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: You Can Get to Know Someone Through All Your Senses at Sensory Speed Dating People Appreciate Thank You Cards a Lot More Than You Think Meet the 2018's New UNESCO World Heritage Sites Want to master the art of writing a professional thank-you note? You need Jeffrey Seglin's "The Simple Art of Business Etiquette." We handpick reading recommendations we think you may like. If you choose to make a purchase through that link, Curiosity will get a share of the sale. Learn about these topics and more onCuriosity.com, and download our5-star app for Android and iOS. Then, join the conversation onFacebook,Twitter, andInstagram. Plus: Amazon smart speaker users, enable ourAlexa Flash Briefing to learn something new in just a few minutes every day!
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:
Want to master the art of writing a professional thank-you note? You need Jeffrey Seglin's "The Simple Art of Business Etiquette." We handpick reading recommendations we think you may like. If you choose to make a purchase through that link, Curiosity will get a share of the sale.
Learn about these topics and more on Curiosity.com, and download our 5-star app for Android and iOS. Then, join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Plus: Amazon smart speaker users, enable our Alexa Flash Briefing to learn something new in just a few minutes every day!
Full episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/thank-you-card-science-sensory-speed-dating-and-new-unesco-world-heritage-sites
[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: And I'm Ashley Hamer. Today you'll learn about 2018's new UNESCO World Heritage Sites, how you can get to know someone through all of your senses at sensory speed dating, and exactly how much people appreciate thank-you cards. Hint, it's probably more than you think.
CODY GOUGH: Let's satisfy some curiosity.
ASHLEY HAMER: Cody, have you ever been to a speed dating event?
CODY GOUGH: No, and I always wanted to.
ASHLEY HAMER: I did too.
CODY GOUGH: They just sound like so much fun.
ASHLEY HAMER: Yeah. I've never done it myself.
CODY GOUGH: We missed out.
ASHLEY HAMER: I mean, grass is always greener. I'm sure they're probably really awkward and really weird.
CODY GOUGH: Yeah. I'm sure that-- yeah. You would go, and it's just horribly awful. But I've always been really curious about them.
ASHLEY HAMER: Yeah.
CODY GOUGH: So-- oh, well.
ASHLEY HAMER: Well, today we've got a story about sensory speed dating. It's a pretty new concept from Guerilla Science, a group based in New York City and London. They organize events and installations to get adults excited about science. Hmm, sounds familiar.
Sensory speed dating pairs together daters of all persuasions-- single and partnered, monogamous and polyamorous, and every point on the gender and sexuality spectrum for six rounds-- five rounds for each traditional human sense, plus a movement round. Here's how each round plays out.
For sound, participants put on blindfolds and tell each other an embarrassing story using their sexiest voice. For taste, still blindfolded, participants feed each other while they learn the science behind their food. It can get a bit messy with the blindfolds.
Then there's touch. Still blindfolded, the organizers insist they're very careful about getting people to ask for consent before making contact. And they touch each other's face or hands while they learn how scientists have made maps of touch that show what parts of the body people are comfortable touching with strangers or friends or loved ones in different cultures.
Smell comes next. And for that one, we'll just give you one person's account. Quote, "I sniffed the fourth man's armpits after we did a series of jumping jacks," unquote. And eventually, the blindfolds come off, but the pairs have to stare into each other's eyes in silence for a full minute. You can read about the science that backs up all of these stages in our full write-up today on curiosity.com and on the Curiosity app for Android and iOS.
But the blindfold comes back on for the final round of movement. It's a synchronized blindfolded dance party. And it might sound a little weird, but it has to make for as good a story as you'll get at any other speed dating event. And the dance portion led to eight successful connections at a London event in 2016. So why not?
CODY GOUGH: Ashley, do you write thank-you notes?
ASHLEY HAMER: I tried to. Yeah. Not for gifts and stuff. I really need to do that more.
CODY GOUGH: That's very thoughtful of you.
ASHLEY HAMER: I mean, yeah. When someone does me a favor, or lets me stay with them when I'm traveling, or just does something nice for me, I feel like, yeah, you need to send a little message. You don't-- it's not pen and paper. You do it electronically.
CODY GOUGH: Yeah, yeah. No, I'll also send a text like that here and there, but I think I need to get in the habit of cards.
ASHLEY HAMER: People like cards.
CODY GOUGH: Some people like cards.
ASHLEY HAMER: I think I should do that too.
CODY GOUGH: Sometimes I feel like it's a generational thing. And then other times, I'm like no, everybody likes getting a card.
ASHLEY HAMER: Yeah. Well, even if it is a generational thing, you sending a card now makes you special. People don't get cards anymore.
CODY GOUGH: That's true. Everybody likes getting cards.
ASHLEY HAMER: So it's extra special.
