Why We Do What We Do

Our least scripted, most free-form discussion ever! Abraham doesn't even tell Shane the topic until after hitting record. This is the most raw, actual conversation ever recorded as an episode for this show. We discuss whether and to what extent and understanding the underlying philosophy of something is important for being a professional or expert in that thing. What do you think?

Email us your thoughts at [email protected]
Listen to our episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@whywedowhatwedo6571
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Do you know all seven of the wonders? Do you know how they were chosen? As a species, we seem to be fascinated with lists and ranking things. So, let's talk about this particular list (or lists) and learn something new. If I live to see the seven wonders... As Fleetwood Mac would say. 

Recommendations

• Abraham: 7 Wonders: Architects (https://www.rprod.com/en/games/7-wonders;https://www.rprod.com/en/games/7-wonders-architects) 
• Shane: John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s In LA (https://www.netflix.com/title/81742123)

Holidays for June 12th 2024

• Crowded Nest Awareness Day
• Ghost in the Machine Day
• International Cachaca Day
• International Falafel Day
• Little League Girls Baseball Day
• Loving Day
• National Automotive Service Professionals Day
• National Peanut Butter Cookie Day
• Red Rose Day
• Superman Day
• World Day Against Child Labor
• Community Health Improvement Week
• National Clay Week
• National Email Week
• National Little League Baseball Week
• National Pet Wedding Week
• Shampoo Week
• ALS Awareness Month
• National Candy Month
• International Surf Music Month
• Pride Month

Links and References: 

1. https://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/198003/the.seven.wonders.htm#:~:text=The%20first%20known%20list%20of,he%20also%20lists%20the%20other
2. https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2007/jun/03/escape.channeltunnel
3. https://www.britannica.com/list/new-seven-wonders-of-the-world
4. https://world.new7wonders.com/
5. https://www.albany.edu/~mwolfe/ist538/unit4/Chapter_07_examples/07-07.html
6. https://www.cntraveller.in/story/who-really-picked-the-7-wonders-of-the-world/
7. https://sevennaturalwonders.org/
8. https://matadornetwork.com/trips/seven-wonders-world-totally-stupid/

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The idea that stress turns our hair gray has been the punchline of many jokes. Do those of us with anxiety gray sooner? We do a quick dive into the science of graying hair and to what extent stress may be related to the accelerated pace of graying. 

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Links and References: 

1. https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2020/04/how-stress-causes-gray-hair#:~:text=A%20new%20study%20shows%20that,pigment%2Dproducing%20cells%20called%20melanocytes.
2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/12/19/gray-hair-causes-stress-genetics/
3. Zhang B, Ma S, Rachmin I, He M, Baral P, Choi S, Gonçalves WA, Shwartz Y, Fast EM, Su Y, Zon LI, Regev A, Buenrostro JD, Cunha TM, Chiu IM, Fisher DE, Hsu YC. Hyperactivation of sympathetic nerves drives depletion of melanocyte stem cells. Nature. 2020 Jan;577(7792):676-681. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-1935-3. Epub 2020 Jan 22. PMID: 31969699; PMCID: PMC7184936.
4. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/06/210622154339.htm
5. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2023/04/14/does-stress-cause-grey-hair-yes-but-may-reversible/11634233002/
6. Ayelet M Rosenberg, Shannon Rausser, Junting Ren, Eugene V Mosharov, Gabriel Sturm, R Todd Ogden, Purvi Patel, Rajesh Kumar Soni, Clay Lacefield, Desmond J Tobin, Ralf Paus, Martin Picard. Quantitative mapping of human hair greying and reversal in relation to life stress. eLife, 2021; 10 DOI: 10.7554/eLife.67437
7. https://psychcentral.com/stress/does-stress-cause-grey-hair#stress-and-gray-hair

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Oh rare Friday release! This is our follow up to our nostalgia episode on Social Media addiction. Enjoy!
This concludes our mult-month coverage of the topic of addiction for now. Next week, we'll be back totaly new non-addiction-related conten.

