Do you ever feel like you and a friend are speaking past each other?

Or that you're not sure how to break out of a rut?

I'm Shankar Vedantam, host of the podcast Hidden Brain.

We explore questions that keep you up at night

and provide answers that are grounded in rigorous science.

Join us each week to explore your Hidden Brain.

Hello Smarty listeners, please take a moment and leave us a five-star Apple rating review.

It not only helps us grow the show, but we might also read your review on who's smarted.

So do it now. And don't forget, you can listen to who's smarted anywhere,

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Hey Smarty Pants, do me a favor and be very quiet.

Right now, I'm in the lair of one of the most bloodthirsty, cold-hearted,

and annoying creatures on the planet. Let's listen in.

All right, everyone gather round. The time to strike is upon us.

The sun's going down, and there's lots of smelly humans gathered together outside,

having what they call a barbeque. But guess what?

We'll be the ones feasting. Who's ready to suck some blood?

Pssss. I told you, they were bloodthirsty. But who are they?

Is this a vampire convention? Or is there something else going on?

Let's listen some more. Just remember, humans have a big size advantage.

One SWAT, and we're done for. And they have bug spray.

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