Should You Fear the Sun? & Is There Anything to Astrology?
6/15/202650 min
Most parents think the key to getting kids to eat healthy food is explaining why it's healthy. Unfortunately, research suggests that strategy can backfire spectacularly. In fact, telling children a food is "good for you" may be one of the fastest ways to make them reject it. Fortunately, there is a much better approach. https://www.chicagobooth.edu/review/kids-can-have-their-cake-and-their-broccoli-too For years we've been told that sunlight is something to avoid. Stay indoors. Cover up. Wear sunscreen. And while excessive sun exposure certainly carries risks, some researchers are asking whether the conversation has become too one-sided. Could avoiding the sun come with health consequences of its own? Are we getting enough sunlight to support healthy bodies and minds? And what does the evidence actually say about sunscreen, vitamin D, skin cancer, and the benefits of spending time outdoors? Journalist Rowan Jacobsen set out to investigate these questions and found answers that surprised him. He joins me to discuss the science behind our relationship with the sun and why the story may be far more nuanced than most people realize. Rowan is author of In Defense of Sunlight: The Surprising Science of Sun Exposure (https://amzn.to/4o5QD1n). Astrology has survived for thousands of years. Millions of people know their zodiac sign, read horoscopes, and occasionally wonder whether there might be something to it. Yet astrology occupies a strange place in modern culture—widely followed, frequently mocked, and rarely examined carefully. So where did astrology come from? Why are humans so drawn to it? Why do horoscope descriptions often feel uncannily accurate? And when scientists have put astrology to the test, what have they found? Award-winning science journalist Carlos Orsi takes a thoughtful look at one of humanity's oldest belief systems and separates the psychology, history, and science from the mythology. He is author of What Science Says About Astrology (https://amzn.to/49BvzKk). Everyone "knows" that horizontal stripes make you look heavier and vertical stripes make you look slimmer. It's one of the most widely accepted fashion rules around. The funny thing is, there is surprisingly strong evidence that the rule may be completely backwards. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3485773/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMike Carruthers· Host0:01
[upbeat music] Today on Something You Should Know, the wrong thing to say if you want your kids to eat healthy. Then, have the dangers of sun exposure been overblown? What about the benefits of sunshine? And what's the connection between sunscreen and skin cancer?
Rowan Jacobsen· Guest0:18
You're gonna get me in so much trouble on this one. This is a hotly debated topic. Most studies that have been done that have looked at use of sunscreen and skin cancer end up showing that more sunscreen use correlates with higher rates of skin cancer.
Mike Carruthers· Host0:33
Also, if you think wearing horizontal stripes makes you look heavy, think again. And astrology, science has disproved it, but millions of people still follow it.
Carlos Orsi· Guest0:44
Most people know or have access to the information that science has disproved astrology, but most of them have a, a personal experience with astrology that seems very convincing in an emotional level.
Mike Carruthers· Host0:57
All this today on Something You Should Know.
Hillary Frank1:00
[upbeat music] Hey, it's Hilary Frank from The Longest Shortest Time, an award-winning podcast about parenthood and reproductive health. We talk about things like sex ed, birth control, pregnancy, bodily autonomy, and of course, kids of all ages. But you don't have to be a parent to listen. If you like surprising, funny, poignant stories about human relationships and, you know, periods, The Longest Shortest Time is for you. Find us in any podcast app or at longestshortesttime.com.