Radiolab: Ringtones

Last month, a report came out detailing some of the ways in which expectations affect our responses to pain medications. And according to an article about this report in The Baltimore Sun, one factor that influences our expectations is price. The article goes on to explain that two groups of test volunteers were given placebos after receiving an electric shock. One group was told the placebo pills they were given cost 10 cents each. The other group was told each pill cost $2.50. 85% of the volunteers in the $2.50 group reported pain reduction with the placebo, while only 60% of the volunteers in the 10-cent group did.

We hope the fact that this joyful ringtone (from Placebo) is free won’t make you less likely to get a kick out of it.

Right click to download MP3 to your desktop then contact your service provider for further instructions.

Why would a goat stand on a cow? And what on earth does this question have to do with hundreds of mysterious letters from homesick soldiers? We can’t exactly promise definitive answers. But we can promise one heck of a good detective story. The story inspired listener Brett Miller to make this incredible drawing of the “Cordial Cow.” We love it.

Thanks Brett!

And now you can download a ringtone from “Goat on a Cow”:

Right click to download MP3 to your desktop then contact your service provider for further instructions.

Ever had a phrase get stuck in your head? Did it morph into music in your brain? Professor Diana Deutsch explores the phenomenon in Musical Language.

Download an infectious “Behaves So Strangely” ringtone from the show:

Right click to download MP3 to your desktop then contact your service provider for further instructions.