Recommendations

• Abraham: Gattaca (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119177/)
• Shane: My daughter graduated high school!

Holidays for Part 2

• Daniel Boone Day
• Hug an Atheist Day
• June Bug Day
• National Chocolate Ice Cream Day
• National Donut Day
• Trial Technology Day
• VCR Day

Links and References: 

1. https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/internet-use-and-mental-well-being/
2. https://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.pn.2024.04.4.5
3. https://time.com/6333257/social-media-addiction-study/

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Recorded in the early days of the pandemic, we are resurrecting this little gem to put a cap on our series of addiction-themed episodes. Amazing how much and how little has changed since then. The 2nd part will come out later this week and will have additional content to update the conversation on Social Media addiction. 

Recommendations

• Scott: Mystic Vale (https://www.alderac.com/mystic-vale/)
• Shane: Jake Johnson (Actor)

Holidays for June 5th 2024:

• Festival of Popular Delusions Day
• Global Running Day
• Hot Air Balloon Day
• National Gingerbread Day
• National Moonshine Day
• National Veggie Burger Day
• World Day Against Speciesism 
• World Environment Day
• America the Beautiful Week
• Bedbug Awareness Week
• Black Single Parents Week
• End Mountain Top Removal Week
• National Garden Week
• National Headache Awareness Week
• Stepparents Week
• Teacher Thank You Week

Links and References:

• https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/mar/19/social-media-facebook-addiction-not-natural-normal-disease

• https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321240#Can-being-agreeable-save-you?

• https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/social-media-addiction-binge-eating-here-s-how-find-right-ncna1144586

• https://www.dukechronicle.com/article/2019/11/duke-university-social-media-addiction-are-we-all-social-media-addicts

• https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2018/11/21/is-social-media-addiction-worse-than-cigarettes/#292777e25d64

• https://www.addictioncenter.com/drugs/social-media-addiction/

• https://paradigmmalibu.com/teen-social-media-addiction-treatment/

• https://www.computerworld.com/article/3014439/social-media-addiction-is-a-bigger-problem-than-you-think.html?page=5

• https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-excess/201805/addicted-social-media

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3194102/pdf/ijerph-08-03528.pdf

• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306460319306525

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WARNING: Contains discussion of death, murder, and mutliation which some listeners may find disturbing. Who even wants to think about this? A lot of people, it turns out. This would have been well-suited for a Halloween release. Oh well. Enjoy this weird survey of books held together by peices of people. 

Links: 

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETDr8PQ00ag
2. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27903742
3. http://www.thehistoryblog.com/archives/30815
4. https://library.law.hawaii.edu/2019/10/29/these-book-covers-have-been-judged-anthropodermic-bibliopegy-or-books-bound-in-human-skin/#:~:text=People%20bound%20books%20in%20human,was%20a%20highwayman%20or%20thief.
5. https://anthropodermicbooks.org/
6. https://listverse.com/2023/01/27/10-books-bound-in-human-skin/
7. http://www.princeton.edu/~needham/Bouland.pdf

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Wishful thinking, empty promises and empty threats, and shaming don't work to treat addiction. People have been trying to strategize ways to overcome addiction for centuries. Have we finally gotten it right? We are certainly doing a lot better now. We unpack that long history and current research around treating addiction.

Recommendations

• Abraham: Fall Guy (https://www.thefallguymovie.com/)
• Shane: IF ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11152168/)

May 9th is:

• Composting Day
• End of the Middle Ages Day
• International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers
• National Biscuit Day
• National Senior Health & Fitness Day
• Paperclip Day
• Pink Flamingo Day
• Put a Pillow on your Fridge Day
• World Digestive Health Day
• World Otter Day
• Week of Solidarity with the Peoples of Non Self-Governing Territories

Links and References: 

