Quick Smart

If you're in a relationship with someone in the same profession as you, you're not alone. Most people are, and there are stats to prove it. So why do we end up with people just like us, and what does this say about us as a society?

The US election is around the corner, and the polls are neck and neck. Both candidates are zeroing in on key voter groups that could win them the election.

How much should inner peace cost? For the people selling the idea of mindfulness and inner peace the price tag can be limitless. Apps, retreats, balms and oils, mindfulness is now something you can buy. So how did a practice with ties to an ancient religion turn into a mindfulness industrial complex?

Around the globe, governments have been shifting across the political spectrum. Have some leaders exploited the public's desire for change, and are we seeing an increase in dictators and demagogues?

The advent of dating apps gave a whole new meaning to the phrase 'plenty of fish in the sea.' Suddenly, you could cast your search for 'the one' into the limitless depths of the internet. So why are people ghosting the apps and instead looking for love IRL?

The prince of Saudi Arabia has a vision for a sci-fi like city in the middle of the desert called NEOM and he wants you to move in.  The futuristic sci-fi city is being spruiked online by influencers and if you've seen the marketing you might think it's too good to be true.  So will the prince's sci-fi dreams turn into reality and why does he want to get people to move to the middle of the desert in Saudia Arabia?  Guest: Matt Bevan for If You're Listening  If you liked this episode you might like this one Your cheat sheet for the US Presidential election or this one on why we don't have driverless cars yet.

How much is that doggy in the window impacting climate change? And do we need to take paws for thought before buying a pet?

Amidst the culture wars and identity politics stirred up during the election campaign, can Kamala Harris secure the presidency and make history?  And if history is made do her policies align with the progressive youth base that have memed her into a lime green oval office, or are these voters not seeing the forest for the coconut trees?

The whole world is moving towards a cashless future. So what does our digital money future look like and is it for the best?

Sex tech conjures up images of hot robots sent from the future and while that might be where this multi million dollar industry is headed - for now a big slice of the demand is from people hoping to enjoy their own body so why do we make that so hard for people living with disabilities? And who are the inventors and engineers breaking down the taboos to create the products that suit their needs? Guest - Rebecca McLaren for the Health Report  If you liked this episode of Quick Smart you might enjoy our chat with Lucy Sweeney about the neuroscience of singing in a choir or our episode with James Purtill on why we still don’t have driverless cars.

Linguists have discovered that teenage girls play a significant role in shaping our future vocabulary. But how do 16-year-old girls end up being the arbiters of what we will and won't say?  Guest: Fiona Pepper for Future Tense

Where is the case now and when will mushroom murder-accused Erin Patterson face trial? We find out and get into the weeds about the legality and ethics of making a true crime podcast happening in real time.  If you liked this episode of Quick Smart you might like this other episode we did about The truth behind reality TV villains or this one about The mysterious disappearance of Agatha Christie

When you fall asleep do you dream of falling Tetris pieces? There’s a name for this – the Tetris Effect. Scientists have been investigating its use in boosting creativity and productivity and brands are trying to figure out how to monetise it. So just how malleable does playing video games make our minds? And is it possible for companies to use this research to hijack our dreams?  Guest: Shelby Traynor for All In The Mind If you liked this episode of Quick Smart you might like this other episode we did about whether we're all too addicted to our phones or this one about how to find out whether you're in introvert or an extrovert

Cryptocurrency and block chain technology has dramatically shifted the way criminals launder money - so what are the techniques some criminals are using to clean dirty money and what does it have to do with a video game about salamanders?  Guest: Nick Baker for The Money and ABC Digital  And if you liked this episode check out some of the other episodes we've made with The Money like this one about how the RBA wants you to lose your job, or this one about how the Australian housing crisis got so bad.

If you’re a woman between 25 and 45 on Instagram there’s a good chance you’ve seen ads for egg freezing. And in recent years, the popularity of IVF clinics has sky rocketed - so much so that the clinics are are actually starting to run out of storage space. So what has led to the huge uptick in people wanting to freeze their eggs and is it actually the insurance policy that people think it is? Guest: Sophie Kesteven for ABC News   And if you liked this episode check out our episodes about office romances with Zoe Ferguson or the woman who got a Pap smear everyday for 21 years with Belinda Smith.

