Uploaded March 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Before land surveys became a thing, olde timey English people would remember parish boundaries by inflicting trauma upon children. As the congregation walked the perimeter of their community, they’d throw kids into rivers, push them into thornbushes, and even bounce them off rocks to ensure they never forgot where their land ended, and potential encroachers’ land began. And since there’s some science behind physical strain and memory encoding, I want to find out if this medieval practice can help me with modern-day education. Can acute stress help us learn more effectively? And with cold water being touted as a treatment for everything from for depression to obesity, I take a cold plunge into a wintry Lake Ontario to see if it helps with memory as well.
The stress and learning study I’m primarily working from: rdcu.be/c545Y
Note: Polar Bear Plunges can be dangerous. The human body’s immediate response to cold water immersion includes elevated heart rate, feeling of panic, body contractions, and shallow breathing. Seriously, if you’re thinking of trying this for yourself, check with your doctor first and do it with a friend who can help if things go sideways.
Episode Chapters
Chapters
0:00 Icy Plunge!
0:41 Intro/beating the bounds
1:30 Claimed benefits of ice baths
2:35 Stress and learning
3:48 Test part 1 – no stress
4:49 Part 2 – with stress
5:05 Test results
5:53 Conclusion
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About Know Brainers
We’re a group of non-experts attempting to satisfy our curiosity by asking questions and finding answers.
Before land surveys became a thing, olde timey English people would remember parish boundaries by inflicting trauma upon children. As the congregation walked the perimeter of their community, they’d throw kids into rivers, push them into thornbushes, and even bounce them off rocks to ensure they never forgot where their land ended, and potential encroachers’ land began. And since there’s some science behind physical strain and memory encoding, I want to find out if this medieval practice can help me with modern-day education. Can acute stress help us learn more effectively? And with cold water being touted as a treatment for everything from for depression to obesity, I take a cold plunge into a wintry Lake Ontario to see if it helps with memory as well.
The stress and learning study I’m primarily working from: rdcu.be/c545Y
Note: Polar Bear Plunges can be dangerous. The human body’s immediate response to cold water immersion includes elevated heart rate, feeling of panic, body contractions, and shallow breathing. Seriously, if you’re thinking of trying this for yourself, check with your doctor first and do it with a friend who can help if things go sideways.
Episode Chapters
Chapters
0:00 Icy Plunge!
0:41 Intro/beating the bounds
1:30 Claimed benefits of ice baths
2:35 Stress and learning
3:48 Test part 1 – no stress
4:49 Part 2 – with stress
5:05 Test results
5:53 Conclusion
Subscribe to Know Brainers on YouTube
@KnowBrainers
Follow us on TikTok
tiktok.com/@knowbrainers
About Know Brainers
We’re a group of non-experts attempting to satisfy our curiosity by asking questions and finding answers.
