The Brain Candy Podcast

Susie is pumped about a new documentary about a treasure hunt, and we realize we've been on the air so long that we've covered this hunt's beginning, its controversies, the treasure's discovery (???), and now the doc. We learn why it tells us a lot about human psychology, passion, addiction, celebrity, risk-taking, and more. We discuss scholarship on luck, and why sociologists tend to ignore it. We debate whether there eve...

Nobody ever tells you that aging is mostly just getting weird things on your body that you may or may not have to worry about. And this is officially an old lady podcast. Sarah is obsessed with Love on the Spectrum and she explains why the people on the show are so adorable and why we wish neurotypical dating was this good. Susie thinks Sarah might be on the spectrum, so we're considering whether she fits the bill. We thin...

Susie shares a horrifying story about a babysitter who had to fight off a real monster. We talk about why kids should never be the butt of any joke and we want anyone who is mean to a kid to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Susie is mourning the death of Hooters, but Sarah is not sad one bit. We discuss the history of the franchise, why they ended up failing despite the ironclad business model (boobs), and wher...

We recorded on April Fool's Day, so we had to complain about pranks and prankers who commit them. But Susie thinks Sarah is a prank enabler. We discuss a large cluster of people in a small town who contracted ALS, and we learn what might be causing it. Sarah explains how a person gets a star on the Walk of Fame and why it's not on merit alone. But we are enraged about one particular star, and how it desecrates the whole Wa...

Susie had a crazy celebrity encounter in LA, and it made her year. We learn how one man's OCD was cured through a violent act, and what it can teach us about the disorder. We find out whether old people find other old people attractive, and Susie thinks it says something about self-esteem. We talk about how language is changing because of the internet, why we all speak more similarly now, but the changes happen more rapidl...

We have a very special guest with us today! We brought in our old pal, Tiffany who was Kathy Griffin's assistant and star of "My Life on the D List!" We were psyched! We found out if she's a saccral sister too. We learn how a little girl completed a science project and made a wild discovery about goose poop. We find out why an art gallery got raided recently, and we're annoyed. Sarah explains why the more we access a memor...

Sarah's under the weather, but we can't let it get in the way of our 900th episode celebration! Susie tells us that a rare Charizard hit the market, and it's a Cheeto. We're pretty psyched about it, but not as psyched as whatever fool paid $90K for it. There's still time to bid on the Cheeto that looks like the Air Jordan logo though, so don't sleep on that. Susie is obsessed with the Gene Hackman death mystery and how it ...

Episode 899 is wild! And we think it bodes well for the 900s coming up. We start with a crazy thread online about whether one could hypothetically read braille with their clitoris (shoutout to the Vagina Museum), and we learn the insane reason doctors miscounted the number of nerve-endings in them. Susie discusses the latest shocking death penalty execution because the prisoner chose death by firing squad, and we learn the...

Sarah roped Susie into watching Love is Blind and now they have to talk about it (even though Susie is mad about it). We discuss the particular hellscape that is a reality tv reunion and the trauma it provides. We discuss why bangs are never the answer and you should never get a tattoo when you're in the throes of life's worst moments. Sarah talks about Belle Gibson who became a successful influencer, cookbook author, and ...

We hear why Susie is working overtime as a mom, but she has faith for a better boy. We discuss the woman who died on an airplane and the flight crew strapped her into a seat next to (living) passengers, and Sarah explains why it was traumatic. Susie talks about how scientists are tracking the age of birds' nests and how they found one that they are lasting the test of time, thanks to garbage. We get annoyed about clickbait...

Sarah got her meds adjusted and she is riding the high of that sweet testosterone that is making her feel some kind of way. All of the sudden she isn't so judgy towards men. What's up with that??? We hear about the amazing investigative journalist that blew the lid of off of mistreatment for mentally ill patients and people unfairly placed into mental hospitals in the 1800s. Pittsburgh's own Nellie Bly is our badass bitch ...

Welp, dudes are getting fillers now, but it's in a different area than women. They're getting their packages pumped up, and we have some questions for the fellas who are shelling out thousands of dollars for more girth, bigger scrotums, and larger resting packages. Susie talks about the Luther Vandross documentary and the tragedy of being famous for romance when your own love life isn't working out. We revisit a study on s...

It's Sarah's birthday party, and we are happy to celebrate this amazing woman! She is talking about her reality tv obsession, Love is Blind, and why the show feels ethical while also shocking enough to make great tv. We hear how the Jack the Ripper serial murder case has finally been solved over 100 years after it happened, and why the detectives got so close, but never finished the job until now. We discuss a dilemma in t...

Sarah is having another medical situation, and this time Susie is blaming all of her wild outlaw habits lately. Susie explains why Gen Z insists on using all lower case letters, and we're wondering if the kids are alright. We discuss the Surviving Black Hawk Down documentary, and the ways the government, society, and media paint a picture of the United States as the "good guy," but often it's just a matter of perspective. ...

Today we're preparing for Sarah's 40th birthday even though she just turned 39. We're going to give ourselves the gift of affordable healthcare for her milestone birthday (and maybe a head to toe spa situation). Susie thinks she is slowly morphing into that annoying tech bro who is trying to live forever. We discuss our fantasies of doing roller derby despite Susie's questionable roller skating training and Sarah's inabili...

Susie's mad at people for how they talk about a common ailment, so we're debating the origins of this odd phrase. We learn about the hardest ultramarathon in the world, the crazy rules around it, and how a woman finally completed it after a 37 year run of only male finishers. A monkey turned off the power in all of Sri Lanka, and it made us realize how tenuous everything really is. We're debating shoes on or off in the hou...

Sarah's love for snowboarding has forced her into sleeping in her car, but don't worry she is armed with aluminum foil to keep her warm. We learn about some scholars who have been sneaking song lyrics into their research and it is Susie's dream come true. Sarah explains how scientists are boring into ice to see into the past, and lord only knows what they'll find. Let's hope it's not a dormant virus we bring back to life. ...

Susie read a controversial article that is questioning the foundation of the psychological field, and explains why the author thinks our focus on our childhoods, trauma, and negativity are actually making us less happy and healthy. And we hear what you should do instead if you want joy and peace. We learn about misophonia and the challenges people face who hate the sound of others chewing, and we hear why their disgust is ...

Sarah went on a date to the nerdiest place ever and we are here for it. And Susie spoke at a university and Gen Z made her have hope for the future. We learn what an ADHD dignosis means for your lifespan and why the symptoms of the disorder affect your longevity. Sarah explains why people are paying $250,000 for membership in an exclusive adult club, and Susie argues they're wasting their money. We learn why the monumental...