The Mel Robbins Podcast - Brand New Research: 8 Simple & Surprising Changes That Improve Your Life

Episode Date: December 29, 2022

In this episode, I am sharing 8 brand new studies and exciting new research about simple changes supported by science that can help you improve your day to day life, like… How to cut your gym time IN HALF and still get the same benefits.  The surprising sound researchers say will boost your mood for EIGHT hours.  The research on how mindfulness reduces your anxiety by 30% -  the same as Lexapro. And so much more I’m also joined by Tracey, who leads our research and has helped me produce five #1 Audible Originals and all the science behind it.  She’s found the studies; we are breaking them down together, and having a ball as we do.  This episode is going to make you smarter and is packed with the tactical, simple, and science-backed tools that I know you love learning on this podcast.  Pull up a seat and let’s go. Oh! And one more thing. As always, all of the research - and there’s a lot of it - is linked in the show notes at melrobbins.com/podcast. And if you want to watch a longer, unabridged version of this episode, visit my YouTube channel. Xo Mel  In this episode, you’ll learn:0:13: Why the research studies and science you will learn today matter4:35: Why you can trust the tools you learn on this podcast5:56: Research study #1: A simple action that goes a long way12:32: Research study #2: The way to build strength in just 3 seconds a day19:25: Research study #3: The one sound that boosts your mood for hours 26:43: Research study #4: A powerful tool for anxiety31:35: Research study #5: What a study with 20,000 high schoolers tells us about success36:56: Research study #6: One thing you can do to create lifelong positive memories44:43: Research study #7: How tiny guilty pleasures can strengthen your relationship with your partner52:01: Research study #8: The habit with the largest impact on your quality of life For full show notes, including a links to every single study and citation mentioned on today’s episode, go to melrobbins.com/podcast

Hey, it's your friend Mel and welcome to Science Hour on the Mel Robbins podcast. Are you ready for this? I'm ready for this. I am such a nerd about research and science and today we are digging into eight brand new studies that we've found literally hot off the presses studies. All of these studies are so exciting because it is brand new research that gives you and me eight simple changes that we can make. These are free.

They take almost no time at all. They are proven based on research to improve your life. How cool is that? And we're going to dig into the studies. And what I love about this conversation today is reading scientific studies, unless you're a total geek about this stuff like I am, it's really boring. Talk about a snooze fest. You want to know how to follow sleep faster.

Try reading the citations on a research study in the abstracts, holy cow. Well, you don't need to worry about that because we have nerded out. We love science here at the Mel Robbins podcast. And I love researching these studies. And let me tell you why. The reason why is very simple. Oftentimes when you are facing a challenge or you have some huge goal or you're trying to create new habits, when you hear advice from experts, you're like, are you kidding me? That stupid thing is going to work. And it's easy to dismiss simple changes as not being effective when you have big goals and dreams or big challenges.

But the truth is when you understand the research that proves why this simple change is something that matters, you tend to pay attention, you feel more motivated, you feel like you can trust the advice and apply it to your life. And so I love science and I use it in everything that we do here, whether it's an online course or it's one of the six number one releases we've had producing projects for Audible or I have two self-published international and New York Times best sellers, the five-second rule, the high five habit. There is so much research packed into everything that we do. I sometimes joke that I feel like at this point in my life, I should have like seven PhDs. In fact, the high five habit, this is a perfect example. So I stumble

upon this habit of adding a high five to your morning routine in the mirror. And we did an incredible research study with that that has 175,000 data points from people in 91 different countries. We have studied that extensively now for over two years, and the research is there. And so science matters because it makes you feel smarter, it makes you feel more motivated to try the advice, it makes you feel a little less alone in some cases, and another reason why I like science, because I feel smart when I'm reading science. And I feel like a smarty pants and I'm like, hey, did you see that study? So without further ado, are you ready?

I'm ready. I can't wait for this conversation. It is sexy to care about science. It is celebratory to care about science and it makes you smarter to care about science. So welcome to Science Hour on the Mel Robbins podcast and get ready because we are about to unpack eight brand new pieces of research and the simple advice that you can use to change your life. And I'm triple dipple excited. That's cheesy balls as hell, but triple dipple excited because I'm also going to introduce you to one of my favorite

people on the planet. Thank you. That is Tracy. Tracy and I have worked together for years. She is no joke. The smartest person I know, I have a huge brain crush on her. She heads up the research that we do here on all projects that we do. Tracy has done the research on six audio productions for Audible, two self-published audio books and hardcover books, all of the courses that we have taught for folks like Starbucks, LinkedIn, Creative Live, the list goes on and on and on. And Tracy and I geek out on research. We absolutely love it, right,

Trace? Yes, definitely. And everything that we talk about here on the Mel Robbins podcast, we have meticulously researched. In fact, Tracy and I get in fights all the time, like mental fast. Yeah. She's like, technically, you can't say that. Or that science, that research study that everybody's talking about technically does not say that. She's like, technically you can't say that or that science, that research study that everybody's talking about technically does not say that. So you can, and so we are meticulous and super interested in this. And so I am so excited for today's show because we are about to talk about eight things. What are we talking about? What are we doing? There's eight things we're talking about. So we've been diving in all day to all the newest,

most awesome research and we wanted to share it with you guys today. This is also like a behind the scenes because this is how we produce the show. We look at your DMs, your questions, look at what's trending, we consider what's going on in my life, your life, people's lives on the team and our extended families and friend groups. And then we dig into research. Yeah. So today, we've got brand new research everybody.

