Piano Chords May Help Stop Chronic Nightmares (Cool Weird Awesome 884)
There's a new technique that could help people trying to fend off chronic nightmares - and it involves playing "neutral" piano chords at just the right times.
Clever Hans, The Horse That “Solved” Math Problems (Cool Weird Awesome 670)
Back about 120 or so years ago, in Berlin, Germany, you might have encountered a strange sight: a man named Wilhelm Von Osten asking math questions of a horse named Clever Hans. Was the horse actually solving the problems, or was something else at work?
Being Nice Really Can Make The World Around You Nicer, Science Has Shown It (Cool Weird Awesome 655)
A University of Oregon study on what's called the “perceiver-elicited similarity effect" finds that when you’re nice, that can lead to more niceness around you! Plus: today in 1910, what’s believed to be the first movie stunt took place. And it was quite a stunt.
People Will Buy “Ugly” Veggies – If Grocers Call Them Ugly (Cool Weird Awesome 498)
Plus: if you're weary of remote meetings, a new web tool called Zoom Escaper may help you get a break.
What Do Video Game Playing Monkeys Have To Do With The Sunk Cost Fallacy? (Cool Weird Awesome 456)
The sunk-cost fallacy - when we keep at something even when it’s really not worth it anymore, just because we’ve already put so much time or effort in - is a part of human nature. But new research shows it's also a part of the nature of - this is the best part - video game playing monkeys. Plus: our first story on world records of 2021. Meet the world's largest spam musubi!
For A Person Who’s Hiding Something, Time Slows Down (Cool Weird Awesome 446)
A new study from researchers at Aoyama Gakuin University and Osaka University finds that something interesting happens when we’re trying not to reveal something: our perception of time slows down. Plus: MIT physicists have designed a model for a super-accurate atomic clock that even accounts for quantum physics.
Taking This Pain Reliever Might Make You More Willing To Take Risks (Cool Weird Awesome 379)
A study out of Ohio State University found that people who take acetaminophen, one of the most common over-the-counter painkillers, are apparently more willing to take risks. Plus: the story of a guy who ended up taking quite a risk by setting up a tent - he just didn’t know it at the time.
Couple Songs Are A Thing, According To Science (Cool Weird Awesome 289)
You know how some couples have their own song? There’s actually psychological research into what are known officially as “couple-defining songs," and there are legitimate benefits to the relationship to choosing a tune to share. Plus: next time you're in Japan, drop by Neko Neko Shokupan and share one of their famous cat-shaped breads with someone special.