Practice Makes Permanent

Summary

Wow in the World: "Practice Makes Permanent"

Episode Date: January 12, 2026
Hosts: Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz

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Episode Overview

In this lively, imaginative episode, Mindy, Guy Raz, and their crew tackle an important question: does practice really make perfect—or just permanent? Through wild antics, laugh-out-loud moments, and a deep dive into neuroscience, the team explores how practicing a skill doesn’t just improve performance but literally changes the brain, making our habits—good or bad—stick for the long term.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Organ Lesson Goes (Hilariously) Awry

• [02:23-06:05] The adventure begins in Mindy's gingerbread mansion, where Mindy struggles to play her “baseball stadium organ,” resulting in a cacophony so intense it shatters glass and lures in the whole neighborhood.
  • Mindy blames her lack of progress on tricky keys—turns out she left ham inside the organ!
  • Professor Cadenza, her exasperated organ teacher, reminds:

    “Practice makes permanent. And if you continue to practice incorrectly, you will only remember how to play incorrectly.” — Professor Cadenza [04:29]

  • The gang jokes about Mindy's seemingly never-ending journey to competence.

Why Isn't Learning Easy? (Scientific Explanation Incoming!)

• [06:41-07:54] Guy Raz points out that if learning new things were easy, everyone would be an expert, but science shows why that isn’t the case.
• He teases that there’s a "scientific argument for why practice is important," piquing everyone’s interest—especially Mindy's.

  “Scientific argument. Okay, now you got my attention, Guy Raz.” — Mindy [07:46]

The Brain Science of Practice

• [07:54-10:25] Guy Raz shares a recent scientific study published in Nature by UCLA and Rockefeller University researchers:

  • Mice were trained to recognize and recall odors in a certain order.
  • Researchers observed the mice’s brains, watching up to 73,000 neurons at once with a powerful microscope.
  • At first, the neural activity was chaotic—“their brain's neurons were going bonkerballs.” — Mindy [11:26]
  • With practice, neurons organized and firing patterns became orderly.

• [12:04-13:16]

  “As the mice continued to practice and get better at remembering their smells in the correct order, their neurons stopped going bonkerballs and began to organize themselves.” — Guy Raz [12:20]

“Practice Makes Permanent” — Not Just Perfect!

• [13:16-14:06] The crucial lesson: practice doesn’t automatically make perfect, but it does reinforce whatever is being practiced, correct or incorrect.

  “Practice makes permanent.” — Guy Raz [12:39 & 15:57]

• Explains why it’s important to practice the right way so you don’t accidentally perfect mistakes!

Why Study Mice? The Human Connection

• [13:19-13:44] Mice brains are a great model for human brains.
  • “They're like teeny, tiny human brains that you can fit in your pocket.” — Professor Cadenza [13:40]
  • This parallel implies that human brains also reorganize themselves through repeated practice, enabling us to form lasting memories and skills.

The Big (and Noisy!) Finale: Practice in Action

• [14:13-16:05] Inspired by the science, Mindy decides to practice her organ with fresh determination.
  • As she keeps at it, her playing actually improves, delighting the gang (and their ears).
  • The repeated refrain, “Anything for science!” rallies everyone to support Mindy’s effort.
  • “All that practice is making permanent memories in my brains.” — Mindy [15:41]

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Memorable Quotes & Comedic Highlights

• On teaching struggles:
  “Why is this so hard?” — Mindy [05:37]
  “You must have a head full of ham if you think you can teach Mindy how to play that thing.” — Grandma G Force [05:39]
• On practice:
  “But I’m too lazy to practice, Guy Raz.” — Mindy [07:09]
  “Because if it was easy, then everyone would be playing the baseball stadium organ.” — Guy Raz [07:31]
• On science:
  “With Practice, our neurons or brain cells can change and get better at doing tasks like remembering things.” — Mindy [13:55]
• On perseverance:
  “Just keep practicing, Mindy. And remember, practice makes permanent.” — Guy Raz [15:57]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:23-06:05]: Mindy’s organ lesson fiasco
• [06:41-07:54]: Why skills are hard to master
• [07:54-10:25]: Scientific study of mice practicing scents
• [12:04-13:16]: Neurons organize through practice
• [13:19-13:44]: The mice-human brain comparison
• [14:13-16:05]: Mindy’s breakthrough and the power of practice

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Episode Tone

True to "Wow in the World" style, the episode is energetic, silly, and packed with playful banter, sound effects, and memorable gags. The hosts keep things light while delivering meaningful science insights, making complex concepts accessible for families and kids.

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Conclusion

This episode is a fun, science-packed reminder that whether you’re learning the organ or training your brain to remember smells, practice doesn’t automatically make you perfect—it makes whatever you’re doing permanent. So, practice the right way, and stick with it. Or as the Wowzers would say, "Anything for science!"

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Transcript

[A]

Hey, wow fams. Mindy here. And before we start the show.

[B]

Surprise.

[A]

If you are a member of our world organization of wowzers, allow me to introduce our mystery member T shirts. Grown Ups. When you add a mystery T shirt to your new membership order, we will randomly select one of our wow. T shirt designs and add it to your welcome kit. It could be a design featuring Reggie Dennis or something totally bonkerball. Reggie, I can't tell them which T shirt they're gonna get cause that would ruin the surprise. And there are even more surprises for our WoW members throughout the year. Like our quarterly pigeon droppings being delivered in your mailbox from Reggie. Plus birthday cards and access to members only events like listening parties. Plus every membership helps to support our podcasts and Tinkercast's mission to spread WOW to families and teachers the world for free. Grown ups. To sign up for a full year of WOW, visit tinkercast.com wow and for an extra element of surprise, don't forget to add a mystery T shirt to your welcome kit. Once again, that's Tinkercast.com Wow. That's it. And now let's get back to the show.

[B]

Proceeded. 3, 2, 1. Mission. The bubbles are a mixture of magnificent proportion I don't know what you've been told we're in a golden age so many discoveries that are jumping off the page While in the world wow. In the world wow. In the world wow. In the world wow. In the world Houston.

[C]

What in the. I better go out there and see what's going on. Maybe it's an emergency.

[B]

Hi, Guy.

[C]

Dennis, are you hearing the sounds coming out of Mindy's gingerbread mansion? You think everything's okay in there?

[B]

This is so hard.

[D]

Oh, I'm sure everything's fine, Guy Raz. That was good, Melinda. But let's take it again. Only this time, try to do it like I taught you.

[A]

I am trying, but this baseball stadium organ just won't cooperate.

[B]

See?

[D]

Well, that's because you've got bits of ham wedged between the keys.

[A]

Oh, I was looking for that ham.

[B]

Yes.

[D]

Take it from the top. A 1, 2, 3. 2, 2, 3. Oh, wow. That sounds a little better. Mindy must have finally removed the ham from the keys of her baseball stadium organ.

[C]

Mindy plays the organ?

[D]

Well, she's taking lessons.

[B]

Okay, how's this?

[A]

Am I doing it right?

[B]

Huh?

[D]

1, 2, 3. 2, 2, 3. Stay on my.

[B]

What is it gonna take to get a wolf to blow that house down?

[E]

Yeah, it sounds like there's a demonic baseball game going on. In there.

[D]

Hi, Tommy. Hi, Granny G. Hush, boy. Ooh, what you got there, Grandma G Force?

[C]

What are you doing with arms full of glass shards?

[B]

This is the window from my diaper house. And that cheese curdling sound coming out of that candy house broke it.

[C]

And you carried the shards of it over here?

[B]

Yeah.

[D]

I can't believe Mindy's organ plane can break glass.

[E]

What in the World Wide Web is going on in there?

[C]

Well, apparently Mindy is having an organ lesson, but I'm not sure it's going so well.

[B]

I think I'm really getting the hang of it.

[D]

Melinda, you have got to practice more. Practice, practice, practice.

[B]

Ugh. I know, I know, I know.

[A]

You've been telling me that every lesson for the last five years.

[D]

Five years.

[B]

She should get her money back.

[D]

Well, practice makes permanent. And if you continue to practice incorrectly, you will only remember how to play incorrectly. Now try it again from the top.

[C]

Oh, no.

[D]

One, two, three. Two, two, three.

[B]

Okay.

[D]

Okay, Melinda, that will be quite enough for today, I think. Thank you. Now, please practice before our next lesson. And keep the keys free of ham.

[A]

Yes, ma'. Am. I mean, sir.

