

Something You Should Know
Mike Carruthers | OmniCast Media
Sometimes all it takes is one little fact or one little piece of wisdom to change your life forever. That's the purpose and the hope of "Something You Should Know." In each episode, host Mike Carruthers interviews top experts in their field to bring you fascinating information and advice to help you save time and money, advance in your career, become wealthy, improve your relationships and help you simply get more out of life. In addition, Mike uncovers and shares short, engaging pieces of "intel" you can use to make your life better - today. Right now.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 31, 2020 • 49min
Your Fascinating Sense of Smell & How to Time The Important Experiences in Your Life
How many things are taking up space in your house that you will never, ever, ever use again? This episode begins with some simple advice that will help you clear out some things from your home or office and free up some space for what’s really important. Source: Barbara Hemphill author of “Love It or Lose It (https://amzn.to/31wfIdq)Your sense of smell is fascinating. Still, it is the one sense that people would be most likely to give up if they had to. That’s likely because people don’t realize how important smell is to your physical and emotional well-being. Here to explain why smell is important and how to make the most of it is Rachel Herz. Rachel is a researcher who teaches at Brown University and Boston College and is author of the book The Scent of Desire: Discovering Our Enigmatic Sense of Smell (https://amzn.to/3gtkP21)A lot of people believe that playing classical music helps plants grow. People also believe that certain types of music will make babies smarter. But what does this research say? Listen and find out Dan Levitan author of This Is Your Brain On Music https://amzn.to/3jivqyJWe all have things we want to do before we die. What often happens though is, people put off those experiences until later in life - often after they retire. However, for many experiences, it isn’t just having the experience – it is WHEN you have it. Some things are meant to happen when you are 30 not 70. Bill Perkins has given this a lot of thought. Bill is a hedge fund manager, Hollywood film producer, high stakes tournament poker player and author of the book Die With Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life (https://amzn.to/2YEt31d). Listen as he explains how timing is so important when it comes to the experiences in your life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 29, 2020 • 41min
SYSK Choice: How Luck Happens & Questioning What We Tell Ourselves
People hate unsolicited advice – and they seldom follow it. Still, that doesn’t stop us from dishing it out to those we are trying to help. Well maybe there is a better and more effective way to influence people other than just telling them what we think they should do. I’ll tell you what it is. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/do-the-right-thing/201407/giving-people-advice-rarely-works-doesSome people have all the luck. But why? Why are some people luckier than others? Can you create a life that has more luck in it? Can you be one of those people that other people think of as lucky? Absolutely, says Janice Kaplan. Janice is the former Editor-in-Chief of Parade magazine and her new book is called, How Luck Happens: Using the Science of Luck to Transform Work, Love, and Life (http://amzn.to/2Dp0wiH). Janice joins me to discuss how luck really works and how anyone can craft a luckier life.Organic onions, swordfish and gluten-free muffins are just 3 things you shouldn’t buy at the supermarket if you want to save money. I’ll explain why and give you a few other things NOT to buy. http://www.mc3cb.com/pdf_nutrition_articles/2011_3_8_7%20Worst%20Supermarket%20Rip.pdfHas this ever happened…? You send an email or leave a voicemail for someone to get back to you – but they don’t. As a result, you start to imagine why they don’t. And the why is usually a negative story. Why do we do this? And how can we stop doing that? Scott Gornto is a therapist and author of the book , The Stories We Tell Ourselves: Stop Jumping to Conclusions. Free Yourself from Anxiety. Transform Your Relationships (http://amzn.to/2DjTHix). Listen as he explains this interesting quirk in human behavior and why it gets us into trouble. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 27, 2020 • 46min
Optimizing Nonverbal Communication & Eating For Cognitive Power
