*Podcasts Archives

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We’ve been spending most of our time with just the people we live with – and Valentine’s Day won’t be any different. A new survey by dating app Plenty of Fish found that 65% of respondents said they would be spending Valentine’s Day with their “quaran-team” at home. And 70% said they felt less pressure around Valentine’s Day than they had in years past. Even so, people are optimistic about finding love in the new year, with 57% of the singles surveyed saying they were optimistic about finding “The One” in 2021. And this is interesting: 57% also said they are now more open to dating people they wouldn’t have before. And it looks like the pandemic has brought out the romantic sides of people. 58% of those surveyed said romantic gestures are more important to them now than they were before COVID. And it may gave made them nicer, too. 39% of the people surveyed said they think ghosting will become a thing of the past once the pandemic ends. (SWNS)

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Do you buy gifts for your pets for Valentine’s Day? If you do, you’re not alone. Last year, roughly 28 million dog-owning households gave their pup a Valentine’s Day Gift and 17 million got gifts for their cats. Americans spend an estimated $751.3 million on gifts for their pets on Valentine’s Day. (Good Housekeeping)

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Speaking of pets … Can you tell what your pet is thinking? Seems a lot of people think so. A recent survey found that 76% of the pet owners polled said they can always tell what their pet is thinking by the look on his or her face. 80% of respondents believe their pet has a “very distinct personality.” And 55% say they share similar personality traits with their pet – which probably explains why 64% described their pet as smart. (SWNS)

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With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, here’s a good question: Do you believe in soulmates? Seems romance is still alive and well, because according to a new YouGov poll, 60% of the more than 15,000 Americans surveyed said they believe in soulmates. Just 23% said they don’t believe in the concept, and 18% were unsure. Women were more likely than men to believe in soulmates – 64% vs. 55%.

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Would you refuse to date someone because of their zodiac sign? Seems there is a particular sign that most people stay away from. Can you guess which one? We’re looking at you, Geminis. A survey asked respondents to think about the relationships they’ve had, and to name a sign they would never date again. 46% picked Gemini. Cancer was the second “least date-able” sign with 37% choosing it, followed by Taurus (36%), Aries (34%) and Leo (31%). (SWNS)

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What is the length of your relationship in dog years? If you feel like the pandemic has “aged” your relationship, you’re not alone. In fact, Groupon teamed up with a Cambridge mathematician to develop a formula to come up with the “dog years” equivalent of what a year together during the pandemic is in relationship years. Seems a year together in the pandemic is about four relationship years. (SWNS)

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There’s an asteroid out there that’s supposedly the size of the Golden Gate Bridge that’s on course to zip past us around March 21st. It’s somewhere between half-a-mile and a full mile in diameter — and it’s traveling at a speed of 21 miles per second. This thing is big enough and will be close enough for NASA to classify it as “potentially hazardous.” But don’t worry. Scientists say that we shouldn’t panic because it will be 1.25 million miles away when it flies by.

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Does virtual “love at first sight” exist? Apparently so. A new survey found that 47% of respondents believe it is possible to find “love at first sight” in a remote dating world. The survey also found that one-third of those polled said they had said “I love you” to someone they had only met online. (SWNS)

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Beware Valentine’s Day scams … Yep, even the day of love comes with problems. Valentine’s Day is a great time for singles to mingle, but if you’re planning to spend the night chatting with potential matches on dating apps, experts at the Better Business Bureau, say be on your guard. Valentine’s Day is also a popular time for scammers to try and steal personal information from unsuspecting singles. Your best defense is a good offense — so always reverse image search photos of potential matches to make sure you’re speaking with your actual match, and be very cautious if you take your conversation private and your potential love interest starts asking for incredibly private information or they attempt to jump from getting to know you to madly in love in the blink of an eye. If you suspect catfishing, stop all communication and be sure to flag the account with the dating site. (ABC-11)

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An auction house in Culver City, California, is selling a bunch of tools used by spies from back in the 1940s and ’50s that used to be on display at the KGB Espionage Museum in New York City.

