Why Rituals Exist Everywhere & The Exercise Paradox - SYSK Choice

We know that smiling is a universal human expression of happiness. Everyone smiles - in fact, even babies born blind smile. What is the purpose of smiling? So, what does smiling do for you? Why are we attracted to a person’s smile? Listen as I begin this episode with a brief look at smiling. https://www.livescience.com/5254-smiles-innate-learned.html We have all kinds of rituals. There are religious rituals, family rituals, holidays rituals, personal rituals – rituals are everywhere. By definition, rituals don’t actually do anything really. They are just rituals. So why do we have them at all? It appears we have them because they are important and necessary according to my guest, Dimitris Xygalatas. He is an anthropologist and cognitive scientist who runs the Experimental Anthropology Lab at the University of Connecticut. He is also author of the book Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living (https://amzn.to/3Pq7U4b). We all know exercise is important for our health. Still, a lot of people hate it. Why is something so vital to human health so despised and avoided by so many? Maybe we never really evolved to exercise – at least not the way exercise is done today. This is according to Daniel E. Lieberman. Daniel is a professor of biological sciences and a professor of the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. He is also the author of the book Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding (https://amzn.to/3hoPQea). Listen and you’ll never again feel guilty the next time you decide you really DON’T want to go out and exercise. Salt is bad for your blood pressure – that is common knowledge. But is it true? Does eating salt actually elevate blood pressure and does reducing salt help to lower it? Listen as I reveal some of the science regarding salt and blood pressure and why potassium is also an important player in this story. https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/relationships-between-salt-potassium-6609.html PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!!! INDEED:  Get a $75 SPONSORED JOB CREDIT to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING  Support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast.  Terms & conditions apply. AURA: Save on the perfect gift by visiting https://AuraFrames.com to get $35-off Aura’s best-selling Carver Mat frames by using promo code SOMETHING at checkout! SHOPIFY:  Sign up for a $1 per-month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk . Go to SHOPIFY.com/sysk to grow your business – no matter what stage you’re in! MINT MOBILE: Cut your wireless bill to $15 a month at https://MintMobile.com/something! $45 upfront payment required (equivalent to $15/mo.).  New customers on first 3 month plan only. Additional taxes, fees, & restrictions apply. HERS: Hers is changing women's healthcare by providing access to GLP-1 weekly injections with the same active ingredient as Ozempic and Wegovy, as well as oral medication kits. Start your free online visit today at https://forhers.com/sysk DELL: It's your last chance to snag Dell Technologies’ lowest prices of the year before the holidays! If you've been waiting for an AI-ready PC, this is their biggest sale of the year! Shop now at https://Dell.com/deals PROGRESSIVE: The Name Your Price tool from Progressive can help you save on car insurance! You just tell Progressive what you want to pay and get options within your budget. Try it today at https://Progressive.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices