Why We Love to Push Buttons & Why We All Need to Play Games

Something You Should Know

Jul 1 2024 • 50 mins

We all have a sense of what romantic music is. But can that type of music really make you feel and act romantic? This episode begins with some interesting evidence on the power of music in the game of love. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100618112139.htm Look around you and notice all the buttons you could push. Buttons are everywhere. When you think about it, you can do almost anything with “just the push of a button.” And people like really pushing buttons – even when it is pointless. For example, pushing the elevator button after it is already lit or pushing the crosswalk button over and over to try to change the light. Buttons are a fairly recent invention and they have changed our world. Here to explain how and dive deep into the world of buttons is Rachel Plotnick. She’s an assistant professor of Cinema and Media Studies at Indiana University and author of Power Button: A History of Pleasure, Panic, and the Politics of Pushing (https://amzn.to/3xvIj5j) It seems we are wired to play games – board games, card games, sports, gambling – we love to play games. But why? Are games just a fun way to play – a distraction from work? Or are games doing something much more important than that? Joining me to reveal why humans need games and what they do for us is Kelly Clancy. She is a neuroscientist and physicist who has held research positions at MIT, Berkeley, University College London and she is author of the book, Playing with Reality: How Games Have Shaped Our World (https://amzn.to/3W02BNR) How much do product reviews influence what you buy – or don’t buy? Do people really read them and pay attention to them? Listen as I reveal the results of a recent survey on the power of product reviews. https://www.cardrates.com/news/consumers-rely-on-online-reviews-study/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You Might Like

Hidden Brain
Hidden Brain
Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam
Radiolab
Radiolab
WNYC Studios
Science Friday
Science Friday
Science Friday and WNYC Studios
StarTalk Radio
StarTalk Radio
Neil deGrasse Tyson
The Best of Coast to Coast AM
The Best of Coast to Coast AM
iHeartPodcasts and Coast to Coast AM
Sasquatch Chronicles
Sasquatch Chronicles
Sasquatch Chronicles - Bigfoot Encounters
Something You Should Know
Something You Should Know
Mike Carruthers | OmniCast Media
Paranormal Mysteries
Paranormal Mysteries
Nic Ryan Media | Unexplained Supernatural Stories
This Podcast Will Kill You
This Podcast Will Kill You
Exactly Right Media – the original true crime comedy network
Tooth & Claw: True Stories of Animal Attacks
Tooth & Claw: True Stories of Animal Attacks
Wes Larson, Jeff Larson, Mike Smith | QCODE
Science Vs
Science Vs
Spotify Studios
Real Ghost Stories Online
Real Ghost Stories Online
Real Ghost Stories Online | Paranormal, Supernatural & Horror Radio
The Confessionals
The Confessionals
Merkel Media
Blurry Creatures
Blurry Creatures
Blurry Creatures