What makes the BIGGEST difference to our health?  Good medical care? Checkups? “Clean” living?  This is a fundamental question that researchers like John Frank have tried to find an answer to.  He’s dedicated his career of almost half a century to the study of why some people are healthier than others and what we need to do to improve health outcomes for everyone. An enlightening conversation with one of the world’s leading experts in public health. 

Info on Guest:

John Frank is an epidemiologist and former Director of the Scottish Collaboration for Public Health Research and Policy; a professor emeritus with the University of Edinburgh and the University of Toronto.   

For more information on John Frank’s background in public health:

https://www.iwh.on.ca/people/john-frank

On his research:  https://www.research.ed.ac.uk/en/persons/john-frank

We appreciate your support!  Please rate, subscribe and follow us on social!  @CRAMideas.  Our thanks to the Temerty Foundation for their generous support. 

We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.

Support the CRAM Podcast!
Research shapes our lives, yet so much of it doesn’t reach the public. CRAM bridges the gap, bringing groundbreaking Canadian research to everyone. To keep this important work going, we need your support.

CRAM is a registered charity, and Canadian donors will receive a tax receipt. Help us share the research that matters and donate using the link below. Thank you!

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/124993

Imagine being known as “People of the Ice” for hundreds of years.  Then one day, there is no ice.  Who are you now?  And what happens to your community and way of life?  Ashlee Cunsolo has been studying a group of Inuit in Labrador, a region that’s experienced the most devastating impact of climate change in the world. The impact has affected the Inuit both physically and mentally, as they deal with a condition known as “ecological grief.”  But Ashlee says there can be good that can come out of grief – for all of us. 

Info on Guest:
Ashlee Cunsolo is the Founding Dean of the School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies at Memorial University in Newfoundland and Labrador.  If you’d like to see the video “Lament for the Land” about the Inuit from Nunatsiavut, Labrador, here’s the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yi7QTyHERjY.  And for more info on Ashlee’s work, go to:

https://ashleecunsolo.ca/.

We truly appreciate your support!  Please remember to rate, subscribe and follow us on social!  @CRAMideas.  Our thanks to the Temerty Foundation for their generous support. 

We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.

Support the CRAM Podcast!
Research shapes our lives, yet so much of it doesn’t reach the public. CRAM bridges the gap, bringing groundbreaking Canadian research to everyone. To keep this important work going, we need your support.

CRAM is a registered charity, and Canadian donors will receive a tax receipt. Help us share the research that matters and donate using the link below. Thank you!

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/124993

They're small and insignificant.   Most of us don't think twice about these words in the English language. Pronouns like "I"  and "you".   Or prepositions like "of" and "at."  Even the articles "an" and "the" are pretty forgettable.

But these invisible words can reveal - and even predict – our behaviour and our health. 

That's according to social psychologist Jamie Pennebaker, who's spent years studying the way we use words and their impact. He and his team of researchers have analysed thousands upon thousands of pieces of text.

And they've come up with some startling findings.

Prof. Jamie Pennebaker is with the Dept. of Paychology at the University of Texas in Austin.

His most recent book is called The Secret Life of Pronouns: What Our Words Say About Us.

We appreciate your support!  Please remember to rate, subscribe and follow us on social!  @CRAMideas.  Our thanks to the Temerty Foundation for their generous support. 

We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.

Support the CRAM Podcast!
Research shapes our lives, yet so much of it doesn’t reach the public. CRAM bridges the gap, bringing groundbreaking Canadian research to everyone. To keep this important work going, we need your support.

CRAM is a registered charity, and Canadian donors will receive a tax receipt. Help us share the research that matters and donate using the link below. Thank you!

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/124993

What do we spend a significant part of our life doing but usually take for granted?  Sleeping! But if you have trouble getting to sleep or staying asleep, then a good night’s rest becomes a precious and sought after commodity.  Psychologist and sleep expert Colleen Carney has some startling insights into that mysterious state we call sleep and advice for people with chronic insomnia.  A must listen if you’re chasing a good night’s sleep!

Info on Guest:

Colleen Carney is an Associate Professor in the Dept. of Psychology and Director of the Sleep and Depression Lab at Ryerson University in Toronto.   https://drcolleencarney.com/

Check out her books including “Quiet Your Mind and Get to Sleep,” and “Goodnight Mind for Teens.”  Colleen also developed a sleep app for teens called “doze.”   https://dozeapp.ca/

We appreciate your support!  Please remember to rate, subscribe and follow us on social!  @CRAMideas.  Our thanks to the Temerty Foundation for their generous support. 

We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.

Support the CRAM Podcast!
Research shapes our lives, yet so much of it doesn’t reach the public. CRAM bridges the gap, bringing groundbreaking Canadian research to everyone. To keep this important work going, we need your support.

CRAM is a registered charity, and Canadian donors will receive a tax receipt. Help us share the research that matters and donate using the link below. Thank you!

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/124993

Everyone wants to be happy right?  But do we really know what happiness is?  

Is it a feeling – brief, ephemeral?  Or is it a state where we can bask in its glow for awhile?

We think we know what brings us happiness - love, leisure, doing the things we want in life, and having the things we want.  But do they?  What actually contributes to happiness in life?

Guest:

Jim Davies is a cognitive scientist and Director of the Science of Imagination Lab at Carleton University in Ottawa.  He’s also the author of several books including “Being the Person Your Dog Thinks You Are” and the cohost of the award winning podcast “Minding The Brain.”

Please remember to rate, subscribe and follow us on social!  @CRAMideas.  Our thanks to the Temerty Foundation for their generous support. 

Check out or other literary podcast, Passage to Wonderland.  Compelling passages from books, old and new, about discovery, insight and revelation. To give you a sense of completion at the end of a busy day. 

