No Stupid Questions

By Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Society & Culture

What's No Stupid Questions about?

Research psychologist Angela Duckworth (author of "Grit") and tech and sports executive Mike Maughan really like to ask people questions, and they believe there’s no such thing as a stupid one. So they have 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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149. Is It Harder to Make F...

11.26.2023

How do friendships change as we get older? Should you join a bowling league? And also: how does a cook become a chef?

No Stupid Questions episodes:

11.26.2023 149. Is It Harder to Make Friends as an Adult? (Replay) How do friendships change as we get older? Should you join a bowling league? And also: how does a cook become a chef?
11.19.2023 172. Is Marriage Worth It? Can long-term relationships do more harm than good? Where is the line between intimacy and codependence? And should we all try to be more like Mike’s parents?
11.12.2023 171. Where Is the Line Between Exaggeration and Lying? Why do we use “literally” figuratively? Does conveying an "emotional truth" justify making things up? And are Angela’s kids really starving or just hungry?
11.05.2023 170. Are We Getting Lonelier? How can you be lonely when so many people showed up at your birthday party? Can you fight loneliness by managing expectations? And where can you find company while enjoying the best garlic cheeseburger in the greater Salt Lake City ...
10.29.2023 169. Can We Disagree Better? Do you suffer from the sin of certainty? How did Angela react when a grad student challenged her research? And can a Heineken commercial strengthen our democracy?
10.22.2023 168. Would You Be Happier if You Were More Creative? Should you become an artist or an accountant? Did Sylvia Plath have to be depressed to write "The Bell Jar?" And what can "Napoleon Dynamite" teach us about the creative life?
10.15.2023 167. Is GPS Changing Your Brain? Is it better to be an egocentric navigator or an allocentric navigator? Was the New York City Department of Education wrong to ban ChatGPT? And did Mike get ripped off by Michael Jackson’s cousin?
10.08.2023 166. Are You Suffering From Burnout? What’s the difference between being busy and being productive? Would you be better at your job if you cared a little less? And can somebody get Mike a cup of coffee?
10.01.2023 165. Do "Generations" Mean Anything? Do you get grittier as you age? What's worse for mental health: video games or social media? And do baby boomers make the best D.J.s?
09.24.2023 164. Do You Have Impostor Syndrome? Does anyone really know what they’re doing? How do we reward the competent and not the confident? And what’s wrong with using TikTok for research?
09.17.2023 163. Does Your DNA Determine Your Weight? How much control do you really have over your body? Could understanding genetics help combat fat-shaming? And why is Mike’s life coach so happy all the time?
09.10.2023 162. How Can You Be Kinder to Yourself? How do you practice self-care if you don’t have time for a break? Is it weird to talk to yourself? And does Mike need a bag of Doritos — or just a hug?
09.03.2023 161. How Effective Are Ultimatums? 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?
08.27.2023 160. How Do You Like Me Now? Why would a successful person feel the need to stick it to the little guy? Is Angela a name-dropper? And why do rappers grab their crotches?
08.20.2023 159. How Much Personal Space Do You Need? How do you deal with a close talker? Is Angela drinking too much water? And why can’t Mike keep his phone out of his bedroom?
08.13.2023 158. Bigger Fish, or Bigger Pond? Is it better to be the best player on the worst team or the worst player on the best team? How did Angela cope with her extremely impressive freshman dorm mates? And why won’t Shaquille O'Neal let Charles Barkley have ...
08.06.2023 157. How Can You Get Closer to the People You Care About? How well do you know the people in your life, really? Are you stuck having surface-level conversations? And should we all be in couples therapy?
07.30.2023 156. How Do You Connect With Someone You Just Met? How vulnerable should you get with your coworkers? What’s the benefit of telling strangers about your relationship with your mother? And why did Mike’s childhood home burn down — twice?
07.23.2023 155. How Do You Deal With Big Life Changes? What’s more stressful, divorce or jail? Are you in the middle of a “lifequake”? And should we all be taking notes from Martha Stewart?
07.16.2023 154. Why Is There So Much Social Pressure Around Alcohol? Why do people drink? Why do people not drink? And why specifically do Angela and Mike not drink?
07.09.2023 153. Should You Spend More Time in Nature? Is a walk through the city as good as a walk through the woods? Who’s most likely to die while taking a selfie? And how does Angela protect herself from the beer cans falling onto her deck?
07.02.2023 152. What’s the Worst Kind of Regret? Is it worse to regret something you’ve done, or something you haven’t done? What’s the upside of rejection? And which great American short-story writer convinced Angela to quit driving?
06.25.2023 151. Is It Okay to Be Average? Must one always strive for excellence? Is perfectionism a good thing? And can Mike have two bad days in a row?
06.18.2023 150. Why Do People Get Scammed? What makes a con succeed? Does snake oil actually work? And just how gullible is Angela?
06.11.2023 149. Is It Harder to Make Friends as an Adult? How do friendships change as we get older? Should you join a bowling league? And is Angela more important to Mike than Mike is to Angela?