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6944776/pdf/nihms-1545896.pdf
2. https://recovery.org/drug-treatment/history/
3. https://www.avenuesrecovery.com/blog/historical-figures-in-addiction-treatment-benjamin-rush/#:~:text=A%20Founding%20Father%20Fighting%20Addiction,-As%20one%20of&text=He%20said%2C%20%E2%80%9CA%20nation%20corrupted,of%20the%20dangers%20of%20alcohol.
4. White, W. L. (2002). Addiction treatment in the United States: Early pioneers and institutions. Addiction, 97(9), 1087-1092.
5. https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140673604176186.pdf
6. https://aa-semi.org/archive/the-evolution-of-the-dark-world-of-alcoholism-early-cures-of-alcoholism/
7. https://www.addictioncenter.com/community/evolution-history-of-rehab/
8. Higgins, S. T., & Petry, N. M. (1999). Contingency management. Incentives for sobriety. Alcohol research & health : the journal of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 23(2), 122–127.
9. Petry N. M. (2011). Contingency management: what it is and why psychiatrists should want to use it. The psychiatrist, 35(5), 161–163. https://doi.org/10.1192/pb.bp.110.031831
10. https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.0806889105

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Is catnip "drugs" for your cat? Why does it affect them the way that it does? We explain what is going on in the brain and the behavior of cats when they get ahold of this werid herb, and what would happen if you gave catnip to a lion.

Links: 

1. https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/crazy-catnip#:~:text=Researchers%20suspect%20that%20the%20herb,growl%20at%20the%20same%20time.
2. http://www.compoundchem.com/2014/06/08/catnip/https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/experts-how-does-catnip-work-on-cats/
3. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/experts-how-does-catnip-work-on-cats/

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Another example of behavioral excess of things that are biologically necessary. Again, the utility of calling this an "addiction" is questionable, and we will ask that question in this discussion. We'll dig into the history of food addiciton, the criteria for food addiction, and treatment for food addiction. Of course, we are going to bring a skeptical analysis as well. 

Recommendations

• Abraham: Hire someone to do yard work
• Shane: Jelly Belly Jellybeans (https://www.jellybelly.com)

May 22, 2024 Holidays:

• Bitcoin Pizza Day
• Canadian Immigrants Day
• Emergency Medical Services for Children Day
• Harvey Milk Day (California)
• International Day for Biological Diversity
• National Maritime Day
• National Solitaire Day
• National Vanilla Pudding Day
• Sherlock Holmes Day
• World Goth Day
• Healthcare Documentation Integrity Week
• National Safe Boating Week
• National Unicycle Week
• National Backyard Games Week

Links and References:

1. https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/information/food-addiction#:~:text=Changes%20in%20brain%20activity%20were,or%20continued%20eating%20%5B2%5D.
2. https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/eating-disorders/binge-eating-disorder/mental-health-food-addiction
3. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/food-addiction
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6770567/
5. https://www.virtua.org/articles/what-causes-food-addiction-and-what-are-the-signs#:~:text=Because%20everyone%20must%20eat%20to,at%20an%20even%20higher%20risk.
6. https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/get-help/
7. https://www.addictionhelp.com/food-addiction/statistics/#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20study%2C%20food%20addiction%20was%20found%20in%3A&text=32%25%20of%20women%20who%20say,health%20is%20fair%20or%20poor
8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8320638/

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Traffic is the worst. But, why do traffic jams happen in the first place? Am I the problem? Are you the problem? Are we all the problem?! We'll unpack what you can do to help end congested traffic, what policies can help make this happen, and the science and psychology of phantom traffic!

Links and References: 

1. https://commuterbenefits.com/2020/02/5-ways-to-end-heavy-traffic/
2. https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/congestion_report_04/executive_summary.htm
3. https://www.autoblog.com/2022/11/03/phantom-traffic-jams-prevention-following-distance/
4. https://youtu.be/iHzzSao6ypE
5. https://youtu.be/Suugn-p5C1M

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Support our podcast: www.patreon.com/wwdwwdpodcast