Big Picture Science for Dec. 21, Handling the Holidays

Big Picture Science - Handling the Holidays

(Repeat) The stress of the holidays can make you want to hide under the covers with a warm cup of cocoa.  From gift buying to family gatherings, the holidays can feel like being inside a pressure cooker.  But don’t despair!  Science can help make the holidays a little brighter, from some gift-giving tips from our animal friends to embracing pessimism before a challenging social event to stopping that annoying merry melody on repeat in your head.

Guests:

• Adam South – Research assistant professor at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University
• Mitch Ratcliffe – CEO and publisher of Earth911
• Julie Norem – Psychology professor at Wellesley College and author of “The Positive Power of Negative Thinking”
• Elizabeth Margulis – Music professor at Princeton University and author of “On Repeat: How Music Plays the Mind”
• Steve Ilardi – Clinical psychology associate professor at the University of Kansas.  Read his paper on the effects of sugar here.

This repeat podcast originally aired on December 23, 2019

Download podcast at - http://bigpicturescience.org/episodes/handling-the-holidays

You can listen to this and other episodes at http://bigpicturescience.org/, and be sure to check out Blog Picture Science, the companion blog to the radio show.