Learn about how to overcome 4 types of writer’s block; why we wear pants; and the probability of finding extraterrestrial life on Jupiter’s moon Europa, with some help from a special guest from Science News and Qs (also known as SNaQ), a Carnegie Science Center podcast. In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories from Curiosity.com — and get some help from SNaQ creator and host Ralph Crewe answering a listener question — to help you get smarter and learn something new in just a few minutes: There Are 4 Types of Writer's Block, According to Yale Research — https://curiosity.im/2Do1vlw The Fascinating Story Behind Why We Wear Pants — https://curiosity.im/2DmoGMM More from Ralph Crewe: Science News and Qs (SNaQ), a Carnegie Science Center Podcast — http://snaq.podbean.com/ Getting Curious with Ashley and Cody of Curiosity on SNaQ — https://snaq.podbean.com/e/getting-curious-with-ashley-and-cody-of-curiosity/ Learn more about the Carnegie Science Center — http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/ Follow @CarnegieSciCtr on Twitter — https://twitter.com/carnegiescictr Follow @RalphCrewe on Twitter — https://twitter.com/RalphCrewe 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! https://www.patreon.com/curiositydotcom Download the FREE 5-star Curiosity app for Android and iOS at https://curiosity.im/podcast-app. And Amazon smart speaker users: you can listen to our podcast as part of your Amazon Alexa Flash Briefing — just click “enable” here: https://curiosity.im/podcast-flash-briefing.
Learn about how to overcome 4 types of writer’s block; why we wear pants; and the probability of finding extraterrestrial life on Jupiter’s moon Europa, with some help from a special guest from Science News and Qs (also known as SNaQ), a Carnegie Science Center podcast.
In this podcast, Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer discuss the following stories from Curiosity.com — and get some help from SNaQ creator and host Ralph Crewe answering a listener question — to help you get smarter and learn something new in just a few minutes:
More from Ralph Crewe:
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! https://www.patreon.com/curiositydotcom
Download the FREE 5-star Curiosity app for Android and iOS at https://curiosity.im/podcast-app. And Amazon smart speaker users: you can listen to our podcast as part of your Amazon Alexa Flash Briefing — just click “enable” here: https://curiosity.im/podcast-flash-briefing.
Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/writers-block-solutions-life-on-europa-w-snaqs-ralph-crewe-and-why-we-wear-pants
CODY: Hi! We’re here from curiosity-dot-com to help you get smarter in just a few minutes. I’m Cody Gough.
ASHLEY: And I’m Ashley Hamer. Today, you’ll learn about how to overcome 4 types of writer’s block; and, why we wear pants. We’ll also answer a listener question about the probability of finding extraterrestrial life on Jupiter’s moon Europa, with some help from a special guest from Science News and Qs (also known as SNaQ), a Carnegie Science Center podcast.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
There Are 4 Types of Writer's Block, According to Yale Research — https://curiosity.im/2Do1vlw (Cody)
According to Yale research, there are 4 types of writer’s block. That’s right: it’s a concrete phenomenon, but most importantly than that, it’s also a TREATABLE one. Which is good news for Ashley and me. [ad lib]
CODY: This research comes from a pair of psychologists, Jerome Singer and Michael Barrios. They studied a group of professional writers across different genres, from poetry to screenwriting. The ones with writer’s block had all demonstrated two symptoms for at least three months. The concrete symptom was that they weren't writing, and the holistic symptom was that they felt incapable of writing. Singer and Barrios found that all the blocked writers were unhappy, but not in the same way. Here are the 4 basic root causes for the unhappiness:
First: Apathy. They had a hard time daydreaming or feeling any creative spark. They often felt that their writing had to fit a stifling set of rules and regulations.
Second: Anger. A lot of these people had narcissistic tendencies, but either way, they were all actively upset during their bouts of writer's block. They didn't want to publish (or, perhaps, create) anything unless it would get them attention, money, or some other reward.
Third: Anxiety. These people were paralyzingly worried that their writing wouldn't be good enough, and it sucked the joy out of the process.
And Fourth: Issues with other people: These people lashed out at the people around them during their stretches of writer's block. They didn't want their writing compared with anyone else’s, whether it was negative or positive.