Yes. And we are going to introduce you to very simple behavior changes that you can institute immediately that will improve your life. Yeah, all granted by research Mm-hmm, and some of them quite shockingly weird and surprising. Yes, and these are all brand new just released amazing legit studies, so we're super excited to share them. Okay. What is the first Change we need to make?

So there was recently a huge brand new study from researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, New Chicago, all about the power of random acts of kindness. And this study is called a little good, it goes an unexpectedly long way underestimating the positive impact of kindness on recipients. Okay, but we all know that acts of kindness are things that make us feel good, but why is this brand-new research something we have to pay attention to? So like in the year ahead, acts of kindness people all day long, how can we have to pay attention to this? What the researchers really looked into is why do we not do random acts of kindness? Because what they found is they're actually pretty uncommon.

Because we actually don't think it's going to matter to other people. Oh, yeah. And what the researchers found is it does. No matter how tiny a random act of kindness makes a massive difference for someone else and you are happier as a result of doing it. So that's interesting. We know that we should be doing this. But what you're saying is that we don't do this,

and this is where the insight comes in, is that we assume it's not gonna matter. Exactly. And a random act of kindness, it's like the littlest thing. Smiling at somebody, putting your arm around somebody, waving somebody into traffic. Yeah. You know, even tipping somebody,

the huge wire coffee and looking at them and saying, thank you, which by the way, you know how everybody starts doing the pay-it-forward chains typically around the holidays where you're gonna buy the coffee for the person behind you. I saw this interesting post by somebody who used to be a barista who says, that is a complete nightmare for operations, because it gets confusing, whose drink is who's and what got paid for. And that if you want to do something nice and a super busy coffee shop, look at the person making the coffee, tell them thank you, and how much you appreciate them, and give that minimum wage person a tip that is the cost of

a cup of coffee that you would have bought for the stranger behind you. Which I thought was really interesting, but these are all small things that make a difference, and we think it doesn't make a difference. And so I think that's where the learning is, at least for me, is that you're not doing it because you don't think it matters. And honestly, there are so many benefits to random acts of kindness. Another study from UC Berkeley found that random acts of kindness make people feel stronger, more energetic, calmer, less depressed, increased feelings of self-worth. Okay. It even can increase your serotonin,

which are those feel-good chemicals that really calm you down, make you happy. I know that you talked about this on the episode with Dr. Aiman. In general, there are just so many benefits. And one of them is also happiness. People who do good things for others are happier. And honestly, we all know how good

an act of kindness feels. When we've done them for other people, we feel good. And there's so much more research out there showing that doing good things for others makes you happier. It makes you feel better. It actually increases your energy. But beyond that, why don't we do them that much? We know that we feel good, but we totally underestimate how they're going to make other people feel. And that's why this study from UT Austin, which by the way got really widely shared online. When I had looked it up, I saw so many news outlets picked up this piece of academic research,

which is pretty rare in today's world for a piece of academic research to go viral like that. And it's because a lot of people resonated with this. We love the idea of a random act of kindness. We don't know how much it matters to others, and this study proves that other people truly benefit pretty much just as much as you do from that random act of kindness. All right. So, science says, take away number one, random acts of kindness. They matter and you and I, this year, we are going to be more intentional about doing

them. All right. Got it. Yes, exactly. And the New York Times picked up this brand new study, ran a huge article on it, and there were thousands of comments of people sharing their stories of random acts of kindness, and it's a reminder that these do matter to people. And here's the interesting twist about the story. And it's why Tracy was so excited to talk about this particular piece of research.

All of the comments were not about people bragging about their acts of kindness. It was people sharing stories about how an act of kindness from a stranger or a teacher or somebody in their life changed the trajectory of their life. Their entire life. Yeah. Why don't you read that one comment that had us all just get goosebumps?

So this is a comment that was within the article. The comment said, as a child, I lived an absolute poverty with an abusive parent. I had a music teacher who one day stopped me while walking down the hall and simply said, are you okay? I broke down. He took me to his office, fed me his lunch, and allowed me the space to pull myself together. He told me you're in a bad spot, but it doesn't

have to be your life. That small gesture gave me the hope to believe in myself and allowed me to start considering a future where the cycle of abuse and poverty don't exist. 30 years later, he was right and the cycles have been broken. That small moment changed my life, it changed my partner's life, and it changed my children's lives. I want you to take a minute, and I want you to think about an active kindness that somebody else did for you,

that was meaningful. And when you think about it from being on the recipient's end, from you being the one, even if it's just as simple as like you were running super late for something, and traffic was monstrous and a stranger waved you in with a smile, how that makes your energy shift. That's what I want you to think about when it comes to this brand new research. Please, act a kindness, all of us, start incorporating it into our day-to-day lives. All right, what's next? Okay, great. So this second piece of research is very exciting as we think about the new year is coming, a lot of us want new fitness routines,

but it always seems to be easier to talk about creating that new routine than actually implementing. Okay, especially when you're busy like you and I both are. This is a brand new study that is called Less Gym Time, Same Results. I'm down. Less Gym Time, same results. Let's go people.

