Podcast Summary: "Strange Secrets of the Human Body and Why Your Brain Requires Friends"

Podcast: Something You Should Know
Host: Mike Carruthers
Episode Date: November 10, 2025
Guests: Adam Teor (author, "Bodypedia") and Dr. Ben Rhine (neuroscientist, author, "Why Brains Need – The Neuroscience of Social Connection")

Episode Overview

This episode is split into two compelling explorations. First, Mike Carruthers and Adam Teor delve into curious, quirky, and surprisingly emotional features of the human body as revealed in Teor’s book. The second half features Dr. Ben Rhine, who discusses the powerful neuroscience behind our deep need for social connection, the biological risks of loneliness, and practical takeaways for improving your life through meaningful interaction.

Part 1: Strange Secrets of the Human Body (with Adam Teor)

Why Other People's Skin Feels Softer Than Your Own

• Key Point: The "social softness illusion" is a genuine perceptual difference, not just in your mind.
• Insight: This perceptual quirk actually helps promote bonding, making touch more rewarding for both parties, especially during slow, gentle contact.
• Quote:
  • "Our brains are wired so that it literally feels good to touch someone else, which helps us form and strengthen our social connections." — Mike Carruthers (05:15)

Goosebumps: A Quirk of Evolution

• Key Point: Goosebumps are a relic from our animal ancestors.
• Details:
  • Erector pili muscles contract in response to cold, fear, or intense emotion, but serve no practical purpose for humans.
• Quote:
  • "Our goosebumps serve any purpose. They're just a relic of our evolutionary past." — Adam Teor (07:55)
• Notable: They happen during moments of awe or emotion as well, not just discomfort.

The Emotional Power of the Left Side of the Face

• Key Point: Humans unconsciously display more emotion on the left side of their face, which is controlled by the more emotional right hemisphere of the brain.
• Interesting Facts:
  • Portraits and selfies show a left-side preference; these images receive more likes online.
  • New mothers more often cradle babies to show the baby's left side—possibly an ancient, unconscious behavior.
• Quote:
  • "Selfies on social media are much more likely to be left sided than right sided. Pictures of left sided faces get more likes...because the left side of the face is more emotional." — Adam Teor (09:39)
• Timestamps:
  • Selfie discussion: [09:26]
  • History and art: [10:28]

Humans Are “Super Throwers”

• Key Point: The unique biomechanics of the human arm make us extraordinary throwers—an evolutionary superpower!
• Context:
  • Even non-athletes far out-throw our closest primate relatives.
• Quote:
  • "Even poor human throwers are vastly superior to the best animal." — Adam Teor (14:36)

The Epic Journey of Sperm and the “Epididymis Miracle”

• Key Point: Sperm travels about 7 meters from origin to destination, mostly within the tightly-coiled epididymis, which is only 4 cm long on the outside.
• Fun Fact: Horses have an 80-meter-long coiled tube!
• Quote:
  • "Inside a four centimeter long epididymis, there is a six meter long tube." — Adam Teor (16:28)

Hiccups and the Ancient ‘Mind’ Nerve

• Key Point: Hiccups are involuntary contractions of the diaphragm, triggered by the “phrenic” nerve—named for the Greek word for ‘mind’.
• Quirky Fact: The world record for hiccups is 68 years!
• Quote:
  • "The phrenic nerve...is from the ancient Greek word for mind, fren." — Adam Teor (21:29)

The Mysterious Philtrum

• Key Point: The groove above your upper lip is called the philtrum, from the Greek for “love potion.”
• Observation: Its function is unclear, but individuals with more defined philtrums are judged as more attractive.

The Mighty Thumb: Half of Hand Power

• Key Point: The thumb alone provides up to 50% of hand function, thanks to a powerful set of muscles called the “thenar eminence.”
• Evolutionary significance: Allowed for tool-making, writing, and advanced manipulation.

Misophonia: “Hatred of Sound”

• Key Point: Misophonia is a pronounced, visceral response to sounds like chewing, breathing, or humming—often from others.
• Effect: Triggers stress and emotional upset, can be relationship-challenging.
• Quote:
  • "It's not just mild irritation. It literally means hatred of sound." — Adam Teor (27:12)

Part 2: Why Your Brain Requires Friends (with Dr. Ben Rhine)

Why Social Connection is a Biological Need

• Key Point: Our brains are evolutionarily wired for connection; social isolation triggers a stress response as if danger is imminent.
• Quote:
  • "Being isolated is as bad for you as smoking 15 cigarettes a day." — Dr. Ben Rhine (33:20)
  • "When we are isolated, it basically triggers a stress response." — Dr. Ben Rhine (35:11)
• Physical Impact: Increases risk for dementia, heart disease, diabetes, anxiety, and depression.
• Stat: Average interpersonal interaction time dropped by 36 hours per month between 2013 and 2021.