[B]

Well, I'm gonna go up there and eat that pipe piano ham.

[E]

Ooh, I was thinking the same thing. That is a noisy hamstrument.

[D]

Oh, excuse me. I didn't know Melinda was expecting company.

[B]

She's not.

[D]

Who's Melinda?

[E]

Are you the fellow responsible for all that racking up there?

[D]

My name is Professor Cadenza, and I am a world renowned pipe organ Instructor with over 20 years of experience in the world of. I beg your pardon.

[B]

Why is this so hard?

[E]

Well, what G Force means is that you must have a head full of ham if you think you can teach Mandy how to play that thing.

[D]

Why, I never. If you'll excuse me, I must be going. I'm giving a lesson to a very talented and dedicated baby. Goodbye.

[B]

Bye. Well, don't let the door crumble on you on the way out.

[C]

What's going on with that guy?

[D]

I think he's mad because Mindy's so bad.

[B]

Ooh, nailed it.

[C]

You know, maybe we should go upstairs to Mindy's music room and check on her. Follow me, everyone.

[B]

Okay. Well, okay, as long as the hammer's up there, I guess. Knock, knock. Yeah? Surprise.

[E]

It's us.

[A]

Dennis.

[B]

Guy. Raz.

[A]

Grandma. G Force. Thomas Fingerling. What are you all doing here?

[B]

We've come to put that instrument you're torturing out of its misery.

[A]

You mean my baseball stadium organ?

[E]

Stand back, Cindy. I'm gonna throw that Thing out the.

[D]

Window and then set it on fire? What?

[C]

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. What if all Mindy needed to make this organ sound like a musical instrument was practice?

[E]

Practice?

[B]

I do not know what that is.

[A]

Practice.

[B]

Ugh. Why does everyone keep saying that?

[C]

Because, Mindy, if you want to remember the lessons that your organ instructor is teaching you, you're gonna have to practice and practice and practice some more.

[A]

But I'm too lazy to practice, Guy Raz.

[B]

Practicing is just not fun. I want to be good at playing.

[A]

The baseball stadium organ now.

[E]

Yeah, my ears want that too.

[D]

Tee hee.

[A]

Why can't how to play the baseball stadium organ just be easy?

[D]

Yeah, Guy, why can't learning to play the baseball stadium organ just be easy?

[C]

Because if it was easy, then everyone would be playing the baseball stadium organ.

[E]

Oh, actually, that sounds really fun.

[B]

No.

[C]

Mindy, what if I told you there was a scientific argument for why practice is important?

[A]

Scientific argument. Okay, now you got my attention, Guy Raz.

[B]

No, no, no, no.

[A]

Let him speak. Go on, Guy Raz.

[C]

Okay, so I just read this really interesting study in the scientific journal Nature. It was a study conducted by researchers from UCLA in California and Rockefeller University in New York. Huh?

[B]

Ooh.

[C]

Grandma G. Force. Do you mind? I'm trying to tell a story here.

[B]

And I'm trying to play this brass tutor.

[D]

Sounding great, Granny G. Go on, Guy Raz.

[C]

So, as I was saying, these researchers wanted to better understand what happens in the brain when we practice something again and again and again.

[B]

Uh huh.

[C]

And they specifically wanted to know how practice affects the brain's ability to remember and process information.

[A]

Ah, the working memory.

[C]

Exactly.

[B]

Huh?

[C]

Ooh. Thomas Fingerling, what are you doing? Nothing.

[E]

I was just trying to tune this old banjo over here. Here we go.

[B]

Hey, Fingerling, let's do a duet.

[E]

Okey dokey.

[B]

Yay.

[D]

A five, six, seven, eight.

[B]

Cool.

[A]

So, Guy Raz, for the researchers to learn how practice affects the brain's ability to remember stuff, they must have had to conduct an experiment or something, right?

[C]

Exactly. And for this experiment, they trained mice to sm.

[B]

Big whoop. I can do that.

[E]

That's true. She does smell, Fingerling. Like a flower.

[D]

Aw, you too?

[E]

A corpse flower.

[D]

Oh, that's a bad smell.

[B]

Ahem.

[E]

Sorry, Guy. Sorry, sorry.

[D]

Go ahead, Guy Raz. Give us the story.

