Learn about whether people think in words or in pictures; why brussels sprouts really are tastier than they used to be; and why buying luxury items might make you feel like an impostor.
Learn about whether people think in words or in pictures; why brussels sprouts really are tastier than they used to be; and why buying luxury items might make you feel like an impostor.
Whether People Think in Words or Pictures by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Alicia)
Why Brussels Sprouts Taste Better Now by Steffie Drucker
Luxury Buying Makes People Feel Fake by Kelsey Donk
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Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/why-brussels-sprouts-taste-better-now-luxury-buying-makes-people-feel-fake-and-whether-people-think-in-words-or-pictures
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, we’ll answer a listener question about whether people think in words or in pictures. You’ll also learn about why brussels sprouts really are tastier than they used to be; and why buying luxury items might make you feel like an impostor.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
Do some people think in words and others in pictures? (Listener Q, Ashley)
We got a listener question from Alicia, who writes, “I heard that some people think in full sentences and have a narrative going in their thoughts, while others just have abstract thoughts and have to translate them into words when they express them. My thoughts are the narrative type, and it never occurred to me that there might be a different way that thoughts are experienced. Is it true? How common is each type of thinker?” Great question, Alicia!
While I can’t read Alicia’s thoughts, I think I know why she sent this question when she did. Right around the same time, there was a viral tweet by @KylePlantEmoji that basically said this exact thing. So is it true? Are there two types of people, those who think in words and those who think in pictures?
First off, any time someone says there are two types of people, you should be ready to either hear a hilarious punchline or terrible pseudoscience. Humans exist on a spectrum and you can’t categorize them in such black and white terms. Still, as hard as it is to dig into someone’s mind and discover the format of their thoughts, several studies have actually done it. One popular way is by having people carry little pagers that randomly beep to make them stop what they’re doing and write down whatever was happening in their heads at that moment. A 2008 study that used this method found that people experience their thoughts as five phenomena: inner speech, visual imagery, unsymbolized thinking, feelings, and sensory awareness. In that study, each of these phenomena occurred so often that they were in a five-way tie for first place. But from individual to individual, their frequency varied widely.
That brings us to the question, and the tweet. Even though participants as a whole experienced inner speech 20 percent of the time, on average; some NEVER experienced it, and some experienced it as much as 75 percent of the time. Same with the four other phenomena: each of them had at least a few people who didn’t experience it at all and at least one person who experienced it 80, 90, even 100 percent of the time.
So the answer is yes, it’s true that some people primarily think in words and some primarily think in pictures. But those aren’t the only ways to think, and many people think in several ways. It can be kind of mind-blowing to realize that other people’s inner worlds aren’t like yours. The lesson? Don’t assume your experience is universal. It probably isn’t! Thanks for your question, Alicia! If you have a question, send it in to podcast at curiosity dot com, or leave a voicemail at 312-596-5208. We’ve already heard some really fun messages, and we promise we’ll play some on the show once we’ve had time to research your questions. One more time, that number is 312-596-5208.
It seems like Brussels sprouts are suddenly on the menus of every trendy gastropub and hot new restaurant, doesn’t it? This may be surprising if you have unpleasant childhood memories of those little green guys on your plate. While it’s true that your taste buds change with age, that’s not the only reason this veggie is suddenly all the rage: scientists have also engineered Brussels sprouts to be tastier than when you were a kid. Yes: brussels sprouts really are tastier these days. Like, objectively.
Brussels sprouts and cauliflower and broccolli are all what we call Cruciferous vegetables. And those contain chemical compounds called “glucosinolates” [GLOO-koh-SIN-oh-late] that give them a bitter taste. Scientists think glucosinolates serve as a natural insect repellent, and make the plants less appealing to the bugs that would eat them. The taste is apparently a turnoff for many humans, too — more for some than for others. That’s because there’s a particular genetic variation that makes veggies containing glucosinolates taste especially bitter.