We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.

Support the CRAM Podcast!
Research shapes our lives, yet so much of it doesn’t reach the public. CRAM bridges the gap, bringing groundbreaking Canadian research to everyone. To keep this important work going, we need your support.

CRAM is a registered charity, and Canadian donors will receive a tax receipt. Help us share the research that matters and donate using the link below. Thank you!

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/124993

Do you feel lucky – or not?  How often do you blame bad luck if something unfortunate happens to you, or attribute good luck to a happy occurrence?  Jeff Rosenthal is a statistician who’s examined many occurrences in life – from casino wins to murder trials to Friday the 13th!  Jeff reveals the surprising stats behind so-called lucky or unlucky events in our daily lives.

Guest Info:

Jeff Rosenthal is a Professor of Statistics at the University of Toronto.  He’s the author of “Struck by Lightning: The Curious World of Probabilities,” and his most recent book “Knock on Wood: Luck, Chance, and the Meaning of Everything.”   If you’d like more info on Jeff and his work, go to  www.statistics.utoronto.ca/people/directories/all-faculty/jeffrey-rosenthal and www.probability.ca/jeff  

We’d really appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.   Our thanks to the Temerty Foundation for their generous support.

And check out or other literary podcast, Passage to Wonderland.  Compelling passages from books, old and new, about discovery, insight and revelation. To give you a sense of completion at the end of a busy day.

We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.

Support the CRAM Podcast!
Research shapes our lives, yet so much of it doesn’t reach the public. CRAM bridges the gap, bringing groundbreaking Canadian research to everyone. To keep this important work going, we need your support.

CRAM is a registered charity, and Canadian donors will receive a tax receipt. Help us share the research that matters and donate using the link below. Thank you!

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/124993

Why are bee populations being decimated around the world?  It’s a disturbing and puzzling question for many biologists and bee lovers.  And it’s a critical question for humanity since our survival depends on theirs.  Amro Zayed is heading a huge research project called BeeCSI.  He and his team are sleuthing their way through possible suspects and solutions to help bees survive – and thrive.  

Guest:

Amro Zayed is a biologist with York University.  If you’d like to know more about his work with BeeCSI and other work he’s involved with, check out this link:

https://biology.gradstudies.yorku.ca/faculty/a-zayed/

We’d really appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.   Our thanks to the Temerty Foundation for their generous support.

We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.

Support the CRAM Podcast!
Research shapes our lives, yet so much of it doesn’t reach the public. CRAM bridges the gap, bringing groundbreaking Canadian research to everyone. To keep this important work going, we need your support.

CRAM is a registered charity, and Canadian donors will receive a tax receipt. Help us share the research that matters and donate using the link below. Thank you!

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/124993

Most companies face internal problems at some point or other.  And those problems can be really messy.  Enter Design Thinking.  It came out of the world of art and creative thinking.   Big brands like Apple and Google have used it.  And so has the Israeli military.  Now Michele Mastroeni, a researcher and professor of design,  wants to see if design thinking will work for the Canadian armed forces.  A conversation about a new way of thinking to solve long standing problems.   

Michele Mastroeni is a an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Design at OCAD University in Toronto.  For more info on Michele and his research, go to https://www2.ocadu.ca/bio/michele-mastroeni  and

https://scholar.google.ca/citations?user=hj7-CI4AAAAJ&hl=en

We’d really appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.   Our thanks to the Temerty Foundation for their generous support.

We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.

Support the CRAM Podcast!
Research shapes our lives, yet so much of it doesn’t reach the public. CRAM bridges the gap, bringing groundbreaking Canadian research to everyone. To keep this important work going, we need your support.

CRAM is a registered charity, and Canadian donors will receive a tax receipt. Help us share the research that matters and donate using the link below. Thank you!

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/124993

We all wonder about our future – post pandemic.  And it’s something sci-fi writer Robert Sawyer thinks about a lot.  His writing has captivated audiences with explorations of alternate worlds.   Hear what one of Canada’s most fascinating big thinkers has to say about OUR world,  and the transformation it’s undergoing.  

His audio series “The Downloaded” about a metaphorical post pandemic world will be available Fall 2022 on Audible.   Robert Sawyer’s most recent book is “The Oppenheimer Alternative.”  

Find out more on his website www.sfwriter.com

We’d really appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.   Our thanks to the Temerty Foundation for their generous support.

We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.

Support the CRAM Podcast!
Research shapes our lives, yet so much of it doesn’t reach the public. CRAM bridges the gap, bringing groundbreaking Canadian research to everyone. To keep this important work going, we need your support.

CRAM is a registered charity, and Canadian donors will receive a tax receipt. Help us share the research that matters and donate using the link below. Thank you!

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/124993

The pandemic has been called “the world’s greatest experiment.”  But how about the world’s greatest LOVE experiment?  It’s been a test for couples around the world who’ve faced health risks, lockdowns, financial loss and many other challenges.  A conversation with psychologist Amy Muise on love in the time of Covid, and what keeps relationships thriving throughout the years – pandemic or not.

Amy Muise is an Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Psychology at York University in Toronto.  For more on her research and publications, go to www.amymuise.com.

We’d really appreciate your support!  Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.   Our thanks to the Temerty Foundation for their generous support.

We’d really appreciate your support! Please rate our podcast and subscribe and follow us on social @CRAMideas.

Support the CRAM Podcast!
Research shapes our lives, yet so much of it doesn’t reach the public. CRAM bridges the gap, bringing groundbreaking Canadian research to everyone. To keep this important work going, we need your support.

CRAM is a registered charity, and Canadian donors will receive a tax receipt. Help us share the research that matters and donate using the link below. Thank you!

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/124993