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EP44 - Why is Fire so Mesmerizing? · Oh And One More Thing

0:10
Some old friends facing our fears, laughing through the
0:13
chaos and drinking some beers. So here's to the laughs, the
0:16
crumbs and the cheers. All the awkward moments.
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And we're still here. Because then, Leanne, we're just
0:21
doing our thing. It's our crazy life. 01 more
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thing. One more thing.
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Oh, hey, hey, to all our friends out there, I'm Brian.
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Welcome to Owen. One more thing.
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Hey Brian, I'm Rob. How we doing?
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We're doing great. Hey, we are back for another fun
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filled half hour of, well one might say nonsense, but I say
0:45
facts that you need to know to get through life.
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You totally need to know this stuff to get through life.
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I totally think you do. That's right.
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Thank you for listening. We appreciate it.
0:52
Awesome, yeah. What's new with you?
0:54
Not too much you. Want to know what I did this
0:55
weekend? What did you do this weekend,
0:57
Rob? I put into my mulch beds 500
0:59
feet of irrigation line. Yeah.
1:01
So on my hands and knees, scraping mulch back, putting the
1:03
line down, putting the mulch back over.
1:04
That sounds. Terrible.
1:06
Five hours. It's three days later, I still
1:08
can't feel the back of my legs. Oh man, that's a lot of work.
1:11
So bad. But watering is gonna be a lot
1:14
easier. Right.
1:14
Oh my gosh, it's gonna be so much easier, so much worth it.
1:16
But all you know, as you get to this middle-aged timeframe in
1:18
life, you can't be as nimble as it used to be.
1:21
Right. Yeah, it's hard.
1:23
Yeah. Hey, I told you I would follow
1:24
up from last week about how I was doing.
1:26
I'm practicing those magnetism at attributes.
1:29
Guess how it's going Terribly. Oh, I suck at it.
1:33
Why? They're so hard.
1:35
I got. I got to do better.
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It's it's, it takes such like conscious effort to do but.
1:40
Right. So I thought we could just do a
1:41
quick, just real, real quick recap of what they.
1:44
Are I think we totally should because I already forgot like 3
1:46
of them. Right.
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And it's hard when you see, we see them here written in a in a
1:50
row. So it's easier, but #1 be fully
1:52
present with people. Yep, got that one. #2 Cultivate
1:55
emotional self-awareness. OK #3 Speak with warmth and
1:59
intent. I'm doing that.
2:01
Are you Rob? I'm trying.
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Well, I think I am. #4 Show genuine appreciation #5 Be
2:11
comfortable with who you are. Yeah, that stuff.
2:13
Number six, bring positive energy without forcing it.
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I'm positive you're doing a fantastic job today, Brian.
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And you did not force I. Did not force.
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And #7 make others feel empowered.
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See, I did that too. Two and two and one fell swoop.
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So listen to last week's episode if you want to find out more
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information about those. I absolutely agree.
2:30
Anyway, that's it's enough about that.
2:31
Hey, have you seen the outside lately?
2:33
It's really looking like spring, right?
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And you know what that means? What?
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Does that mean? Cabin season.
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And boating season. Love it.
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So there's no complaining about having to pick up your boat this
2:45
year since the roundabout's done.
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Right. So remember last year it was a
2:48
45 minute drive to go. Get my Oh my God, OK, stop
2:50
already. And this year?
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It's about a three minute drive. Good.
2:54
For you more excited, yes, I'm way excited for boat season.
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Cannot wait to get out there and start hanging out and catching
3:00
some rays. Vitamin D, baby.
3:02
Vitamin D. Yep.
3:03
Yeah. Hey did you know the best way
3:05
what the best way is to make a boat faster?
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Know what? Yeah, sell it and buy a faster
3:08
one. But anyway, along with that
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comes Campfire. Season it's not the best part of
3:17
the cabin is campfires. Yeah, I think it is when you sit
3:19
in front of the crackling fire and you're mesmerized.
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You can't. You can't look away from it,
3:23
right? You know that feeling though,
3:25
right? You're looking at the campfire,
3:26
or a fireplace, or a fire pit, or even a 10 hour loop of
3:30
crackling fire video on your TV, but suddenly you're hypnotized.
3:35
Why is fire so mesmerizing? Well.
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It turns out this ancient globe taps into our evolution, our
3:42
senses, our brains, and maybe even our social wiring.
