As the dying approach their death, up to 88% of them experience certain vivid, moving dreams — though "dreams" isn't even the best word for these experiences, as they can happen to people when they're both awake and asleep, and are described by them as being "more real than real."

My guest today has studied these visions and dreams for many years and thinks they have important insights into the nature of life and death. His name is Dr. Chrisopther Kerr, and he's a hospice physician and end-of-life researcher, as well as the author of Death Is But a Dream: Finding Hope and Meaning at Life's End. We begin our conversation with Dr. Kerr's efforts to study end-of-life experiences on an objective, scientific basis, and how his research into these visions and dreams doesn't attempt to find their spiritual or paranormal origin, but simply seeks to catalog the phenomenon from a clinical perspective. We then discuss how long before death people begin having these dreams, the content of the dreams, and who shows up in them. Dr. Kerr describes how pre-death visions and dreams are typically positive and comforting, and how even the rarer, disturbing variety can end up being transformative. And he shares what these dreams do not only for the dying, but for their caregivers as well.

#785: The Dreams That Precede Death

Why do corrupt people end up in power?

By way of an answer, you probably think of that famous quote from Lord Acton, "Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely." But my guest today, Brian Klaas, would say that's only one part of what leads to corrupt individuals and cultures, the other being that people who are already corrupt are more likely to seek power in the first place. Brian argues that if we ever hope to develop better systems, from our national governments to our office hierarchies, we have to work on both prongs of this dynamic, not only preventing people who gain power from going bad, but encouraging good people to seek power as well.

Brian is the author of Corruptible: Who Gets Power and How It Changes Us, and today on the show, he and I discuss how people who possess the so-called "dark triad" of traits are more attracted to positions of power, how the framing around those positions can either amplify or alter this self-selection effect, and what a tyrannical homeowners' association president and a psychopathic school janitor show us about these dynamics. We also discuss why power does indeed corrupt people and can in fact change their very brain chemistry. Brian explains the importance of accountability in keeping a system clean, and how you can serve in positions of power without becoming corrupted yourself.

#792: How Power Corrupts

You hear a lot about metabolism. You probably know it has something to do with weight loss. And even if you don't go in for those supposed hacks around speeding up your metabolism, you likely figure you can at least increase it by exercising more.

This isn't actually the case, and my guest will sort through this and other misconceptions around metabolism on today's show. His name is Dr. Herman Pontzer and he's a professor of evolutionary anthropology and the author of Burn: New Research Blows the Lid Off How We Really Burn Calories, Lose Weight, and Stay Healthy. We begin our conversation with an overview of how metabolism powers everything your body does from thinking to moving to simply existing, and how it uses the food you eat as the energy needed to fuel these processes. We then get into Herman's field research which shows that increasing your physical activity doesn't actually increase the number of calories you burn, but why it's still hugely important to exercise anyway. He also unpacks whether certain kinds of foods are better for your metabolism, offers his recommendations on how to use diet to lose weight, and answers the common question as to whether it's true that your metabolism goes down as you age.

Resources Related to the Podcast

AoM Podcast #691: What You Can (Really) Learn About Exercise from Your Human Ancestors
AoM Podcast #552: How to Optimize Your Metabolism
AoM Podcast #475: How to Lose Weight, and Keep It Off Forever
AoM Podcast #636: Why You Overeat and What to Do About It
NYT article on what happened to the metabolisms of Biggest Loser contestants after the show
AoM Article: An Argument for Making Exercise (Not Diet) the Foundation of Weight Management

Connect With Herman Pontzer

Herman on Twitter
Herman's faculty page and lab at Duke

#793: The New Science of Metabolism and Weight Loss

Published September 17, 2022 — Diplomat and former ambassador Eric Rubin gives us a look at how the foreign service works on behalf of American interests in Bulgaria. Then "Senior Nomads" Michael and Debbie Campbell update us on their pandemic-era global travels. And artist and author Sylvia Verange reflects on her hiking journey across the Himalaya Mountains and how it's affected her life in the decades since.

For more information on Travel with Rick Steves — including episode descriptions, program archives and related details — visit www.ricksteves.com.

689 Ambassador to Bulgaria; Senior Nomads 2022; Himalaya Hike

If making small talk makes someone anxious, it may just be because they have a fear of such interactions, and my guest today, Rich Gallagher, can help them overcome it through his practice as a therapist. Or, someone’s anxiety around small talk can be based in part on simply not knowing how to do it, and in that case, Rich helps them by teaching them the mechanics of conversation, which he shares in his book Stress-Free Small Talk, as well as on today’s show.

