Why Half of Life is a Total Mystery & How The News Affects Us

 

You have likely noticed that men – and teenage boys – will sometimes act foolishly in front of a pretty women. It is also true that men take more risks if they know a woman is watching. Why do they do that? This episode begins with an evolutionary explanation.  

You probably think the world is fairly predictable and there is probably a good explanation for why things happen. However, that’s not exactly true. For instance, why does one smoker die young while another lives to 100? Why do certain medications work for some people but not others? The answer is – no one knows. Journalist and broadcaster Michael Blastland believes that we need to face the fact that much of how the world works is a total mystery. Michael is the author of a book called The Hidden Half. Listen as he makes the case that there are unforeseen forces that influence much of what happens – and no one can explain it.

News has always been treated as important. If there is a story in the news, it must be a big deal – or it wouldn’t be in the news. When you watch or read the news you get the impression that whatever is being discussed must really matter. But does it? Do people really care about what is in the news? You may be surprised to hear the answer from Rob Brotherton, a psychology and science writer who teaches at Barnard College in New York and is author of the book Bad News: Why We Fall for Fake News. If you watch the news, you will find what he says to be fascinating.

Did you know chocolate is partly responsible for the discovery of the microwave oven? Do you know how much caffeine is in chocolate? And what’s the link between chocolate and acne? Listen as I explain some fascinating facts about chocolate you may not know. 

 

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