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Really. So today we're going to break
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down the science of why fire is so mesmerizing.
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And maybe a few sparks of humor along the way.
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Oh, there you are again with the Ding rimshot.
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I can't keep my finger off of it, It's crazy.
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Evolutionarily speaking, humans began controlling fire about
4:03
400,000 to 1,000,000 years ago. And you have a personal time
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frame reference of that, right? Well, they kept.
4:08
Records on cave walls. On cave walls.
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Yeah, it. Was quite, it's quite a space of
4:14
time. I mean, what?
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Nobody was keeping track, right? Again with the Ding room shot,
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I'm sorry. I'm sitting on my finger going
4:20
forward. Anyway, mastering fire was more
4:24
than just a neat trick. It was a revolution for
4:26
survival, and some evidence suggests it was even used by
4:30
early humans. OK fire gave us protection from
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predators, warmth in cold climates, cooked food which made
4:38
calories easier to absorb, and extended daylight for
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socializing and planning. Anthropologist Richard Rangman
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famously proposed in Catching Fire that cooking fundamentally
4:48
reshaped human evolution, affecting everything from jaw
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size to brain development. Really.
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Cooked food provided more usable energy, potentially feeling the
4:57
growth of our large brains. Wow.
4:59
Large. Well, yeah.
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One of the largest mammals, I suppose that is true, I said.
5:04
The largest mammal. We're not the largest mammal.
5:06
No, no, we'll get. Into that on another podcast,
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People. That sounds like work.
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You know, in evolutionary terms, fire meant safety, calories,
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community and survival. Now backup calories.
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Well, yeah, because your body can absorb Oh yeah, cooked food
5:22
better than raw. Food.
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That's right, meat. That's right.
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So when you stare into a flame today, part of your brain may be
5:29
whispering we're safe. The predators are scared.
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The meat is cooking. That's not poetic.
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That's new neural pattern recognition formed over hundreds
5:41
of thousands of years. Hey Brian, I was just outside
5:49
trying to enjoy the yard and the mosquitoes are driving me nuts.
5:52
Oh, you got to call Spring Green for that.
5:53
Rob Spring Green I thought they just did my fertilizer and weed
5:56
control. Oh, they do that and our lawn
5:58
looks amazing because of it, but their mosquito control is a game
6:02
changer. We can actually use our patio.
6:04
You know how bad the state bird gets in Minnesota?
6:06
I'm. Pretty sure that's the loon, but
6:08
point taken. So they do lawns and mosquitoes.
6:11
And total home pest control. My house is completely mouse
6:14
free. They even do liquid aerations
6:16
and lawn insect. Control.
6:18
Wow. I'm only using them for half of
6:19
what I could be. You should fix that.
6:21
Go to springdashgreen.com and get a personalized quote today.
6:25
That's spring dashgreen.com. And tell them.
6:27
Oh, and one more thing sent you. All right.
6:31
Thanks, Spring Green. That was great.
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And you know what they're really good at also, as I take care of
6:35
your bugs around your fire pits, right?
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Yeah, it's kind of like the campfire now.
6:39
Isn't the heat taking care of the bugs around the fire pit?
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Well, I mean the smoke is a little bit, yes.
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It depends which way the wind is blowing and.
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It'll push me away from the fire.
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Right in my face. You know what I remember a
6:56
couple of weeks ago, we were hanging out on our porch at
6:57
night, yes, on a Saturday night, and our neighbor was burning all
7:00
his brush. And where was it all falling?
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On top of us. But we had no bugs.
7:05
No, well, it's still too early for bugs here in Minnesota.
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Yes, it is little. But but yeah, I had ash all over
7:11
me. Yes, he.
7:11
Did he was snowing? But hey, the campfire effect is
7:13
built in social glue. Yeah, it is.
7:16
There's a reason group conversations feel deeper around
7:18
a fire. Why is that?
7:19
Well, in 2014, a study published in Evolutionary Psychology,
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researchers found that sitting around a campfire reduces blood
7:26
pressure. OK, good.
7:27
Which? I have high blood pressure so
7:28
yay increased pro social behaviour.
7:31
OK, I think you have to put your phone down to do that.
7:34
But yes, I. Don't know how to you do that.
7:36
That is a challenge for all of us.
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Promoted relaxation. Yeah, don't you get really
7:40
tired? You do, and you just can't stop
7:42
staring at it and it improves your social bonding.
