Learn about a change in language use that could mean a breakup is on the way; why ogre-faced spiders are basically ninja assassins, with help from Cornell University professor Ron Hoy; and how it’s possible to exercise too much.
Learn about a change in language use that could mean a breakup is on the way; why ogre-faced spiders are basically ninja assassins, with help from Cornell University professor Ron Hoy; and how it’s possible to exercise too much.
A change in pronoun use could signal an impending breakup by Kelsey Donk
Additional resources from Ron Hoy:
Yes, You Really Can Exercise Too Much by Ashley Hamer
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Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/this-language-shift-could-signal-an-impending-breakup
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 change in language use that could mean a breakup is on the way; why ogre-faced spiders are basically ninja assassins, with help from Cornell University professor Ron Hoy; and how it’s possible to exercise too much.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
If only you could see the signs of a breakup coming, right? Well, scientists from the University of Texas at Austin now have some evidence that there are signs in everyday conversation — and they appear months before a breakup happens.
The researchers analyzed more than 1 million Reddit posts made by over 6,800 users. They found the Reddit users on the r/BreakUps subreddit, which is, as the name implies, for people going through breakups. The researchers analyzed the language these people had used in their posts up to a year before their breakup, and up to a year after.
What they found was a notable shift in language up to three months before the breakup — a shift that peaked on the exact day of the breakup. It didn’t quite matter whether the person was getting dumped or doing the dumping. And people’s language didn’t return to normal until about six months after the breakup.
So what’s the tell? Well, someone who’s about to go through a breakup apparently starts to speak — or at least write — in more personal and informal ways. To the researchers, that suggests a drop in analytical thinking. People on the brink of a breakup use words like “I” or “we” more often than they had before, and show signs of more cognitive processing.
These words are also common for people experiencing depression. That’s because when people are depressed, their brains are focused on their own experiences and they aren’t as able to relate to other people. The same seems to be true of relationship difficulties. The thinking and reflecting that comes near the end of a relationship really affects how we express ourselves.
While most Redditors went back to their normal language patterns after six months, some didn’t. These people tended to be the same ones who kept hanging out in the r/BreakUps subreddit for an extended period of time. They kept talking out their breakups, and researchers say that might have extended the healing process for them and made it harder to recover.
The team says this kind of analysis could be a new way for psychology researchers to study different coping strategies. But for us regular people, it’s just a good reminder that breakups are hard.
CODY: Some spiders wait for their prey to get caught in their webs. Other spiders are active hunters. But ogre-faced spiders do something a little different — and also pretty amazing. And today's guest is here to tell you about it.
ASHLEY: Ron Hoy is a professor of neurobiology and behavior at Cornell University who studies acoustic communication in insects — in other words, bug hearing. Here's Ron.
[CLIP 2:49]
CODY: Did you GET all that? Ogre-faced spiders use webs like tripwires, and like tiny nets, and they do NINJA BACKFLIPS and drop back down on their prey. They’re like a superhero. They’re like… Spider-Man. Somewhat appropriately.
ASHLEY: AND, researchers in Ron's lab recently made a brand new discovery about these spiders that makes them even more impressive: they can hear their prey coming thanks to tiny organs on the tips of their legs. No wonder they're such a good shot! Again, that was Ron Hoy, a professor of neurobiology and behavior at Cornell University. You can find links to that ogre-faced spider hearing study and more in the show notes.
Too much of a good thing stops being good. And that includes exercise. Yeah, exercise is good for your heart, mind, and waistline. But too much can lead to a dangerous condition called rhabdomyolysis [RAB-doe-my-AL-luh-sis]. And with intense workouts becoming more popular, doctors are seeing a rise in this life-threatening condition. So let’s talk about it.
Rhabdomyolysis occurs when muscles are pushed to their breaking point — literally. The muscle fibers break down and release loads of the protein myoglobin into the bloodstream. Usually substances like that would be filtered out via the kidneys, but in this case, it's just too much for them to take. As the condition sets in, sufferers feel tired and weak, with stiff, aching, tender muscles. Unfortunately, those symptoms are also your garden-variety signs of a tough workout. But this isn't: The toxic levels of myoglobin turn your urine brown. Doctors usually treat this condition with IV fluids, and it sometimes requires kidney dialysis.
Rhabdo, as it's often called, has been historically associated with people with physically grueling jobs, like soldiers and firefighters. It's also known to happen with traumatic injuries, since that's another way to break open muscle cells and release myoglobin. But lately, more people have been contracting the condition from recreational workouts. Between 2010 and 2014, a single New York emergency room had 29 cases of exercise-induced rhabdomyolysis.
Rhabdo is most likely to strike people when they're new to an exercise, and it’s often people in the best shape who are most at risk. That could be because being physically fit can give you an elevated sense of your abilities, so you're more likely to push yourself during a spin class or CrossFit workout even though you've never done it before.
Consider your first few experiences with a new exercise program as a trial run, and keep things light. That could mean you ride that bike more slowly than the veterans in the class, do one set of squats instead of three, or build up your running distance slowly instead of joining a new friend on their weekend 10-miler. It'll be better for you in the long run.
Let’s do a quick recap of what we learned today
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CODY: Today’s stories were written by Kelsey Donk 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: Stay away from ogre-faced spiders — you know what they can do to you. And join us again tomorrow to learn something new in just a few minutes.
ASHLEY: And until then, stay curious!