Learn about the evolutionary reason why you listen to some songs on repeat; the morning routines of high-income earners; and how you can boost your Wi-Fi signal with aluminum foil. In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories from Curiosity.com to help you get smarter and learn something new in just a few minutes: There's an Evolutionary Reason Why You Listen to Some Songs on Repeat — https://curiosity.im/2DeCE5P The 3 Big Differences Between the Routines of the Rich and Poor — https://curiosity.im/2Df2Ey6 Aluminum Foil Really Can Boost Wi-Fi Speed. Here's How. — https://curiosity.im/2DfLqAE Please tell us about yourself and help us improve the show by taking our listener survey! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/curiosity-listener-survey If you love our show and you're interested in hearing full-length interviews, then please consider supporting us on Patreon. You'll get exclusive episodes and access to our archives as soon as you become a Patron! Learn about these topics and more on Curiosity.com, and download our 5-star app for Android and iOS. Then, join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Plus: Amazon smart speaker users, enable our Alexa Flash Briefing to learn something new in just a few minutes every day!
Learn about the evolutionary reason why you listen to some songs on repeat; the morning routines of high-income earners; and how you can boost your Wi-Fi signal with aluminum foil.
In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories from Curiosity.com to help you get smarter and learn something new in just a few minutes:
Please tell us about yourself and help us improve the show by taking our listener survey! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/curiosity-listener-survey
If you love our show and you're interested in hearing full-length interviews, then please consider supporting us on Patreon. You'll get exclusive episodes and access to our archives as soon as you become a Patron!
Learn about these topics and more on Curiosity.com, and download our 5-star app for Android and iOS. Then, join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Plus: Amazon smart speaker users, enable our Alexa Flash Briefing to learn something new in just a few minutes every day!
Full episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/why-you-listen-to-songs-on-repeat-aluminum-foil-wi-fi-boosting-and-high-income-morning-routines
CODY GOUGH: Hi, we've got three stories from curiosity.com to help you get smarter in just a few minutes. I'm Cody Gough.
ASHLEY HAMER: And I'm Ashley Hamer. Today, you'll learn about the evolutionary reason why you listen to some songs on repeat, the morning routines of high-income earners, and how you can boost your Wi-Fi signal with aluminum foil.
CODY GOUGH: Put on your tinfoil hat and let's satisfy some curiosity.
ASHLEY HAMER: There's an evolutionary reason why you listen to some songs on repeat. Finally, research can validate why I listen to Taylor Swift's Shake It Off over and over even though it came out way back in 2014.
CODY GOUGH: I mean, I do this with the theme song to every new Smash Brothers game that's coming out, so which of us is worse, really? [LAUGHS]
ASHLEY HAMER: I think the answer is you are.
CODY GOUGH: Oh, is it now?
ASHLEY HAMER: [LAUGHS]
CODY GOUGH: Well, we'll see what Smash Brothers ultimate has to say about that when it comes out in a couple of weeks.
ASHLEY HAMER: We certainly will. [LAUGHS] Well, we all know that evolution favors traits that help you survive. For our ancestors, that meant stuff like trusting what they already knew and distrusting stuff they'd never encountered before. If they'd survive something once, then chances were they'd survive it a second time.
That's the idea behind what psychologists call the "mere exposure effect." Basically, you like things more just by being exposed to them. But there's something different that happens when it comes to music. That could be because our brains process music a lot like they process language. In other words, as if it's information.
In nature, birds, wolves, whales, and other animals mimic each other's calls to signal that they're part of the group. Well, early humans were probably similar. At some point in our evolutionary history, those nonsense noises branched off into music and language, but the two stayed closely linked. So complex music thrives because of that idea of music as information.
Take Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, for example. It's layered with so many different melodies and voices that you could listen to it five times in a row and notice something different every time. The idea is that if you can keep hearing something new with every listen, you'll keep coming back for more. But complexity is only part of it. I mean, let's face it. Sometimes we just listen to something because it's catchy, right?
Well, in 2013, a University of Michigan study found that of the songs participants liked listening to repeatedly, more than 2/3 were happy, energetic tunes that got them pumped up and ready to dance. Bittersweet songs that made people sad and wistful were also big winners. And while not as many of those songs made the cut, the participants reported relistening to them many more times in a row than the happy songs.
It's that emotional connection that could explain why some songs don't get stale even after years of repeated listening. The emotional payoff is reliable, kind of like a mood-regulating drug. And that's really what it all comes down to. If a song makes you feel good, you'll want to play it again regardless of whether it's a complex masterpiece or fluffy pop. After all, [SINGING] the haters got to hate, hate, hate, hate, hate. [LAUGHS]
CODY GOUGH: They sure are. I like that you danced while you did that, too.
