Also: why can't humans handle uncertainty already?

We’re replaying No Stupid Questions, starting here with the very first episode, from May 17, 2020.

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).

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).

Why does listening to No Stupid Questions feel like you’re hanging out with your best friends? Why did the whole world take it personally when Princess Diana died? And how do “parasocial relationships” affect your mental health?

• SOURCES:
  • Bradley Bond, professor of communication studies at the University of San Diego.
  • John Cacioppo, professor of psychology at the University of Chicago.
  • Joe Cobbs, professor of marketing at Northern Kentucky University.
  • Nick Epley, professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago.
  • Katy Milkman, professor of operations, information, and decisions at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Emily Oster, professor of economics at Brown University.
  • Anuj Shah, professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Knowledge About Others Reduces One’s Own Sense of Anonymity," by Anuj K. Shah and Michael LaForest (Nature, 2022).
  • "Tragic but True: How Podcasters Replaced Our Real Friends," by Rachel Aroesti (The Guardian, 2021).
  • "The Development and Influence of Parasocial Relationships With Television Characters: A Longitudinal Experimental Test of Prejudice Reduction Through Parasocial Contact," by Bradley J. Bond (Communication Research, 2020).
  • "A Mind like Mine: The Exceptionally Ordinary Underpinnings of Anthropomorphism," by Nicholas Epley (Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 2018).
  • "Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance," by Angela Duckworth (TED, 2013).
  • "How Soap Operas Changed the World," by Stephanie Hegarty (BBC, 2012).
  • "The Power of TV: Cable Television and Women's Status in India," by Robert Jensen and Emily Oster (The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 2009).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Can A.I. Companions Replace Human Connection?" by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • "Rivalry," by Tell Me Something I Don't Know (2017).
  • Behavior Change for Good Initiative.
  • Everything Is Alive.
  • The Know Rivalry Project.

Are things really as bad as they seem? Has Gen Z given up hope for the world? And why was the father of positive psychology a lifelong pessimist?

• SOURCES:
  • Albert Bandura, professor of psychology at Stanford University.
  • David Brooks, author and opinion columnist. 
  • Andrew Grove, former C.E.O. and chairman of Intel Corporation.
  • Kalev Leetaru, founder of the GDELT Project.
  • Steven Maier, professor of behavioral neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder.
  • Michelle Obama, attorney, author, and former first lady of the United States.
  • Steven Pinker, professor of psychology at Harvard University.
  • Amanda Ripley, journalist and author.
  • Martin Seligman, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Jean Twenge, professor of psychology at San Diego State University.
  • Edward Zigler, professor emeritus of psychology at Yale University.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Chicken Littles Are Ruining America," by David Brooks (The Atlantic, 2024).
  • Generations, by Jean Twenge (2023).
  • Enlightenment Now, by Steven Pinker (2018).
  • "The Short History of Global Living Conditions and Why It Matters That We Know It," by Max Roser (Our World in Data, 2016).
  • "Learned Helplessness at Fifty: Insights from Neuroscience," by Steven F. Maier and Martin E. P. Seligman (Psychological Review, 2016).
  • "Short- and Long-Term Consequences of Stressor Controllability in Adolescent Rats," by Kenneth H. Kubala, John P. Christianson, Steven F. Maier, et al. (Behavioural Brain Research, 2012).
  • The Better Angels of Our Nature, by Steven Pinker (2011).
  • "Forecasting Large-Scale Human Behavior Using Global News Media Tone in Time and Space," by Kalev Leetaru (First Monday, 2011).
  • "Motivational Aspects of Changes in IQ Test Performance of Culturally Deprived Nursery School Children," by Edward Zigler and Earl C. Butterfield (Child Development, 1968).
  • "Failure to Escape Traumatic Shock," by Martin E. P. Seligman and Steven F. Maier (Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1967).
  • Upworthy.

• EXTRAS:
  • "Why Is U.S. Media So Negative?" by Freakonomics Radio (2021).

Does a surplus of information create a shortage of attention? Are today’s young people really unable to focus? And do goldfish need better PR? 

• SOURCES:
  • Neil Bradbury, professor of physiology at Rosalind Franklin University.
  • Nicholas Carr, writer and journalist.
  • Johann Hari, writer and journalist.
  • Charles Howard, University Chaplain and Vice President for Social Equity & Community at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Felicity Huntingford, emeritus professor of functional ecology at the university of Glasgow.
  • Gloria Mark, professor of informatics at the University of California, Irvine.
  • Rick Rubin, music producer and record executive.
  • Herbert Simon, professor of computer science and psychology at Carnegie Mellon University.