7:45
OK so I get all that but what is pro social behavior?
7:48
Well. As far as I know, pro social
7:49
behavior refers to the voluntary actions intended to help,
7:52
benefit, or support other individuals or society as a
7:55
whole. These actions, including
7:58
sharing, comforting, cooperating and volunteering, are driven by
8:02
empathy, moral values and a desire to improve the welfare of
8:06
others. OK, thanks AI for that riveting
8:08
answer you mean. That didn't sound natural.
8:12
You just pulled out of thin air, didn't you?
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And that good anyway. Participants exposed to
8:18
crackling fire sounds reported greater relaxation than those
8:21
watching fire without sound. Which tells us something
8:23
important. Fire isn't just visual, it's
8:26
multi sensory magic. Oh, I like that, yeah.
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And you know what? I I'm going.
8:30
To call that you want to come over for multi sensory magic.
8:34
And you know the best part? The one.
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The one I like the most, actually.
8:37
Besides the real campfire, what is the one?
8:39
We always do the crackling fire on Christmas time on Channel. 4
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The Yule log the Yule. Log.
8:43
Yeah, I love the Yule log. You guys put that on TV?
8:46
Well, we absolutely we do. But you have fireplaces.
8:49
Okay, we have a gas fireplace that doesn't crackle.
8:51
Okay, so. Well, I like the crackle.
8:55
So put it in a real. Fireplace.
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If you pick the right one, a little dog or cat comes in and
8:58
smiles at you. I've not seen that.
9:02
One, those are cute. Anyway, anthropologists argue
9:07
that fire may have extended waking hours for early humans,
9:11
enabling storytelling, bonding, and cultural transmission.
9:15
In fact, researcher Polly Wiesner observed that modern
9:18
hunter gatherer societies use firelight time for storytelling,
9:23
teaching, and strengthening social norms.
9:25
No. In other words, fire may have
9:27
helped invent. Culture, I get that that makes.
9:31
Sense I like that line way better than what I just read
9:33
right? Nice summary.
9:35
So when I over share my life secrets are on the fire pit and
9:38
you know I have that's not random.
9:41
That's 300,000 years of programming Which.
9:45
Usually comes back to bite you at some point too.
9:47
Yes, it does. Only if you bring it up later
9:50
when I realize I didn't say that, did I?
9:51
Yeah, you did. You know, I think it's also the
9:54
fire pit and maybe the libations that it go with the fire pit.
9:58
So you have to have libations when you're around the fire.
10:01
Can't. Sit on the fire without a drink
10:02
in hand. Right.
10:03
Or two, three, or, you know, whatever that's like the.
10:06
Rule you all you and you purposely lose count, right?
10:08
Right. I mean, I do.
10:09
'Cause you're mesmerized, right? Rise by the flames.
10:12
You know fire is visually unique from a sensory input.
10:15
It's controlled chaos for the brain.
10:17
Cool because it is constantly moving.
10:20
Yep, I like that part. Never repeating, Right?
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Unlike the one on my wall, which does repeat if you pay
10:24
attention, about every 10 seconds.
10:26
That's fake fire. That's.
10:28
Light. I don't but it it's still.
10:29
It's mesmerizing, but it repeats.
10:31
Predictable but unpredictable, right?
10:34
Bright yet soft, Dynamic but contained.
10:38
Cool. Do you ever throw other things,
10:40
some some woods, but other things in the fire and they get
10:42
like green flames or you'll get the you see the blue flames.
10:46
Or, you know, firecrackers. Or.
10:48
Well, firecrackers, it's kind of dangerous, but then you like to
10:52
live on the edge of danger, don't you?
10:54
Or empty. Beer cans once in a while or.
10:57
You don't do that, Rob. That's not good.
10:59
I I I would never do that. No.
11:00
As far as you know, from a neuroscience standpoint, flames
11:03
provide low threat high variability visual input.
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Our brains are pattern seeking machines.
11:09
Fire dances in fractal like patterns, complex but natural,
11:12
chaotic but structured. The sweet spot keeps the visual
11:15
cortex engaged without overwhelming it.
11:17
It's similar to watching ocean waves, flowing rivers or rain on
11:22
a window. Okay, yeah, yeah, right.
11:24
Think that right, The exact same thing.
