The Re-engineered You

It’s the final straw that breaks the camel’s back...but how many straws can we take? How bad is day-to-day stress for us, really, compared to the big life events?

When we complain about stress, we tend to focus on the big ‘stress events’ in life. Getting fired. Breaking up with our boyfriend or girlfriend. Taking the kids to the doctor. Getting bad news from the doctor…But over-all life stress; the stress that saps us, and leaves us unmotivated and cranky...that comes from the thousand of little ‘stress cuts’ we receive throughout the day, doesn’t it?

On today's episode we talk about the health toll micro-stresses take on our bodies, and if it’s really worth dealing with nagging co-workers and annoying neighbors. We also talk about one of the most entertaining rampages in American history; The Colorado Killdozer incident, and we discuss the day-to-day annoyances and stresses that drove Marvin Heemeyer to crack and wreck up a small town with his home-made bullet-proof tank.

History Links:

https://sofrep.com/news/folk-hero-or-real-villain-the-complex-tale-of-colorados-killdozer/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Heemeyer

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tread

Science Links:

https://hbr.org/2020/07/dont-let-micro-stresses-burn-you-out?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter_weekly&utm_campaign=insider_activesubs&utm_content=signinnudge&deliveryName=DM87610

Is Michael Jordan truly ‘competitive’? Or was he just a jerk with an amazing mid-court game? Is there even such a thing as ‘competitive instinct’?

In the realm of fierce competition does one need to adopt an aggressive, antagonistic persona to succeed? Will people respect you at all if you’re not socially dominant in the boardroom or on the field? Michael Jordan, renowned for his hyper-competitive nature on and off the court, serves as our case study for this episode. Wherein we explore the psychology and consequences of intense competitiveness, and ask the question: if humans are born without horns, then why do we feel the need to lock them so often?

Todd and Joe will also look at Michael Jordan's legendary career and confrontational style and discuss the necessity of having a competitive spirit throughout life, questioning whether it inevitably leads to social ostracism. We also compare MJ’s ‘killer instinct’ with our own domains of competition, like writing and business, where success can stem more from being well-informed and dogged, rather than confrontational. And we talk about case studies that prove that competitiveness, when channeled correctly, can lead to extraordinary achievements without crossing into hostility. Examples of this are Tom Brady, or the Texas Rangers. People who have achieved greatness with a markedly different approach. Namely, the “quiet eye” approach to competitiveness.

History Links:

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28973557/the-last-dance-untold-story-michael-jordan-chicago-bulls

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_VhhunGOeI&ab_channel=nuraman00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz6go7xC3Zs&ab_channel=SaturdayNightLive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMJowIB7c_A&ab_channel=UncutHoops

Science Links:

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/11/what-athletes-see/416388/

https://online.eou.edu/resources/article/psychology-of-competitiveness/

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141029084021.htm

Does it pay, financially, to be the bad guy? Do miserable people live longer? Because in today's political and business world, it sure seems like it.

Anyone who’s a fan of obscure history will have heard of Joseph Hatch, the man who boiled millions of penguins to sell their oil. And if you haven’t heard of this penguin-boiling supervillain, then you’re in for a treat! Because on today’s episode we’re exploring villainy, and whether it pays to be the bad guy (like Joseph Hatch) We’ll look at the health benefits of being quick to anger and cynical. We’ll explore the upsides of being greedy and miserable. And we’ll answer the age-old question; are wealthy people all assholes? But more importantly; why does wealth callus us? And what’s it take to reconnect rich assholes, like Scrooge?