ASHLEY HAMER: [LAUGHS] You can't do without dancing.
CODY GOUGH: No one else could see that.
ASHLEY HAMER: [LAUGHS]
CODY GOUGH: But it happened.
A recent survey has found a few big differences between the morning routines of high-income and low-income earners. Ready to switch up your morning routine? Although I'm pretty sure Ashley already shares the habits of high achievers.
ASHLEY HAMER: Ohh.
CODY GOUGH: I'm pretty sure you do all these things.
ASHLEY HAMER: Well, let's see.
CODY GOUGH: It wasn't really intended to be a compliment. It was-- [LAUGHS]
ASHLEY HAMER: [LAUGHS]
CODY GOUGH: It was just an observation.
ASHLEY HAMER: Well, let's look at my wallet first. I don't know.
CODY GOUGH: [LAUGHS] Well, a recent MSN poll used a combination of traditional polling and big data techniques. It wasn't exactly a peer-reviewed study but MSN claims it's as accurate as a traditional scientific survey. Now, in some ways, the results show the routines of all income levels were pretty much the same. Half of us ignore mom's advice to always eat a healthy breakfast and few Americans of any income level lay out their clothes the night before. Although I do that.
ASHLEY HAMER: Whoa.
CODY GOUGH: Yeah. But here are three things rich people do. First, they plan out their days. Almost half of the super rich earning more than $175,000 a year plan out their day compared to less than a third of those who earn below $75,000 a year. Do you plan your day, Ashley?
ASHLEY HAMER: I plan the major activities, sure.
CODY GOUGH: OK, so you're like half there?
ASHLEY HAMER: Yeah.
CODY GOUGH: All right. Second, rich people are more likely to work out in the morning. I know you do this.
ASHLEY HAMER: Definitely.
CODY GOUGH: More than 1 in 10 Americans earning $175,000 a year or more hit the gym in the morning, with that percentage declining steadily as incomes go down. And finally, rich people watch less TV news in the morning. Middle class and wealthy people prefer to get their news online instead. People with lower incomes tend to switch on cable news. I know that neither of us watch network news.
ASHLEY HAMER: Right.
CODY GOUGH: Now, to be clear, just because these behaviors are correlated with higher incomes doesn't mean they cause higher incomes as evidenced by two people in this room.
ASHLEY HAMER: [LAUGHS] I mean, in fact, they could probably go the opposite way like if you have a higher income, you have time to work out in the morning and plan your day.
CODY GOUGH: Right. There's that important caveat. But try to plan your days, find some time and energy for a morning workout, and actively select news sources, who knows what might happen?
ASHLEY HAMER: Today's episode is sponsored by Pimsleur.
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ASHLEY HAMER: That's P-I-M-S-P-E-A-K-S dot com slash curiosity.
Aluminum foil has often been associated with the delusional and conspiracy-minded. So the idea that aluminum foil could boost your internet speed might sound pretty silly. But in 2017, a team of researchers found that it actually works and you can use it, too. Ready to boost your Wi-Fi reception?
CODY GOUGH: Am I?
ASHLEY HAMER: I think my mom's house needs this. I'll just bring a big roll of tin foil to Christmas. [LAUGHS] So a Wi-Fi signal is a particular type of radio wave, except instead of broadcasting audio to play in your car speakers like AM radio waves or energizing water molecules to heat your dinner like microwaves, it encodes the 1s and 0s that your computer reads as internet content.
The signal broadcasts from your Wi-Fi router in all directions, but it has its limitations. It can't go more than about 150 feet, and it's easily blocked or absorbed by building materials like metal and concrete. But you might be able to use that to your advantage by putting up aluminum foil or soda cans to reflect the signal where you want it to go.
Well, a team of researchers led by Dartmouth University wrote an algorithm and fed its data about their building layout and which rooms their Wi-Fi signals should target. That helped them make a custom 3D-printed reflector made of plastic and a thin layer of metal. Translation-- they covered the plastic in aluminum foil. And the little contraption only ran them about 35 bucks.
The team hasn't made their software available to the public yet, so you'll have to wait for your own custom shape. But if your Wi-Fi drives you up the wall, it may be worth trying some DIY aluminum foil solutions in the meantime. We've got a video with one idea in our full write-up on this which you can find on curiosity.com and on the Curiosity app for Android and iOS. There's also a link in today's show notes.
CODY GOUGH: Join us again tomorrow for the award-winning Curiosity Daily and learn something new in just a few minutes. I'm Cody Gough.
ASHLEY HAMER: And I'm Ashley Hamer. Stay curious.
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