An Icy Challenge, Accepted | StarTalk
So check this out. You guys are both athletes. So I read this great article, and it was talking about how athletes are able to deal with pain unlike regular people. Non-athletes cannot deal with pain the way athletes. So it's real. Because I was suspecting that was true, but you're saying that the research verifies that. Research vers it out. And so, because I know that you're an athlete, I--
In my day, in my day,
In your day. Well, yeah. Well, I'm just going to continue. Next to me, you are an athlete.
OK. All right. All right. So there's a little thing called the pressure test. You know what the pressure test is, right?
NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: Yeah. And most people can only do that for, I don't know, maybe 30 seconds before the pain that is associated with the cold causes you to pull your hand out. Because you can't find the last Budweiser at the bottom of the--
[laughter]
CHUCK NICE: Which is how I-- Beer drinkers are good at this, presumably.
CHUCK NICE: That's right. OK.
CHUCK NICE: So I wanted to see if your resistance to pain was any higher than a regular person's resisting to pain, and that would be me.
- Oh, so what, are you going to punch me in the face?
CHUCK NICE: So I have a bucket of ice. Come here.
NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: Oh, you're going to do the ice challenge.
CHUCK NICE: Yes, I have it right here.
Oh! Oh! Hey. Simmer down.
Oh, you have two, we have two.
Oh! One for each of us. Fantastic.
Oh! OK, I can tell you already I don't want to do this.
[laughter]
All right, let me get a thing out, you know what I mean. You're going to get an arm out? So the idea is you stick your hand in the ice, and the first person who pulls it out is the person who has the least resistance to pain.
I got a feeling that will be me, because I stub my toe and I call out of work.
[laughter]
All right. So we just do this.
CHUCK NICE: Yes.
OK.
CHUCK NICE: And we can continue on with this show.
Right, right. Because I can't wait around for this.
Right. Are you ready?
OK. Let me get mine a little closer.
CHUCK NICE: Yeah, and I'll get mine over here.
All right.
OK, but I got to continue to show.
OK. We can continue the show.
NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: OK. Ready? Ready?
NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: OK. Three, two, one, go.
So here's something interesting. Athletes-- I have to pee. --they sit in ice baths. They sit in ice baths to-- you know, pitchers. You were a pitcher in baseball. Didn't you ice down your shoulder?
SPEAKER: Yes.
NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: Yeah, OK.
[laughter]
(LAUGHING) Chuck, what's the matter? What's the matter, Chuck?
[laughter]
This is [bleep].
[laughter]
So is this mental toughness here?
All right, that's it.
Oh my god.
NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: What is going on here? Is it mental toughness?
[applause]
No, no. Just to be clear, it's not that this doesn't hurt me. It's just that I'm OK with it.
You are a dominatrix best dream.
[laughter]
NEIL DEGRASSE TYSON: OK.
[applause]