The Slippery Slope of Isolation

• Key Point: Isolation feeds on itself; isolated people’s brains process social information negatively, causing distrust and less perceived reward from interaction.
• Quote:
  • "When people are isolated, it actually changes the way that they process social information in certain ways and again in negative ways." — Dr. Ben Rhine (36:57)

The “Social Diet”: Strangers Matter Too

• Key Insight: Not just close friends—brief interactions with strangers also boost our mood and “social reward” brain response.
• Advice: Even small talk with a cashier can meaningfully improve well-being.
• Quote:
  • "Interacting with strangers makes us feel better and it can hit on those same brain systems that interacting with the best friend does." — Dr. Ben Rhine (38:55)

The Isolation Trap: Slump vs. Motivation

• Scenario: When we’re isolated, our brains make us less motivated to reach out, contrary to what we need.
• Quote:
  • "When people get in that kind of a...slump...the reaction isn't...'I'll go do that.' ...They kind of slump deeper." — Mike Carruthers (40:21)
  • "That's exactly right...when people really get into that rut...socializing doesn't feel as good as it usually does." — Dr. Ben Rhine (40:51)

Pets and Connection: Dogs Literally Love You Back

• Key Point: Our brains show powerful responses to animal (especially dog) interactions—oxytocin (“the love hormone”) spikes in both dog and owner during eye contact.
• Quote:
  • "When a dog and their caregiver look into each other's eyes, both...show a rise in oxytocin." — Dr. Ben Rhine (43:44)

In-Person vs. Online Interaction

• Key Point: In-person communication is most nourishing; each step down—video, phone, text—removes important cues, reducing reward and empathy.
• Quote:
  • "When we interact with another human...those signals are what turn on the brain's social areas...help us understand what the other person is thinking." — Dr. Ben Rhine (45:37)

Making Friends: Look for Commonality, Not Division

• Insight: Common activities trump surface differences; go where you share interests (clubs, sports, hobbies).
• Tribal Bias: Our brains still lean toward people “like us,” but meaningful friendships form on unexpectedly minor common ground.
• Quote:
  • "The person you're interacting with doesn't really matter that much...But the brain does have a very strong bias in favor of people who are a lot like us—that's homophily." — Dr. Ben Rhine (49:41)

Marriage and Survival

• Key Point: Having a close partner is a powerful predictor of both well-being and literal survival, even sometimes more so than medical interventions.
• Quote:
  • "Being married was a stronger predictor of survival than doing chemotherapy." — Dr. Ben Rhine (51:34)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Goosebumps and Evolution:
  "Our goosebumps serve any purpose. They're just a relic of our evolutionary past." — Adam Teor, [07:55]
• Social Softness Illusion:
  "Our brains are wired so that it literally feels good to touch someone else..." — Mike Carruthers, [05:15]
• Why Isolation is Dangerous:
  "Being isolated is as bad for you as smoking 15 cigarettes a day." — Dr. Ben Rhine, [33:20]
• Importance of Social Cues in Empathy:
  "Those signals are what turn on the brain's social areas...help us understand what the other person is thinking." — Dr. Ben Rhine, [45:37]
• Dog-Human Oxytocin Connection:
  "When a dog and their caregiver look into each other's eyes, both...show a rise in oxytocin..." — Dr. Ben Rhine, [43:44]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:48 — Adam Teor: Left-side facial expressiveness and selfies
• 07:13 — Adam Teor: The purpose (or not) of goosebumps
• 09:26 — Adam Teor: Emotional impact of the face’s left side
• 12:11 — Humans as “super throwers”
• 15:20 — Adam Teor: The epic 7-meter sperm journey
• 20:45 — Adam Teor: Explaining hiccups and their strange neural origins
• 23:04 — What is the philtrum?
• 27:12 — Adam Teor: What is misophonia?
• 32:58 — Dr. Ben Rhine: Why your brain requires friends
• 35:11 — Social isolation as a biological threat
• 38:55 — Positive effects of interacting with strangers
• 43:44 — Dogs, oxytocin, and cross-species love
• 45:37 — Why face-to-face interaction is superior to digital
• 51:34 — Marriage/outcomes in adversity

Practical Takeaways

• Don’t underestimate physical touch—it literally feels rewarding by design!
• Pay attention to which side you show in photos—the left side is more expressive and emotionally appealing.
• Small talk with strangers, brief social interactions, and even a pet’s gaze can significantly boost your mood and reduce stress.
• If you’re feeling isolated, remember the brain’s tricky wiring may make interaction feel daunting at first—but gentle exposure and low-pressure encounters (even with strangers or pets!) can help reset and “oil” those social circuits.
• Strong social ties—even (and especially) long-term relationships—have tangible, measurable effects on both mental and physical health.

An episode packed with mind-bending fun facts and practical neuroscience, this installment encourages you to appreciate your body’s quirks and to connect with others in simple, meaningful ways. Whether you pet your dog or say hello in the checkout line, you’re giving your brain—and your whole body—a powerful health boost.