So lemme tell you about another chemical that’s how we know all this. In 1931, a chemist named Arthur Fox accidentally released a cloud of phenylthiocarbamide [FEE-nil-THIGH-oh-CAR-buh-mide], or PTC, in his lab. A colleague nearby complained about the noxious odor and bitter taste in the air, but Fox didn’t know what he was talking about. He had family and friends taste crystals of the harmless chemical. And he found that, just like with his experience in the lab, some people tasted nothing, while others registered varying degrees of bitterness. Further research showed that PTC-tasting was genetic. The evidence for this was so strong that PTC was used in paternity testing before modern DNA tests were developed! We discovered the exact gene responsible for PTC-tasting in 2003, called TAS2R38.
What does this all have to do with brussels sprouts? Well, PTC has a similar chemical structure to glucosinolates, those compounds I talked about earlier that make cruciferous veggies bitter. It wasn’t until the 1990s that a Dutch scientist named Hans van Doorn made the connection between this compound and brussels sprouts’ bitterness. But once he figured it out, companies that sold Brussels sprouts seeds looked in their archives for older varieties that had lower levels of the chemical. Plant breeders crossed those milder varieties with strains found to be particularly disease-resistant and have higher yields. And with that, the mild-flavored super sprout was born!
So next time you see sprouts on a menu, give ‘em a try! Whether roasted, fried, or served with a little bacon, these aren’t your mother’s Brussels sprouts. Literally.
ASHLEY: Today’s episode is sponsored by Purple Mattress. Here’s a question – how did you sleep last night?
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New research just dropped a truth bomb: buying designer brands won’t turn you into a whole new person. In reality, buying luxury goods could make you feel like a real imposter.
See if this scenario sounds familiar: you’ve got money burning a hole in your pocket and you decide to splurge on a designer brand. Maybe it’s a watch, maybe it’s a handbag, but whatever it is, it’s fancy AF. You just know that everybody who sees you flaunting your new purchase thinks, “Wow, that person is stylish and successful.” And yet, you don’t FEEL stylish and successful. In fact, you feel like you’re faking the whole thing.
Luxury brands and influencers want you to think that a purchase can make you feel like a new person. But researchers from Boston College and Harvard Business School say that that kind of spending often leads to what they now call “imposter syndrome from luxury consumption.” It’s a new name for a very specific response to aspirational spending — that is, buying something for the elevated status it brings. The team performed nine studies involving big wigs and muckety-mucks in highfalutin places like the Met, New York’s Upper East Side, and Martha’s Vineyard. They found that when people spend money on luxury items that don’t really reflect who they are, it backfires. The purchase can lower their confidence and make them feel less satisfied.
It’s not just apparel that leads to this kind of imposter syndrome. It’s not even just luxury products. That new Instagram-influencer-approved workout equipment that you hope will make you a whole new person? That’ll probably give you imposter syndrome, too.
Researchers say that there’s one really good way to avoid this type of buyer’s remorse. Before you buy something new, think about how well the item reflects who you are right now. How authentic will it make you feel?
It’s good to have goals, but take your new hobby purchases slowly. Want to be a good golfer? Don’t start by buying a top-of-the-line set of clubs and a whole new wardrobe. Research shows that that’ll just make you feel like a poser. Instead, start slow or buy secondhand, then upgrade once you really need to. Money won’t make you a new person. The best you can do is stay true to yourself.
CODY: Before we recap what we learned today, here’s a sneak peek at what you’ll hear next week on Curiosity Daily.
ASHLEY: Next week, you’ll learn about
How Pablo Escobar's hippos have become an invasive species in Colombia
Why people yawn during workouts/singing
Whether “muscle confusion” really does give you a better workout
How computers figured out the way you dance is just as unique as your fingerprint
And more! Okay, so now, let’s recap what we learned today.
[ad lib optional]
CODY: Today’s stories were written by Ashley Hamer, Steffie Drucker, and Kelsey Donk, and edited by Ashley Hamer, who’s the managing editor for Curiosity Daily.
ASHLEY: Today’s episode was produced and edited by Cody Gough.
CODY: Have a great weekend, and join us again Monday to learn something new in just a few minutes.
ASHLEY: And until then, stay curious!