Learn about why time management can make you happier; how catnip can protect your cat from mosquitoes; and 3 ways your identity could be stolen without getting your computer hacked — and how to protect yourself.
Learn about why time management can make you happier; how catnip can protect your cat from mosquitoes; and 3 ways your identity could be stolen without getting your computer hacked — and how to protect yourself.
Time management has a stronger effect on wellbeing than on job performance by Kelsey Donk
Catnip may have a purpose beyond getting cats high -- it protects them from mosquitoes! by Cameron Duke
3 Ways Your Identity Could Be Stolen (Without Having Your Computer Hacked) by Reuben Westmaas
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Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/time-management-can-make-you-happier
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 time management can make you happier; how catnip has a secret weapon; and 3 ways your identity could be stolen without getting your computer hacked — and how to protect yourself.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
We usually think of time management as a skill that's important for doing well in school and at work. But a recent meta-analysis found that it actually has bigger effects on a person's overall well-being. Turns out time management isn’t just about productivity.
Researchers from Quebec started the study with a really basic question: does time management actually work? You know, the way employers and college professors say it does? In other words, does managing your time better result in better academic and work performance? Believe it or not, out of all of the research on time management, very few studies have taken a big-picture view of this basic question.
So the researchers set out to do a meta-analysis of 158 past studies that examined time-management. This research considered time management to have three basic elements: structuring your time, like sticking to a daily schedule; protecting your time, like turning off your phone during family dinners; and adapting time to changing conditions, like responding to emails when you’re waiting in the doctor’s office.
The team looked at the results of the studies. How well did time management help people perform professionally? Academically? Did time management improve well-being? Did it help people with feelings of distress?
The meta-analysis showed that time management did work. Time management strategies had a moderate effect on people’s job performance and academic work. But surprisingly, time management actually had a stronger effect on wellbeing than it did on job performance. In particular, people experienced higher life satisfaction when they practiced time management.
This finding was a little shocking. Because like I said, people usually talk about time management as an important skill to work on for career development. But the meta-analysis showed that time management had an impact on life satisfaction that was 72 percent stronger than it was on job satisfaction.
The researchers say they hope future studies will take a longer view on time management. It’s possible that if a person works on time management skills early in life, the positive effects will build on each other over time. For now, at least, it’s probably a good idea to keep working on your own time management skills. It won’t just make you better at your job — it’ll help you enjoy life, too.
Cats love catnip. I mean, come on, it’s right in the name. They love to rub their little faces in the stuff because it makes them feel good. But as it turns out, catnip has a really practical use, too. It helps cats protect themselves from mosquitos, and this might help explain why they love it in the first place.
Cat owners have been giving catnip and a related plant called silvervine to their cats for at least 300 years now, but scientists have only recently uncovered why cats are so attracted to these plants. Catnip and silvervine both contain a chemical called nepetalactol [NEP-puh-tuh-LACK-tall]. To a cat, nepetalactol is the greatest thing ever. And a recent experiment did double-duty to figure out why.
For the experiment, a group of scientists isolated several oils found in silvervine, soaked pieces of paper with them, then let 30 domestic cats sniff the paper. Every cat in the experiment dove at the paper soaked in nepetalactol. The same thing happened when the researchers performed the experiment with non-domestic cats like jaguars, leopards, and lynx.
To find out why they had such a reaction, the researchers analyzed the cats’ blood. They found that nepetalactol increases the concentration of Beta endorphins: a telltale sign that the opioid system is being activated. In other words, your cat is totally getting high off of catnip.
But like I said, they aren’t just getting high. When cats rub themselves with catnip, they’re also applying a natural form of insect repellent. In their experiment, the researchers found that cats seem to purposefully coat their faces in nepetalactol if given the option to.
When they exposed cats with and without nepetalactol in their fur to mosquitoes, they found that fewer mosquitoes landed on the heads of the catnip-doused kitties than the cats without it. Combine this with the fact that even wild cats seem to have a preference for catnip, and this doesn’t seem like an accident. It suggests that cats’ love of catnip — and their tendency to rub their little faces in it — probably evolved as a way to protect them from the dangers of mosquitoes, like malaria and other mosquito-borne infections.
Even wilder, these findings may lead to new mosquito repellent for humans. An all-natural bug spray that repels mosquitoes and attracts kitties? Sign me up!
Let's say you know all there is to know about protecting your identity online. You never use the same password twice, you use two-factor authentication, and you even surf the web via a VPN. But one day, you wake up to find out that somebody out there has opened a dozen credit cards in your name. How is that possible? You just got hacked in the real world.
Here are three disturbingly common scams that don't require the con-artist to go online — along with some tips for taking care of yourself.
First is skimming. Skimmers steal your data by secretly installing their own card reader on top of the ones used by banks and businesses. So if the card reader you’re using looks extra bulky or feels kinda loose, or if you see glue or tape residue around it, let the owner of the device know — and don't use it until you can be sure no one's trying to take your card number and PIN.
Second is mail theft. This one isn’t just about your mailbox — it could also be somebody going through your trash for identifying information that you've discarded. If you suspect someone is stealing from your mailbox, contact your post office right away. As for the stuff you’ve thrown away? The only solution is to destroy potentially vulnerable documents before you toss them. If you want to be extra careful, these days you can get a paper shredder for less than 30 bucks — although I personally prefer using sensitive documents as kindling for my fireplace. Waste not!
And finally, there’s pretexting. This is when someone calls your financial institutions or utility companies on the pretext of being you in order to get more serious information like your social security number. Somebody who pulls this off probably succeeded because they already got some intel, either through mail theft or dumpster diving — or, worst of all, they heard it from you firsthand.
In the end, online data security is important — but so is data security in real life. So stay vigilant — both on AND offline.
Let’s recap what we learned today to wrap up. Starting with
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CODY: Today’s stories were written by Kelsey Donk, Cameron Duke, and Reuben Westmaas, 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: Here’s some homework: write down your schedule for the week! It’ll make you happier! Just remember to include Curiosity Daily so you can join us again tomorrow to learn something new in just a few minutes.
ASHLEY: And until then, stay curious!