11:25
Yeah, yeah. So the technical term often
11:28
associated with the response is soft fascination.
11:32
OK, that's kind of nice. A concept from the attention
11:35
restoration theory, fire gently holds our attention without
11:39
demanding effort. It's like mental background
11:42
music for the nervous system. It's kind of like elevator
11:45
music. It's not that.
11:49
Rough. Come on.
11:50
It's. More of that soothing sound.
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It makes you kind of want to drift around.
11:55
Look at me. I'm a I'm a flame.
11:56
So kind of like your Kenny G type music?
11:59
Exactly. Have you ever just drifted away
12:01
to Kenny G? No.
12:04
Definitely not recently, but you know, I kind of back to the what
12:08
what fire similar like as far as like ocean waves and flowing
12:10
rivers. So is that like when you'd have
12:12
a fire by the by the ocean? Like is that like way over
12:15
stimulating? Well, I have never had that, so
12:18
I don't know. I would imagine you hear the
12:20
waves in the background. You're watching the fire, man.
12:22
I'd be out. Put your cabins by a lake.
12:23
You have a windy day. It's kind of like waves crashing
12:25
onto the shore. Sure, it's just.
12:27
Like just like just. It's just like.
12:29
Exactly the same so some studies using EEG, which is Oh my word,
12:36
why do you do this to me I. Put it in there for you.
12:40
EEG Electro encephalography. Oh my God, no Electro
12:46
encephalography. Let's just call it EE G.
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E.g. measurements show that watching natural scenes,
12:52
including fire, can increase alpha brain waves, which are
12:56
associated with relaxation, light meditation and reduced
12:59
stress. Cool.
13:01
Fire may also stimulate mild dopamine release due to novelty
13:05
and movement. Not in not in the same way as
13:09
social media, which hijacks your brain, but in a steady, organic
13:14
rhythm, no. Good comes from social media.
13:16
It does too. People are listening to this on
13:19
social media. Tell all your friends.
13:20
The crackling sound plays a role, too.
13:23
Repetitive, irregular sounds like fire popping resemble white
13:28
noise, which can lower stress. Improve sleep.
13:32
Improve sleep on set on set on set.
13:35
Improve sleep on set. Stop popping.
13:37
I'm fire popping. And reduce mental chatter.
13:41
I'm having mental chatter right now.
13:42
You're sitting across the table from me.
13:45
FIRE is like a neurological lullaby with better lighting,
13:49
right? We'll go with that.
13:53
I feel like the fire popping though.
13:54
OK, OK, so here's something interesting.
13:57
Safety plus danger equals the perfect psychological cocktail.
14:01
What? That's awesome.
14:04
Fire is dangerous though, but when controlled in a fireplace,
14:08
fire pit or candle, it becomes a safe danger.
14:11
Right. A safe danger, yeah.
14:13
It's safe. It's contained.
14:15
I suppose. Sure, from early on humans are
14:17
wired to pay attention to potential threats.
14:20
That alert system evolved to keep us alive.
14:22
Fire activates that ancient vigilance, but without real
14:27
risk. When contained, this creates a
14:28
powerful mix. Mild arousal, attention engaged,
14:32
perceived safety so there's no real threat, and sensory rhythm,
14:36
soothing movement and sound. So kind of same reason people
14:40
would enjoy something like like a roller coaster or horror movie
14:44
or how about thunderstorms from inside?
14:47
OK, no. What do you mean?
14:48
No. I don't think you're getting
14:50
that same soothing, you know, feeling on a roller coaster.
14:54
That's more and. I guess horror movies are more.
15:00
Yeah, no, yeah. I don't care for horror movies.
15:03
But I do like thunderstorms. I do like thunderstorms, in or
15:05
out. Can we just do a podcast all
15:07
about thunderstorms? Should we recap it?
15:09
No, let's not. We should roll back about 3
15:11
episodes after you're done with this one and go listen to it.
15:13
It's phenomenal. Maybe we're.
15:15
Having a thunderstorm soon? I love thunderstorms.
15:18
Anyway, OK, so let's get back to the fire safe.
15:21
Danger stimulates us just enough to feel alive but not
15:25
overwhelmed. Fire is the original safe
15:28
thrill. I I'll go with that.
15:30
So why do flames feel timeless? Have you ever noticed from time
15:33
distortion around a fire? Yeah.
15:35
Minutes blur, Conversations deepen.