History Links:

https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/harvest-of-souls/

https://allthingscomedy.com/podcasts/207---the-animal-horror-of-macquarie-island

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Hatch

https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21501-boiled-to-death-penguins-are-back-from-the-brink/

Science Links:

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20160809-why-it-pays-to-be-grumpy-and-bad-tempered

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0146167206298566

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2013-04866-001

https://www.wired.com/story/why-are-rich-people-so-mean/

https://www.helsinki.fi/en/news/nordic-welfare-news/the-fast-and-the-furious-research-shows-that-owners-of-high-status-cars-are-on-a-collision-course-with-traffic

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/04/why-the-rich-dont-give/309254/

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/does_wealth_reduce_compassion

https://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2009/12/08_survival_of_kindest.shtml

LIV Golf has acquired the PGA. So why is a sports merger about to change American politics? And why are Saudi golf managers paying off Washington lobbyists?

16 of the last 19 presidents were golfers. 90% of the CEOs from Fortune 500 play golf. And 80% of all executives on the field say golf was essential for establishing their business relationships. Golf is a profoundly influential game, whether you follow it or not. Political deals made on the back nine by judges and politicians will determine the prices of gas, the taxes on cigarettes, and how many missiles the US sells to the middle east. Which is why it’s concerning that golf as a sport has been purchased by a foreign country - one with a history of paying off politicians and meddling in American campaign finances.

In Part 2 of our LIV Golf series, we’ll focus on the messy battle between PGA and LIV, and talk about whether loyal PGA golfers were morally right to badmouth LIV players who took Saudi money. Then we’ll continue our history of Saudi “sports washing” and find out why the wives of American boxers weren’t allowed to watch their husbands fight in Saudi matches. We’ll also confront the elephant in the room whenever Saudi money comes up: the killing and dismemberment of journalist Jamal Kashoggi by crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. And how Saudi Arabia’s reputation may have been tarnished by the murder, yet international sports stars are still happy to take Saudi money.

What will it mean for the PGA now that golf has been purchased by the Saudi Public Investment Fund? And what will it mean for the future of politics, to have the most popular sport among the wealthy elite get bought up and stuffed into another country’s investment portfolio? We may not be Nostradamas but we have a few predictions, and none of them are optimistic.

Links:

https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/01/30/saudi-arabia-10-reasons-why-women-flee

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loujain_al-Hathloul https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/545149

https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2022/10/saudi-arabia-ramped-up-foreign-influence-operations-in-the-us-during-bidens-presidency/

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-state-dept-okays-650-million-potential-air-to-air-missile-deal-saudi-arabia-2021-11-04/

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/08/25/liv-golf-lobbies-up-00053802

https://www.forbes.com/sites/antoniopequenoiv/2023/08/09/pga-head-admits-mistakes-in-liv-golf-deal-rollout-but-calls-merger-with-saudi-backed-tour-the-right-move/?sh=1c5b2f32527a

https://ceoworld.biz/2021/01/05/why-do-rich-men-play-golf/

https://nypost.com/2022/07/28/greg-norman-opens-up-about-liv-golf-blood-money-controversy/

LIV Golf has acquired the PGA. So why is a sports merger about to change American politics? And what is Saudi ‘sports washing’?

16 of the last 19 presidents were golfers. 90% of the CEOs from Fortune 500 play golf. And 80% of all executives on the field say golf was essential for establishing their business relationships. Golf is a profoundly influential game, whether you follow it or not. Political deals made on the back nine by judges and politicians will determine the prices of gas, the taxes on cigarettes, and how many missiles the US sells to the middle east. Which is why it’s concerning that golf as a sport has been purchased by a foreign country - one with a history of paying off politicians and meddling in American campaign finances.

In Part 1 of our LIV Golf series, we discuss the inception of a “World Golf Tour” by pro golfer Greg Norman nearly 30 years ago, and why the PGA worked so hard to squash any tour competition, including Norman’s proposed series. Then we’ll talk about the origins of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, and why Saudi set its sights on golf in the first place. We’ll also cover (briefly) the payments and gifts the Saudis have given our presidents and politicians, and we’ll learn that pretty much every president who’s held office has been touched by Saudi money or jewels in some way.

