Boost Self-Control by Asking for Support, Gene-Stealing Organisms, and How Lipreading Works in the Brain

Curiosity Weekly

Warner Bros. Discovery

Self-improvement, Science, Astronomy, Education

4.6 • 935 Ratings

🗓️ 5 March 2020

⏱️ 10 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Learn about a research-backed way to achieve better self control by asking for help from others; how Ambystoma salamanders “steal” DNA from other species via kleptogenesis; and how your brain can process visual information as sound.

For better self control, ask for support from others by Kelsey Donk

Juan Pablo Bermúdez. (2020, January 15). Self-Reliance Isn’t a Superpower, It’s a Vice. Medium; Elemental. https://elemental.medium.com/self-reliance-isnt-a-superpower-it-s-a-vice-976508e18774
Duckworth, A. L., Milkman, K. L., & Laibson, D. (2018). Beyond Willpower: Strategies for Reducing Failures of Self-Control. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 19(3), 102–129. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100618821893

Kleptogenesis is evolution's weirdest breeding technique by Cameron Duke

Feltman, R. (2017, June 14). How a female-only line of salamanders “steals” genes from unsuspecting males. Popular Science; Popular Science. https://www.popsci.com/female-salamander-kleptogenesis/
Unisexual salamanders (genus Ambystoma) present a new reproductive mode for eukaryotes - Genome. (2020). Genome. https://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/G06-152#.Xk2rBpNKhhE
Bi, K., & Bogart, J. P. (2006). Identification of intergenomic recombinations in unisexual salamanders of the genus Ambystoma by genomic in situ hybridization (GISH). Cytogenetic and Genome Research, 112(3–4), 307–312. https://doi.org/10.1159/000089885
Parthenogenesis - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. (2019). Sciencedirect.Com. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/parthenogenesis
Ambystoma barbouri (Streamside Salamander). (2017). Animal Diversity Web. https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Ambystoma_barbouri/

Lip reading without sound lights up your auditory cortex, and scientists now know why by Grant Currin

Hearing through lip-reading. (2020). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-01/sfn-htl010220.php
What is Magnetoencephalography (MEG)? | Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences (I-LABS). (2012). Washington.edu. http://ilabs.washington.edu/what-magnetoencephalography-meg
Bourguignon, M., Baart, M., Kapnoula, E. C., & Molinaro, N. (2019). Lip-Reading Enables the Brain to Synthesize Auditory Features of Unknown Silent Speech. The Journal of Neuroscience, 40(5), 1053–1065. https://doi.org/10.1523/jneurosci.1101-19.2019

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Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/boost-self-control-by-asking-for-support-gene-stealing-organisms-and-how-lipreading-works-in-the-brain

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, you're about to get smarter in just a few minutes.
0:03.4	With Curiosity Daily from Curiosity.com, I'm Cody Goff.
0:06.8	And I'm Ashley Hamer.
0:08.0	Today you learn about a research-backed way to achieve better self-control,
0:12.0	how some organisms steal DNA from other species, and how your
0:15.9	brain can process visual information as sound.
0:18.8	Let's satisfy some curiosity.
0:20.9	Reaching a big goal can feel like a lonely endeavor.
0:24.0	Maybe you've had to turn down invitations from friends so you could study,
0:28.0	or avoid the break room so the office cupcakes don't threaten your diet.
0:32.0	But it doesn't have to be this way.
0:34.2	In fact, research shows that in the long run,
0:36.4	staying isolated isn't even the best strategy
0:39.6	for maintaining self-control.
0:41.6	Instead, we should be asking for support from others.
0:45.0	Researchers from universities around the world
0:48.0	recently finished a study on people's beliefs about self-control,
0:51.0	and what the best kinds of self-control look like.
0:54.9	They found that people are pretty biased toward the benefits of willpower and they most
0:59.1	admire people who can manage their temptation all on their own.
1:03.1	That's despite the fact that asking for support
1:06.3	is actually more effective.
	...

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