Catitude

Good morning Staker! Here’s what’s cookin’ today. Coffee and tea might safeguard against dementia, three things the best communicators do, and what’s the deal with sourdough 🍞

But first our weekly poll!

Have you ever wondered why every loaf of sourdough bread tastes a little different from the last? A study published this week in Microbiology Spectrum figured out why.

The study’s researchers wanted to investigate the microbial variations that would occur based on the flour used in a sourdough starter, along with how often the yeast was fed over the course of 28 days.

They created 18 different variations: six using whole-wheat flour, six using bread flour, and six using all-purpose flour. Three of each were fed every day, and three of each were fed every other day.

A sourdough starter is a living concoction of yeast and bacteria, with the flour choice and feeding frequency all playing a part in altering the DNA of the microbial communities over the course of the month, which in turn alters the flavor profile of the finished product.

They found starters made with whole wheat flour contained higher levels of Companilactobacillus bacteria, bread flour starters showed higher levels of Levilactobacillus, and all-purpose flour produced higher levels of Lactiplantibacillus  and Furfurilactobacillus.

Ultimately, each of these bacterial variations can affect the flavor of a sourdough loaf, and the study only involved 18 different combinations of starter preparation. Overall, flour choice, starter feeding frequency, and yeast dominance are all incredibly variable, explaining why every loaf of sourdough bread can seem so unique.

A recent study published in JAMA built on the body of evidence that regularly consuming certain amounts of coffee or tea can be a defense against dementia—even for those who carry the APOE4 gene or other high-risk factors for Alzheimer’s.

“The overall patterns were broadly similar across genetic risk groups, suggesting these behaviors may be relevant across genetic risk levels—not only among people at lower genetic risk,” said lead study author Yu Zhang, MBBS, MS, Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

The researchers analyzed data from two previous studies: one conducted by the National Health Service, featuring 86,606 women with an average age of 46.2 years, and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, featuring 5,215 men with an average age of 53.8 years.

The participants were surveyed every two to four years, and were required to provide information that included their coffee and tea consumption, among other habits.

The study found the lowest levels of cognitive decline and lowest risk of developing dementia in those who consumed two to three caffeinated cups of coffee per day, or one to two cups of tea. Decaffeinated beverages were found to have no significant influence on maintaining cognitive health.

According to Charles Duhigg, author of Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection, there are three things the best communicators know how to do and practise regularly.

“You could be the smartest engineer on Earth, you could be the most creative ad guy on the planet, but if you can’t communicate with your co-workers and your clients and your stakeholders, it’s going to be really hard for you to succeed,” he told CNBC Make It.

In reality, the three communication keys are pretty intuitive to most people, but it’s not always the case that they practise it. For example, if you want to be on the same page with others, you have to—surprise, surprise—listen to what they’re saying back to you, and one way of proving you’re doing that is by saying their answer back to them.

“The goal here is not mimicry,” Duhigg says. “The goal here is to prove to them that you’re thinking about what they’re saying, you’re taking it in, you’re processing.”

Asking deep questions is another key. While it may be polite to ask “inviting” questions like “what were your thoughts on the meeting?” or “did you watch last night’s episode?” Duhigg’s philosophy would yield something more along the lines of “what made you get into this line of work?” or “where do you stand on how the main character treads the line between moral and practical?”

On the topic of practical, there are three types of conversations: practical, emotional, or social. Duhigg’s third key requires making sure all parties know which type of conversation they’re having. You can read more here.

The Australian Pink Floyd Show (TAPFS) isn’t your run-of-the-mill cover band. Often referred to as “the gold standard” of tribute artists, TAPFS has sold over five million tickets worldwide since forming in 1988 in Adelaide, South Australia.

They played at David Gilmour’s 50th birthday, who ended up joining them for a few numbers during the event. They also just announced they’re bringing the great cover gig in the sky back to North America this summer for The Happiest Days of our Lives - Greatest Hits tour.

The tour begins July 16 in Irving, Texas, and will conclude on Sept. 21 in Kitchener, Ontario. It will feature some of Pink Floyd’s biggest hits, a ten-piece band, lasers, video animations, and just about anything you could dream of in a tribute to one of the greatest progressive rock bands to ever exist.

"The band see it as a tremendous honor to play this music to fellow fans, some of which may never have seen Pink Floyd perform or maybe reliving their youth and with our audience ranging in age from young kids with their parents to grandparents," said singer Chris Barnes. "It’s common to see several generations of a family all sat together lost in the music and show."

Tickets are officially on sale today at Ticketmaster.

Mixing it up

Happy Friday! It’s time for another round of trivia à la carte.

We’ve got a set of 10 random questions—the only thing connecting them is that they’ll make sense if you’re a Staker! So walk on down memory lane with today’s trivia!

Complete the game and earn a shot at a $25 eGift Card ;)

Winner will be notified on Monday afternoon. Keep an eye on your inbox and don’t forget to check your spam folder!*