Caffeine before sports/cold showers
In your episode on dopamine, you explained that caffeine increases the availability and density of dopamine receptors. So would it be additionally beneficial to drink a cup of coffee or Yerba mate tea before activities where you first go through the “pain” before getting “pleasure” in the form of dopamine (e.g., cold showers, exercise)?
Music and Multitasking
When does listening to music improve performance? When does it inhibit performance? I often listen to music while I do things, especially simple tasks; however, at times I will listen to music while I write creatively, something I consider to be rather complex. I know others who listen to music while they do other complex activities, such as math or coding or painting masterpieces. It is evident that in this day and age music is more accessible and convenient than ever before, especially with wireless earbuds. There is clear research suggesting that multitasking inhibits quality and efficiency of one or both of the immediate tasks. Does listening to music while doing the dishes count as multitasking? Is dancing a multitask? Is there research on the effect of the newfound convenience of music on our collective neurology? or on individual neurologies?
Heat stroke and exhaustion
given that our information economy stands on the backs of all sorts of "out in the heat" laborers, I think we could all benefit from understanding the risk and effects of heat stroke and heat exhaustion. A family member recently succumbed and in his retelling of the events, symptoms and lingering effects were surprising to me even though my career is a science educator. In the future (near or far) the lettuce may be ready to harvest but it could be too hot to fetch - this climate change trend may indeed impact whole food agriculture in ways that have been little considered. Thanks