For a new big study from researchers at Edith Cowan University, Australia, along with whole research teams in Japan and Brazil. Listen to this. All you need to do to build your strength is do what's called the eccentric muscle contraction, aka the second half of any exercise. Okay, I don't know what you're talking about. Imagine that you were standing up to sit down in your chair or to squat.

Okay. It's simply the motion of the sitting down part, not the standing up. Okay, so let me see if I'm getting serious. So are you basically saying that so many of us are losing the benefit of certain things we do all day long, like for me plopping into a chair. Yes. I like gravity to do the work. I do not consider sitting in a chair exercise. Are you telling me that this study says that I can consciously sit in a chair differently, and I will be exercising?

Yes, it says that one muscle contraction in this downward movement for just three seconds a day can increase muscle strength if you do it each day. What? Okay, so you're not even necessarily talking about how, like, if you're doing bicep curls, you know how people are like, you gotta slow down and not just flump the way down.

And that is true. And that in the research they did use by set curls to say people who just did the downward and then put their weights down. And then maybe they just got them back up, but it wasn't part of the motion. Yep. Yes, in exercise, they're saying,

you can cut your routine in half by just doing the second half of each exercise, but you can apply this in your life for passive exercise. Okay, in your life for passive exercise. Okay, I'm down with passive exercise. I remember when my mom found this revolutionary way of exercising where you literally lay on a table and they strap your feet into things and they lift your legs for you. I'm like, I'm pretty sure that's on exercise, but if it works for you and it gets you there great. But so I'm going to unpack this because there's two benefits to this.

Passive exercise, everybody. What was the fancy word? E-centric. E-centric. So it's true. When I do strength training, I focus on lifting up. The way I don't get intentional about resisting it dropping down. And the lifting up doesn't seem to matter that much, according to the research.

Whoa. Yeah. Whoa. Now, according to the research. Whoa. Yeah. Whoa. Now, let's do the chair thing. From what I gather, you're basically saying, you sit down super slow and you hover above the chair about an inch and hold it for three seconds before you actually plop down, right?

Yeah. Okay, I want to try this. So I'm standing up. Okay. And normally, when I go to sit down, I just like plop down. Yeah, you just went right into the chair. You did the work. Yeah.

And the chair took the beating. Yes. Okay. So now I'm going to stand up. And I'm going to. You are slowly, slowly slowly slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly, going down. Okay, now my shins are in great.

And now I'm holding, you're holding down for one, so I don't leave three. Oh, so this is like an ab exercise. My butt is like an inch above the chair. And this is like a squat. If you, the research is saying, if you can once per day for three seconds slowly

chair sit you have just exercised Building your muscles. I'm doing this could be easier than a whole weight training New Year's resolution. Okay, and honestly, male I know this research might sound silly three seconds a day How can that even create any impact in your life? But one thing we do know from so many studies is that the best exercise is the one that you do. Honestly, cardio, strength training, yoga for flexibility,

there are so many different kinds of exercise, but you have to do what actually you can do. And this study is so groundbreaking because it shows three seconds slowly moving down, sitting into your chair is extremely effective. And we often think I don't have the time for exercise. I want to set a resolution, I don't know what to do. Why not just add a tiny, tiny, tiny micro movement into your day, and in the

process, you will get many benefits that you get from strength training of improving your muscle mass, and that is something that's so important for all of us. And that gives you the benefit of ultimately more muscle mass for just three seconds a day. I'm glad you said that, Tracey, because honestly, this sounds kind of stupid. I would love to think that I could be completely in amazing shape by not hitting the gym, but by slowly sitting on the chair and hovering for an inch for three seconds. So I'm glad you said that. And for those of you who work out, who strength train like myself, I'm a big strength

trainer, you know that it just feels good to feel like you're building your muscles, but if not for every single person, your muscles are described as quote, the engine of your entire body's systems. And so just this three seconds a day is gonna make you feel better. And if you are a strength trainer, like me,

then doing more emphasis into those downward movements is also going to make the biggest difference, the bang for your buck, and you can honestly cut your workout times in half if you're a busy person. My life has just been changed by passive exercise research. Ladies and gentlemen, Tracy, genius, thank you. So we've got acts of kindness, remembering how profound they are for somebody even just a smile. Oh, you know one act of kindness That I do all the time whenever I see somebody That has their nails done

particularly like the tips and the cool stuff and the designs I always complement them and the reason why is I know that they took the time to do it and try this. Compliment somebody's nails. You will see somebody light up like a Christmas tree when you compliment their nails. They feel seen, they feel acknowledged. It's a simple way to do it. Okay. What do you think of my sparkly nails? Oh, Tracy. With the gold. you are not a nail polish person.

No, I'm not. Well, show them to the YouTube community. It's gold, everybody. All right, next study. So this study, when I first read it, I was a little bit floored by it. So this is a... So this is a... This is stupid or floored.