15:38
People get quiet. Sometimes you fall asleep.
15:40
Sometimes you fall asleep. Fire.
15:42
Slow continuous motion reduces rapid sensory switching.
15:47
Compare that to screens, which are rapid scene cuts.
15:50
Sure. Bright artificial colors.
15:52
Notification pangs, Algorithmic dopamine spikes.
15:57
Wow, that's a big one, yeah. So FIRE is the opposite of
16:00
modern stimulization over stimulization.
16:02
In today's world of infinite scroll and push notifications,
16:04
FIRE offers no agenda, no ads, no urgency, no productivity
16:09
pressure. It just exists.
16:12
In 2026, that might be the rarest luxury of all.
16:14
Yeah, you're right. IE put your phone down.
16:17
So we were at the cabin and this was a couple of years ago and my
16:21
sister-in-law had fallen asleep. There's a lot of people around
16:24
the fire and she fell asleep and of course we're all looking at
16:27
each other. What can we do to her?
16:30
At the time. You should.
16:30
We were eating popcorn and different things.
16:32
We had all these little plastic bowls.
16:35
Well I'm sorry but I started stacking them on her head and we
16:39
got like 8 of them high before she woke up and knocked them
16:43
over. Oh, that's funny.
16:47
That's what happens on the fire, yeah.
16:49
Don't fall asleep. So yeah, we built our porch last
16:51
year. So now we have a gas fire pit.
16:54
Yes, which is great. Very nice.
16:56
Love watching the fire, love the warmth.
16:57
But I do miss the crackle. Yeah, I do miss.
16:59
I don't miss smelling like smoke when I come inside, but yeah, I
17:02
do. So just go over to your
17:03
neighbor's house where they were burning the other day and then
17:06
sit there to get the smell of air of the crack.
17:08
He, he, they have plenty of brush to burn.
17:10
I think we're gonna get a lot of that this summer.
17:11
Right. Yeah, so.
17:13
Say, did you know that streaming platforms report millions of
17:16
hours watched a fireplace videos during winter holidays?
17:19
Didn't I just say that? Yeah, you watched the Yule log.
17:22
Yeah, Why? Because even digital flames
17:24
offer a fraction of the effect. Do you get that effect though
17:27
when you're watching it on TV? Maybe a little bit.
17:29
Maybe a little bit, but honestly our deal is I like to have it in
17:32
the background, like as we were sitting around and opening
17:34
presents and having our little Christmas dinner and it's it's
17:37
good background ambiance. OK, sure.
17:39
And like I said, every once in a while the cute puppy that pops
17:41
in. I used to have a a real
17:43
fireplace in one of the older houses that I lived in.
17:45
Yeah, so it was nice, but it really stunk.
17:48
Yeah, it's a lot of work. Yeah.
17:49
And especially if you don't start the flu right and the IT
17:52
comes back in. Mm Hmm.
17:53
I could never start a fire in that house without the smoke
17:55
coming back in every single time.
17:57
Yeah, never failed. Well, and this was an old house
17:59
and had a little trap door for the ashes to drop down into the
18:02
basement. Oh, cute.
18:03
And then you go in the basement. This is an old house, right?
18:06
Built in the 30s. And there's a little door to
18:08
open up and you go in and scoop them out.
18:09
So you just stick your arm in this dark, cavernous space and
18:14
then scoop the ashes out is so gross.
18:16
It's Dunk so bad. All the snakes and mice and rats
18:18
live. No, never.
18:20
And spiders You you would take care of those.
18:23
Well, I would now, but right? That's exactly what you think
18:26
about when you're sticking your hand in the.
18:27
Dark like. What's gonna Yeah.
18:29
Oh, girls. Yeah.
18:31
But studies show that real life multi sensory fire with warmth
18:35
and crackling produces stronger relaxation responses than silent
18:39
video flames. See, there you go.
18:40
Oh, that's. Cool.
18:41
Yeah, so you can simulate fire, right?
18:44
But your nervous system knows the different.
18:45
Body knows your body knows, right?
18:47
I. Get that firelight emits warm
18:49
orange toned light similar to a sunset.
18:52
The wavelengths are lower in the blue light, which means it's
18:55
less likely to suppress melatonin.
18:58
Oh. See, now that makes sense
18:59
because lately my last couple phone updates, they've really
19:01
kind of pushed the at night will, you know, give me your
19:06
phone and take away the blue light.
