Curiosity Daily Podcast: Do Masks Stunt Emotional Development? Plus: Human Ears Perk Up, Too, and Why Your Shower Curtain Clings To You

Learn about the "shower-curtain effect," the mystery of why your shower curtain will randomly cling to you; whether masks affect our emotional development; and why humans perk up their ears.

August 28, 2020

Episode Show Notes:

No One Knows Why the Shower Curtain Will Randomly Cling to You by Joanie Faletto

Do masks affect our emotional development? by Ashley Hamer (Listener question from Nate)

  • Valente, D., Theurel, A., & Gentaz, E. (2017). The role of visual experience in the production of emotional facial expressions by blind people: a review. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 25(2), 483–497. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-017-1338-0
  • Martins, A. T., Faísca, L., Vieira, H., & Gonçalves, G. (2019). Emotional Recognition and Empathy both in Deaf and Blind Adults. The Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, 24(2), 119–127. https://doi.org/10.1093/deafed/eny046
  • Wiseman, R. (1995). The megalab truth test. Nature, 373(6513), 391–391. https://doi.org/10.1038/373391a0
  • Kraus, M. W. (2017). Voice-only communication enhances empathic accuracy. American Psychologist, 72(7), 644–654. https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000147
  • Kret, M. E., & de Gelder, B. (2012). Islamic Headdress Influences How Emotion is Recognized from the Eyes. Frontiers in Psychology, 3. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00110
  • Mai, X., Ge, Y., Tao, L., Tang, H., Liu, C., & Luo, Y.-J. (2011). Eyes Are Windows to the Chinese Soul: Evidence from the Detection of Real and Fake Smiles. PLoS ONE, 6(5), e19903. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0019903

Humans perk up their ears, too by Kelsey Donk

Subscribe to Curiosity Daily to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. You can also listen to our podcast as part of your Alexa Flash Briefing; Amazon smart speakers users, click/tap “enable” here: https://www.amazon.com/Curiosity-com-Curiosity-Daily-from/dp/B07CP17DJY

See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Next Up

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Hacking Device, Designer Seaweed, Accent Exposure

We discuss the latest in phone hacking technology, how aquaculture may be able to help the global food crisis, and how engaging with people who speak in a foreign accent may help us retain language.

Curiosity Daily Podcast:The Myth of Man Flu, Arctic Lakes, Buzzing Bats

Let’s talk about whether “man flu” is fact or fiction, how the Arctic lakes just threw a curveball at our climate change projections, and the genius new way bats are tricking their predators.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Pee and Seagrass, Heart Sound Maps, Modified Mosquitos

Today we talk about how crystallizing human urine can help save seagrass, a new AI program that can detect early signs of heart disease, and how mosquitos can be used to vaccinate against malaria.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Flirting Cats, Walking Sharks, Preventing Cerebral Palsy

We discuss a new app that can translate a cat’s meow into human languages, how the Epaulette shark is teaching us about climate change, and a potential treatment that might prevent cerebral palsy.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Geckos & Skin Cancer, Music in Childhood, Underwater Camera

Today we discuss the connection between skin cancer and a leopard gecko named Mr. Frosty, how playing a musical instrument in childhood can affect brain function as we age, and how a new underwater camera can help us explore previously-unseen parts of the ocean.

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: Do Single-A Batteries Exist?

Learn about whether there’s such a thing as “single A” batteries; 5 surprising ways volunteering improves your physical health; and how duckbill dinosaurs may have crossed an ocean to reach Africa.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Do People Think More in Words or Pictures?

Learn about whether people think in words or in pictures; why brussels sprouts really are tastier than they used to be; and why buying luxury items might make you feel like an impostor.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Do Masks Prevent Coronavirus, How Tuvan Throat Singers Sing Two Notes at Once, and Predicting Viral Content by Measuring Brain Activity

Learn about how scientists are predicting viral content by measuring people’s brain activity; how Tuvan throat singers are able to produce two notes at once; and how effective facemasks are in preventing the spread of the coronavirus.

Curiosity Daily Podcast: Your Extra Artery, Emotional Hangovers, LEDs Are Bad for Bugs

Learn why more humans are growing an extra artery; emotional hangovers; and the drawbacks of energy-efficient LED streetlamps.