If you flip a coin and it comes up heads a couple of times in a row, chances are you would bet the next flip will come up tails. That is the perfect example of the “gambler’s fallacy.” Because the next flip is NOT more likely to come up tails. It gets gamblers in Las Vegas in trouble but it can also get you in trouble if you let it enter in to your decision making process. http://news.tamhsc.edu/?post=committing-the-gamblers-fallacy-may-be-in-the-cards-new-research-showsYou instinctively know about body language. When people act a certain way or don’t make eye contact with you – it causes you to make assumptions about them. Plus, how YOU act and carry yourself causes people to make assumptions about you. All this non-verbal communication is fascinating and Tonya Reiman, Fox News, contributor and author of The Yes Factor: Get What You Want. Say What You Mean (http://amzn.to/2Fuh7rp), joins me to offer some insight and advice to help you better use nonverbal communication to your advantage.If you don’t have time to floss, maybe you should chew some gum. It seems that chewing gum can do a lot for your oral health but you have to chew the right kind of gum and you have to make sure you don’t chew it too long. Listen to hear the explanation. http://www.medicaldaily.com/oral-health-hack-chewing-gum-removes-100m-bacteria-10-minutes-similar-flossing-319120What you eat turns out to have a lot to do with how well your brain works. Eat the right foods and your cognitive performance increases. Eat the wrong foods and the opposite occurs. Neuroscientist Dr. Lisa Mosconi, author of the new book, Brain Food: The Surprising Science of Eating for Cognitive Power (http://amzn.to/2HqihAA) explains the connection between food (and drink) and your brain and she offers her list of best and worst foods to eat if you want to optimize your brain’s performance.This Week's SponsorsThe Jordan Harbinger ShowAimen Dean episode part 1 https://www.jordanharbinger.com/aimen-dean-nine-lives-of-a-spy-inside-al-qaeda-part-one/Aimen Dean episode part 2 https://www.jordanharbinger.com/aimen-dean-nine-lives-of-a-spy-inside-al-qaeda-part-two/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 24, 2020 • 47min
Amazing Ways Insects Improve Your Life & How Too Much Success Can Be a Problem
If you’ve ever taken over-the-counter cough and cold medicine, you may have noticed that it isn’t always that effective in relieving the symptoms. Recent research indicates that there is something in your kitchen cupboard that is more effective and is totally free of side effects. This episode begins with a home remedy that truly works. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-8641173/Honey-beats-antibiotics-curing-colds-Study-shows-effective-medication.htmlInsects are often regarded as pests but actually, insects do a lot of things that make your life a lot better and easier. Edward Melillo is professor of history and environmental studies at Amherst College and author of the book The Butterfly Effect: Insects and the Making of the Modern World (https://amzn.to/34l5w9f). He joins me to explain just how important insects are and how they are becoming an important source of food around the world and perhaps in your kitchen as well. How much time have you spent trying to get that last drop of lotion out of the bottle or the last little bit of mustard out of the jar? Listen as I explain the best and most efficient way to do it. https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-squeeze-every-last-drop-80642You have likely allowed yourself to fantasize about what your life would be like if you won the lottery or somehow made a fortune. It probably seems like life would be wonderful. But would it? Is having everything really all it is cracked u to be? Not always, according to the people who have everything. Marriage and family therapist Paul Hokemeyer specializes in treating ultra-high net worth individuals and celebrities and he is author of the book Fragile Power: Why Having Everything Is Never Enough; Lessons from Treating the Wealthy (https://amzn.to/2FEwUok). Listen as he explains the challenges of having everything and why wanting is sometimes better than having. This Week's SponsorsThe Jordan Harbinger ShowRay Dalio episode part 1 https://www.jordanharbinger.com/ray-dalio-principles-of-an-investing-pioneer-part-one/Ray Dalio episode part 2 https://www.jordanharbinger.com/ray-dalio-principles-of-an-investing-pioneer-part-two/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 22, 2020 • 44min
SYSK Choice: Surprising Forces Behind Our Purchases & How to Have Conversations That Matter
Handwriting analysis sounds like it might be scientific. After all some courts allow it during trials and it has helped to convict defendants. But how reliable is it really? When put to the test, do handwriting experts do better in spotting a forgery or confirming a signature than you or me? Listen and find out. http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Tests/grapho.htmlYou like to think that when you buy something, you do it for sound smart and logical reasons. And maybe YOU do. But most people don’t. Marketing expert Harry Beckwith, author of the book, Unthinking: The Surprising Forces Behind What We Buy (http://amzn.to/2FoSOHk) explains why we usually buy for reasons that have little to do with logic – even though we think otherwise.All alcoholic drinks are not created equal. Some get you drunker, some are more likely to give you a hangover and one in particular is more likely to land you in a hospital emergency room although no one is really sure why. If you enjoy a cocktail, this is worth hearing. http://www.menshealth.com/health/4-secretly-dangerous-drinksEver go in to a conversation with the intent of changing someone’s mind? As you probably discovered, it almost never works. So perhaps that should not be the goal according to Celeste Headlee of Georgia Public Radio and author of the book, We Need to Talk: How to Have Conversations That Matter (http://amzn.to/2oXH1Zk). She discusses a different way to approach difficult conversations so they don’t end in arguments and maybe actually accomplish something. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 20, 2020 • 53min