19:07
Yeah, because it's hard on your eyes and hard on everything and.
19:10
That's in the update. Yeah, it's in the phone itself.
19:14
OK so I don't like that. So I have the option to turn on
19:17
the yellow light after 10 or whatever it is later in the day
19:21
and I don't care for it. Well, it's different that's.
19:24
Why it's just different? Yeah, but I think, but I agree
19:26
with what they're trying to do the the blue wavelength is the
19:28
one that kind of messes you up a little bit it.
19:30
Keeps you awake. Keeps you awake.
19:31
Yeah, right. The yellow light is less likely
19:34
likely to suppress melatonin. OK.
19:36
Which again, we talked about melatonin in a previous podcast.
19:39
And that was about sleep, I believe.
19:41
I think I should just go refresh myself on the what melatonin
19:44
meant. So.
19:45
When you're doing this podcast, you don't have two to go back
19:47
and listen to. Oh my gosh Rob, your list is.
19:49
Thanks for plugging those you need.
19:51
A road trip to listen to all of these.
19:53
A Rd. Map, yes.
19:55
A podcast map. Oh, I like it.
19:56
We should make a podcast map and send it out to our groups.
19:59
We totally should. OK, I'm.
20:01
On it anyway, let's get back to that topic.
20:02
You're always getting me off topic.
20:04
I'm sorry, that's. What I do.
20:05
So why does this still matter today?
20:07
So in our hyper connected world, anxiety rates are up.
20:10
Shocker. Sleep disruption is common.
20:14
Yeah. And I have struggled to sleep
20:16
the last few nights. I don't know what it is, but I
20:17
just, I've really struggled. Spring.
20:19
Yeah, probably. And attention spans are
20:21
shrinking. What?
20:23
I'm sorry, do you talking to me? I I don't know what.
20:24
You're saying I was reading a text on my phone?
20:26
What? No, you weren't.
20:27
I know if you were, I'd reach across this table and smack.
20:30
You but funny how this how this one goes back to our last
20:33
episode. What magnetism and paying
20:35
attention to people. Right, we just recapped that
20:37
beginning of. This in this same.
20:39
Episode Pay attention to Me Rob Fire mesmerizes us because it
20:47
sits at the intersection of evolutionary survival, social
20:52
bonding, sensory fascination, neural relaxation, safe danger
20:58
and warm light biology fire still captivates us because it
21:02
connects us to our natural relaxation responses.
21:05
It helps shape our species and culture, cooking our food and
21:09
gathering our ancestors together.
21:10
So when you find yourself staring into a flame, you're not
21:14
being unproductive you're engaging in a 400,000 year old
21:18
human tradition. Oh, I'm.
21:19
Going to be productive as hell all this summer.
21:22
Think about that right? You're you're reaching back to
21:25
your ancestors. Now here's what we need to do.
21:28
If we're creative people, which we are, we'll get where you are.
21:31
We need to find a way to get a fire on the boat at night.
21:36
Burn the boat down, No. Say burn the boat.
21:38
Say get a fire on the boat. No on the end the.
21:42
Boat. No, that's dangerous.
21:46
You're evoking your danger. And I will be the flight or
21:49
fight or flight. I'll flight.
21:50
I'll go. Run.
21:51
I'll go. I'll swim away.
21:52
Swim away. Swim away.
21:55
Can we, can we build like a little floating bonfire and like
21:58
stay like 20 feet away? Sure, let's do that.
22:00
Let's do that floating bonfire. Look at that.
22:02
That's not. I'm sure, I'm sure the water
22:04
patrol would love that. You know, on the when the lakes
22:07
are covered on ice, people do have fires out there.
22:08
They do all the time. Yeah, yeah.
22:10
And then they're actually just sink to the bottom when it
22:12
melts. So we can do that in the summer.
22:13
Right, sure, I. Don't see why not.
22:14
Let's do it. Yeah, I don't think so.
22:16
Yeah. Hey, have you ever caught a
22:18
Firefly? I have, yeah.
22:21
Yeah, it's kind of cool. It's kind of cool, you know,
22:22
that's not fire in their butt. It's not no.
22:25
Then what makes them? Glow Well fireflies produce
22:27
their own light through a chemical reaction called
22:29
bioluminescence, often used to attract mates or prey.
22:33
OK. And I think.
