Healthy Fast Food, Home Theaters, New Year New Word, Psychology of Conspiracy Theories, The Essay, The Art of Paying Attention

Healthy Fast Food (0:00:00) One of the hardest goals to follow through to the end is eating healthy. Sometimes all I want is a hamburger with lots of cheese and bacon. It’s filling… easy to grab on the go… and delicious. But, it’s not exactly the best thing for our health. So, we want to know if it’s OK to satisfy our cravings for cheeseburgers and other fast food even when we’re on a diet. Here to talk about how we can still eat the things we love…just healthier… is  Malia Frey, a fitness nutrition specialist and certified health coach. Home Theaters (0:15:09) Do you love watching movies at home? Friend of the show Joel Jacobs joins us to share ways to make our movie nights almost as awesome as movies at the theater. New Year, New Word (0:29:53) Friend of the show Carrie Ann Rhodes talks about the new trend to choose one word to focus on throughout the year. Psychology of Conspiracy Theories (0:50:33) Do you have a favorite conspiracy theory? While many people like to think about these things from a tongue-in-cheek perspective, there are maybe even more people out there that genuinely believe in these ideas. How do ideas like this gain traction and why do so many people believe in them so vehemently? Here to talk to us about some of the psychology behind these colorful conspiracies is  Dr. Joseph Pierre, psychiatric professor and conspiracy expert. The Essay (1:08:52) “You’re going to write an essay and it will be on. . .” This sentence was almost always followed by groaning, procrastinating, writing the essay the night before it was due, and getting a somewhat decent grade on a most dreaded piece of paper. Most of our memories about essays are bad, but in the writing world, essay writing has emerged as a beautiful, interesting art form. Intrigued? So were we.  Shelli Spotts is an English professor and essayist. She joins us to tell us a little bit more about this exciting art form that’s emerging in the writing world. The Art of Paying Attention (1:24:41) When someone recognizes us and gives us the praise and attention we were seeking, the feeling of warmth and recognition is beyond compare. The desire to be acknowledged and loved is a universal feeling for both old and young. This “art of paying attention” was something that  Adelia Moore, a writer and clinical psychologist, recognized was a talent that Fred Rogers from Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood had when she was a guest on the show. She wrote an article about this for The Atlantic, and we are glad to have her on the show.