Links:

https://wwos.nine.com.au/golf/pga-tour-greg-norman-liv-golf-1994-world-tour-tim-finchem-fallout/1aee6f8c-b4bf-4ea4-8c14-976534143de8

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristidosh/2016/05/16/golfers-make-better-business-executives/?sh=2f2ce305b4a5

https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/Saudi%20Guardianship%20Report%20103020_0.pdf

https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-hotel-received-270-000-from-lobbying-campaign-tied-to-saudis-1496700739

https://www.wsj.com/articles/jared-kushner-reveals-rare-details-about-ties-with-saudi-crown-prince-11659003014

https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/volume-165/issue-116/house-section/article/H5594-7

https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2015/12/02/the-king-of-saudi-arabia-gave-over-13m-in-gifts-to-the-obamas-last-year

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-saudi-security/obama-administration-arms-sales-offers-to-saudi-top-115-billion-report-idUSKCN11D2JQ

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2091572-the-no-tiger-effect-how-woods-absence-is-taking-the-glow-off-golfs-majors

Does it pay, financially, to be the bad guy? Do miserable people live longer? Because in today's political and business world, it sure seems like it.

Anyone who’s a fan of obscure history will have heard of Joseph Hatch, the man who boiled millions of penguins to sell their oil. And if you haven’t heard of this penguin-boiling supervillain, then you’re in for a treat! Because on today’s episode we’re exploring villainy, and whether it pays to be the bad guy (like Joseph Hatch) We’ll look at the health benefits of being quick to anger and cynical. We’ll explore the upsides of being greedy and miserable. And we’ll answer the age-old question; are wealthy people all assholes? But more importantly; why does wealth callus us? And what’s it take to reconnect rich assholes, like Scrooge?

History Links:

https://www.nzgeo.com/stories/harvest-of-souls/

https://allthingscomedy.com/podcasts/207---the-animal-horror-of-macquarie-island

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Hatch

https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21501-boiled-to-death-penguins-are-back-from-the-brink/

Science Links:

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20160809-why-it-pays-to-be-grumpy-and-bad-tempered

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0146167206298566

https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2013-04866-001

https://www.wired.com/story/why-are-rich-people-so-mean/

https://www.helsinki.fi/en/news/nordic-welfare-news/the-fast-and-the-furious-research-shows-that-owners-of-high-status-cars-are-on-a-collision-course-with-traffic

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/04/why-the-rich-dont-give/309254/

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/does_wealth_reduce_compassion

https://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2009/12/08_survival_of_kindest.shtml

Disgust. It determines what food you eat, how tolerant you are of other people, and which political party you join. So…who’s using it against you?

Before the Punic Wars, Cato the Elder convinced his fellow Romans that the foreign Carthaginians were untrustworthy barbarians who committed child sacrifices on the regular. In 1895, after Japan defeated China in the first Sino-Japanese war, Japan referred to China as the “Sick Man of Asia”...which they stole from the Tsar Nicholas who used the term “Sick Man of Europe” to bash on the Ottoman Empire. In every era of politics, encouraging a nation to feel disgust for another group is the playbook for driving a population to war. Disgust is the secret weakness we all share. It’s the ‘easy button’ leaders use to push us into hating. And at the time of this writing, MSNBC has posted a Youtube video referring to Republican tactics as “barbaric” and Fox has a video referring to liberal education as “a sick lie.”

On today's episode we attempt to identify and disconnect the ‘easy button’ in our psyche. We look at where disgust originated as an emotion. How it helped early man survive plagues and parasites by staying away from foreigners. Why it continues to help us avoid poisoning ourselves with bad food or spoiled meats. And, most importantly, we try to identify when the emotion of disgust is healthy, and when it’s being used against us to profit other people.

