Why Accidents Happen & Where to Find Courage When You Need It

11 snips

Mar 27, 2025

Steve Casner, a research psychologist and NASA scientist, uncovers the intriguing dynamics of wisdom, suggesting that age isn't the only factor in its development. He reveals the alarming rise in unintentional injuries, attributing this trend to our ever-increasing distractions like smartphones. In a parallel conversation, Jenny Wood, a former Google executive and author, inspires listeners to cultivate 'wild courage' to overcome fears and seize opportunities. Together, they explore the critical intersection of safety, courage, and personal responsibility in today's world.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Wisdom and Age

Wisdom is a form of intelligence triggered by the mature brain, distinct from youthful intelligence.
It comes with age, as the brain is wired differently in middle age and beyond.

INSIGHT

Rising Accidents

Despite safety advancements, unintentional injuries have increased in recent years.
Modern complexities, like smartphones, contribute to this rise.

ANECDOTE

Phone Evolution and Distraction

Steve Casner uses the evolution of phones to illustrate increasing complexity.
Smartphones remove limitations of earlier phones, leading to more accidents.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Wisdom comes with age. That’s a common belief – but is it necessarily true? Can you acquire wisdom when you are young? This episode begins by looking at the science of wisdom, where it comes from and when it shows up. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8493820/

Doesn’t it seem like the world is safer? Cars are safer, equipment is safer, people wear helmets, warning signs are everywhere. So it makes sense to believe that we are safer today than ever before but that’s not true according to my guest. Steve Casner is a research psychologist and NASA scientist. He is author of the book, Careful: A User's Guide to Our Injury-Prone Minds (https://amzn.to/4j74GjN). Listen as he explains how and why accidents have been getting worse lately.

While you have surely done things in your life that required courage, you can probably recall other times when you wished you had the courage to do something differently – to speak up, to make a move, to do something! But you didn’t. How can you be courageous when you need to be? Listen to my guest, Jenny Wood. She is a former Google executive, speaker, and airplane pilot. Her writing has been featured in Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur, Inc., and Forbes. Jenny is author of the book Wild Courage: Go After What You Want and Get It (https://amzn.to/4iNpYCJ).

Yes or no questions can be very telling when you want to figure out if someone is telling the truth. Actually, it’s not the question so much as how people answer it that can raise some red flags. Listen as I explain how to use yes or no questions to get a better sense of someone’s truthfulness. https://www.inc.com/jack-schafer/an-fbi-agent-on-how-to-detect-deception.html

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS!!!

FACTOR: Eat smart with Factor! Get 50% off at https://FactorMeals.com/something50off

QUINCE: Indulge in affordable luxury! Go to https://Quince.com/sysk for free shipping on your order and 365-day returns.

TIMELINE: Get 10% off your order of Mitopure! Go to https://Timeline.com/SOMETHING

HERS: Hers is changing women's healthcare by providing access to GLP-1 weekly injections with the same active ingredient as Ozempic and Wegovy, as well as oral medication kits. Start your free online visit today at https://forhers.com/sysk

INDEED: Get a $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility at https://Indeed.com/SOMETHING right now!

SHOPIFY: Nobody does selling better than Shopify! Sign up for a $1 per-month trial period at https://Shopify.com/sysk and upgrade your selling today!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices