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No Stupid Questions

No Stupid Questions

Stephen Dubner (co-author of the Freakonomics book series) and research psychologist Angela Duckworth (author of Grit) really like to ask people questions, and came to believe there’s no such thing as a stupid one. So they made a podcast where they can ask each other as many “stupid questions” as they want. New episodes each week. No Stupid Questions is a production of the Freakonomics Radio Network.

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43 min•
15 Dec

223. What About All the Questions We Haven’t Answered?

How can you learn to love uncertainty? Is it better to cultivate acceptance or strive for change? And, after 223 episodes, what is the meaning of life?  SOURCES:Jessica Alquist, professor of psychology at Texas Tech University.Roy Baumeister, professor of psychology at The University of Queensland.Raymond Carver, 20th-century American short story writer and poet.Stephen Colbert, comedian and late-night TV host.Matt Damon, actor and film producer.Viktor Frankl, 20th-century Austrian neurologist, psychiatrist, philosopher.Steve Heine, professor of psychology at University of British Columbia.Charles Krauthammer, journalist.Reinhold Niebuhr, 20th-century American theologian.Keanu Reeves, actor.Elisabeth Sifton, author, editor, and book publisher. RESOURCES:Start Making Sense: How Existential Psychology Can Help Us Build Meaningful Lives in Absurd Times, by Steve Heine (2025)."Learning to Love Uncertainty," by Jessica L. Alquist and Roy F. Baumeister (Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2024)."Confused or Curious? Openness/Intellect Predicts More Positive Interest-Confusion Relations," by Kirill Fayn, Paul J. Silvia, Egon Dejonckheere, Stijn Verdonck, and Peter Kuppens (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2019)."A Note to Readers," by Charles Krauthammer (The Washington Post, 2018)."Interest — The Curious Emotion," by Paul J. Silvia (Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2008).The Serenity Prayer: Faith and Politics in Times of Peace and War, by Elisabeth Sifton (2003)."Late Fragment," by Raymond Carver (A New Path to the Waterfall, 1989).Man's Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl (1946). EXTRAS:"What Makes an Idea Interesting?" by No Stupid Questions (2024)."Should You Get Out of Your Comfort Zone?" by No Stupid Questions (2024)."Do You Need Closure?" by No Stupid Questions (2024)."Secret o’ Life," by James Taylor (JT, 1977).

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34 min•
8 Dec

222. What Makes an Idea Interesting?

What do Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, and Malcolm Gladwell have in common? Are interesting theories more significant than true ones? And what has been keeping Angela up at night? Plus: an important announcement about the show.  SOURCES:Charles Darwin, 19th-century naturalist and biologist.Murray Davis, cultural sociologist.Malcolm Gladwell, journalist and author.Adam Grant, professor of management and psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.B. F. Skinner, 20th-century American psychologist. RESOURCES:Small Fry, by Lisa Brennan-Jobs (2018).Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, by Angela Duckworth (2016)."Why Malcolm Gladwell’s Ideas Are So Interesting, Whether or Not They’re True," by Adam Grant (Quartz, 2015).David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants, by Malcolm Gladwell (2013).Curious?: Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life, by Todd Kashdan (2009)."Interest — The Curious Emotion," by Paul J. Silvia (2008).Exploring the Psychology of Interest, by Paul J. Silvia (2006)."The Ketchup Conundrum," by Malcolm Gladwell (The New Yorker, 2004)."That's Interesting!: Towards a Phenomenology of Sociology and a Sociology of Phenomenology," by Murray S. Davis (Philosophy of the Social Sciences, 1971).The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, by Charles Darwin (1872). EXTRAS:"How Do You Identify a Narcissist?" by No Stupid Questions (2024)."Is Screen Time as Poisonous as We Think?" by Freakonomics Radio (2024)."Abortion and Crime, Revisited (Update)," by Freakonomics Radio (2024).

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41 min•
28 Jul

205. Where Do Values Come From?

Do you get your principles from your parents — or in spite of them? Is there anything wrong with valuing conformity? And why doesn’t McDonald’s sell salads?  SOURCES:Erika James, dean of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.Olivia Rodrigo, singer-songwriter.Shalom Schwartz, professor emeritus of psychology at the Hebrew ‎‎University of Jerusalem.Thomas Talhelm, professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. RESOURCES:"Measuring Trends in Americans' Personal Values," by Frank Newport (Gallup, 2023)."America Pulls Back From Values That Once Defined It, WSJ-NORC Poll Finds," by Aaron Zitner (The Wall Street Journal, 2023)."What Really Happened To McDonald's McSalad Shakers," by Colin McCandless (Mashed, 2023)."Personal Values Across Cultures," by Lilach Sagiv and Shalom H. Schwartz (Annual Review of Psychology, 2022)."Moving Chairs in Starbucks: Observational Studies Find Rice-Wheat Cultural Differences in Daily Life in China," by Thomas Talhelm, Xuemin Zhang, and Shigehiro Oishi (Science Advances, 2018)."Large-Scale Psychological Differences Within China Explained by Rice Versus Wheat Agriculture," by Thomas Talhelm, Xuemin Zhang, Shigehiro Oishi, Shinobu Kitayama, et al. (Science, 2014)."An Overview of the Schwartz Theory of Basic Values," by Shalom Schwartz (Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2012).The Short Schwartz’s Value Survey, from "Measuring values with the Short Schwartz's Value Survey," by Marjaana Lindeman and Markku Verkasalo (Journal of Personality Assessment, 2005). EXTRAS:"Should You Get Out of Your Comfort Zone?" by No Stupid Questions (2024)."How Sinful Are 'No Stupid Questions' Listeners?" by No Stupid Questions (2023)."hope ur ok," song by Olivia Rodrigo (Sour, 2021).