These are snakes. It fell into a tube and I cannot believe how big of an impact and how big this study is for what it is, but I think this is a very simple thing that anyone can do for one second each day. Wait, one second. One second. Well, you know, I think five seconds can change something. Five seconds down.

Trace. This one thing is going to give you an improvement in mental well-being for eight hours and it works in healthy people. It works in those with depression. It works in those with all different kinds of mental health challenges. Here is the study. This was a huge study in the UK at King's College London, huge reputable research university that was published in scientific reports. Can I just stop you? Yeah. Because I'm trying to think of what this is.

Okay. I don't think you're going to get it right. Organism? No. No? I can't think of anything else. So this study took place across a four-year span. They collected data of 20,000 assessments and they had global participants in the study.

And do you know what? They found me. That would improve my life for eight hours after just doing this for one second. No. The study is called Feeling Chirpy. It is hearing a bird sound or seeing a bird.

What? Yeah. Being around birds is linked to lasting mental health bird sound or seeing a bird. What? Yeah. Being around birds is linked to lasting mental health benefits is the rest of the title. Really? There is something about a bird sound that is incredibly powerful to the human mind.

Wow. It creates a massive mental well-being effect. So in this study, what's really interesting too is you might think, okay, you're out in nature, that's the benefit. But no, they isolated, it is not about trees, it is not about plants, it is not about being by the water. It works if you listen on an app. Really?

There is something about the sound of birds. You can go on YouTube, you can listen to a bird song app, you could get outside. But that deeply resonates with us, even at a subconscious level, for eight hours of improved mental well-being. That's incredible. Up here in Vermont, when my in-laws own this house, there was a clock that used to hang in the kitchen. And every single hour was the photo of a different bird. And when the clock would hit the hour, the chirping of the bird would happen.

And it didn't matter how many people were in the kitchen. Everybody would stop and turn toward the clock. And so on some level, this seems like one of those studies where you're like, honestly, who the hell are you? You're fun to bet it's up there. It's y'all. But if they've got more than 26,000 assessments, over four years, there's something here.

And I wonder if this has to do with evolution and the fact that if you think about our ancestors, has to do with evolution. And the fact that if you think about our ancestors truly navigating and migrating and following patterns of nature and wind and stars and the migratory patterns of birds, that I wonder if there is this connection. And, you know, I agree. I love the sound of birds So I agree. I love the sound of birds, except for a crow. I don't like a crow, but if I hear a songbird chirping, yeah, it does cause a lift in mood. Yeah.

Now, here's what's so interesting about the birds. I was at first really surprised when I saw that this was the topic of such a massive large scale study that went on for four years. I mean, this study was probably extremely expensive and resource intensive to run. And at first, I wondered why is this so impactful? Why does this matter so much? And so I did dive more into the research around birds and bird sounds. And here's what's interesting. Bird sounds are a powerful example of sound therapy. Now you've heard about Himalayan singing bowls and you may have heard about hum, like a really nice,

really just relaxing sound. Did you know that bird sounds are actually an example of sound therapy. In fact, we naturally attune to noises around us, whether it's a jackhammer outside or really loud noise that puts us on more alert. It turns out that bird songs remind us of being in nature of our really relaxed, it's called a pair sympathetic, just relaxed response that's built into us. And I think in some ways now what you were saying about humans co-exist with birds, there is something really powerful about bird sounds just transporting us right into nature. I'm always amazed by what you find Tracy, and how one study that you dig up seems to somehow connect with research that we had just been talking about like for example about the parasympathetic nervous system.

And it always makes so much sense. And one more thing too, other research has actually shown that listening to bird sounds can make you think you're in a natural nature-based environment. It is a way to hack. If, you know, like you and I, we work on our computers, we work inside, we are inside all day. It turns out, just hearing bird sounds for a little bit is a really simple way to hack your mind, make you think you're outside, and actually get some of those benefits of being outside. But it definitely goes deeper because there is something actually about the sound of

a bird that really doesn't. And so, yeah, it's a really, really, really simple thing and it has a huge impact. It's incredible. Wow. So, now I'm sitting down mindfully. I'm listening for birds. Yeah. To put it on YouTube after your episode of the Mel Robbins podcast.

Maybe we should just play some birds, aren't it? Last play the bird sound. That is nice. So really nice. I am so down for this Tracy. I am so excited. Three seconds of passive exercise. One second of listening to the birds, throw in an active kindness, bada bing bada boom. I am feeling positive because

you know what? These are doable. Don't you love that? That it's not only research back, but it's doable. And even better, you've got five more to share with us. So we're going to pick up the science train again after a short word from our sponsors. Welcome back. I love today's episode. Do you want to know why? I think you can tell. Here at the Mel Robbins podcast, we are not only obsessed with helping you create a better life, we are super obsessed with finding simple research-back ways that you can do it.

