How to Adapt When Life Throws a Curveball & Understanding the Flow of Time

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Something You Should Know 48 min 5 speakers 8 chapters transcribed
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Could investing in LEGO sets be more profitable than stocks?

Mike Carruthers 0:02
Today on Something You Should Know, could investing in Lego sets be more profitable than investing in the stock market? Then, how to better handle those difficult life changes that feel overwhelming?
Maya Shankar 0:16
When we do catastrophize, when we think there's no way I can possibly get through this, research shows people are often far more resilient than they think on the other side. It's true that the good stuff is often not as good as you think it's going to be, but the bad stuff is often not as bad as you think it's going to be.
Mike Carruthers 0:31
Also, the two most important things for any successful relationship. And understanding time. What is it exactly? And why does it seem to go by faster as you get older?
Sten Odenwald 0:44
The pace at which time passes between when you're young and when you're old is very different. And it all has to do with novel things being presented to your senses.

How can we better handle difficult life changes?

Mike Carruthers 0:56
All this today on Something You Should Know.
Unknown 1:01
Ah, the Regency era. You might know it as the time when Bridgerton takes place, or as the time when Jane Austen wrote her books. The Regency era was also an explosive time of social change, sex scandals, and maybe the worst king in British history. Vulgar History's new season is all about the Regency era, the balls, the gowns, and all the scandal. Listen to Vulgar History, Regency era, wherever you get podcasts.

What makes some toys unexpectedly valuable?

Unknown 1:31
Something you should know. Fascinating intel. The world's top experts. And practical advice you can use in your life. Today, Something You Should Know with Mike Carruthers.
Mike Carruthers 1:45
If you were to walk into my house, you will notice fairly quickly that there are Lego sets built around the house. Some that my son has built, some that I've built. They're a lot of fun to build. But what you may not know is Lego sets can also be an excellent investment. And that's what we're going to start with today on this episode of Something You Should Know. I'm Mike Carruthers. Welcome. So there's some surprising data that shows that some Lego sets have been excellent long-term investments. A large academic study of the Lego resale market found that retired Lego sets increased in value by about 11% per year on average over several decades.

How do we adapt when life makes other plans for us?

Mike Carruthers 2:31
That's comparable to, and in some cases better, than returns from stocks, bonds, or even gold during the same periods.

What are the two essential qualities for successful long-term relationships?

Mike Carruthers 2:40
Why? Well, scarcity and nostalgia. Once a popular LEGO set is retired by LEGO, the supply stops, but demand from adult collectors often keeps growing. Now, it's only a small number of sets that drive most of the gains, especially large, licensed, or limited edition kits. For example, some sealed Star Wars sets that originally sold for a few hundred dollars are now worth several thousand.

Why does time seem to fly or crawl in different situations?

Mike Carruthers 3:09
But only if you keep them unopened. Once a box is opened, resale value drops dramatically. With that said, this isn't a guaranteed strategy, because most LEGO sets do not skyrocket in value.

What is the relationship between time, space, and gravity?

Mike Carruthers 3:24
Plus, you've got to store them somewhere, and if you do want to sell them, that takes some effort. So you might want to think of it less like investing and more like collecting with some possible upside. The bottom line is that Lego won't replace stocks or gold, but as collectibles go, the data shows they've been surprisingly strong performers if you pick carefully and don't open the box. And that is something you should know. A lot of people say they don't like change.

How can understanding time impact our daily lives?

Mike Carruthers 4:02
It brings uncertainty, disrupts routines, and forces us to deal with things we didn't plan for. And yet, avoiding change isn't really an option. Life rarely unfolds exactly the way we expect. Something always shifts, sometimes in small ways, sometimes in big ways. Change is constant, unpredictable, and often uncomfortable. So the real question isn't how to avoid it, but how to live with it. How do we adapt when life makes other plans for us? Here to explore this is Maya Shankar. She's a cognitive scientist who served as senior advisor in the Obama White House. She's been featured in the New York Times, Scientific American, and Forbes, and is currently senior director of behavioral economics at Google.
Mike Carruthers 4:54
She's also the host of the podcast, A Slight Change of Plans, and she is author of the book, The Other Side of Change, Who We Become When Life Makes Other Plans.

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