06.04.2023 Do You Savor or Gobble? (Ep. 91 Replay) What’s the difference between people who preserve special things and people who devour them right away? Why do we love to binge-watch? And did Adam really eat an apple?
05.28.2023 148. What Is Fun, Exactly? Why does time fly when you’re having fun? How do you teach rats to play hide and seek? And what does all this have to do with Anne Boleyn?
05.21.2023 147. Is Nudging Enough? Is it enough to toss a soda can in the recycling? Why is Maria obsessed with Nobel Prize lectures? And wait — is that a news alert or a tiger?
05.14.2023 146. How Do You Avoid Freezing Under Pressure? Should you visualize success or failure? How do you bounce back from a mistake? And will Maria hustle Angela into a poker game?
05.07.2023 145. Do You Have a Scarcity Mindset or an Abundance Mindset? Are highly effective people quicker to share credit? What does poverty do to your brain? And how did Stephen's mother teach him about opportunity costs? Plus: an announcement about the future of the show.
04.30.2023 144. What Should Be the Eighth Deadly Sin? We asked you to nominate the worst sins of the modern age. Which one do Stephen and Angela think belongs on the list? And which does Angie struggle with the most?
04.23.2023 143. How Sinful Are "No Stupid Questions" Listeners? What does the Seven Deadly Sins survey tell us about the people who listen to this podcast? Are we more afflicted by sloth or by lust? And what does Angela mutter under her breath? Take the Seven Deadly Sins survey: ...
04.16.2023 142. Is Pride the Worst Sin? Is pride an emotion? Where’s the line between self-esteem and hubris? And what does Stephen have against peacocks? Take the Seven Deadly Sins survey: freakonomics.com/nsq-sins/
04.09.2023 141. Is Greed Good? Who’s greedier — gamblers or casinos? What’s the difference between betting on sports and entering a charity raffle? And does Angela know the name of her city’s football team? Take the Seven Deadly Sins survey: freakonomics.com/nsq-sins/
04.02.2023 140. Is Envy Healthy? What does social media do to our self-esteem? How is envy affecting our politics? And should you go to your high school reunion? Take the Seven Deadly Sins survey: freakonomics.com/nsq-sins/
03.26.2023 139. Why Do We Get Angry? What’s the difference between anger and indignation? What’s Angela’s problem with turkey sandwiches? And why wasn’t a "No Stupid Questions" listener angry at the men who assaulted him? Take the Seven Deadly Sins survey: freakonomics.com/nsq-sins/
03.19.2023 138. Why is Everyone Having Less Sex? Are we too busy watching Friends? Is porn driving us apart? And why did New Yorkers stop vacationing in the Catskills? Take the Seven Deadly Sins survey: freakonomics.com/nsq-sins/
03.12.2023 137. Are We All Addicted to Ultra-Processed Foods? Is your favorite treat changing your brain? Why do so many snacks melt in your mouth? And why can’t Stephen replicate his favorite salad dressing? Take the Seven Deadly Sins survey: freakonomics.com/nsq-sins/
03.05.2023 136. Is Sloth a Sin or a Virtue? How can we distinguish between laziness and patience? Why do people do crossword puzzles? And how is Angie like a combination of a quantum computer and a Sherman tank? Take the Seven Deadly Sins survey: freakonomics.com/nsq-sins/
02.26.2023 135. What Should You Do on Your Birthday? Birthdays! Why do Americans prefer Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July to theirs? Why do they make Stephen think of molasses and chicken feed? And is “Happy Birthday” the worst song ever written?
02.19.2023 134. Will You Live to Be 100? How far would you go to extend your life? What’s the best way to stay sharp as your brain ages? And does Keith Richards deserve a Nobel Prize?
02.12.2023 Why Is It So Hard to Talk About Money? (Ep. 81 Replay) What’s the connection between conversations about money and financial literacy? Could the taboo against talking about your salary be fading? And why did Angie’s teenage daughter call Vanguard to learn about I.R.A.s?
02.05.2023 133. Can You Really Work on an Airplane? Are those travelers on their laptops just showing off? Why does V8 taste better at 35,000 feet? And why won't Angela chat with her seatmate?
01.29.2023 132. Is It Wrong to Enjoy Yourself While the World Is Burning? Are things as dire as they seem? How big is your moral circle? And should Angela spend time with her kids or answer her emails?
01.22.2023 131. Why Do We Cry? Is sobbing a survival tactic? What happened when Angela wept in front of her boss? And what do sauerkraut and sadness have in common?
01.15.2023 130. Why Is It So Hard to Resist Temptation? Why are people so inconsistent? Is there such a thing as character? And did Stephen once have the world's longest chain of gum wrappers?
01.08.2023 129. Why Do We Cheat, and Why Shouldn’t We? Is there such a thing as a victimless crime? In an unfair system, is dishonesty okay? And are adolescent vandals out of ideas?
01.01.2023 What’s So Great About Retirement? (Ep. 87 Replay) How do you know when it’s the right time to retire? What does a “good” retirement look like? And will Stephen and Angela ever really hang up their hats?
12.25.2022 128. How Can You Give Better Gifts? 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?
12.18.2022 127. How Can You Be a Better Communicator? How do you express yourself when you're not sure what you want to say? What’s the number one way to get people to listen to you? And why are letters to advice columns always well-written? Plus: An update to the ...

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