The Psychology of Laughter, Purposeful Pollution, Handwriting Letters

Constant Wonder wants to know where you find wonder in your neighborhood! Call in and leave us a message at (855) CHAT-CW-8. We'll showcase several wonderful descriptions from people in our audience just like you! Thank the French Revolution for Your Pearly Whites (originally aired June 7, 2019) Guest: Colin Jones, Professor of History, Queen Mary University of London Nothing is more universal than smiling . . . or so you might think. Like everything else, smiles have a history, and this one involves quite a bit more painting, politics, and revolution than you might expect. Laughter: A Social Signal Guest: Robert Provine, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County Laughter makes us feel good. But it does more than just improve our individual health. Laughter bonds us together.  Researchers Pollute Canadian Lakes On Purpose Guest: Jose Luis Rodriguez Gil, Postdoctoral Fellow, Biology, University of Ottawa, and coordinator, BOREAL project Researchers purposefully pollute lakes in Canada to see how our pollutants affect real-world environments. Why We're Always Forgetting What We Came Into a Room For (originally aired May 23, 2019) Guest: Gabriel Radvansky, Professor of Psychology, University of Notre Dame Have you ever wondered why you totally forget what you were doing when you walk into a new room?  It turns out this is a real psychological process called the “doorway effect.”  Jell-O Gallery Guest: Lynne Belluscio, Curator and Director, Jell-O Gallery, Le Roy, New York Our Special Collections Producer, Jeff Simpson, spoke with Lynne Belluscio about everything from terrible Jell-O recipes, to the unexpected similarities between Jell-O and the human brain, to how the dish conquered the hearts and appetites of the American public.  From Quills to Computers: What We've Lost Guest: Brian Allison, independent historian at The Hermitage We ask an expert on antique letters, a guy who makes his own quill pens, what we lost when we put down our pens and picked up Twitter.