And when they're fun and surprising, even better. So we've already covered three, Tracy. You've got a bunch more. Let's move on to science says number four. What do you got for us? Well, now that we're so grounded after our bird's sound, there is a huge brand new, like just published study from Georgetown Medical Center, published in the JAMA Psychiatry Journal, which is a really big prestigious journal, so this research is legit. My dad used to get that. The journal, I think, is of American Medical Association? Probably. I can't believe that so this research is legit. My dad used to get that. The journal, I think, is of American Medical Association?

Probably. I can't believe that. So this is legit. They compared in people who have anxiety, taking lexapro versus doing mindfulness-based stress reduction, which often looks like a body scan or gratitude journaling. Now by body scan, you don't mean climbing into an MRI. No, I mean, how is my body feeling right now? So a lot of times in yoga, they'll use this relaxation technique in a class where you know,

scrunch up your feet, relax them, scrunch your ankles, relax them, you know, like flex your quads, relax them. That's sort of a way to kind of body scan. Yes. So that's one example. What's another example they use? Gratitude journaling. Really?

Yes. That's a powerful example of mindfulness-based stress reduction. Okay. So they studied lexapro. Yes. And then they also studied these mindfulness techniques that bring you into your body and into the moment. Yes, and there are a number of them, but those are just two to highlight. Is the gratitude journaling?

And what they found is the drop in anxiety was equal between lexapro and just doing these deliberate mindfulness-based stress reduction practices like a gratitude journal. Wow. I think I have a hunch for why that might be. Well, because as somebody who has dealt with and felt anxiety for almost my entire life, I mean, I have it under control now and I profoundly understand it. So I've annoyed by it, but I'm not scared by it anymore. What's interesting is that anxiety, as we know, is an alarm. An anxiety is signaling that something's up and you have some reassurance. An anxiety also typically takes you immediately into the future that something bad is about to happen. If you crack open a journal and you have to direct your mind to writing about something

that you're grateful for, if you're directing your mind to pick up a pen and to start writing what you're grateful for, you're activating a part of your mind that's different from the part of the mind that's different from the part of the mind that takes over when you're anxious. And so it's a way of pulling yourself into the present moment. And if you are having a panic attack or you're anxious, you're not in the present moment. Exactly. And so this makes a lot of sense.

And the research still emphasizes that there's a need for medication and for practices, but in conjunction, can have a really, really powerful effect, especially in how your brain actually changes what areas are active. So this mindfulness-based stress reduction program, it's actually based on really groundbreaking research from a really famous man named John Kabat-Zinn, who's based out of the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

And the mindfulness-based stress reduction is an entire program that you can find online for free. There is tons of free information on YouTube. If you look up John Kabat-Zinn, you will find tons of free resources about this, but you don't have to do an entire full program to get these benefits the research shows.

That's where simply just doing a gratitude practice, really doing that body scan you just discussed, Mel, you can get these from just tapping into a simple gratitude practice or a body scan. I love that you just gave everybody a free program that they can do online, led by an expert. That is super cool. And everybody, don't worry, this episode, like all episodes, will have all the resources linked. In fact, we do even more resources

and more detailed write-ups at the show pages on melrobbins.com. So you can check those out. The links will be below wherever you're listening to this. And, you know, I love knowing why, why things work. But why do I want to know that researchers have confirmed that these things work? Because a lot of this stuff is crazy. It's common sense.

But I think there's something about knowing your time spent in your gratitude journal is worth it. That matters. It matters. It journal is worth it. That matters. It matters. It really does. Yeah. All right, what else you got for us? This is really great.

This next one is super interesting, and it is about willpower. So a big study from UPEN and Michigan looked at 20,000 high schoolers as they studied for and took the SAT exam. Okay. What they found, taking into account socioeconomic status, all of their prior achievements throughout high school even. What matters the most for their study plan

and their scores is if they didn't rely on willpower and set themselves up with strategies to better be able to study. So you're saying, if the students didn't do it, I did, or didn't do it, I see my kids doing, which is basically, you got the laptop open, you got the phone on, you got piles of books all around you, and you're just gonna try to plow through it.

Yes. Even instead, you get deliberate about chunking it out, putting the phone to the side. Yeah. Having deliberate blocks of time to study that you're going to do better on the test. Yeah. In particular, the ones they mentioned was disabling your cell phone. Okay. So, turn the phone off. If you're serious about performing better. Yes. You got to turn the phone off when you're preparing. Okay, that's number one.

Setting up a distraction-free place to get your work done. Setting up a distraction free place. I'm starting to smile, Trace, because yesterday, Trace and I were going over the final draft to our newsletter because that twice a week, it's amazing. week. It's amazing. Just go to MelRowans.com to sign up for it. Tracey was trying to get me to focus. Mel was doing some online shopping as well. That's wild. Writing the newsletter to you guys to tabs open. And so Tracey was so awesome. She without skipping a beat, you didn't even look at me. You just reached your hand over and shut the laptop and then shoved it away from me. You did put the studies down

and do you know quickly we wrapped up the final episode? Yeah, we focused right in and then awesome newsletter went out. Totally. Yeah, and then the other strategy as well, in addition to distraction free and disabling your cell phone is creating a schedule to study. So take a look at the week.