The Olympic Games are about to kick off and athletes from all over the world will make their way to France to compete. The event is watched by billions, there's a massive increase to local tourism and of course an eye watering amount of advertising dollars at stake so it’s wild to think that at one stage - the Olympics was almost cancelled for good.  Guest: Jack Schmidt for God Forbid

In the back of our minds we all know that there’s very little that’s real about reality TV… but you might be shocked to discover just how deceptive – and ethically questionable – some of the television tactics really are. So are the humans behind these characters we love to hate really so awful? And how does being cast as a TV villain impact a person’s mental health and life outside the show? And a content note: this episode contains discussion of suicide and mental health.  Guest: Annika Blau for Background Briefing

Social media is a huge part of our lives. We use it to talk to friends, to read about what’s happening in the world, and to find out whether or not something is cake. But recently there’s been talk of banning people under the age 16 from using social media because of the negative impact on their mental health and to protect them from harm. So is the government’s plan for age restriction really the best way to tackle this crisis? And will it actually improve the wellbeing of kids or will it just push their social media use underground?    Guest: Ange Lavoipierre Technology Reporter for ABC News

Whether you're singing in a karaoke room at 2am, or at a more reasonable time with a local choir, there’s something about singing without inhibition that feels great. Our brains get this warm fuzzy feeling when we come together and sing as a group - and it turns out there's neuroscience that backs that up. So what are the health benefits for our brain and mental health? Should we all be joining a community choir? Guest: Lucy Sweeney for ABC Online

On average Australians spend around three hours on their phones everyday - and experts believe our screentime is impacting our relationships, our ability to focus and our health. So is phone addiction really as bad for us as we think? And what are the health benefits of putting down your phone once and a while and breaking the cycle? Guest: Anna Kelsey-Sugg for ABC Online

If we want to avoid the worst of the climate crisis, it's vital we switch to clean energy and fast. Wind and solar have long been on the agenda as clean forms of power to replace coal, but more recently in Australia there's been a charged political discussion about nuclear.  So how would implementing nuclear energy actually work? And is it a better option for power than the tried and tested methods of solar and wind? Guest: Tim Leslie, ABC News Climate Lead ABC News article on CSIRO GenCost report ABC News article explaining nuclear power in 12 numbers Quick Smart climate anxiety episode Quick Smart driverless cars episode

Death is something we don’t really like to think about. But when you or someone you love becomes ill, it’s important to be able to have a conversation about end of life care in a respectful and informed way. Despite being legal, there are still obstacles to accessing voluntary assisted dying or VAD, and because no one likes to talk about it, these issues are often discovered when it’s too late. So how can we ensure those who want to make the choice to end their life can do so with safety and dignity? Guest: Annika Blau for Background Briefing

Australians have been in the midst of a cost of living crisis for a while now. Groceries are more expensive. Petrol is more expensive. Rent is more expensive. We're all in the same boat, so why is talking about money still so taboo? And what can we do to feel more in control of our finances?   Guest: Maani Truu from ABC Online

Banning books feels like a thing of the past. A humble past-time of authoritarian leaders and churches trying to control the way people think. These days; thanks largely to our streaming services, it seems we’re reading much less than we used to. But in the last few years 10,000 books have been banned in the US alone. So why is the number of banned books sky rocketing? Guest: Sarah L'Estrange for The Book Show

We spend more of our waking hours at work than anywhere else – and by extension, a lot of time with our colleagues. That might explain why up to half of us have been in a workplace relationship. So is it true a successful office romance can make you a better worker? And what about if it's your colleagues who are involved in not-so-subtle flirting while you’re just trying to get your job done? Guest: Zoe Ferguson for This Working Life

