Americans

If you are in a situation where temptation is near at hand and I know many of us would say well that's not me but I would ask you where's your cell phone right now for example uh then you are dramatically more likely to indulge in that temptation perhaps to your later regret.

If you don't wanna eat something put it far away if you do wanna eat it put it close at hand if you don't wanna look at your phone don't charge it in your bedroom as the vast majority of Americans in my research uh with Gallup [laughs] like apparently do.

Um if you have no problem with your phone at night then it doesn't matter but you know those are just in some ways trivial examples of how your physical situation changes what you think about and, and then in turn what you end up doing.

But of course there are people too I think one of the things that is striking about the last fifteen to twenty years of American culture is that we're spending less time with people so our situations don't have people in them as much as they used to and one of the big lessons of, of the achievement research that I've been doing and that of other scientists is that it is almost always easier to achieve a goal if you are striving toward that goal in the company of others who have the same goal

If it isn't there you cannot eat it.

I m- and, and that's essentially at a very low level what you're talking about yes?

It is and what my research shows I, I surveyed hundreds of Americans asking them really almost exactly that question Mike like you know would you like to eat less junk food unanimously yes like we asked them um what do you think people should do? And they said oh they should not, not bring junk food in the house if you're gonna have it in the house put it on a high shelf try to buy things in smaller packages uh try not to buy junk food at all.

So these are all situational solutions then we ask them same people same Americans w- what do you do? Well I use willpower right? So I think we know at some abstract level or some intellectual level that the best way to change ourselves is to change our situation first and yet so many of us wait around until the heat of the moment and then say yeah but I won't eat that I won't scroll on that I won't do that and, and that to me is, is, is a big mistake

No one knows how heavy an elephant is.

Like, uh, well, me, it's Americans don't, 'cause in Africa, we measure everything in elephants.

It works for us.

[laughs]

The environment, both our climate, actual climate, and our political environment.

Two scholars estimate that twelve point five million childless Americans have forgone parenting at least partially because of climate concerns.

How did that show up for you as you were reporting this?

Um, there's a couple in the book that, you know, bless them, they're so sweet together.

[laughs]

[upbeat music] If we want Americans to like rugby, do we have to play there more often?

Probably from a viewership point of view, yes.

I think having more big games in America would be great for the Americans to buy into the concept.

Uh, we all know that rugby in 2031 is gonna go to the, to the States, uh, the World Cup.

So I think having more games there would be great for World Rugby.

The people of America, oh, I don't know if those, most of the people that were there were fully on South Africans or people from New Zealand, but all we know is that the stadium was packed and it was a vibe, and I would have loved to be there and, uh, it was great.

Would you be happy if tries were touchdowns and props were line, linemen? [laughs]

The numbers are incredible.

1.9 billion people around the globe live with chronic pain, and it's thought that up to 100 million Americans are living with chronic pain.

And to say clearly, none of us is going to escape pain.

Pain comes for all of us one day, if it hasn't already, whether it's back pain or inhabiting an aging body.

[chuckles]

But he'd already convinced hundreds of thousands of Americans that the Bible was the literal truth, and this last book in the Bible- ... was coming to pass.

Mm-hmm.

His followers, even when the end didn't come as he predicted, still thought he was correct in general, he'd just misinterpreted the date.

Mm-hmm.

But of course, they came out horribly in terms of public perception.

The day after the event, about 65, 70% of Americans polled believed that the government had acted responsibly.

Sure.

Okay.

Um, but the atmosphere was absolutely brilliant and I think I may have said, uh, [laughs] look at me going, "I think I may have said." Um, so many Americans I bumped into-

Mm

... and they're just in love with Australia.

Okay.

So the big sell point for cruising, especially for African Americans-

Mm-hmm

...

It was never fired, though.

The British and Americans have weapons called the Mallet's Mortar and Little David, respectively, and they have a caliber of 36 inches, so even bigger, or 914 millimeters.

These were fired but never used in combat.

The Nazis did build the Dora and Schwerer Gustav, and they have a caliber of 80 centimeters, or 31 inches.