Why Do We Exist? & More Than Friends: The Rise of Platonic Partners
May 1, 2025
50:59
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Quick takeaways
Making someone laugh can enhance your likability significantly by fostering positive feelings and connections between individuals.
Platonic partnerships are increasingly recognized as meaningful relationships that provide emotional and practical support beyond traditional friendships.
Deep dives
The Power of Laughter in Building Connections
Making someone laugh can significantly increase their fondness for you. Laughter releases endorphins, promoting positive feelings that foster connection and rapport between individuals. This is particularly notable in romantic dynamics, as women tend to view men who can make them laugh as more intelligent. However, humor can be risky, as it is not universally appreciated; self-deprecating humor is generally the safest bet.
Understanding Our Existence Through Science
Science has made remarkable strides in shedding light on humanity's existence over the past century. Notably, the universe's development from the Big Bang to the emergence of consciousness involved a multitude of precise cosmic events. The likelihood of intelligent life evolving elsewhere in the universe remains a topic of inquiry, as Earth is currently the only known planet harboring life. The challenges in finding extraterrestrial beings stem from the immense size of the universe and the limited time we have actively searched for other forms of life.
Sneezing: An Intriguing Physiological Response
Sneezing is a fascinating reflex governed by a specialized sneeze center in the brain, which coordinates multiple muscle groups to execute the action. Remarkably, a sneeze can travel at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour and expel around 100,000 germs into the air. It is also impossible to sneeze with your eyes open or while asleep, as the necessary nerves are inactive during sleep. Contrary to common practice, holding in a sneeze can cause pressure buildup and potentially harm the body.
Exploring Platonic Partnerships
Platonic partnerships represent profound relationships that go beyond standard friendships, often encompassing deep emotional and practical commitments. These relationships can provide companionship and support akin to that found in romantic partnerships, but without the romantic element. Many individuals in such partnerships succeed in creating meaningful lives together, challenging societal norms regarding relationships. The lack of terminology to define these relationships often leads to confusion, as people may struggle to explain their significance to others.
Why are we here? You must have thought about this question. I mean, here we are, intelligent creatures hurtling through the universe on this tiny little planet. Why? What’s the point of it all? What had to happen for us to be here? These are questions that science has struggled with but is now finding more and more insight into the real reasons we exist. Here to reveal what we do know is Tim Coulson, a professor of zoology at Oxford University whose teaching and research have earned him multiple awards. He is author of the book The Science of Why We Exist: A History of the Universe from the Big Bang to Consciousness (https://amzn.to/4jLgb0n).
There is a growing type of relationship that doesn’t even have a proper name. It’s 2 people in a partnership and they are not romantically connected but they are more than friends. They are more than best friends. They often live together, are in each other’s wills, travel together and essentially live as partners. How do these partnerships begin? Who are the people in them? Why is this a growing arrangement? The first person to really look at this is my guest, Rhaina Cohen. She is an award-winning producer and editor for NPR’s documentary podcast, Embedded and her writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, The New Republic and elsewhere. She is author of the book The Other Significant Other (https://amzn.to/42unjsn).
You probably have no idea what all is involved when you sneeze. It’s really quite something! And it involves a lot of different muscles to make it happen. Listen and you will learn things about why and how you sneeze and when you can and cannot sneeze. https://www.medicinenet.com/11_facts_about_sneezes_and_sneezing/article.htm