TikTok has over a billion users and counting. Recently there’s been a lot of talk about the national security threat that such a large user base owned by a Chinese company poses and now the US government has just passed a bill banning TikTok all together. So how did TikTok turn videos of synchronised dancing and lipsyncing into a multi-billion dollar business? And is the company’s Chinese ownership really as dangerous as governments would have us believe? Since this episode was recorded US President Joe Biden signed a law that would ban TikTok unless it was sold within a year.  The measure formed part of a bill providing foreign aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan and stipulates that the parent company ByteDance must sell its stake in TikTok in 12 months under the threat of being shut down.  Guest: Jen Leake for Rear Vision

AI is already impacting the way we work, the way we design and the way we think but there’s a growing concern that soon it’s going to start impacting the way we vote. And it’s got governments and regulators scrambling. So with AI-generated images and videos flooding the internet, how can voters know what’s real and what’s a deep fake? And what regulations might help control AI without stifling the industry or sending people underground? Guest: Hamish Macdonald for Global Roaming

With more Australians working from home than ever, the lines between work and leisure time have really blurred. With so many huge advances in technology why does it sometimes feel like we're working more not less than peasants in Medieval times, and with our always on lifestyles have we actually forgotten how to stop and smell the flowers? Guest: Anna Kelsey-Sugg for ABC Digital

Outside of the Olympics or the driveway to the United Nations, how often do you think about flags? Countries and states have them but Australian cities have them as well. And unsurprisingly for something that was created largely during colonial times, nowadays these flags can feel a little problematic. So what’s the history behind our city flags? And is it about time we gave their tired old designs a bit of a refresh? Guest: Nick Baker for ABC Digital

When it comes to finding and sharing news, one third of Australians use Facebook. But that’s about to change because Facebook’s owner Meta has decided to stop paying Australian news outlets for their news. So what impact will Meta’s decision have on the way news is shared in this country? And will the news vacuum lead to an uptick in misinformation? Guest:  Technology reporter James Purtill for ABC Science

The Royal family has a knack for being the centre of controversy. And over the last few weeks - rumours about the health and location of Kate Middleton have reached a fever pitch. So is she actually recovering from an operation or is it something much more sinister? What is Kate’s media team trying to hide? And what does the Royal family owe the public in terms of transparency about their health? Guest: Lucia Stein for ABC Online

There’s nothing wrong with a healthy celebrity obsession - but throughout pop culture history, fan girls have had a bad rap. While being an expert on a topic is seen as intellectual being a fangirl is often portrayed as hysterical, immature and downright creepy. So why aren’t the same judgements made about male-centric fandoms? And why do we care so much about what women do with their spare time? Guest: Anna Levy for ABC Digital

In the early 2000s the Christian rock scene was a billion dollar industry, there were huge international acts, massive multi-day festivals and thousands of album sales - but with the growing popularity of music streaming and TikTok that's all coming to an end. So just how much longer does Christian music have left? Guest: Rohan Salmond for Soul Search

Cheeseburger, roast duck, grapefruit, sizzling steak and cucumber are flavours you expect to find in a supermarket, but perhaps not in the potato chip aisle. But due to huge leaps in food science, there are now 1400 chip flavours and that number is rapidly increasing. So, is there a limit to how many different flavours we really want on our chips? And what sort of broader benefits are there from scientists breaking down new chip flavours? Guest: Bel Smith for ABC Science

Taylor Swift just set the record for the biggest crowd of her career in Australia. And while the most successful female artist playing to half a million people should be the biggest story right now - she’s found herself at the centre of conspiratorial fantasies sweeping American right-wing politics. So why is the far right so obsessed with Taylor Swift? And now that Joe Biden has been pulled into the drama could the conspiracy theories be true? Guest: Lucia Stein for ABC Online

In November Americans will head to the polls to vote for their next president. And it’s looking like the contenders will be Joe Biden and Donald Trump. The catch is, while running for president, Trump is also facing 91 charges. So can he still run for the top spot if he’s in jail? And why this particular election is so important to people around the world. Guest: Matt Bevan for If You're Listening

In the last few months there have been some very close calls with planes. In Japan a plane burst into flames on the tarmac, and a plane in Alaska lost a door mid flight, so just how safe is air travel really? And are all the recent technological advances improving flights or creating more room for malfunction? Guest: Lucy Sweeney from ABC Digital

