For science news astrophysicist and professor Jesse Rogerson joins the show for stories: People who love horror movies tend to exhibit certain personality traits; Romantic partner status determines changes in fertility desires; Short exercise intervention helps teens with ADHD manage stress; and Study links mysterious lights in the sky to historic nuclear tests. (Check out Jesse's book Daydreaming in the Solar System here.) Foreign correspondent Tony Five ransacks the show with offbeat news: The furloughed IRS lawyer living out his dream of being a hot dog vendor; and Ohio bill would ban AI from marrying humans and owning property. Psychology professor Dr. Claudia Haase explains human synchronization to Tony and David and describes how spouses from less privileged backgrounds tend to share more synchronized heartbeats. For Therapy Thursdays on a Wednesday, therapist and social worker Gary Direnfeld tackles the topic of parents' expectations of children. Professor of communication studies Dr. Stephen Monteiro reveals how smartphones manipulate our emotions and trigger our reflexes. (Find out more from Stephen's book Needy Media here.) Psychology PhD student Botond László Kiss answers the question of why people enjoy horror movies. Segments: (00:00) Introduction (01:31) Jesse Rogerson pt. 1 (10:00) Jesse Rogerson pt. 2 (20:00) Tony Five (30:00) Dr. Claudia Haase & Tony Five (39:50) Gary Direnfeld pt. 1 (49:50) Gary Direnfeld pt. 2 (59:50) Dr. Stephen Monteiro (1:09:50) Botond László Kiss (1:19:16) Sign-off Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.