If you've got a big project or you've got something and schedule in blocks of time where you're going to go to that distraction free thing and you're going to turn off your cell phone and that if you were to do that, did they find anything about how it also took less time or just that you were more effective? Whatever you put in. More effective. Yes. And one thing they found that did not work was when people said that they willed themselves to study.

Willpower did not lead to results, because willpower fades. We can't rely on willpower. And what's really interesting I think about this study is that it did take into account differences in socioeconomic levels and also prior achievements. You know, usually you would assume, okay, the people who score the highest in the SAT are the ones who are just naturally have the highest intellect, they're just good test takers, and it's really

interesting that this research, which they did do in conjunction with the college board, who's the creator of the SAT, completely was able to distill down. Being able to account for factors around you, setting up distraction free place to study, creating a study schedule, disabling your cell phone has such massive implications. It's a really incredible study.

Wow. And here is something so interesting. This is from a different study, but constantly being distracted is really bad for all levels of focus. In fact, there was a different study out of the University of London. It actually showed that constant emailing and texting reduced mental capacity by an average of 10 IQ points. Simply you cannot be at your best.

You cannot focus at your best. You cannot focus at your best, you cannot perform at your best when you're highly distracted. It is much more efficient to just focus on one thing at a time if you want to be studying, set your space up and go study. And while this is about the SAT, you could probably generalize these results for anything where high performance or studying or preparation is needed. So are you suggesting that sitting on the couch with Netflix on and my laptop is not a good way to research podcast episodes? Probably depending on how long you wanted to take if you want to study more efficiently, faster and just perform better. Yeah, put your phone on do not

disturb, go into your other on Do Not Disturb, go into your other room, shut the laptop. Shut the laptop, and also look at your calendar in the morning and say, what am I going to get done today? It's a simple strategy to lead to a huge result. And again, I think that these are the things

that in the back of your mind, we kind of got duh, but having these validated studies, 20,000 high school students, why wouldn't you do this? kind of go duh, but having these validated studies, 20,000 high school students, like why wouldn't you do this unless you just want to shoot yourself in the foot and make life harder? Yeah.

Tracy, you just made us smarter. And when we come back, we've still got three more brand new, simple, surprising, and science-back changes from brand new research that will improve your life. So stay with us. Okay, welcome back. We're on number six. The six simple surprising change you can make right now to improve your life this year. Lay it on a strazy. Hit us with the research.

So now we have number six. This is a really interesting study that once you hear it, you're gonna resonate with this in your own life. And it's about smell and food, recalling a memory instantly when you smell something that brings you back to an old time in place.

So this is a study out of Lancaster University in the UK, brand new study, where they actually asked older people who at this point in their life, you know, maybe they're not having as many exciting new experiences for a really amazing memory of their past, and they created something for them to smell and taste that took them back to a big moment.

They actually 3D printed these taste and smells on like a little Listerine strip type thing. So crazy research. Like, like the taste of your favorite ice cream treat from a vendor. Like I said, you're wetting the one couple. It was the food at their wedding. They were able to taste it or someone who had a curry tasting one that took them back to that memory. Strawberries from a day when they were young and instantly people were vividly transported back to this memory instantly. Wow. And the researchers say this is a very

powerful implication for creating happiness hacks. If you knew that in the past you had the best vacation, the best memory, you can instantly access that deep memory by smelling that smell, having that food. That makes a lot of sense. My wheels are spinning because I'm thinking about my friend, Pete Chien, who made me a cup of tea once.

And he was very particular about how he made it because he said only his mother has ever been able to make tea that tastes as good as this certain way. And what I bet is I bet it brings him back to his childhood. Yeah. Now what's interesting about this, because this research that you're talking about in terms of how taste and smell cues memory,

this is specifically applied to very positive memories. Very positive, yes. And it's really kind of cool when you stop and think about the fact that you can, as you said, hack happiness by bringing very positive memories. I remember a really interesting story that has always stuck with me because we know that this is true based on trauma research, that smell in particular can trigger a trauma response. So I read this story in a book about trauma that was written by a PhD medical doctor talking about how trauma can immediately bring you back to that just

terrible thing that happened. And so the researcher or the psychiatrist was talking about how he was treating a high school student who had had severe abuse. And all of a sudden, this kid had gone from being like a really great student and doing well in class to almost flunking out of this math class and being really disruptive in this math class. And it was very uncharacteristic of this kid to act this way, particularly in the math class. And so the therapist leaned in to try to figure out what the heck was going on. And what he discovered was this, that the math teacher had recently switched his cologne. And he was wearing cologne that was the same cologne that this kid's

abuser had worn. Wow. And so just the math teacher coming up behind him, wow, and the smell of that would trigger all of the trauma, which of course made him agitated and untrusting and not able to pay attention. The therapist got the math teacher to stop wearing the cologne. Issue gone. Wow. And so we know based on research that this is true around trauma and negative experiences, I think it's really, really encouraging to hear that smell conjures a positive experiences. In fact, I'm thinking about the fact that my grandmother used to wear a particular perfume. My father used to wear a particular cologne. And whenever I smell it, or smell traces of it, I immediately remember them. Oh, this is so cool. And you may wonder,