For most of history believing in UFOs and aliens has been considered pretty fringe… that is until now. In the last few years talk of UFOs has become so mainstream that it has been the topic of debate in the US Congress, and now NASA is doing its own research. So was the X Files actually factually accurate? And could aliens have been watching us this whole time?   Guest: Taryn Priadko for Rear Vision

Despite how true personality tests might feel, a lot of them are pseudoscience. But it turns out there is science behind at least one of the big personality factors: introversion versus extroversion. So what makes someone an introvert or an extrovert? And is one innately better than the other (because it turns out one is on average happier!) Guest: Sana Qadar for All in the Mind

The harsh reality of being an adult in Australia is spending a huge chunk of time talking about house prices! So what’s the deal with our housing obsession? Is it possible to afford a home anymore without getting help from the bank of mum and dad? And how is the housing crisis further entrenching our growing class divide? Guest: Richard Aedy for the Money

For better or worse, ultra processed foods are the backbone of many of our diets. But much like their effect on our cholesterol, blood pressure and waist lines, the evidence that they do us harm is rapidly increasing.  Guest: Jen Leake from Rear Vision

AI is impacting every creative industry - and movies are no exception. If a young Harrison Ford can be churned out of a computer, what does the future of film look like? And would you feel differently about your favourite TV show if you knew the characters in it were created by a computer? Guest: Bev Wang for Stop Everything! This episode was originally published in January 2024

If you’re a fan of detective novels you’ll know this name almost as well as you know your own: Agatha Christie. She’s the mind that created Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, and she put the Orient Express on the map... But there’s one Agatha Christie mystery that’s never been solved – and you’ve probably never heard of it. It’s the story of her own disappearance, on one December evening in 1926. Guest: Bec Armitage for ABC Online

Recently, a tiny, pesky parasite called the varroa mite was detected in Australia for the first time, and already they are absolutely wreaking havoc on bee colonies. Bees are fundamental for Australia's produce, without them - we'd lose a third of our fresh fruit and vegetables. So what impact will these mites have on our food supply? And is there anything we can do to stop them wiping out local bees entirely? Guest: Carl Smith from ABC Science

On any night, around half of people aged 10 -17 in detention facilities across the country are Aboriginal or Torres Strait islander, but Indigenous people only make up 3% of the population. So why are so many Indigenous kids ending up behind bars? And what the programs that are trying to stop that from happening? And are they actually working?

Have you ever thought about the origin of the pap test? Admittedly, most people would prefer not to think about pap tests at all, so spare a thought for the woman who endured a vaginal test every day for more than 20 years. So, why on earth would this woman subject herself to such a thing? How did her doctor husband get all the credit? And what groundbreaking medical discoveries can be traced back to her sacrifice?

The concept of a 15 minute city - where neighbourhoods provide life's essentials in 15 minutes by foot or bike is almost as old as urban planning itself. But recently, this idea has become a flash point for conspiracy theorists. So, while new developments are built at pace to keep up with Australia's housing shortage how should we be thinking about the cities of the future? And is there something sinister about keeping everything in the neighbourhood?

Within a month of its launch, ChatGPT had 100 million users. Suddenly AI was doing our assignments, proofreading our emails, and planning our holidays. But in the process of absorbing all this information - AI has been learning a great deal about us humans. So how soon will artificial intelligence eclipse human intelligence? And what happens if AI decides that it’s had enough of us?

There are people who love Disney and then there are people who really really love Disney. Disney adults are a rapidly growing group who have all the costumes, they know all the songs and some have even sprinkled a loved ones ashes in a Disneyland. So it is possible to love Disney a little too much? Guest: Rohan Salmond from Soul Search

In the last decade the body positivity movement has been deprogramming our pop culture brains from believing being thinner is better. Finally we’re seeing diverse bodies on runways, on television, and on magazine covers and the supermarket. But is the rapid rise of weight loss drugs like Ozempic… about to change all that? This is not the first time drugs have promised to make us all thin… In fact diet pills have a pretty long history involving experiments on kids, heart problems and even deaths. So will things be different this time?

