Curiosity Daily Podcast: Mass Hysteria, Why You Say “Like,” Beauty’s Moral Value
Learn about the harmful effects of the “mass hysteria” label; why you say “like”; and the link between beauty and moral worth.
September 24, 2021
Episode Show Notes:
Additional resources from neurologist Suzanne O'Sullivan and further reading about the 2011 "mass hysteria" at LeRoy Junior-Senior High School:
- Pick up "The Sleeping Beauties And Other Stories of Mystery Illness" here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/606597/the-sleeping-beauties-by-suzanne-osullivan/
- NHS page: https://www.uclh.nhs.uk/our-services/find-consultant/dr-suzanne-osullivan
- Follow @Suz_OSullivan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Suz_OSullivan
-
Neale Gulley. (2012, June 23). School’s end clears up New York students’ mystery twitching. U.S. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-students-twitcnew-york-h/schools-end-clears-up-new-york-students-mystery-twitching-idUSBRE85M0DF20120623
Verbal tics and filler words by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Kitty in San Francisco)
- So, Um, How Do You, Like, Stop Using Filler Words? (Published 2017). (2021). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/us/verbal-ticks-like-um.html
- Enfield, N. (2018, January 9). A linguist explains why it’s okay to say “um” and “uh.” Quartz; Quartz. https://qz.com/work/1175505/a-linguist-explains-why-its-okay-to-say-um-and-uh/
- Liberman, M. (2014). Language Log» More on UM and UH. Upenn.edu. https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=13713
- Dr. Jena Barchas-Lichtenstein. (2017, March). A linguistic anthropologist explains why Christopher Mele’s New York Times article on filler words is wrong and banning phrases like “like” and “um” could be sexist. Quartz; Quartz. https://qz.com/921004/lets-stop-demonizing-filler-words/
We see beautiful things as having more moral worth by Cameron Duke
- Moral standing | ethics | Britannica. (2021). In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/moral-standing
- Klebl, C., Luo, Y., & Bastian, B. (2021). Beyond Aesthetic Judgment: Beauty Increases Moral Standing Through Perceptions of Purity. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 014616722110236. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672211023648
- Williams, P. H., Burgess, N. D., & Rahbek, C. (2000). Flagship species, ecological complementarity and conserving the diversity of mammals and birds in sub-Saharan Africa. Animal Conservation, 3(3), 249–260. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-1795.2000.tb00110.x
- Young, E. (2021, August 11). Here’s Why We Believe That Beautiful Animals Are More Deserving Of Our Protection. Research Digest. https://digest.bps.org.uk/2021/08/11/heres-why-we-believe-that-beautiful-animals-are-more-deserving-of-our-protection/
- Episode about funny memes to protect ugly species: https://www.curiositydaily.com/rub-some-dirt-on-it-to-heal-wounds-funny-memes-can-save-endangered-species-and-space-changes-the-shape-of-astronauts-hearts/
Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go to https://discoveryplus.com/curiosity to start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Next Up
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Introducing If/Then
What gets you curious? Virtual experiences, celestial bodies, water worlds or maybe just the tiniest mysteries inside your brain? The endlessly curious and curiously funny, Gillian Jacobs (Community, Netflix's LOVE) and Diona Reasonover (NCIS), step off set to go on tangents with real-life astronauts, astrophysicists, science artists, mathematician-types and other really smart people that investigate what seems impossible.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: The Curiosity Podcast Wraps Up with Yoga, Volcanoes, and Meditation
Learn from some of our favorite expert guests about yoga, volcanoes, meditation, and more on this special episode of the Curiosity Podcast. You'll hear from accomplished authors and academics from past episodes, in addition to a special guest you've never heard before on the show. Plus, hear about the past, present, and future of the Curiosity Podcast.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Does ESP Exist?
Learn about ESP; why people panicked about electricity in the 1800s; and how embryos use sound to prepare for the world.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Do Opposites Really Attract?
Learn about why opposites don’t really attract; the “propinquity effect” and how physical distance affects the way we feel about other people; and the history of when and why we started using last names.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Are Facial Expressions Universal?
Learn about common ancestors shared by every human; evolution’s multiple directions; and universal facial expressions.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: How to Talk to Strangers, Red Dead Redemption 2 Naturalists, July Curiosity Challenge
Learn how to get better at talking to strangers; and how Red Dead Redemption 2 turns gamers into naturalists. Trivia too!
Curiosity Daily Podcast: How Hollywood Gets Seances Wrong
Learn about how bacteria in your gut can produce electricity. Then, performer and lecturer Thom Britton will tell us about the origins of seances and how Hollywood gets them wrong.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Why Toilet Paper Is White
Learn about Starlink’s unintended consequences for astronomy from astrophysicist Vivienne Baldassare, NASA Einstein Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale University. Then, learn why toilet paper is white.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Explorers Club - Steve Elkins
Today, we’re hearing from an explorer and filmmaker named Steve Elkins. Steve spent decades searching for a legendary lost city deep in the jungles of Honduras. His search for the city was documented in the New York Times best-selling book, “The Lost City of the Monkey God,” by Douglas Preston.
Curiosity Daily Podcast: Go Ahead, Google Your Symptoms
Learn about the benefits of Googling symptoms; truly random number generation; and why science is about storytelling.