Learn about why sensitive questions won’t make conversations as uncomfortable as you think; why static is worse in winter than in summer; and the “umami synergy” behind why bacon and eggs go together so well.
Learn about why sensitive questions won’t make conversations as uncomfortable as you think; why static is worse in winter than in summer; and the “umami synergy” behind why bacon and eggs go together so well.
Sensitive questions won't make conversations as uncomfortable as you think by Kelsey Donk
Why is static worse in winter than summer? by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Sandy)
Why do bacon & eggs just go together? Meet umami synergy by Cameron Duke
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Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/why-is-static-worse-in-winter
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 sensitive questions won’t make conversations as uncomfortable as you think. Then, we’ll answer a listener question about why static is worse in winter than in summer. You’ll also learn why bacon and eggs go together so well.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
If you’re like a lot of people, you tend to avoid asking questions that feel too sensitive or personal. Who really wants to ask a colleague how much money they make? Or if they’ve ever had an affair? But new research shows that sensitive questions won't make conversations as awkward as you think. In fact, it’s avoiding these topics that can really cost you.
For a study published this month [January], a trio of researchers wanted to find out if those direct questions would actually make people uncomfortable, or if we’re all just overly polite.
So, over a series of experiments, they asked participants to chat with people. Sometimes it was with strangers, other times with friends, sometimes via text, other times in person. In every experiment, one group had to ask a series of personal questions. And regardless of who they were chatting with, people predicted those questions would make their partners extremely uncomfortable and would damage their relationships. Even after the conversations, the question-askers still felt worried that they’d made things uncomfortable.
Here’s the surprising part: Those predictions and worries were always wrong. For the most part, people said they were much more comfortable with the sensitive questions than the askers predicted. In fact, nothing really made a difference in their discomfort levels — question answerers who’d been asked sensitive questions felt just as comfortable and rated their partner just as highly as those who’d been asked more polite questions.
That’s good news, because there are often important reasons for asking sensitive questions. If you’re contemplating a move or considering a new job, it’s smart to ask about salary or cost of living. If you’re starting a new relationship, it’s important to gather information about past relationships and infidelities [and kinks].
According to the researchers, people just have difficulty predicting how a conversation will go and how people will react. But we spend so much time shying away from sensitive topics that we never get the chance to learn that they’re easier than we think.
On the other hand, the researchers don’t say you should just throw manners out the window. The next time you need to ask a sensitive question, give yourself some time to prepare. Think about what you want to ask, why you want the information, and if there’s context you can use to explain why you’re asking. Help the other person understand why you’re curious. It’ll probably go better than you think.
We got a listener question from Sandy, who writes, “Why do we only get static filled hair in the wintertime? There are dry climate conditions in the summer but I cannot recall any super annoying and sometimes embarrassing situations involving static-filled hair in the summer. Why is this?” Great question!
So, I’m not sure where you live, Sandy, but one thing’s for certain: in some places, static is a big problem in the summer. Deserts, for example, are chock full of static electricity — just take a look at the many online complaints by Las Vegas summer tourists getting zapped in casinos. And in some deserts, the static is so powerful that it can fuel massive dust storms!
You already alluded to the reason Las Vegas summers and Chicago winters experience so much static: the air is dry. See, static electricity is just a buildup of electric charge. Certain materials create more static electricity than others — some give up electrons, giving the materials a positive charge, and some attract electrons, giving them a negative charge. So when you put on a winter hat, your hair gives up electrons to the fibers in the hat. Your hair is then positively charged, so when you take the hat off, your hair wants to go with it.
So why does dry air make it worse? Because electrons tend to clump together when the air is dry. See, the more freely electrons can travel, the less they collect in one place — which means they build up less of a charge. Electrons travel easily through water, so if there’s plenty of water vapor in the air, there’s no static buildup. But they can’t travel easily through the air itself, because air is an insulator. So the dry air leads to a bigger build-up, hence more of a charge.
As far as having staticky hair in the wintertime and not the summer, there could be a few different reasons. One is that your region just doesn’t get dry enough in the summer to cause problems. The warmer the air, the more moisture it can hold, so even if it feels like a dry heat, the air may still be more humid than it is in winter. But sweat is another source of moisture: if your scalp is perspiring in the heat, your hair probably won’t build up any static. If you want to avoid staticky hair in winter, focus on keeping your hair moisturized with a leave-in conditioner or less frequent washes so the charge can’t build up. Good luck!
Some foods pair perfectly. Bacon and eggs, sushi and soy sauce, and even oysters and champagne. These things are all decent on their own, but when paired, the way the flavors complement each other takes things to a new and delicious level. This is all because of a phenomenon called Umami Synergy. Ashley do you know what umami is? [ad lib next few lines Ashley/Cody]
Of the five basic flavors, umami is probably my favorite. It’s the savory flavor most often associated with meat, but it’s also present in plenty of other dishes. Umami is caused by the presence of a chemical in food called glutamate. Glutamate is a component of an amino acid called glutamic acid, which is, in turn, a component of protein — so, protein-heavy foods tend to be full of it. Glutamate is also produced by the bacteria involved in fermentation, which is why fermented foods like soy sauce, kimchi, and aged cheeses have a lot of it, too.
Your tongue has taste receptor proteins specifically for glutamate. Still, glutamate doesn’t have a particularly strong flavor on its own. It needs help sometimes. This is where “umami synergy” comes in. When glutamate is combined with molecules called 5’-nucleotides [five-prime nucleotides], the umami flavor increases 15-fold. That’s because while umami taste receptors can bind to glutamate alone, they can also bind to 5’-nucleotides. When a taste receptor binds to both chemicals, it holds onto the glutamate molecule longer than it would normally, creating a much stronger umami sensation.
When a food that is rich in one umami component is combined with another, the foods taste better together than the sum of their parts. Champagne, for example, is rich in glutamate from yeast. Oysters are high in both nucleotides and glutamate, so oysters can literally change the flavor of the wine. Same goes with eggs and bacon: eggs contain glutamate, bacon contains nucleotides. Steak and potatoes, tomato sauce and parmesan cheese, I could go on and on.
Japanese cuisine, specifically, creates umami synergy from all sorts of seemingly unlikely ingredients, like mushrooms, soy, and seaweed. In fact, Japanese cuisine has this particular interplay in a single seasoning: dashi, made from seaweed and fermented fish.
The reason we crave this flavor goes back to our evolutionary roots. Cooked meat is typically high in both glutamate and nucleotides, and our affinity for savory flavors probably led our ancestors to seek out higher-calorie, protein-rich foods. Now that protein and calories aren’t as hard to come by for most of us, understanding the chemistry behind umami synergy can help us create healthier, plant-based foods that have those savory flavors that we naturally crave.
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 how changing your facial expression can make needles hurt less;
A molecule in your muscles that may actually respond to magnetic fields;
Why gossip may be pretty good for you;
A trick for cutting down on intrusive thoughts;
And more! Okay, so now, let’s recap what we learned today.
[ad lib optional]
CODY: Today’s stories were written by Kelsey Donk, Ashley Hamer, and Cameron Duke, and edited by Ashley Hamer, who’s the managing editor for Curiosity Daily.
ASHLEY: Curiosity Daily is 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!