22:34
I knew that from science class back, you know how many years
22:37
ago? Yeah, but did you ever used to
22:39
run around as a kid and try and catch fireflies?
22:41
All the time, yeah. We did it at.
22:42
Camp all the time. Yeah, and, and my kids do it now
22:44
at the cab and they go Firefly hunting and yeah, they just
22:47
catch them in their hands and then let them go.
22:48
OK, a little morbid. Thought you ever squished the
22:50
little Firefly out of the luninescence?
22:51
Only when it hits the windshield of my car.
22:54
That's pretty cool though because it's like instant little
22:58
glow and it goes away slowly. Slowly.
23:01
You know, when we talk about the calming effects of fire, the
23:04
ocean, as we mentioned before, kind of does the same thing.
23:07
Yeah, the rhythmic, repetitive motion of waves can also trigger
23:10
a similar hypnotic, calming and meditative state.
23:12
That fire does too. Like I said earlier, a fire by
23:15
the ocean. No, how?
23:17
Just the campfire in the beach. Well, that's good too.
23:19
But I love sitting at the beach and just listening to the waves
23:22
come in. Right.
23:23
Yeah, that's very calming, especially.
23:24
After a long day of sitting in the sun and drinking all day
23:27
and. Oh, I'm not going back out to
23:28
the beach if I can do that all day.
23:30
Drinking more at night? Drinking more at night, right?
23:32
Love it. So it that's kind of like then
23:34
the same idea of that hypnotic calming effect of when you get a
23:39
massage. Yeah, I I wouldn't know.
23:43
You you, have you not had a full body massage?
23:45
I've had one full body massage in my life.
23:47
Yes, yeah. And wasn't it great?
23:48
It was awkward. No, let let go of that right
23:52
some. Strange person, I don't know,
23:54
get me all lotioned up and rubbing away and it's just oh
23:58
God. You, you just gotta relax and
24:00
you lay in there and just like, oh, get that sore muscle, just
24:04
dig in that. It's so great.
24:06
I I think my problem was my anxiety went through the roof
24:08
and I couldn't relax enough. I suppose 'cause you know, the
24:11
touching, yeah, being touched and and like if you're nervous,
24:14
I mean. You're right, it's different.
24:15
If you know the person you love is doing it, that's a whole
24:17
different story. But some just weird stranger
24:19
that you paid 100 bucks to is just.
24:21
It's weird. I don't know.
24:22
I've had a couple of them and I just kind of almost zoned out.
24:25
I think I'm wanted to fall asleep in one of them because
24:27
it's amazing. How about getting a massage
24:29
while you're at a campfire? Okay, we have a new goal now
24:33
we're cooking now we're cooking let's do that but wait the
24:38
campfire is got to be on the beach yes the waves have to come
24:40
in the massage and masseuse on the beach as well fire dancing
24:45
around right right. This is going to be amazing.
24:47
Where can we go to do? This I think I have our next
24:49
Mexico vacation planned. I think you do.
24:51
That sounds awesome, yeah. Let's do it.
24:53
Cool. Let's do.
24:53
It all right. Hey everyone, as always, please
24:55
follow us on the socials that Oh and one more thing Pod on
24:58
Facebook and Instagram for highlights and news of our
25:00
upcoming shows. And if you have any show ideas
25:02
for us or just want to give us some great feedback, send us an
25:05
e-mail at 011 More Thing, pod@gmail.com.
25:08
We would love to hear. From you, yes, our e-mail has
25:09
been slightly empty the last couple weeks so we need some
25:11
info. People talk to us.
25:13
Send it in we. Love you.
25:14
Plus, as long as you're emailing us, we have some merchandise we
25:16
can sell you. T-shirts, caps, Let us know.
25:19
They're really cheap. They're awesome.
25:20
Oh, and one more thing, in our modern fast-paced world, we face
25:24
rising anxiety, disrupted sleep in dwindling attention spans.
25:28
Fire provides a unique neurological contrast.
25:32
It offers slow, rhythmic and non demanding sensory engagement.
25:36
This ancient technology remains effective today, calming our
25:40
nervous system, fostering connection and grounding us in
25:44
our evolutionary history. And honestly, that's pretty lit
25:48
lit. You're so 90s.
25:51
Thanks, man. All right, bye everyone.
25:54
Hey, you get the fire going, I'll bring the beer.
25:56
Can I bring doughnuts?