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Many years ago, as I was coming off a concourse on my way to the airport baggage claim area, I was hit with an overpowering smell. It was warm and inviting. It made me feel at home.

As I descended the escalator, it was the unmistakable scent of warm cinnamon rolls. And at that moment, I didn't care how far I had to walk or what I had to pay, but I was going to have one of those Cinnabon cinnamon rolls no matter how long my luggage spun around the carousel.

Today we talk about the power of smell and the influence it has on our choices and our memories.

Links to Rachael Herz:

Here are some links to include: 

Her book on food and eating, Why You Eat What You Eat

Website

Brown University Profile

Wikipedia profile

"Smell is Emotion"

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There used to be a snarky joke about the Bell Company, when it existed back in the 60s and 70s, that the employees had Bell-shaped heads. In other words, they all spouted the same company line. It makes sense when you think about it, everyone needs to be on the same page and chasing the same goals.

Today it's called on-boarding. New employees get a manual or handbook talking about the company's culture, history and maybe even a mission statement.

Today we'll look at some of the practices companies use to get you to see things from their -- and their shareholders' -- point of view and make their beliefs your beliefs.

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You may believe you're an independent thinker, but odds are you are influenced by others' actions or beliefs.

In most cases, the influence is inconsequential, but it's important to know how their beliefs and actions impact you to fully understand why you do what you do.

Plus, we'll talk about lying and why we all lie a lot. You'll also learn why lying is a two-way proposition. For a lie to work, you have to be a willing participant.

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You know your car is loaded with computers, but it also has cameras and microphones.

Depending on the make, model and year of your car, it could be giving up a lot of information about you and there isn't much you can do about it -- it has its own cell phone to share what it knows.

All this can impact your insurance rates and many other indices that affect the goods and services you have access to. Listen in to find out the secrets your car gives up about you and who is getting it.

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We are surrounded by buttons and devices that are intended to make our lives better, but they do nothing. 

Want your hotel room to be cooler? Chances are whatever setting you choose, you won't notice much of a difference. They are designed that way, but we will give you the codes to bypass many of those thermostats and get the relief you need, most of which are helpfully provided by airline crews.

There are many other things around you that either just don't work or have limited functionality. Listen in as we expose them.

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Unseen Influences launches Feb. 12, 2026.

There are hidden forces that shape your choices. Some work to your benefit -- like finding your way through hospital corridors. Others nudge you toward buying products or adopting ideas that may not have occurred to you before.

Unseen Influences helps you identify those efforts and make choices that are right for you. You'll learn how to find the right hospital room and why your hotel thermostat lies to you about how low you can set the temperature. We'll also tell you how to bypass that.

From product packaging to starting a new job, people want you to think the way they do. Our job is help you see what strings are bring pulled.

Find Unseen Influences at UnseenInfluences.com or wherever you get podcasts.