Understanding The Fear of Missing Out & How to Make Your Immune System Stronger
Your computer keyboard looks a lot like the typewriter keyboard that was invented in the 1800s. The letters are in the same places now as they were then. Why are the letters of the QWERTY keyboard in the order they are in and why hasn’t anyone come up with anything better? This episode begins with an explanation. https://www.cnet.com/news/a-brief-history-of-the-qwerty-keyboard/Several years ago, Patrick McGinnis coined the term “Fear of Missing Out” or FOMO. It has now become part of the language and life experience for many people. The problem is, FOMO doesn’t do anyone any good and only causes stress and worry. Today we have so many choices – there are so many things we could do. Spending time worrying about what you didn’t choose to do or where you didn’t choose to go doesn’t really make much sense. Yet somehow the road not taken seems so attractive. Listen as Patrick joins me to explore FOMO and how to best deal with it. Patrick is author of the book Fear of Missing Out: Practical Decision-Making in a World of Overwhelming Choice (https://amzn.to/3kK0MQe)You have certainly heard of your immune system. It is that thing that fights off germs, viruses and illness so you stay healthy. However most people don’t really understand how it works and what causes it to work better or worse. Dr. Jenna Macciochi is an MD who has over 20 years' experience as a scientist researching the impact of lifestyle on the immune system in health and disease and she is author of the book Immunity: The Science of Staying Well (https://amzn.to/3kVHnMv). Listen as she explains how to keep up your immunity against illness and disease. Who thinks about ketchup? Yet, the fact is there are different grades of ketchup and some brands are better than others. Listen as I take a look at how ketchup is graded and who makes the ketchup for your favorite fast food restaurant. https://www.today.com/food/what-fancy-ketchup-it-actually-better-regular-ketchup-t144019 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 17, 2020 • 48min
How The Room You Are In Affects Health and Performance & How to Do What Really Matters
Everyone has felt shy. It really depends on the situation. So how can you get over your shyness so you can engage with the people around you? This episode begins with some excellent advice from one of the leading shyness experts on how to work through those shy feelings in the moment – and it is really quite simple. Source: Bernardo Carducci author of Shyness (https://amzn.to/2XWCgl8)You’ve probably heard something somewhere about how indoor air is more polluted than outdoor air. And yes that is true but that is just the tip of the iceberg. You spend 90% of your life indoors and that environment has a big impact on your health, productivity and performance. And it is not just the air quality. It is also the noise level, the lights and the temperature as well. Joining me to discuss this is Joseph Allen, Director of the Healthy Buildings program and an Assistant Professor at Harvard's T. H. Chan School of Public Health and author of the book Healthy Buildings: How Indoor Spaces Drive Performance and Productivity (https://amzn.to/30SX3b4)Telephone scams rob people of billions of dollars every year – even seemingly very smart people who are sure they are too savvy to get taken in. But you can protect yourself from telephone scams by asking any telephone solicitor 4 questions. Listen to discover what they are. Source: Joseph Wilt author of Do I Need Help? (https://amzn.to/3gXTG8v)When you have a lot of things to do, how do you decide what to do first? How do you get the important things done? You can start by asking a simple question according to Kendra Adachi author of the book called The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn't, and Get Stuff Done (https://amzn.to/341FO9B). This book was just released and went right to the top of the best seller list so clearly her message is resonating with busy people who have a lot to do and need help doing it. Listen as she joins me to explain exactly how. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 15, 2020 • 44min
SYSK Choice: The Quirkiness of Genius & How Cats Work
