Learn about why there’s no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog; why you should praise kids for their work ethic, not their smarts; and why you should never put coffee grounds in your garden.
Learn about why there’s no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog; why you should praise kids for their work ethic, not their smarts; and why you should never put coffee grounds in your garden.
There's no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog by Grant Currin
Here's Why You Should Praise Kids for Their Work Ethic, Not Their Smarts by Ashley Hamer
Whatever You Do, Don't Put Coffee Grounds in Your Garden originally aired May 14, 2018 https://omny.fm/shows/curiosity-daily/types-of-narcissists-don-t-garden-with-coffee-grou
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Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/theres-no-such-thing-as-a-hypoallergenic-dog
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 why there’s no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog; why you should praise kids for their work ethic, not their smarts; and why you should never put coffee grounds in your garden.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
If you’re listening with goldendoodles, you’re gonna want to sit down. I’m just going to come out and say it: there’s no such thing as a hypoallergenic dog. Not poodles, not yorkshire terriers, not even goldendoodles.
Here’s the deal. Some dog breeds that are marketed as hypoallergenic shed relatively little hair, but it turns out that hair isn’t the culprit for allergies. The allergen that causes dog lovers the most misery is a protein called Can f 1. It gets stuck to dried flakes of skin — AKA dander — that fly through the air and accumulate on their coats. But the allergen itself comes from the dog’s saliva.
Yeah, those sneezes are a reaction to dried flecks of dog spit.
But hold on: maybe hypoallergenic dogs just produce less Can f 1 than your average pooch? Unfortunately, a 2012 study cast that hypothesis into serious doubt, too.
For that study, researchers took hair from nearly 200 supposedly hypoallergenic dogs and 160 regular dogs. They also went to the dogs’ houses and collected dust from the floor and air. They analyzed all those samples and found — get ready for this! — significantly higher levels of Can f 1 in the hair samples from the hypoallergenic dogs! The dust taken from the floor in homes with a labradoodle had lower levels of the allergen, but the airborne dust was the same no matter the breed.
What’s an allergic dog lover to do? Well, the most important thing to note is that some individual dogs can cause fewer or less-severe allergic reactions. So if you’ve got a canine that works for you, then great! If not, here are some things to keep in mind:
First, small dogs tend to shed less dander than big ones, so you may want to get a pet on the more petite side.
Next, keep your dog’s dander to a minimum with regular baths. Taking them for a swim every now and then is a good tactic, too.
But no matter what you do, Fido’s gonna flake. Reduce the effect of your dog’s dander by shampooing carpets, or forgo carpets altogether. Using a HEPA purifier and regularly changing vent filters in the central heat and air system can also help.
If that doesn’t fix the problem, you might consider a more serious compromise: keep your dog away from the places you spend the most time. That might mean keeping your pooch out of the bedroom, or even outside when the weather is nice. If none of that does the trick, contact your doctor. There’s a good chance an allergist can help.
I’m pretty new to parenting, so full disclosure, this next story is NOT me trying to tell you how to be a good parent. Like probably most new parents, I usually feel like I have no idea what I’m doing. Now, HAVING SAID THAT, there IS some science out there when it comes to how you talk to kids. And that science says that if you’re going to praise kids, you should praise them for their work ethic, not their smarts. This, by the way, comes from decades of research that’s shown when children are praised for intelligence instead of effort, they do worse on academic tasks.
How could praising a child for something as valuable as intelligence be bad? By making children think that their achievement was a result of something they are, rather than something they did. Like, take the results of a study from 2006. Jennifer A. Mangels [MANGLES] and her research team surveyed college students about their views on intelligence: specifically, is intelligence a trait you can’t change, or can you get smarter with effort? Then the researchers sorted the students into those who had a “fixed” perspective and believed that intelligence can't be changed, and those who aligned with the "growth" view and believed that intelligence can be improved.
Next, the students sat at a computer and answered questions about a variety of academic subjects. After every answer, the computer told them whether they were right or wrong, and what the correct answer was. Then they took the test again, but this time they only had to answer the questions they had gotten wrong the first time. All the while, researchers measured their brain activity.
The results? Both the "fixed" and "growth" belief groups did equally well on the first test, but on the second test, the "growth" students were more likely to ace the questions they originally got wrong. Activity in these students' brains seemed to show deeper attention when their wrong answer was corrected, which suggests that they were learning better than the "fixed" students.
If you believe intelligence is fixed, you may be thinking, "Beliefs are one thing. What's the value in believing something if it isn't true?" Sorry, folks: The science is on the side of malleable intelligence.
Even IQ — that cold, hard, trusty number — changes throughout your life. And there's also plenty of research showing that the environment you're raised in has a big impact on your smarts — something that wouldn't be true if your intelligence were fixed at birth.
So what's a supportive parent to do? Well, the first step is convincing yourself. If you believe intelligence is fixed, you'll probably pass that on to your kids. Encourage children to exercise their mind like a muscle, and then praise them for their persistence, effort, and hard work rather than just being smart.
ASHLEY: We’ve talked about the benefits of being around nature a LOT on this podcast. And with spring officially here in the Northerm Hemisphere [started March 20 / 10 days ago], you might be thinking about growing some plants in your yard, apartment, or bedroom. Which is why we’ve DUG UP this pro tip from 2018 so you don’t make a serious groundskeeping gaffe in your garden.
Let’s recap today’s takeaways
[ad lib optional]
CODY: Today’s stories were written by Grant Currin and Ashley Hamer, and edited by Ashley Hamer, who’s the managing editor for Curiosity Daily.
ASHLEY: Scriptwriting was by Cody Gough and Sonja Hodgen. Today’s episode was produced and edited by Cody Gough.
CODY: You’re such a good listener! And if you spaced out for a bit here and there, don’t worry: you can learn to be a better listener. I know you can do it. Start practicing by joining us again tomorrow to learn something new in just a few minutes.
ASHLEY: And until then, stay curious!