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40 min•
16 Jun

200. What’s the Difference Between Empathy and Sympathy?

Can you ever really know how another person feels? What’s the best way to support a grieving person? And why doesn’t Hallmark sell empathy cards?  SOURCES:Daniel Batson, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Kansas.Paul Bloom, professor of psychology at University of Toronto.Paul Polman, businessman, author, and former C.E.O. of Unilever. RESOURCES:“Empathy, Sympathy, and Emotion Regulation: A Meta-Analytic Review,” by H. Melis Yavuz, Tyler Colasante, Emma Galarneau, and Tina Malti (Psychological Bulletin, 2024).“Have Some Sympathy,” by Pamela Paul (The New York Times, 2023).“What is Club 33? Inside Disney’s Most Exclusive Club,” by Evelyn Long (Walt Disney World Magazine, 2022).“The Case Against Empathy,” by Sean Illing (Vox, 2019).Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion, by Paul Bloom (2016).“Beautiful friendship: Social sharing of emotions improves subjective feelings and activates the neural reward circuitry,” by Ullrich Wagner, Lisa Galli, Björn H. Schott, Andrew Wold, Job van der Schalk, Antony S. R. Manstead, Klaus Scherer, and Henrik Walter (Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 2015).Just Babies: The Origins of Good and Evil, by Paul Bloom (2013).The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery (2006). “Immorality from Empathy-Induced Altruism: When Compassion and Justice Conflict,” by Daniel Batson, Tricia Klein, Lori Highberger, and Laura Shaw (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1995).“The Four Horsemen: Contempt,” by Ellie Lisitsa (The Gottman Institute). EXTRAS:“Is Empathy in Fact Immoral?” by No Stupid Questions (2021).Parasite, film (2019).King James Bible, Job 2:1-13. The Book of Mormon, Mosiah 18:9.

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36 min•
9 Jun

199. What Makes a Good Gathering?

Why do so many book clubs fall apart? Do the best parties have rules? And does Angela’s husband want to date you?  SOURCES:Fredrik Backman, author.David Chavis, senior fellow at Community Science.Daniel Gilbert, professor of psychology at Harvard University.Sebastian Junger, journalist and author.David McMillan, clinical and community psychologist.Priya Parker, strategic advisor and author. RESOURCES:"Do Conversations End When People Want Them to?" by Adam M. Mastroianni, Daniel Gilbert, Gus Cooney, and Timothy D. Wilson (PNAS, 2021)."3 Steps to Turn Everyday Get-Togethers Into Transformative Gatherings," by Priya Parker (TED Talk, 2019).The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters, by Priya Parker (2018).Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging, by Sebastian Junger (2016).Beartown, by Fredrik Backman (2016).“The 36 Questions That Lead to Love,” by Daniel Jones (The New York Times, 2015).A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman (2012)."Sense of Community: A Definition and Theory," by David McMillan and David Chavis (Journal of Community Psychology, 1986). EXTRAS:"How Can You Get Closer to the People You Care About?" by No Stupid Questions (2023)."How Do You Connect With Someone You Just Met?" by No Stupid Questions (2023).A Man Called Otto, film (2022).

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40 min•
2 Jun

198. What Does It Mean to Be “Cool”?

What’s the difference between being popular and being cool? How has social media changed the trend cycle? And what do Taylor Swift and Walmart have in common? SOURCES:Anette Asp, project manager and research coordinator at the California Institute of Technology.Lalin Anik, professor of marketing at Vrije University Amsterdam.Marc Bain, journalist.Judy Blume, young adult author.Colin Camerer, professor of behavioral economics at the California Institute of Technology.James Dean, 20th-century American actor.Ryan Hauser, Ph.D. candidate at the Yale School of Management.Michael Jordan, former professional basketball player.Johnny Miles, senior value manager at Workday.Steven Quartz, professor of philosophy at the California Institute of Technology.David Skinner, editor of Humanities magazine.Lindsey Vonn, Olympic alpine skier. RESOURCES:"Do You Think You're Cool?" poll by YouGov (2024)."What Cool Means Now," by Marc Bain (Quartz, 2020)."The History of Michael Jordan's 'Banned' Sneakers," (Complex, 2020)."Brand Coolness," by Caleb Warren, Rajeev Batra, Sandra Maria Correia Loureiro, and Richard P. Bagozzi (Journal of Marketing, 2019)."How to be Cool," by Johnny Miles (UVA Darden Ideas to Action, 2017).Cool: How the Brain’s Hidden Quest for Cool Drives Our Economy and Shapes Our World, by Steven Quartz and Anette Asp (2015)."How Capitalism Created 'Cool,'" by Bourree Lam (The Atlantic, 2015)."How Did Cool Become Such a Big Deal?" by David Skinner (Humanities, 2014). EXTRA:"Are We Getting Lonelier?" by No Stupid Questions (2023).

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