why do smells trigger such vivid memories? It's really interesting and it actually lies in neuroscience. Since it goes straight to the brain's smell center, it's called the Ulf Factory Bulb, and that is directly connected right to a part of your brain called the amygdala and another part called the hippocampus. Those are extremely important parts of the brain. And so all this is to say, it helps explain why smells can so immediately trigger such a detailed memory or even a really intense emotion. Smells go right to some of the most important parts of your brain. And they can bring you to a place that either you really want to go, like the memory of the

food at a really big event or as you just shared Mal to a really dark place too. In fact, there was a recent article that Harvard published and they even called the title What the Knows Knows. And it was all about discussing the science of smell. It is because of the brain's anatomy that smell and memory are so closely linked. It is super interesting. We don't need to all know exactly why it is, but just knowing how connected they are means that we can hack them.

Didn't you have a friend that did this with her wedding? Yeah, definitely. What happened? Yeah, so I'm going to be getting married this year and I was talking to someone who just recently had their wedding and I asked if she had any advice for me. And she said something that I have never heard before. She said, figure out what your smell is going to be at the altar of your wedding ceremony because that is a smell that for the rest of your life can transport you back to that moment. She said she picked out a very specific flower,

one of her favorites with her favorite smell, and did a massive arrangement right where she was gonna be standing at the altar during her wedding ceremony. And she even sprayed something, a smell there, so that she said for the rest of her life, she can instantly transport into that memory. And she said to me, I highly recommend more than anything else that you do that. And even not just for weddings, for any

big moment of your life, where you know that you're going to want to look back at this forever, create a signature scent. Know what your smell is going to be, and you will go back to that forever. is going to be and you will go back to that forever. Speaking of smell, my cat Noodle just walked in. Noodle has been giving his signature scent to all of your rugs lately. Yeah, he's been really naughty. We've got this new puppy as you may know. And so he has got a signature scent that he sprays around. All right.

You know, that's interesting because you think about marking rituals with a certain a signature scent that he sprays around. All right. You know, that's interesting, because you think about marking rituals with a certain or a certain this or a champagne, but getting intentional around the type of flower or the perfume that you wear or those sorts of things. That's super cool. Yeah, definitely. And you can apply that right now about things going forward or about any positive memory that you want to remember. Okay, cool. What else?

Okay, great. So we're getting near the end of these new studies. This one I thought was so much fun. It's a study from Indiana University, the University of Connecticut and Duke. And here's what it's about. It's about those mundane secrets that we hide from the closest people in our life.

Here's what the researchers define mundane secrets as. Hiding small online purchases, foods that you don't want your partner or friends to know that you eat, or things like watching a TV show ahead of your partner, when you guys are doing it together, and they don't know that you're sneaking ahead. And then you sit there and pretend that you have it when you watch the episode. I can't do that. I can sneak ahead, but when the episode comes on, I can no longer sit there and pretend that I haven't seen it.

That's the part where it goes up for me. So the researchers found that 90% of people have recently kept one of these everyday consumer behaviors a secret from a very close person in their life, a friend or their partner. And they would pour, you know, what my partner probably wouldn't care if they knew I watched ahead

or I snuck a piece of cake, but they keep it a secret. 90% of us have these tiny little guilty secrets. Now, is this something we should do? Because everything that you've recommended so far is additive. Yeah. So, yes, I am guilty of watching a show ahead and not telling Chris, but I always confess when we're sitting there.

What's interesting is they actually found this is not a bad thing. It is okay to have your little guilty pleasures. You can hide little things from your partner. This is not about being dishonest. Listen to this. Tiny feelings of guilt, which don't hurt anybody, actually drives you to wanna be better to your partner. Well, that makes sense because guilt

has two forms, destructive, which is the guilt that you use against yourself, where you just beat yourself up and make yourself feel bad. And then the guilt that is really productive because it motivates you to want to do better. And so are you saying that if, let's say, I'm trying to think of an example. I can give you an example that the study researchers found very common. Okay. What they found common is usually both partners do the same secret behavior and they hide

it from the other. And a very common one is around diet. Okay. Like both partners are vegetarians when they're together and they secretly eat meat not together. What? They said this little secret might propel both partners to try to show up in a bigger way because they feel bad about this when they're both doing it most of the time. Watching a show ahead, Chris might be doing the same thing. It's very common that both people do this and cut out propels you guys to show up and invest more

and maybe it's not the worst thing in the world. Wow. Okay, so what's the takeaway? Don't feel guilty. The first takeaway is if you, like, 90% of people have made an impulsive online purchase that your partner doesn't know about, or you snuck a piece of cake, or you're watching head on the TV show, first off, don't beat yourself up about it because the research shows they are probably doing it too.

Pfft. Pfft. Like, your partner are probably doing it too. Like your partner is probably doing this. That is killer. Like so don't feel bad about that Amazon box showing up and you quickly sneaking it into the back of your closet so that nobody knows that you yet again ordered another pair of pants. Yes and this is not about betrayal. This is not about shopping addiction. This is about, they're calling it Monday things. Things that do not affect your partner.