TV networks manipulate programs to make more time for commercials – a LOT more time. I’ll discuss that and you might want to watch this YouTube video that demonstrates just how it works. Here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6i1VVikRu0. And here is the source for this story: http://www.wsj.com/articles/cable-tv-shows-are-sped-up-to-squeeze-in-more-ads-1424301320We all have our little quirks and idiosyncrasies. But why is that great innovators like Albert Einstein, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Marie Curie and others seem weird and “off the charts” quirky compared to the rest of us? Melissa Schilling, professor of management and organization at the Stern School of Business at NYU is author of the book, Quirky: The Remarkable Story of the Traits, Foibles, and Genius of Breakthrough Innovators Who Changed the World (http://amzn.to/2GY5qFC). Listen and she explains why great genius is so often accompanied by quirkiness and what the connection is between the two.Want to be happier? Shorten your commute and sleep on the left side of the bed. Those are just two of the things that according to science can elevate your level of happiness. I’ll reveal more in this episode. http://www.modernghana.com/lifestyle/3447/16/10-surprising-things-that-make-you-happier.htmlThere are about the same number of cat owners as there are dog owners in the U.S. So what is it about cats that make them so interesting and mysterious? And why do so many people love cats when it seems cats couldn’t care less about people – or anything else for that matter? Professor Leslie Lyons is a cat lover who also happens to run the Lyons Feline Genetic Laboratory at the University of Missouri (http://felinegenetics.missouri.edu/) . She knows more about cats that just about anybody. And she joins me to discuss the feline fascination so many people have. Professor Leslie Lyons website is: http://felinegenetics.missouri.edu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 13, 2020 • 51min
Hacks to Learn Better & Quirks of Your Brain That Drive You Crazy
Where do you keep your car keys at night? This episode begins with an explanation as to why you might want to keep those keys within easy reach of wherever you are sleeping. http://worldofwonder.net/lifehack-put-car-keys-beside-bed-night/What’s the best way to learn anything new? IT is probably NOT reading information over and over. There are better ways to engage the brain so material really sticks. Here to explain what those methods are is Ulrich Boser who has spent a lot of time understanding the science of learning. He is founder and CEO of The Learning Agency and a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and author of the book Learn Better (https://amzn.to/30P03Wh)Lobster is often the most expensive thing on the menu at any seafood restaurant. Why? Listen as I explain how getting the lobster from the seas to your plate is no small feat – and an expensive at that. https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/why-lobster-so-expensive-worth-priceThe human brain is quirky. Some of those quirks are good but others are maddening and can cause us a lot of stress. Neuroscientist Dr. Dean Burnet has explored and researched the oddities in our brain that make us human and joins me to explain what they are, why they are important and how to better deal with them when they get in the way. Dean is a tutor and lecturer based at Cardiff University’s Institute of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences and author of the book Idiot Brain: What Your Head is Really Up To (https://amzn.to/3ab7Dxp) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aug 10, 2020 • 50min
Uncommon Knowledge You Need to Know & How to Handle All the Paper in Your Life
Outdoor cooking and eating can be fun and tasty. Still, there are some potential dangers we all need to be aware of. For example, when was the last time you really cleaned your grill? If you think the fire burns off all the bad stuff, think again. That’s just one of the things about outdoor cooking I discuss as we begin this episode. http://www.menshealth.com/health/5-cookout-mistakes-that-make-you-sickCarrots were not originally orange. Expensive weddings are a bad idea. The Mediterranean Sea will disappear one day. These are just a few items of fascinating knowledge I discuss with Tom Standage, Deputy Editor of The Economist and editor of the book Uncommon Knowledge (https://amzn.to/2DFoeNA). Listen as he explains why kids’ summer vacations are too long, what Interpol really is and who owns all the material in outer space – amongst other things.It’s fairly well accepted that moderate drinking has health benefits. However, that may be a big overstatement. Listen as I discuss research that questions the validity of that idea and why there is a flaw in the theory that a glass of wine is good for you. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-4529928/A-glass-red-wine-NOT-good-heart.htmlWe were supposed to be moving towards a paperless society. That doesn’t really seem to be happening. In fact, a lot of us have more documents, forms, certificates, letters and memos than we know what to do with. If you have filing cabinets, drawers and boxes full of papers, you need to listen to Lisa Woodruff. She is founder of Organize365 (www.organize365.com) which helps people tame all the paper in their lives and she is author of the book The Paper Solution: What to Shred, What to Save, and How to Stop It From Taking Over Your Life (https://amzn.to/3gIojyE). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