• RESOURCES:
  • Uncovering Your Path: Spiritual Reflections for Finding Your Purpose, by Charles Lattimore Howard (forthcoming 2025).
  • Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity, by Gloria Mark (2023).
  • The Creative Act: A Way of Being, by Rick Rubin (2023).
  • Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention — and How to Think Deeply Again, by Johann Hari (2022).
  • "Quibi’s Founder and CEO Explain What Went Wrong," by Jessica Bursztynsky (CNBC, 2020).
  • "Digital Democracy Survey, Eleventh Edition," by Deloitte (2017).
  • "Busting the Attention Span Myth," by Simon Maybin (BBC News, 2017).
  • "Attention Span During Lectures: 8 Seconds, 10 Minutes, or More?" by Neil Bradbury (Advances in Physiology Education, 2016).
  • "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" by Nicholas Carr (The Atlantic, 2008).
  • "Designing Organizations for an Information-Rich World," by Herbert Simon (Computers, Communications, and the Public Interest, 1971).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Multitasking Doesn’t Work. So Why Do We Keep Trying?" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "Rick Rubin on How to Make Something Great," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2023).

What’s the difference between narcissism and high self-esteem? Does social media fuel arrogance or self-consciousness? And do people get less toxic with age? 

• SOURCES:
  • Brené Brown, research professor at the University of Houston and visiting professor in management at the University of Texas at Austin.
  • Jonathan Haidt, professor of social psychology at the New York University Stern School of Business.
  • Michael Lewis, author.
  • Cooper McAllister, senior consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton.
  • Jean Twenge, professor of psychology at San Diego State University.

• RESOURCES:
  • "‘Narcissistic Abuse’ Has Gone Mainstream. But What Is It?" Abby Ellin (The Washington Post, 2024).
  • "Development of Narcissism Across the Life Span: A Meta-Analytic Review of Longitudinal Studies," by Ulrich Orth, Samantha Krauss, and Mitja D. Back (Psychological Bulletin, 2024).
  • The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, by Jonathan Haidt (2024).
  • "America Is Obsessed With Narcissists. Is Trump to Blame?" by Charles Trepany (USA Today, 2024).
  • "Narcissism Today: What We Know and What We Need to Learn," by Joshua D. Miller, Mitja D. Back, Donald R. Lynam, and Aidan G. C. Wright (Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2021).
  • "Egos Deflating With the Great Recession: A Cross-Temporal Meta-Analysis and Within-Campus Analysis of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, 1982–2016," by Jean M. Twenge, Sara H. Konrath, Cooper McAllister, et al. (Personality and Individual Differences, 2021).
  • "Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Diagnostic and Clinical Challenges," by Eve Caligor, Kenneth N. Levy, and Frank E. Yeomans (American Journal of Psychiatry, 2015).
  • Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled — and More Miserable Than Ever Before, by Jean Twenge (2006).
  • Cincinnatus and the Citizen-Servant Ideal: The Roman Legend's Life, Times, and Legacy, by Michael J. Hillyard (2001).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Is Screen Time as Poisonous as We Think?" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "Do 'Generations' Mean Anything?" by No Stupid Questions (2023).
  • "Is Pride the Worst Sin?" by No Stupid Questions (2023).
  • The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, by Michael Lewis (2010).

How many bottles of wine are regifted? What’s wrong with giving cash? And should Angela give her husband a subscription to the Sausage of the Month Club?

• SOURCES:
  • Joel Waldfogel, professor of strategic management & entrepreneurship at the University of Minnesota.

• RESOURCES:
  • “How to Become a Truly Excellent Gift Giver,” by Eliza Brooke (Vox, 2022).
  • “How to Calculate a Holiday Tip for the Doorman,” by Ronda Kaysen (The New York Times, 2022).
  • “Least Favorite Gifts to Receive for Christmas in the United States in 2022, by Generation,” (Statista, 2022).
  • “(Not) Giving the Same Old Song and Dance: Givers’ Misguided Concerns About Thoughtfulness and Boringness Keep Them From Repeating Gifts,” by Julian Givi (Journal of Business Research, 2020).
  • “Does Anyone Really Buy the Giant Car Bows You See in Every Commercial?” by Aditi Shrikant (Vox, 2018).
  • “It’s the Motive That Counts: Perceived Sacrifice Motives and Gratitude in Romantic Relationships,” by Mariko L. Visserman, Francesca Righetti, Emily A. Impett, Dacher Keltner, and Paul A. M. Van Lange (Emotion, 2018).
  • “Why Certain Gifts Are Great to Give but Not to Get: A Framework for Understanding Errors in Gift Giving,” by Jeff Galak, Julian Givi, and Elanor F. Williams (Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2016).
  • “The Girl Who Gets Gifts From Birds,” by Katy Sewall (B.B.C. News, 2015).
  • “The Disappointing Gift: Dispositional and Situational Moderators of Emotional Expressions,” by Renée M. Tobin and William G. Graziano (Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 2011).
  • Scroogenomics: Why You Shouldn’t Buy Presents for the Holidays, by Joel Waldfogel (2009).
  • “The Deadweight Loss of Christmas,” by Joel Waldfogel (The American Economic Review, 1993).
  • United States Postal Service Employee Tipping and Gift-Receiving Policy.

• EXTRAS:
  • “Have a Very Homo Economicus Christmas,” by Freakonomics Radio (2012).