Lots of these gadgets feature hidden miniature cameras and microphones. There are belts, packs of cigarettes, wallets and ashtrays — and even dinner plates.

To be clear, these aren’t props from movies. They’re real tools used by real spies back in the day. (The Wall Street Journal)

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CBS says 96.4 million people watched the Super Bowl. It was the lowest rated Super Bowl in the last 10 years. 101.3 million people watched last year’s Big Game. The most watched Super Bowl of all time was in 2015 when New England played Seattle. 114.4 million people watched that game. Still, when’s the last 96 million of us did the same thing together in unison?

TODAY IS: National Pizza Day

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OK, time for some honesty … Is Valentine’s Day a “real” holiday? According to a new YouGov poll, the majority of respondents said it wasn’t. 57% of the more than 21,000 adults surveyed said Valentine’s Day was a holiday people wouldn’t celebrate it if it wasn’t pushed by “commercial entities.” Only 28%  said Valentine’s Day was a “real” special occasion. But, hey, get this … Guys are slightly more romantic than women — with 30% saying they think Valentine’s Day is a “real” special occasion – compared to 25% of women. The genders were pretty evenly split in thinking Valentine’s Day was a commercial holiday – with 56% of men and 58% of women agreeing. But even though we know that Valentine’s Day is a day to get people to spend money on flowers, cards, chocolates and more … 57% of respondents overall also said they had a positive opinion on Valentine’s Day. That one broke down to 61% of women feeling positive about the day and 53% of men.

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Speaking of Valentine’s Day … Jilted lovers who find themselves suddenly single heading into Valentine’s Day can make themselves feel a little better … by having a shelter cat poop on their ex. For a $10 donation, The Lexington Humane Society in Kentucky will write your ex’s name inside a litter box and then wait for a kitty to come along and literally do to your ex, what your ex figuratively did to your heart. A post on the shelter’s Facebook page reads, “Our adoptable kitties have your back and will dump all over your ex. Cats can be spiteful creatures, and trust us, they are more than happy to take a #2 on your former #1.” The “Dumps for the Dumped” promotion ends Friday.

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What’s your go-to drink on a first date – and does it matter? Apparently, it does. A survey found that 79% of respondents said a person’s choice of alcoholic beverage is important on a first date. And what is the most romantic beverage? 41% said red wine, followed by champagne (38%) and white wine (37%). The least romantic drinks? Vodka and soda and gin and tonic – which got just 14% of the vote. (SWNS)

National Football Hangover Day…for obvious reasons.

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Going Dutch on the first date is the new norm … A new survey found that 56% of singles think the bill should always be split on the first date. Even those planning to pay for the date have expectations … 68% said they expect their date to at least offer to pay half. (SWNS)

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Tip of the day: Don’t put Gorilla Glue or Liquid Nails or any other adhesive on your hair … TikTok might be a treasure trove of awesome beauty tips and styling tricks, but not every person offering advice actually knows what they’re talking about. Case in point, #gorillagluegirl. Chances are you’ve seen the viral video featuring a young woman who ran out of hairspray and decided to use gorilla glue spray adhesive on her head instead. Yeah, she actually did that. Not only did it glue her hair to her head like a Ken doll, but it resulted in a trip to the emergency room. Gorilla Glue even reached out to offer suggestions, but the outlook was grim because apparently her hair had been glued to her head for a month – so treatments like rubbing alcohol combined with shampooing with warm water no longer worked. According to the brand, it’s likely she actually glued her now broken hair to her scalp! Sadly, the hospital sent her home with suggestions for removal, and the latest YouTube video had her and a friend attempting — through much pain — to try to remove the glue. We are all waiting anxiously for updates and hoping for the best, but PSA: Don’t use Gorilla Glue or any adhesive on your hair … ever. (Health)

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Forget flowers this Valentine’s Day … You can now get your sweetie a Maine Lobster tail bouquet. Really … what’s more romantic than a lobster dinner? And now you can get a bouquet of them delivered to your door. Each bouquet kit comes with four 5- to 6-ounce lobster tails straight from Maine waters. And the best part? It helps support local lobster men and women. Click here for all the details. (Eating Well)