Here’s something weird about humans. We like pain. Think about it. We eat spicy food, watch scary movies, run marathons, and take polar plunges. In today’s Book Bite — #15 in our countdown — psychologist Paul Bloom gets to the bottom of our predilection for sorrow and explains why it might be a pathway to meaning.

Stick around to the end of the episode to hear a sneak peek of Paul’s interview with our curator Susan Cain. Their full conversation will be part of our new season, which starts in February.

Visit paulbloom.net to learn more about Paul’s work. And if you want to check out the Next Big Idea app, head over to nextbigideaclub.com/app.