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PODCAST

The Brain Candy Podcast

Susie Meister PhD & Sarah Rice AMFT

Laugh and learn with Susie Meister PhD & Sarah Rice MFT from MTV"s The Challenge as they cover psychology, pop culture, human interest, and science, and make everything from The Kardashians to quantum physics accessible to all.

society & culture

All Episodes

01:02:08

897: Air Travel Trauma, Reality TV Inflation, &...

The Brain Candy Podcast ·

2025/03/17

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 is lasting the test of time, thanks to garbage. We get annoyed about clickbait articles that reported the latest "science" on black kitchen tools, but didn't

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01:02:23

896: Testosterone, Nellie Bly, & Gays Gaze

The Brain Candy Podcast ·

2025/03/13

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 of the week with her moxie, courage, and fortitude, and we are hoping for more

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01:06:59

895: Girth Growth, Strippers in Heat, & Therapy Clothes

The Brain Candy Podcast ·

2025/03/10

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 strippers that claims our menstrual cycles demonstrate a period of "heat" and

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00:59:41

894: Love is Blind, Jack the Ripper, & Busy Beavers

The Brain Candy Podcast ·

2025/03/06

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 the Czech Republic that required a dam being built to handle a waterway issue,

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01:06:28

893: Gen Z Lower Case, Brain Break, & Black Genius

The Brain Candy Podcast ·

2025/03/03

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. We talk about a brain surgeon who describes the ways our brains lie to us

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00:56:12

892: Telepathy Tapes, Monopoly Theft, & Purple Lies

The Brain Candy Podcast ·

2025/02/27

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 inability to do anything but rollerblade. We revisit the origin story of Monopoly,

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00:58:54

891: Barkley's Marathon, Monkey Business, &...

The Brain Candy Podcast ·

2025/02/24

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 house again, and Susie is not budging. We learn why handedness is so mysterious

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01:04:42

890: Bob Dylan Science, Making Lemonade, & Broken Hearts

The Brain Candy Podcast ·

2025/02/20

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. Fun! We discuss the concept of "color spotlight effect" and how it can help

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01:05:32

889: Childhood Trauma, Misophonia, & Existential Animals

The Brain Candy Podcast ·

2025/02/17

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 usually directed at one particular chewer. We debate whether animals know

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00:59:14

888: Orion's Shoes, ADHD Longevity, & VIP XXX Club

The Brain Candy Podcast ·

2025/02/13

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 study that showed human babies prefer helpers over "hinderers" was flawed,

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01:01:08

887: Elderly Inmates, Influencer Lawsuit, & Bridge to...

The Brain Candy Podcast ·

2025/02/10

Today we hear why Susie likes asking people uncomfortable questions without people getting offended. We learn about a technology being used to determine the contents of unopened trading card packs so the owner can decide whether to discard them or not, and whether this is an ethics violation of the tradition of collecting. Susie explains why Japan's prisons are showing a huge increase in elderly inmates, and what it says about the country in general. We hear why female nudes in the Renaissance had

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00:57:24

886: Swim Lessons, Mouse 2 Dads, & Optimal Stopping...

The Brain Candy Podcast ·

2025/02/06

Susie got into some trouble (again) and almost got booted from a concert. We hear what Boomerasking is and theorize why it's so common now. Susie tries to figure out why an old clip of Road Rules that she posted was so evocative. We discuss a documentary short film about swimming and consider why it's such a fundamental human skill. We learn about scientists who created mice using the DNA from two males, and why they would want to make people with two dads. Sarah explains what "optimal stopping

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01:08:29

885: Vow of Silence, Soup Candy, & Reality TV Surgery

The Brain Candy Podcast ·

2025/02/03

It's Sarah's birthday month, and Susie is debating what to get the woman who only wants snow. We discuss the SNL documentary, and hear why auditioning for the show is a nightmare, we all need more cowbell, and there is one very weird season of the show that almost ended its run forever. Plus, we predict the show will have much more daming documentaries that come out later. We hear about a man who gave up automobiles after an oil spill in the 70s, took a vow of silence that went on for a VERY long