[C]

So, to begin this experiment, the researchers first spent two weeks training mice to recognize and remember several different scents in a specific order.

[B]

Oh, well, I'm a wee little mouse and mm, mm, mm. I smell skunk, sewer gas, and a hint of rotten eggs. And I'm a little mouse, too. A really cute one. But that ain't rotten eggs you're smelling. Excuse me.

[F]

Squeak, squeak.

[C]

And while the mice were practicing their smelling, the researchers studied their brains with special and very powerful microscope.

[D]

Okay, you mice, I'm just gonna hook this super duper super powered microscope up to your tiny little brains here.

[B]

Toodala. Squeak, squeak. Boy, you get out of my brain or I'm gonna.

[C]

This microscope was so powerful that it could observe the activity of up to 73,000 neurons at a time.

[A]

And neurons are brain cells that help to send messages. Right.

[C]

And what they found was fascinating.

[D]

Oh, wow. This is fascinating.

[A]

What did the researchers find, Guy Raz?

[C]

Well, they found that when the mice were first learning to identify their smells.

[B]

In order, flowers, cookies, shrimp cocktails, the.

[C]

Neurons were a bit random, just sort of all over the place.

[B]

Oh, yikes.

[A]

So basically, their brain's neurons were going bonkerballs.

[C]

Well, yeah, I guess you could say that.

[A]

But what happened as the weeks went on and the mice continued to practice their smelling?

[C]

Well, something amazing happened. Something.

[D]

Wow.

[B]

Flowers again. Cookies. I remember that one.

[D]

And.

[B]

Yep. Shrimp cocktail. Shrimp cocktail. Ours. Quirky's shrimp. Cactus.

[A]

What happened, Guy Raz?

[C]

Well, they discovered that as the mice continued to practice and get better at remembering their smells in the correct order.

[B]

Skunk. So we're gas. Rotten eggs. Oh, excuse me.

[C]

Their neurons stopped going bonkerballs and began to organize themselves.

[B]

So we're Guy Oz. Rock made scum.

[A]

Wait a minute, Guy Raz, this evidence would suggest that.

[B]

Oh, no.

[C]

Oh, yes, Mindy. Practice makes permanent.

[B]

Ah, bonkerballs.

[C]

The more they practiced, the better they were at remembering the correct order of the smells.

[B]

Sewer gas. Rotten eggs. I'm the best at this. Flowers. Cookies. And let me guess. Shrimp cocktails. Cookies. Shrimp cocktails. Oh.

[D]

Oh, wow.

[A]

Well, too bad it won't work for me. I'm not a mouse.

[E]

Neither are we. I just play a mouse on tv.

[C]

Well, actually, Mindy, the reason scientists often study the activity in mice brains is because mice brains that are very similar to human brains.

[D]

That's right, Guy Raz. I'm a scientific researcher and I know things. And I can tell you that mice brains are structured and work a bit like human brains, only they're cuter.

[C]

What?

[D]

And smaller. They're like teeny, tiny human brains that you can fit in your pocket.

[C]

Which makes them a pretty good model for understanding how our human brains work.

[D]

Oh, cool. I mean, scientists. I already knew that.

[A]

So what you're trying to tell me, Guy Raz, is that with Practice. Our neurons or brain cells can change and get better at doing tasks like remembering things.

[C]

Yes, Dennis. I'm the narrator.

[D]

Oh, sorry, sorry, sorry.

[C]

So, in the spirit of Anything for Science, do you think that maybe by practicing your organ you'll begin to remember the correct notes and give my ears a break?

[B]

Yeah. Cause you sound real bad.

[D]

Come on, Mindy, you can.

[C]

Anything for science.

[A]

Okay, fine. Anything for science. Guy Raz, hand me my sheet music, please.

[C]

Here you go.

[A]

Okay, here goes nothing. On the count of three.

[B]

One.

[E]

Would you look at that?

[B]

Two. Whatever. Three. Please, everyone, be patient.

[A]

I'm trying to practice.

[D]

Sorry, Mama.

[B]

Hey, do you all hear that?

[A]

And again.

[E]

It's a miracle.

[B]

It's working.

[D]

Guy Raz. The more she practices, the more she remembers the right notes to the song.