It does not affect your partner that you went and had the extra piece of cake or that you went and ordered another t-shirt for yourself. Or ate the gluten amazing bread at the dinner with your friends, became home and ate the cardboard bread that was there. Yeah, and I think also, you know, as we go into the new year,

a lot of people might do challenges with others. I know you've talked about taking on a big fitness challenge with Chris, and there might be times when you slip up and don't wanna say, and that is okay, is what the researchers are saying. As long as it doesn't hurt anyone, it could be okay. It sounds like it's more than okay. It sounds like it amplifies your wanting to show up.

This is so cool. So far, we've covered seven things. How important it is to add random acts of kindness, even just smiling at people, complimenting their nails. I love passive exercise. Sit down slowly in that chair. I'm doing it now. It's a squat.

That's what it is. You are going to get an inch above the chair and hold it for three seconds. Yes. That's a legit squat is what I'm doing. Because my quads are fully engaged. Sit down. Sit down.

Now you can hear my voice shift because I'm not efforting anymore. That is backed by researchers from Australia, Japan, and Brazil. Just sit down slowly in your chair once a day. Yeah, birds. Birds are something we're going to add in. Who knew?

I love this. Listen to a bird's sound for up to eight hours of just a better day. Well, you're not saying listen to birds read hours. You're saying if you just listen to birds chirping for a second or two. Yeah. Eight hours of benefits. And then the fourth one is the mindfulness practice that's study at a Georgetown around bringing in some mindfulness into your day,

like a gratitude journal, can cause as much reduction in anxiety as taking an antidepressant. A week ago, we did this episode about doing nothing. And in it, I recommended that we set an alarm in our smartphones for 2.13 with a little note that says, stop, take a breath, do nothing. I even had a little song that I play when it happens. That's an active mindfulness. Yeah.

So I know you know this, but when you start to understand how compelling the research is, not only about how it changes the narrow pathways in your brain, makes you a more positive and calm person, but to also know that in research studies, it has the same effect of dropping anxiety by 30% as prescription medication. That's worth paying attention to. Definitely. And then our study number five was do not rely on willpower for success,

for accomplishment, and forgetting important work done. Go on do not disturb, go into a quiet room, just like those students who succeeded on the SATs did. Awesome. Schedule in success. Don't just muscle through it. When else we can, oh, smell. I like this one.

Yeah. Think about putting more positive, smell associations into your life, whether it's bringing positive memories to mind, or it is creating positive experiences by getting intentional about the smell. I love this. Yeah. And then we had our one sneaky TV show watching sneaky meat eating. So just giggle about it. Start making yourself feel bad. Stop making yourself bad because everyone else is doing it too. And there's one final change. Yeah, so this piece of research is something that researchers actually show is the easiest

habit to make the largest impact in your life. And what is it? It's being kind to yourself. This is so profound that I want to dedicate the next episode to just the research on how to be kinder to yourself, because this recent study I know and the irony is of all the things that you could change in the coming year, the research is conclusive, that learning how to be kind to yourself as a daily practice has the single biggest impact on your happiness, on your meaning, on your sense of purpose, and the sad thing is it is the one we practice

the least. And this is so important that the very next episode that we drop in the Mel Robbins podcast is gonna go deep on the topic of being kinder to yourself. How to make it a habit, why it matters, and we are also going to do a bonus episode with it where we're gonna take people's questions about it, because yes, let's squat down on the chair, let's listen to the birds, let's structure our study time, let's get the smells going people, let's be mindful.

Was it the first one we did? See, I've already forgotten. The first one we did is around the random mind to find the kindness. Oh, kindness. Let's go. And kindness towards self is the biggest thing you should do, which is why we're going to talk about it in the next episode. Tracy, you are a maize balls. Thank you for having me on, Mel. Having you on, you are the brains behind this operation.

We are going to have you on more. We, of course, are going to put together copious show notes. We're going to link to every single study. What's the one you're most excited to do? I think the study I'm most excited about is the bird chirping because I never listen to the birds, honestly. And if I'd known it was that important, I would. So now I'm going to.

Yeah, I want to. I think I need to change my ringer. That'll be happier if I don't raise. I think that I should change my morning alarm to be a bird chirping sound, to set myself up for eight amazing hours the rest of the day. You are so awesome. I love you because you're so positive. You're so smart.

You make me smarter. You make all of us smarter. So I just want to say thank you, thank you, thank you for how much you put into all of the research that you do. Your intellectual rigor and curiosity is something I deeply admire. Thanks, Mel. And it makes the impact of what we're doing just awesome. Thank you so much for listening. I hope that you feel like this whole episode made you a little bit smarter, made you feel like you learned something new that you saw not all change has to be as hard as you think

especially when you get science involved changes can be really simple because if we know exactly what works then we can apply those things and so yeah Thank you so much for being here. That's right. Well in case nobody else tells you I'm gonna tell you that I love you. I believe in you, and I believe in your ability to take every single one of these things. Let's do some passive exercise. How about that? I'm down. Let's listen to the birds. Let's be kind to people. And when I talk to you in the next episode, we're going to be talking about how to be kind to yourself, because that is how you improve the most important relationship you have in life

and that's the one with you. Alright, I love you. Stitcher you