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01:02:10

884: Audiobooks, Burn the Bra, & Brad Pitt's Girlfriend

The Brain Candy Podcast ·

2025/01/30

Susie somehow convinced Sarah to take off her bra on the air and Susie shares a shocking story about her implants. It's a lot of boob content. We hear what scientists have discovered about how women's bodies are basically going to save the world and we laugh again about them sending a woman into space with 100 tampons. Sarah is celebrating 1 year without a period, and Susie is very jealous. We debate whether reading audiobooks counts as reading and why it's a different experience from reading text

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01:05:46

883: Texas Cheerleader Mom, Egyptian Art Surprise, &...

The Brain Candy Podcast ·

2025/01/27

We discuss the famous Texas cheerleader mom murder-for-hire story from the 90s, and the new documentary that explains why the media got it all wrong and there was a lot more to the story that the public never knew. We talk about the Jerry Springer documentary and how the show with all its wacky guests and wild antics had real life consequences for some of the people who were on the show and the ways the ratings race led the producers to inadvertently hurt some of the guests. Susie talks about a

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00:54:37

882: Online Troll, Feeling Water, & Licorice Poison

The Brain Candy Podcast ·

2025/01/23

The world is on fire (literally and figuratively), but Sarah is showing how she can use her talents and skills to help those in need. We revel in the joy that is women's sports and wonder why some men are bothered by their existence. Sarah was trolled by a man online who criticized her snowboarding skills, and we hear what happened when she messaged him to try to change his mind about how he treats women. Sarah talks about a famous misogynist whose feelings about women might come from his own

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01:00:44

881: Girls Gone Wild, Shrink-Wrapped Dinosaurs, &...

The Brain Candy Podcast ·

2025/01/20

We check in on our New Year's resolutions and hear why Sarah's year is looking much better than last year. We discuss the new Girls Gone Wild documentary, the seeming sociopathy of Joe Francis, and why we as a society were ok with the series's exploitation of women. We explain how the techniques used by GGW to get women to comply remind us of some of our experiences on the Challenge. Sarah describes how much of what we know about how dinosaurs looked is probably inaccurate, some of our ideas about

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01:05:24

880: Lonely Bananas, Appreciate You, & Flat Earth...

The Brain Candy Podcast ·

2025/01/16

Sarah's coming in hot with camp jokes this year. And Susie is pissed about the move from "appreciate it" to "appreciate you," and she wants to know who is behind the shift. Sarah explains why she is a full-fledged "ma'am" these days. Susie shares how a group of flat-earthers went to Antarctica, and most of them realized the error of their ways, but some of them want to "do their own research." We hear about "no-burp syndrome" and how botox is helping these people live a burp-filled life. We debate

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01:00:48

879: Hairy Babies, Leaded Gas, & Air Travel Consultant

The Brain Candy Podcast ·

2025/01/13

Sarah's fear of mysterious wetness might be solved thanks to a researcher who set out to determine what the heck is in those puddles on the subway. We learn about a case of mistaken labeling on medicine that made babies grow hair all over their bodies, and a bunch of other medical mishaps that sparked reform. Susie reveals how she unknowingly became friends with a murderer in real life, and how he was eventually caught. We find out why everyone born before 1996 is at a much higher risk for mental

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01:04:19

878: Telescope Scare, Spanish Scrabble, & Goose Mystery

The Brain Candy Podcast ·

2025/01/09

Susie got an email about a class action settlement for a telescope she bought, but she was asked to answer a very spooky question about it and we have questions. We hear about the new Spanish Scrabble champion and how he was able to win despite not speaking the language, and why we hope he retires from competitive Scrabble. We discuss a goose that was born without feet, the adorable solution to his disability, and the shocking way he died. And we theorize who was responsible for his demise. We

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959 results

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