Luckily, the researchers also found that no matter what the cause, writer's block can be treated. Blocked writers of every type benefited from therapy where they did low-stakes creative exercises: things like visualization, freewriting, and other activities. These exercises were more for the writer than for any audience, and that privacy loosened all different types of blocks. In fact, the therapy seemed to treat the emotional root of the block, too, even without directly addressing it. Now, there's no unanimous scientific consensus on the single best way to deal with writer's block. Some say you should change your approach based on what type of block you have, like dealing with anxiety by relaxing your expectations, or dealing with apathy by starting a new project. And if all else fails, you could try a nuclear option that’s been endorsed by the Paris Review. It’s an app called “The Most Dangerous Writing app.” Yes, that’s its real n ame. And it FORCES you to keep going. If you stop typing for more than five seconds, then the app will delete your work. If you’re feeling very brave, or very blocked, then you can find that at the-most-dangerous-writing-app-dot-com. Who knows? Maybe it’s the kick in the pants you really need.
The Fascinating Story Behind Why We Wear Pants — https://curiosity.im/2DmoGMM (Ashley)
Speaking of pants, who invented them and why? [ad lib]
ASHLEY: We all wear pants, so let’s talk about WHY. Travel back with me to Rome around the fourth-century C.E. That’s where the wealthy elite were scandalized by a new fashion fad on their civilized streets: pants. It was scandalous because pants were considered to be the clothing choice of the barbarian — at the time, that meant Goths and Huns. By that time, a lot of Goths and Huns had become official members of the Roman army, but their bold habit of striding around the city wearing pants made native-born Romans nervous — hadn't they ever heard the saying about what to do when in Rome? By 399, the city had not one but two laws banning pants and boots from the city, under threat of "punishment according to legal status." The first pants in the world came out of Eastern Hunnish territories, but they probably came from even further east, originally. In 2014, archaeologists discovered two middle-aged men buried some time between 3-thousand and thirty-three-hundred years ago in western China, wearing the oldest known pants in existence. They were made of wool and sewn into a single unit, and they would’ve been drawn closed with a string. Fashion and even warmth aside, though, pants served a very specfiic purpose. Paleontologists and sociologists have long suspected another reason for the swift spread of pants all over the world: the cavalry. That’s right: Historians have long connected the spread of pants with the spread of horses. You know those two bodies I mentioned? Well they were different than other bodies found in the cemetery, because they were accompanied by wooden horses, leather bits, and other accouterments of life in the saddle. Were they literally the first pants ever? Probably not. But they were certainly haute couture [OAT koo-TERR] to those who weren't up on their high horse.
Extraterrestrial Life on Europa — Listener question (answered by Ralph) (Both)
CODY: We got a listener question from Damon in Colorado! And we got an answer from an expert. Ralph Crewe is the creator and co-host of Science, News, and Qs, also known as SNaQ, a Carnegie Science Center podcast. And he’s ALSO the Program Development Coordinator for Buhl Planetarium and Observatory at Carnegie Science Center. Here’s Ralph with Damon’s question — and answer.
[CLIP 3:07]
ASHLEY: Once again, that was Ralph Crewe, Program Development Coordinator for Buhl Planetarium and Observatory at Carnegie Science Center. You can hear more from Ralph on his podcast, Science News, and Qs — also known as SNaQ. That’s S-N-A-Q. We’ll put a link to that in today’s show notes. And thanks for your question, Damon!
CODY: Before we wrap up, we want to give a special shout-out to Dr. Mary Yancy, who gets an executive producer credit for today’s ad-free episode thanks to her generous support on Patreon. Thank you so much!
ASHLEY: If you’re listening and you want to support Curiosity Daily, then visit patreon-dot-com-slash-curiosity-dot-com, all spelled out. We’re producing special podcast episodes and offering other exclusive perks to show our appreciation for your support. One more time, you can learn more at Patreon-dot-com-slash-curiosity-dot-com.
Join us again tomorrow for the award-winning Curiosity Daily and learn something new in just a few minutes. I’m [NAME] and I’m [NAME]. Stay curious!