Indigenous fashion is having a moment. But with the boom has come a conversation about whether this trend is commodifying culture, are artists being fairly compensated and are big brands the ones benefiting from aligning themselves with a movement rather than actually doing the work. So, if you want to invest in Indigenous fashion, how can you ensure your money is actually going to Indigenous creators?

There comes a time in every kid's life when they realise their parents can't make them do anything. As we grow up we realise that social rules are there for a reason, but what happens if you continue to disobey the rules? Since the pandemic, more and more people are calling themselves 'sovereign citizens', and they believe the law shouldn't impact the way they live. So what happens to the social fabric when certain members of society opt out of the law?

When someone says "I've got goss" we get a visceral reaction, it brings out the best and the worst in us. So why is it that we absolutely cannot resist the goss? We have an insatiable appetite to hear about the private lives of celebs – people we'll probably never meet in real life… but beyond providing good banter about who is sleeping with who does gossip have a role to play in keeping society running smoothly?

Something weird happened in the last 12 months or so – it's the fact that all your friends – and perhaps you as well – have ADHD now. So where did this ADHD spike come from? Just how big is the gap between people seeking treatment and those able to give it? And if people are being overdiagnosed, or underdiagnosed, or diagnosed with the wrong thing… what are the risks?

Why do so many people suddenly have ADHD? What happens when you opt out of the law? Could Disney become a new religion? Is AI really going to supersede all our jobs? We've all been there… sitting with our friends at dinner, when some smart conversation starts about something that you maybe probably should definitely know about but you don't because you can't possibly read everything… Introducing Quick Smart — the show that feeds you big ideas in bite-sized pieces hosted by Tegan Taylor your fellow busy person who sometimes needs a little cheat sheet on the big stories. The first episode drops June 8.

Jingle Bells, Rocking Around the Christmas Tree, Walking in a Winter Wonderland....You know it's almost the end of the year when you can shamelessly blast your Christmas playlist. We know all the words to the songs, we sing them every year, but have you ever given much thought to where those songs came from? And isn’t it about time we had some tracks about Australian Christmas? Guest - Anna Levy for ABC Online

More people are working from home now than ever. Which means everything we've been told about workplace culture and standing desk ergonomics is out the window. So how can managers know that people working from home are actually working from home? Well... some have taken to spying on their employees.  Guest: Sophie Kesteven from the Law Report

Scrolling on instagram it’s impossible to avoid people giving their unsolicited advice - about fashion, the news, or the latest food trend. But with the rise of the hot take, comes the people trying to monetise this advice in the form of life coaching… and unfortunately a lot of people looking for real help are falling into the trap. Guest: Kellie Scott for ABC Online This episode was originally published in November 2023

Driverless cars feel like they've been "two or three years away"… for the last 10 years. So why don't we have them yet? What technical and ethical hurdles do we still need to overcome to finally make robots our designated drivers? Guest: James Purtill from Science Friction.

What makes a man, a man? Well eating copious amounts of red meat of course – at least according to certain corners of the internet. The alt-right has made mass beef consumption their business, and this comes at a time where climate scientists and animal activists are urging people to eat less meat to help the planet. So why is the alt-right so focused on eliminating “soy boys” and getting into that Bronze Age Grindset? Guest: Jonathan Green for Blueprint for Living This episode was originally published in November 2023

The term Stockholm syndrome has become a phrase we throw around to describe people in toxic relationships and bad jobs, but originally it was a diagnosis for a young woman who fell for her captor during a week long bank heist. But it turns out the psychologist who first invented the term never even met the the woman. So what’s the history of this strange syndrome? Is it an early understanding of what we now call coercive control or is it all just a sexist myth? Guest: Bec Armitage from ABC Online This episode was originally broadcast on the 7th July 2023.

