Unlocking Your Primal Intelligence & The Tug-of-War Between Competition and Cooperation

Something You Should Know

Mike Carruthers | OmniCastMedia

Science, Social Sciences, Self-improvement, Education, Health & Fitness

4.6 • 4K Ratings

🗓️ 25 August 2025

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

UPGRADE TO SYSK PREMIUM! To unlock ad-free listening to over 1,000 episodes plus receive exclusive weekly bonus content, go to ⁠⁠⁠ https://SYSKPremium.com⁠ Your phone’s battery is an engineering marvel — but you might be killing it without even realizing it. In this opening segment, you’ll learn simple, science-backed charging habits that can dramatically extend your battery’s life and keep it holding a charge for years to come. https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/gadgets/a15731/best-way-to-keep-li-ion-batteries-charged/ Have you heard of “primal intelligence”? It’s essentially the opposite of artificial intelligence — the innate, deeply human abilities we’re all born with but often lose touch with over time. U.S. Army Special Operations has been studying it, along with my guest, Angus Fletcher. He’s a professor of story science at Ohio State's Project Narrative and was awarded the U.S. Army Commendation Medal in 2023 for his groundbreaking research into primal intelligence. In this fascinating conversation, Angus shares how we can reclaim and strengthen this natural gift to solve problems, adapt faster, and think more creatively. He’s the author of Primal Intelligence: You Are Smarter Than You Know (https://amzn.to/3HvfeMi). Humans are wired to both compete and cooperate. While we evolved to survive in groups, we have our own self-interests and desires. So how do we strike the right balance between cooperation and competition? Jonathan Goodman, social scientist at the University of Cambridge, unpacks this age-old tension — revealing how it shapes our relationships, workplaces, and even our evolution. He’s the author of Invisible Rivals: How We Evolved to Compete in a Cooperative World (https://amzn.to/45QBrh1), and his insights might change how you see human nature itself. The number of overweight pets in the U.S. continues to escalate. Well over half of the dogs and cats in this country are overweight or obese. Listen as I reveal the cause, the cure and the way to prevent this epidemic. https://www.petobesityprevention.org/2023# PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!!! SHOPIFY: Shopify is the commerce platform for millions of businesses around the world! To start selling today, sign up for your $1 per month trial at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://Shopify.com/sysk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ INDEED: Get a $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ right now! QUINCE: Keep it classic and cool with long lasting staples from Quince! Go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://Quince.com/sysk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns! HERS: Whether you want to lose weight, grow thicker, fuller hair, or find relief for anxiety, Hers has you covered. Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://forhers.com/something⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to get a personalized, affordable plan that gets you! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Today on something you should know, the best thing you can do if you want your cell phone
0:07.7	battery to last longer. Then the new science of primal intelligence, it's something you have
0:14.8	and can make better. So primal intelligence is four parts of your brain, intuition, imagination, emotion, and common sense.
0:23.6	So the most basic form of primal intelligence is just acting when you don't know what the right
0:29.6	answer is.
0:30.6	Also, the solution to the huge problem of pet obesity.
0:34.6	And human beings, we can be cooperative or competitive, but which is better?
0:40.8	Yes, while we cooperate while we work together, it's those people who are effective at
0:46.1	appearing cooperative for the group's benefit, but also behaving like opportunists when they
0:51.5	have a chance to do so. It's those people who are always going to get ahead in society.
0:56.0	All this today on something you should know.
1:04.0	If it feels like your phone hasn't changed in years,
1:09.0	maybe it's time to... ...change your phone hasn't changed in years, maybe it's time to change your phone.
1:19.2	Ask more of your phone. Google Pixel 10.
1:26.3	Something you Should Know.
1:28.2	Fascinating Intel, the world's top experts, and practical advice you can use in your life.
1:34.9	Today, Something You Should Know with Mike Carruthers.
1:39.5	There seems to be some confusion about the best way to optimize the life of your cell phone battery.
1:47.1	So we're going to start with some surprising advice from the experts.
1:51.1	Hi, and welcome to this episode of something you should know.
1:54.6	Your cell phone battery is pretty hardy.
1:57.9	It can take a lot, but there are some things that you may or may not do that can
	...

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