Science Links:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/27/magazine/disgust-science.html https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Ft12177-000

History Links: https://thewire.in/caste/caste-honour-killings-cases-laws https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/08/12/430075644/dining-like-darwin-when-scientists-swallow-their-subjects

Loyalty should be simple; I show an interest in your well-being, and you reciprocate. So why is it so hard to inspire loyalty at work? And why are companies clamoring for our “customer loyalty?”

If you had a dollar for every “customer loyalty” program, loyalty rewards card, and loyalty app you were offered at stores...well, you wouldn’t need their loyalty program in the first place. On this episode of The Re-Engineered You, Todd and Joe talk about Loyalty as a human concept, whether or not pets actually feel loyalty toward us, and why Josiah Royce called Loyalty “the heart of all the virtues.” They also talk about cult-like loyalty (and how to inspire it!) as well as loyalty in business, loyalty in the workplace, and loyalty in politics. They also talk about the most loyal dog in the world; Hachiko. A Japanese Akita that waited at the train for his master to return...for ten years.

History Links:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachik%C5%8D

https://www.cesarsway.com/the-true-story-of-hachiko-a-loyal-dog-that-waited-over-9-years-at-the-train-station-for-his-deceased-owner/

https://allthatsinteresting.com/hachiko-dog

Science Links:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-main-ingredient/201901/who-deserves-your-loyalty#:~:text=Loyalty%20is%20a%20survival%20mechanism,difference%20between%20life%20and%20death.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27601.Cults_in_Our_Midst https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-attachment-theory-2795337

https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2015/11/17/7-ways-unforgettable-leaders-inspire-loyalty/#783333a9508d

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Franklin_effect

The internet was hit by a bombshell last month, with data on whether college degrees earn back their return on investment. The answer is…complicated.

An article from the New York Times entitled Americans Are Losing Faith In College. Whose Fault Is That? caused a massive stir in both the education community and with students. New data shows that the promise of college - that you’ll make back more money than the degree costs - has tipped in the wrong direction. For many Americans, the benefit from certain degrees has become “indistinguishable from zero” on the job market, according to the report.

Todd and Joe discuss the most significant findings from this study, especially where faith in the college system is concerned. If less than half of American parents believe sending their kids to college is a good thing, then where does that leave us as a nation? What happens economically when Canada and England have double our enrollment rates? How do we educate a nation if the only colleges left are hyper-expensive elite ivy league? And if jobs are getting more complicated, not less, how will train the next batch of American workers?

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/05/magazine/college-worth-price.html

Geniuses have it made, right? With enough smarts, you can just sit back, relax, and get paid to ponder life’s big problems. Well, as our research shows, that’s not exactly the case.

If TV shows about geniuses like Sherlock Holmes, Big Bang Theory, and House are telling the truth, then having hyper-intelligence is like having a hack for life. All you have to do is make clever references, solve other people’s problems, and cash your check at the end of the day. So that’s what today’s podcast is all about; hyper intelligence, and the myths surrounding it. How much of a life-hack is genius intelligence, really? Do people with genius-level IQ make more money throughout their lifetime? Do they worry as much as the rest of us? And is it easier for geniuses to score a date compared to us dummies? We’ll also look at a hyper-intelligent man named William Sidis, who might have been the smartest, and most miserable person of his generation.

History Links:

https://www.npr.org/2011/01/23/132737060/meet-william-james-sidis-the-smartest-guy-ever#:~:text=Born%20in%20Boston%20in%201898,Times%20before%20he%20was%202.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_James_Sidis

https://www.sidis.net/TransfersContents.htm

Science Links:

https://www.mensa.org/mensa/about-us

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bad-news-for-the-highly-intelligent/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/lawrencelight/2017/06/13/why-the-secret-to-getting-rich-isnt-being-smart/#1cd329e9589a

https://hbr.org/2015/08/research-technology-is-only-making-social-skills-more-important

https://www.forbes.com/sites/vanessamcgrady/2018/02/23/social/#65a5be9e108c

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/meet-catch-and-keep/201809/the-romantic-disadvantages-being-smart