No Stupid Questions

Why does the U.S. use Fahrenheit when Celsius is better? Would you quit your job if a coin flip told you to? And how do you get an entire country to drive on the other side of the road?   SOURCES: Christian Crandall , professor of psychology at the University of Kansas. Stephen Dubner , host of Freakonomics Radio and co-author of the Freakonomics books. Scott Eidelman , professor of psychology at...

What happens when machines become funnier, kinder, and more empathetic than humans? Do robot therapists save lives? And should Angela credit her virtual assistant as a co-author of her book?   SOURCES: Robert Cialdini , professor emeritus of psychology at Arizona State University. Reid Hoffman , co-founder and executive chairman of LinkedIn; co-founder and board member of Inflection AI. Kazuo Ishi...

Do you see yourself the same way others see you? What’s the difference between self-perception and self-awareness? And why do Mike and Angela both hate fishing?   SOURCES: Luis von Ahn , co-founder and C.E.O. of Duolingo; former chair of the board at Character Lab. Paul DePodesta , chief strategy officer of the Cleveland Browns; former baseball executive. Daniel Kahneman , professor emeritus of ps...

What makes a con succeed? Does snake oil actually work? And just how gullible is Angela?   SOURCES: Robert Cialdini , professor emeritus of psychology and marketing at Arizona State University. Yaniv Hanoch , professor of decision sciences at Coventry University. Hugo Mercier , research scientist at the French National Centre for Scientific Research. George Parker , 19-20th century American con ar...

Should government jobs have mandatory retirement ages? Is it foolish to care about your legacy? And why did Jason always call Angela’s father “Dr. Lee”?   SOURCES: William Bridges , professor emeritus of American literature at Mills College, consultant, and author. Arthur Brooks , professor of leadership at Harvard University. Jimmy Carter , former President of the United States and founder of the...

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...

How is the brain affected by solitary confinement? How would you deal with being stranded on a deserted island? And do baby monkeys make the best therapists?    SOURCES: William Broyles Jr. , screenwriter, journalism, and former U.S. Marine Corps officer. Beatriz Flamini , Spanish mountaineer. Craig Haney , professor of psychology at the University of California Santa Cruz. Harry Harlow , 20th-cen...

Do humans need touch to survive? Do any of us get enough touch throughout our lives? And why doesn’t Angela want to hug anyone for eight seconds?   SOURCES: Ophelia Deroy , chair of the department of philosophy of mind and cognitive neuroscience at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Kory Floyd , professor of communications at the University of Arizona. Harry Harlow , 20th-century American psy...

How final is a final offer, really? Does anonymity turn nice people into jerks? And should you tell your crush that you dreamed about marrying them?   SOURCES: Max Bazerman , professor of business administration at Harvard Business School. Deepak Malhotra , professor of business administration at Harvard Business School. Elon Musk , owner and C.T.O. of X Corp (formerly Twitter), C.E.O. of Space X,...

Are we using technology to make ourselves numb? What’s the downside of air conditioning? And was Angela the most annoying person in her college classes?   SOURCES: Paul Bloom , professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. Ed Diener , professor emeritus at the University of Illinois. Michael Easter , author. Alex Hutchinson , journalist. Shigehiro Oishi , professor of psychology at the Uni...

Are fantasies helpful or harmful? How is daydreaming like a drug? And what did Angela fantasize about during ninth-grade English class?   SOURCES: Patrick Bet-David , YouTuber and founding C.E.O. of PHP Agency Inc. Barbara Corcoran , "Shark" and executive producer on ABC’s Shark Tank and founder of The Corcoran Group. Peter Gollwitzer , professor of psychology at New York University. Danny Kahnema...

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, a...

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...

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 Cam...

Why do we tell kids that a fairy will give them cash in exchange for their teeth? How should we talk to them about scary things in the world? And is Mike one of the greatest operatic tenors of all time?    SOURCES: Laura Wheatman Hill , journalist. George Lin , Ph. D. student in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. Melinda Wenner Moyer , journalist and author. Luciano Pavarotti , Italian...

WaitWhat C.E.O. Jeff Berman interviews Angela about “grit-scaling” and her unlikely path to academic celebrity. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Is there any upside to negative emotions? What can comedians teach us about dealing with pain? And why did Angela eat off of a stranger’s plate at a sushi bar?    SOURCES: Ludwig van Beethoven , 18th-19th century composer and pianist. Jen Christensen , reporter and producer at CNN. Lauren Eskreis-Winkler , professor of management & organizations at Northwestern University. Sigmund Freud , neurolog...

Where is the line between a good guy and a doormat? Do people with sharp elbows make more money? And why did Angela’s mother give away her birthday present? Take the Big Five inventory:  freakonomics.com/bigfive   SOURCES: Kristen Bell , actor. Jeff Bezos , founder and executive chairman of Amazon. Harry Connick Jr. , singer, pianist, and actor. Juli Fraga , psychologist and writer. Adam Grant , p...

What’s the difference between being introverted and being shy? What are extroverts so cheerful about? And does Angela’s social battery ever run out? Take the Big Five inventory:  freakonomics.com/bigfive   SOURCES: Susan Cain , author. Will Fleeson , professor of psychology at Wake Forest University. Sigmund Freud , neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis. Adam Grant , professor of management an...

Is it really that important to make your bed? What’s the benefit of hiring a lazy person? And how many cups of spinach can Mike fit in a red Solo cup?   Take the Big Five inventory:  freakonomics.com/bigfive   SOURCES: David Barack , philosopher and neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania. Randall Bell , socio-economist and C.E.O. of Landmark Research Group. Julia Cameron , author, poet,...

What do the most creative people have in common?  How open-minded are you, really? And what’s wrong with ordering eggs Benedict?  Take the Big Five inventory:  freakonomics.com/bigfive   SOURCES: Max Bennett , co-founder and C.E.O. of Alby. David Epstein , author and journalist. Ayelet Fishbach , professor of behavioral science and marketing at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. A...

Are you the same person you were a decade ago? Do we get better as we age? And is your sixth-grade class clown still funny?    SOURCES: Aaron (Tim) Beck , professor emeritus of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. Daniel Gilbert , professor of psychology at Harvard University. Olga Khazan , staff writer at The Atlantic.  Brian Little , professor of psychology at the University of Cambridg...

Is it dangerous to live in the past? Why is Disney remaking all of its classic movies? And why does Angela get sentimental over a cup of soup and a free roll?    SOURCES: Julie Beck , senior editor at The Atlantic . Danielle Campoamor , freelance writer and reporter. Kyle Chayka , staff writer at The New Yorker. Amelia Dennis , research associate in psychology at the University of Bath. Erica Hepp...

Does instinct trump expertise? Can playing poker improve your intuition? And why did Angela jump off of a moving trolley car?   SOURCES: Tom Brady , former quarterback for the New England Patriots. Daniel Kahneman , professor emeritus of psychology and public affairs at Princeton University. Gary Klein , cognitive psychologist and pioneer in the field of naturalistic decision making. Brock Purdy ,...

Is grade inflation on the rise? How much does your G.P.A. matter in the long run? And when did M.I.T., of all places, become “the cool university”?   SOURCES: Scott Hugo , housing justice attorney at Oakland City Attorney’s Office. Bob Ladouceur , former head football coach at De La Salle High School. Jon Marcus , writer at The Hechinger Report. Amelia Nierenberg , Connecticut correspondent for Th...