CODY GOUGH: It is. And new research has some pretty compelling science that might make you rethink your thank-you-note policy, whether it's a card or not. A study out of University of Chicago's Booth School of Business found that recipients of thank-you notes turned out to be a lot more touched by those notes than their senders thought they'd be.
They recruited hundreds of people to write a letter of thanks via email, describing what someone in their life had done and how it affected their life. Then they had to estimate how the expression of thanks would make the other person feel, and the letter writers thought that the recipients of their thank-you notes would feel less happy upon receiving them, less surprised by their contents, and more awkward about their relationship than the recipients ended up really feeling. So the letter writers really miscalculated how the recipients would feel.
The letter writers also rated their ability to express their gratitude at about a 7 out of 10 on average, and the recipients rated their ability at a 9.3. The result suggests that if you ever think to yourself, I just don't know how to say thanks, then, well, maybe you really do. Don't let that barrier stop you. At the end of the day, everybody appreciates being appreciated.
If you feel like writing a thank-you note might make someone feel self-conscious, then you might really be worried about how self-conscious you might feel after writing it. So try not projecting onto the other person. You never know how much it might mean to them.
ASHLEY HAMER: Cody, have you ever been to a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
CODY GOUGH: Yes. The one that comes to mind, the only one that I know is on that list is Teotihuacan, the ancient Mesoamerican ruins of a city just outside of Mexico City.
ASHLEY HAMER: Nice.
CODY GOUGH: Really awesome place. Definitely recommend it.
ASHLEY HAMER: Sounds awesome.
CODY GOUGH: Well, have you been to any?
ASHLEY HAMER: Yeah. It looks like Redwood National and State Parks in Humboldt County, California, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And that's pretty much where I grew up.
CODY GOUGH: You live close to the redwoods?
ASHLEY HAMER: I lived in the redwoods, Cody. I need to show you a picture of my backyard.
CODY GOUGH: I did not know that.
ASHLEY HAMER: Yeah.
CODY GOUGH: I went to the redwoods.
ASHLEY HAMER: Oh, really?
CODY GOUGH: Four or five years ago on a road trip.
ASHLEY HAMER: Nice.
CODY GOUGH: Yeah. It's totally incredible.
ASHLEY HAMER: That's where I grew up.
CODY GOUGH: My only regret is that I went before I had read Lord of the Rings.
ASHLEY HAMER: Oh, yes.
CODY GOUGH: Now I really want to go back.
ASHLEY HAMER: Yes. I've definitely brought visitors. And they've been like, oh, Ents. There are Ents everywhere.
(TOGETHER) [CHUCKLES]
CODY GOUGH: Next time, I'm packing my cloak.
ASHLEY HAMER: Well, since 1976, UNESCO World Heritage Sites have been recognized as places of unmatched splendor, of incredible human triumph, and of rich cultural value. They aren't just pretty to look at. They're geographical treasures beyond compare.
To be named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a place must achieve two things. It has to be of, quote, "outstanding universal value," unquote, and it has to meet at least one of 10 criteria listed on their website. Its value might be cultural, or it might be natural, but it's got to be jaw dropping.
You can see photos and details in our full write-up today, but we'll tell you about a few of the new UNESCO sites adopted in 2018. There's Naumburg Cathedral in Germany, home to some incredible statues. The Sansa Mountain Monasteries in South Korea were built between the seventh and ninth centuries and have some unique architectural elements.
You'll find an incredibly ancient stone temple dating back about 11 and 1/2 thousand years called Gobekli Tepe in Turkey. Closer to home in the US, you can head south to Tehuacán-Cuicatlán, a desert in Central Mexico with yucca, agave, and oak trees in the biosphere. And in the other direction up north, there's Pimachiowin Aki in Canada, the ancestral home for local Indigenous peoples for roughly 7,000 years. The world is an amazing place. Get out there and explore.
CODY GOUGH: That's all for today, but Curiosity has big plans for the weekend. Ashley, what can we learn about?
ASHLEY HAMER: This weekend, you'll learn about how to survive a nuclear explosion, a trick for avoiding drama, the real reason why pirates wore eye patches, how you can start geocaching, benefits of putting down your devices and having some quiet time, and more.
CODY GOUGH: Join us again Sunday to hear from a special guest and hear some exciting news about our show. If there's something you're curious about, then email us a question at podcast@curiosity.com. And Ashley or I might answer it on Sunday or some other day next week.
ASHLEY HAMER: That's podcast@curiosity.com. Join us again next time to learn something new in just a few minutes. I'm Ashley Hamer.
CODY GOUGH: And I'm Cody Gough. Have a great weekend.
ASHLEY HAMER: And stay curious.
NARRATOR: On the Westwood One Podcast Network.
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