[B]

Well, I can't hear nothing. I got my fingers in my ears. Did you all hear that? I did it.

[A]

All that practice is making permanent memories in my brains.

[B]

Frag. Wait, wait, wait, wait.

[A]

Let me do it again.

[B]

Ah, bonkerballs.

[A]

I thought I had it.

[C]

Just keep practicing, Mindy. And remember, practice makes permanent.

[A]

Okay, here we go again.

[D]

1, 2, 3. 2, 2, 3. Huzzah.

[B]

All day. Wow in the World. We'll be right back, grown ups. This message is for you. That's it. Back to the show. Wow in the World.

[A]

Hi, thanks for calling wow in the World. It's officially Summer of Wow time. When you hear the beep, record your Summer of Wow moment.

[F]

Hi, my name is Josephine and I'm from Austin, Texas. And my summer memory is when I went to Pleasure Pier, I went on a ferry trip that was 100ft in the air.

[B]

Fine.

[F]

Well, you go and say hi to dinner.

[B]

Ahoy there.

[F]

I know you're static man.

[C]

What?

[D]

No, I'm not static man. We just look alike and sound alike.

[F]

And baby girl and Thomas Fingerling from Grandma. Geez. For it's up.

[B]

Woo.

[F]

And snow. The snow cat.

[B]

Bye.

[F]

My name is Nathaniel. I live in Washington D.C. and every year we do a summer reading challenge and go to the pool and it's really fun. Hi, mind Guy Raz. My name is Olivia and my summer of wealth is that I went to Washington D.C. and I went to the White House. Say hi to Dennis. Hi Reggie and everyone on the show.

[E]

Ooh, cool dude.

[B]

Bye.

[F]

Hi, Minnie and Guy Raz. My name is Eleanor and I. My summer of wow is going to southwest Michigan and spending the weekend with my mom and my sister at the lake. Please say hi to Dennis. Hi there, Reggie. Thomas Fingerling.

[D]

Gnarly Grandma.

[F]

G force. Oh, yeah and my favorite the Slay Cat. Hi Hi Mindy and Guy Raz. I live in Santa Barbara, California and my summer WOW moment was getting to hang out with my little brother and going to the Nickelodeon Water park. Say hi to Reggie, Dennis, Grandma G Force and Thomas Fingerling for me. Bye. Love your show.

[B]

End of Messages.

[C]

Wow in the World is written by Mindy Thomas and Tom Van Kalken with help from me, Guy Raz.

[A]

Original sound design and music editing is done by Tyler Thole with help from our supervising producer Jett Anderson. You can also hear Jed Anderson in the voices of Dennis, Thomas Fingerling, Reggie and many of the other silly characters that you hear on our show. And Lizzie Freilich can also be heard as some of the silly characters on our show.

[C]

Jessica Bode keeps our facts straight as our fact checker and Meredith Halpern Ranzer powers the WOW at Tinkercast.

[A]

Our theme song was composed and performed by by three time Grammy nominees the Pop Ups. Find them at thepopups.com Special thanks to.

[C]

Kit Ballinger, Rebecca Caban, Dr. Natasha Crandall, Kenny Curtis, Kristin Yang, Thuy Mak, Erica Medina, Henry Moskal, Jody Nussbaum, Ali Paksima, Linda Rothenberg, Steph Sosa, Joanna Weber, Anna Zagorski and all of the other tinkerers at Tinkercast HQ.

[A]

And to keep the wow rolling after you finish this episode, visit [e-mail] There you can become a member of the World Organization of Wowzers to get year round mailings and weekly activities. Shop our wow Shop, get tickets for upcoming events, find our best selling books and learn about some of the other amazing podcasts from Tinkercast Grown Ups.

[C]

You can follow wow in the World on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @wowintheworld. And our email address is [e-mail] and.

[A]

If you're a kid with a big wow to share with us, call us at 1-888-7-WOW-WOW for a chance to be featured at the end of our show or an upcoming episode of 2 what's in a wow?

[C]

Thanks again for listening. We're here every Monday or you can check out two what's and a wow every Friday right here in the wow in the World podcast feed.

[A]

And don't forget we WOW on the weekend with Dennis Miss Saturday and Sunday.

[B]

Keep on Wowing. Wow in the World was made by Tinkercast and sent to you by Wondery.