How does social media exploit our evolutionary instincts? How dangerous is it to post about your children online? And does Angela regret talking about her daughters on the podcast?

• SOURCES:
  • Erin Carbone, visiting assistant professor of social and decision sciences at Carnegie Mellon University.
  • Jimmy Kimmel, comedian and late-night television host.
  • George Loewenstein, professor of economics and psychology at Carnegie Mellon University.
  • Taylor Swift, singer-songwriter.
  • Christie Tate, essayist and author.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Five Takeaways From The Times’s Investigation Into Child Influencers," by The New York Times (2024).
  • "Online 'Sharenting': The Dangers of Posting Sensitive Information About Children on Social Media," by Pietro Ferrara, Ignazio Cammisa, Massimo Pettoello-Mantovani, et al. (The Journal of Pediatrics, 2023).
  • "Privacy Preferences and the Drive to Disclose," by Erin Carbone and George Loewenstein (Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2023).
  • "My Daughter Asked Me to Stop Writing About Motherhood. Here’s Why I Can’t Do That," by Christie Tate (The Washington Post, 2019).
  • "When Kids Realize Their Whole Life Is Already Online," by Taylor Lorenz (The Atlantic, 2019).
  • "'Sharenting' Puts Young at Risk of Online Fraud," by Sean Coughlan (BBC News, 2018).
  • "Everything You Need to Know About the 'Right to be forgotten,'" fact sheet by the European Union.

• EXTRAS:
  • "What Is Your Password?" by Jimmy Kimmel Live! (2015).
  • "The Best Day," by Taylor Swift (2009).

Would you steal Halloween candy? Should people be required to identify themselves online?  And why did Angela go trick-or-treating in a trash bag? 

• SOURCES:
  • Hajo Adam, professor of management at the University of Bath.
  • Marianna Cerini, journalist.
  • Edward Diener, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Illinois.
  • Adam Galinsky, professor of leadership and ethics at Columbia Business School.
  • J. Nathan Matias, assistant professor at the Cornell University Departments of Communication and Information Science.
  • Lisa Morton, paranormal historian and author.
  • Isaac Bashevis Singer, 20th-century Polish-American author.
  • Philip Zimbardo, professor emeritus of psychology at Stanford University.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Halloween Was Once So Dangerous That Some Cities Considered Banning It," by Christopher Klein (History, 2023).
  • "Why Do People Sometimes Wear an Anonymous Mask? Motivations for Seeking Anonymity Online," by Lewis Nitschinsk, Stephanie J. Tobin, Deanna Varley, and Eric J. Vanman (Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2023).
  • "From Pagan Spirits to Wonder Woman: A Brief History of the Halloween Costume," by Marianna Cerini (CNN, 2020).
  • "The Real Name Fallacy," by J.Nathan Matias (Coral, 2017).
  • "Can Your Employees Really Speak Freely?" by James R. Detert and Ethan Burris (Harvard Business Review, 2016).
  • "'Mask Index' Helps Predict Election Day Outcome," by Adriana Diaz (CBS Evening News, 2016).
  • "Enclothed Cognition," by Hajo Adam and Adam D. Galinsky (Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 2012).
  • "Effects of Deindividuation Variables on Stealing Among Halloween Trick-or-Treaters," by Edward Diener, Scott C. Fraser, Arthur L. Beaman, and Roger T. Kelem (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1976).
  • "The Human Choice: Individuation, Reason, and Order Versus Deindividuation, Impulse, and Chaos," by Philip G. Zimbardo (Nebraska Symposium on Motivation, 1969).

• EXTRAS:
  • "What Is Evil?" by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • "How to Maximize Your Halloween Candy Haul," by Freakonomics Radio (2012).

Is it better to explain a mistake or just accept responsibility? What’s the difference between an excuse and a justification? And why is it important to remember that you’re not a pizzeria on the Jersey Shore? 

• SOURCES:
  • Robert Cialdini, professor of psychology at Arizona State University.
  • Raymond Higgins, professor emeritus of psychology at University of Kansas.
  • Martin Seligman, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Rick Snyder, professor emeritus of psychology at University of Kansas.

• RESOURCES:
  • "‘Explain, but Make No Excuses’: Service Recovery After Public Service Failures," by Matthias Döring (Public Management Review, 2022).
  • "To Justify or Excuse?: A Meta-Analytic Review of the Effects of Explanations," by John C. Shaw, Eric Wild, and Jason A. Colquitt (Journal of Applied Psychology, 2003).
  • "Excuses: Their Effective Role in the Negotiation of Reality," by C. R. Snyder and Raymond L. Higgins (Psychological Bulletin, 1988).
  • "The Attributional Style Questionnaire," by Christopher Peterson, Amy Semmel, Carl von Baeyer, Lyn Y. Abramson, Gerald I. Metalsky, and Martin E. P. Seligman (Cognitive Therapy and Research, 1982).

• EXTRAS:
  • "How Can You Convince Someone They’re Wrong?" by No Stupid Questions (2021).
  • "Under the Boardwalk," song by The Drifters (1964).