Rich and I begin our conversation with how small talk is important as an on-ramp to bigger things, how it’s a skill that can be developed like any other, and how learning its mechanics can dampen the anxiety you feel about taking part in it. We then turn to these mechanics of making comfortable and effective small talk, including doing prep work, embracing tried-and-true openers, and avoiding talking too much yourself. We also discuss how to join conversations that are already underway, manage committing a faux pas, acknowledge others to build connection, and end a conversation gracefully. We end our conversation with small talk strategies for first dates and job interviews, and what to do when you go to a party where you only know the host.

#802: Stress-Free Small Talk

Check out Matt Braunger's new comedy special on October 6 at https://www.moment.co/mattbraunger It's another high and tight week with Tom Segura and Christina P! We discuss if it's ok to hit someone, refusing to acknowledge cool parts of town, and we have some corrections and omissions about the mess on Garth Brooks' plane. Christina has an epiphany about fitness, Tom shares the Sober October rules, how terrible low calorie snacks are, and wash cloths.We then welcome back OG guest, podcaster and comedian, Matt Braunger! Go check out his new comedy special "Doug" at https://www.moment.co/mattbraunger! They talk about cringey rich people, how TV executives make terrible decisions, and getting even with terrible comedy club owners. They trade stories from their standup careers, watch horrible or hilarious clips, and Christina's latest curations of TikToks. https://tomsegura.com/tourhttps://christinaponline.com/tour-dateshttps://store.ymhstudios.com/https://www.reddit.com/r/yourmomshousepodcast

676 - Matt Braunger - Your Mom's House with Christina P and Tom Segura

I recently sat down for a live event and Q&A with the great Annie Duke to discuss her new book, Quit: The power of knowing when to walk away. This episode is the audio from that event. Quit is all about how to develop a very particular skill: how to train your brain to make it easier to know which goals and plans are worth sticking to and which are not.  - Toronto Live Event: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/how-minds-change-a-conversation-lab-with-david-mcraney-misha-glouberman-tickets-410047431907- How Minds Change: <a href="https://www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome">www.davidmcraney.com/howmindschangehome</a>- Show Notes: <a href="http://www.youarenotsosmart.com/">www.youarenotsosmart.com</a>- Newsletter: <a href="https://davidmcraney.substack.com/">https://davidmcraney.substack.com</a>- Annie Duke's Twitter: https://twitter.com/AnnieDuke

244 - Quit! - Annie Duke

There are more tigers in captivity in America than wild tigers in the entire world. The exact number of captive tigers in this country isn't known, because many of them live in people's backyards or unaccredited zoos, and the legality of their ownership varies widely by state and even by circumstance. We travelled to Louisiana to see a 550-pound Siberian-Bengal tiger who lives at a truck stop, and the man who's fought very hard to persuade Louisiana lawmakers he's not a criminal.

We're a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX, a curated network of extraordinary, story-driven shows. Learn more at radiotopia.fm. Say hello on Twitter @criminalshow or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThisIsCriminal/

Episode 46: Tiger

It's the first Tuesdays of 2017 as Joe and a semi-homeless Mark ring in the new year with stories of Mark interrupting a movie on edibles, the YKWD christmas gift exchange & Joe hits up some Canadian open mics with Louis C.K. & Mike Lawrence! Check it out!

This episode is brought to you by Casper Mattresses. Get $50 toward any mattress purchase by visiting www.casper.com/tuesdays & using the promo code 'TUESDAYS' 

Come to a special LIVE recording of Tuesdays With Stories at Stand Up NY comedy club on Tuesday, January 10th! Get tickets now!
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#175 Master In Anal

Cox n' Crendor return! This time Jesse regales Crendor with the tale of how he almost died. Then Crendor one ups him by eating at Whalburgers. Also there's a development in the case of the Watcher! Last but not least - TWERKING!

Episode 130 - I Almost Died

Hot tamale, it's a trippy Tuesdays folks, as Joe hates Robert Redford and tours the Southwest with Sal Vulcano while Mark does a hot weekend at Gotham Comedy Club before taking shrooms at The National concert with the gal. Check it out!

Sponsored by: Mack Weldon (go to mackweldon.com and use code: TUESDAYS)

Mark & Joe are doing a LIVE Tuesdays With Stories! at the Hollywood Improv on Tuesday, October 30th at 8:00! Get tickets here!
https://hollywood.improv.com/comedian/tw-eventinfo/TUESDAYS+WITH+STORIES%3A+LIVE+PODCAST+with+JOE+LIST+AND+MARK+NORMAND/8600915/ 

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#268 Quiet Turd

Tuesdays with Stories-  a fun weekly pod hosted by NYC comedians Joe List and Mark Normand. Luckily, Joe and Mark are funny (thank God) and have an endless amount of funny stories. They meet every week to spin a few hilarious yarns, sometimes with comedian friends. Give it a listen and be their friend too.

#268 Quiet Turd

Tuesdays with Stories!

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