead. Make sure wherever she wants to go when panic strikes is easy to access and doesn't have any other scary things in it. In that space, you can use distraction methods, like giving her treats and belly rubs or playing soft music. It might be too late to try this year. But in the future, you can get ready for the holiday ahead of time using what's called counterconditioning.
Get a recording of fireworks and start by playing it at low enough volume, so your dog doesn't get scared. Then do something nice, like scratching her ears or feeding her dinner. Do it again every day with a recording a little bit louder and stop if your dog seems scared at any time. Hopefully, your dog will get used to it, and the fireworks won't be too scary. Just never yell or punish your pet, since that'll just make them even more afraid.
Read about today's stories and more today on curiosity.com and on the Curiosity app for Android and iOS.
CODY GOUGH: One quick note to wrap up the show, you can support this podcast by nominating us as a finalist for the 2018 Podcast Awards. It should only take a couple of minutes, and you can check the show notes for a link with instructions. Basically, visit podcastawards.com and click on Listener Nominations Now Open at the top. Follow the instructions on the site to register. And then once you're signed up, just click the dropdown menu menus to vote for Curiosity Daily as one of the nominees.
ASHLEY HAMER: We'd love to be finalists for the categories of People's Choice, Educational, and Science and Medicine. You can vote for podcast in other categories too, but you don't have to. Again, that's podcastawards.com. It's free to vote and really will help us keep bringing you the show. Thanks so much.
CODY GOUGH: Join us again tomorrow for the Curiosity Daily and learn something new in just a few minutes. I'm Cody Gough.
ASHLEY HAMER: And I'm Ashley Hamer.
CODY GOUGH: Have a happy and safe Independence Day.
ASHLEY HAMER: And stay curious.
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