Snapshot · Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast
The reason heroin users can lean at extreme angles without falling is that their central nervous system is essentially in 'sleep mode,' still running but at minimal activity.
Where this was said
At 59:54 · chapter starts 56:00
Shane reminisces about a trip to Minneapolis in the wake of George Floyd, imagining how white locals must have felt watching news about a Somali pirate scheme unfold. Matt then mentions he's seen heroin users in Austin for the first time — doing the full lean on a corner. This launches a group inquiry into the biomechanics of the opioid lean: how do people remain upright while bent at a 90-degree angle on a slanted sidewalk? Shawn looks it up and reports that their central nervous system essentially enters sleep mode — still running, but at minimum activity. Shane half-seriously wonders whether heroin might actually improve your balance at the right dose. The last remaining neuron, they conclude, is purely dedicated to not falling and embarrassing yourself. [1] — Matt McCusker "The guys puzzle over how heroin users can stand bent at 90-degree angles on a slanted sidewalk without falling. The answer, loosely: their …" 57:36
The guys puzzle over how heroin users can stand bent at 90-degree angles on a slanted sidewalk without falling. The answer, loosely: their central nervous system is in sleep mode, still running but at minimum activity. The last firing neuron in a heroin-addled brain apparently says 'do not fall and embarrass yourself.'
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A study found that participants told to try to stay awake while in bed fell asleep faster than participants told to try to sleep — illustrating the paradox of direct effort.
Spencer Greenberg reduced his severe social anxiety dramatically in roughly 6 months through a structured exposure therapy hierarchy, culminating in asking strangers for hugs.
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