What Can We Learn from the Series “Professions”?

Today, I want to share two fascinating sources of information about reality.

First up is a show called “Professions,” available on player.pl.. This series explores various jobs and provides insights from people in different fields, revealing some lesser-known aspects.

While some episodes, like those on the wedding industry, Polish entertainment, plastic surgery, and fortune-telling, didn’t grab me, I found valuable takeaways from episodes featuring hairdressers, dance teachers, tattoo artists, salespeople, and taxi drivers. It’s useful to learn how to avoid scams and recognize potential pitfalls.

Why Does “Once Upon a Time… Life” Still Resonate?

Next, there’s a classic series titled “Once Upon a Time… Life.” It’s currently available as a 13×2 episode series at Żabka stores. It’s a nostalgic favorite for many of us!

We owe our French friends for many things: the Eiffel Tower, fine wines, and this educational series. Naturally, I couldn’t resist picking up a copy and now own most of the series. It’s well-made and a fun way to spend time with friends.

By the way, I’ll always remember being about seven years old when I saw an elderly man in a tuxedo, introduced as a professor, discussing the human heart model on a glass screen. He held a prototype on a TV talk show.

I was amazed to see such a machine inside a person instead of the vague description of two folded rose petals I had been told. Those were the days!

That’s also when I first understood the concept of an ‘abstract symbol,’ which was the term my parents used to dodge my endless questions about the simplified human model they had taught me.

Why Do I Feel So Drained After Traveling?

Let’s talk about travel. Lately, I’ve been exploring the country—festivals, resorts, home, and mountains. During these trips, I’ve wondered why I feel so drained, even as a passenger with no responsibilities.

I should be relaxing, but I often feel like a lifeless body. So far, I haven’t found a satisfying explanation for why I’m exhausted after several train rides.

Online forums mainly discuss the poor state of Polish transportation and road quality. But I believe the real issue is different.

True, breaking your routine and enduring hours in an uncomfortable seat, dealing with subpar restrooms, noisy windows, and bumpy rides can be exhausting. But the real fatigue comes from something else: the constant vigilance required while traveling. Sitting on a train, reading a newspaper, might seem peaceful.

But it demands significant mental effort to stay aware of your surroundings. According to Warm, Parasuraman, and Matthews (2008), sustained vigilance is inherently effortful and stressful for the brain, even when a task looks passive from the outside.

Why Is It Even Harder for Women?

This is even more pronounced for women. According to Loukaitou-Sideris (2014), women routinely adjust their travel behavior out of fear in transit settings.

You can’t enter an empty compartment, use the restroom unless there are at least two strangers around, or let your guard down. You need to be wary of fellow passengers—talkative, drunk, or vulgar individuals (about 60%) are undesirable.

You have to watch what departing passengers take, so they don’t accidentally grab your belongings. You can’t let yourself fall asleep.

You need to time your meals carefully, or you’ll be seeking the restroom soon. Keep an eye on your wallet, documents, camera, and phone. Be mindful of the time, as Polish trains run unpredictably—one delay can affect the entire schedule.

All this might seem trivial, but after a few days, it becomes annoying. After returning to Warsaw, I spent about two days recovering from my vacation. Maybe someone else has a different take on this fatigue.

Where Did the 7%-38%-55% Communication Myth Come From?

One more thing: where did the idea come from that appearance accounts for 55% of speech evaluation, voice 38%, and the message just 7%? This idea has been repeated by PR firms worldwide for years. I’ve heard it stems from misinterpreted research focusing on cases where the speaker’s content didn’t match their behavior.

In those instances, people trusted the speaker’s appearance 55% of the time and their voice 38% of the time.

According to Lapakko (1997), this “7%-38%-55%” figure is a widely misapplied statistic. The original study measured only inconsistent emotional signaling, not general communication effectiveness. According to Mehrabian and Wiener (1967), the source experiment compared tone and content only for single spoken words.

Does anyone know the exact origin of these stats? It’s intriguing since 7% for the content seems oddly low.