The Olympic Games are about to kick off and athletes from all over to the world will make their to France to compete. The event is watched by billions, there's a massive increase to local tourism and of course an eye watering amount of advertising dollars at stake so it’s wild to think that at one stage - the Olympics was almost cancelled for good.  Guest: Jack Schmidt for God Forbid

We've all been there. Laying on the couch after a long day of work, paralysed by the task of choosing what show to watch. We're so spoiled for choice — and there are thousands of new shows hitting multiple platforms everyday. The big streaming services — like Netflix and Amazon argue that television writers are getting more money up front — but the writers say it's become impossible to make a living. So how has the streaming industry changed the way television is created? And is Netflix and Chill about to be cancelled? Guest: Hannah Reich from ABC Arts Digital

It's no secret we should be working a little bit less, and sleeping a little bit more. And in the age of the always on hustle, some people are doing just that - and these "Sleepfluencers"are making a whole lot of money. So who are these people that are cashing in on their sleep cycles? Why are people paying to watch strangers sleep? And how could the online phenomena of sleepfluencing be a gateway to better mental health?  Guest: Anna Levy from ABC Digital

We all try to do our bit for the climate, we say no to plastic bags, we consider buying an electric car, we bring our keep cups to the cafe...but it’s going to take us drinking from a keep cup everyday for 100 million years to cancel out the problems caused by the big polluters - so how do we get everyone on the same page? Are we incentivising the wrong things when it comes to climate? And, should we be thinking about ways to make the economy a little less single use, and a little more circular and sustainable?  Guest: Antony Funnell from Future Tense

In the last little while, you've likely told someone "you've had a busy few weeks", or "work is so crazy right now" but can you actually remember a time when you weren't busy? Will the busy-ness every stop or are we destined to feel like we're on the cusp of burnout for the rest of our lives? Is it possible to reach that mystical balancing point where we can be productive at work but also have enough of ourselves left for the other parts of our lives too? Guest: Lisa Leong from This Working Life

Around 85% of the world’s population is religious. And 22% of the world’s population is on TikTok, so it makes sense that a whole lot of religious content is making it’s way into people’s feeds. So with more and more people of faith getting online, is TikTok about to become the new religious pulpit? How is the advent of the religious influencer changing the idea of faith? And how can we ensure people aren’t radicalised by disinformation and those all-knowing algorithms? Guest: Sami Shah from God Forbid

On October 14th, Australians will head to the polls to vote in the Voice referendum. An important vote which could ensure Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a say when it comes to matters relating to them. In our history, we’ve only had 44 referenda and of those, only eight have been successful. So will this one buck the trend? And will it really improve the lives of Indigenous people? Guest: ABC Indigenous Affairs reporter and host of The Voice Referendum Explained Carly Williams

Summer in the northern hemisphere was the hottest on record. There were unprecedented wildfires and floods resulting in mass destruction and deaths, so what does that tell us about what summer will be like in Australia? And after already experiencing such widespread devastation during the 2019 bushfires, how can we better handle the spike in our collective climate anxiety?  Guest: Nate Byrne from ABC News

The term Stockholm syndrome has become a phrase we throw around to describe people in toxic relationships and bad jobs, but originally it was a diagnosis for a young woman who fell for her captor during a week long bank heist. But it turns out the psychologist who first invented the term never even met the woman. So what’s the history of this strange syndrome? Is it an early understanding of what we now call coercive control or is it all just a sexist myth? Guest: Rebecca Armitage

Unless you’re living under a rock, you’ve heard of the recent hike in RBA interest rates. But let’s face it, with the cost of housing as it is, living under a rock is looking more and more likely. These increases are a measure to curb spending to bring down inflation, but the RBA is secretly hoping something else will happen …. and that’s for you to lose your job. So do we really need inflation to be below 3%? And in a cost of living crisis, why is it better to have higher unemployment? Guest: Richard Aedy from The Money

There's nothing better than disappearing into a good book. You can fall in love with people who have never existed and revel in events that never happened. But how does your perception of that book change when that author isn’t who they made themselves out to be? There's a long tradition of literary fraudsters in Australia, So why are we still so scandalised when this happens? And why is it still so hard to catch an errant author at it – what other hoaxes could be out there? Guest: Sarah L'Strange from The Book Show