No Stupid Questions

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-century American psychologist.
  • Sarah Hepola, author.
  • Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa.
  • Tree Meinch, freelance writer, editor, and freediver.
  • Alexander Selkirk, 18th-century Scottish privateer and Royal Navy officer.
  • Cheryl Strayed, writer and podcast host.

• RESOURCES:
  • "The Impact of Isolation on Brain Health," by Vibol Heng, Craig Haney, and Richard Jay Smeyne (Neurobiology of Brain Disorders, 2023).
  • "What Happens When Humans Are Extremely Isolated?" by Tree Meinch (Discover, 2023).
  • "Spanish Climber Leaves Cave After 500 Days in Isolation," by Ciarán Giles (AP News, 2023).
  • "Solitary Confinement Is Not 'Solitude': The Worst Case Scenario of Being 'Alone' in Prison," by Craig Haney (The Handbook of Solitude, 2021).
  • This Tender Land, by William Kent Krueger (2019).
  • Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed (2012).
  • "The Real Robinson Crusoe," by Bruce Selcraig (Smithsonian Magazine, 2005).
  • "Lost at Sea and Back Again," by Sarah Hepola (The Austin Chronicle, 2000).
  • "Social Recovery of Monkeys Isolated for the First Year of Life: I. Rehabilitation and Therapy," by Melinda Novak and Harry Harlow (Developmental Psychology, 1975).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Do You Need a Hug?" by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • "What Makes a Good Gathering?" by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • "What to Do When Everything Looks Like a Catastrophe?" by No Stupid Questions (2022).
  • Cast Away, film (2000).

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 psychologist.
  • Sirin Kale, associate editor at Vice.
  • Christy Kane, clinical mental health counselor.
  • Carmen Rasmusen Herbert, country music artist and columnist.
  • Virginia Satir, 20th-century clinical social worker and family therapist.

• RESOURCES:
  • "A Systematic Review and Multivariate Meta-Analysis of the Physical and Mental Health Benefits of Touch Interventions," by Julian Packheiser, Helena Hartmann, Kelly Fredriksen, Valeria Gazzola, Christian Keysers, and Frédéric Michon (Nature Human Behaviour, 2024).
  • "WHO Advises Immediate Skin to Skin Care for Survival of Small and Preterm Babies," by the World Health Organization (2022).
  • "Affective Interpersonal Touch in Close Relationships: A Cross-Cultural Perspective," by Agnieszka Sorokowska, Supreet Saluja, Ilona Croy, et al. (Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2021).
  • "Results Revealed for The Touch Test: The World’s Largest Study of Touch," (BBC Media Centre, 2020).
  • "How 8-Second Hugs Can Counteract the Negative Side Effects From Electronics," by Carmen Rasmusen Herbert (Deseret News, 2018).
  • "Confidence is Higher in Touch Than in Vision in Cases of Perceptual Ambiguity," by Merle T. Fairhurst, Eoin Travers, Vincent Hayward, and Ophelia Deroy (Nature: Scientific Reports, 2018).
  • "The Life of the Skin-Hungry: Can You Go Crazy from a Lack Of Touch?" by Sirin Kale (Vice, 2016).
  • "Warm Partner Contact Is Related to Lower Cardiovascular Reactivity," by Karen M. Grewen, Bobbi J. Anderson, Susan S. Girdler, and Kathleen C. Light (Behavioral Medicine, 2010).
  • "The Nature of Love," by Harry Harlow (American Psychologist, 1958).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Did Covid-19 Kill the Handshake?" by No Stupid Questions (2020).

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, and C.E.O. of Tesla.
  • John Krasinski, actor and filmmaker.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Elon Musk Says Twitter Will Try to Rehire Some of Its Laid-Off Staff, and That Some of the People He Fired 'Shouldn't Have Been' Cut," by Pete Syme (Business Insider, 2023).
  • "Read the Midnight Email Elon Musk Sent Twitter Staff Telling Them to Work 'Long Hours at High Intensity' – or Quit," by Jyoti Mann (Business Insider, 2022).
  • "When to Use Ultimatums & When to Avoid Them," by Deepak Malhotra (Negotiation Insights Video Series, 2020).
  • "'Take It or Leave It!' A Choice Mindset Leads to Greater Persistence and Better Outcomes in Negotiations," by Anyi Ma, Yu Yang, and Krishna Savani (Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 2019).
  • "John Krasinski Was Ready To Quit Acting Before 'The Office'," by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2018).
  • "Models of the Evolution of Fairness in the Ultimatum Game: A Review and Classification," by Stéphane Debove, Nicolas Baumard, and Jean-Baptiste André (Evolution and Human Behavior, 2016).
  • "15 Rules for Negotiating a Job Offer," by Deepak Malhotra (Harvard Business Review, 2014).
  • Negotiation Genius: How to Overcome Obstacles and Achieve Brilliant Results at the Bargaining Table and Beyond, by Deepak Malhotra and Max Bazerman (2007).
  • "Fairness Versus Reason in the Ultimatum Game," by Martin A. Nowak, Karen M. Page, and Karl Sigmund (Science, 2000).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Get Your Share of the Pie," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2022).
  • Mrs. Miracle, by Debbie Macomber (1996).

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 University of Chicago.
  • Taylor Swift, singer-songwriter.

• RESOURCES:
  • "World Happiness Report," (Gallup, 2024).
  • "How Painful Should Your Workout Be?" by Alex Hutchinson (The New York Times, 2022).
  • "Taylor Swift’s NYU Commencement Speech: Read the Full Transcript," by Hannah Dailey (Billboard, 2022).
  • The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self, by Michael Easter (2021).
  • The Sweet Spot: The Pleasures of Suffering and the Search for Meaning, by Paul Bloom (2021).
  • "Residents of Poor Nations Have a Greater Sense of Meaning in Life Than Residents of Wealthy Nations," by Shigehiro Oishi and Ed Diener (Psychological Science, 2014).
  • "Confusion Can Be Beneficial for Learning," by Sidney D’Mello, Blair Lehman, Reinhard Pekrun, and Art Graesser (Learning and Instruction, 2014).
  • "Stranger Situations: Examining a Self-Regulatory Model of Socially Awkward Encounters," by Joshua Clegg (Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 2012).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Should You Get Out of Your Comfort Zone?" by No Stupid Questions (2024).

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 Kahneman, professor emeritus of psychology at Princeton University.
  • Robert Nozick, philosopher.
  • Gabriele Oettingen, professor of psychology at New York University.
  • Kim Scott, co-founder of Radical Candor and prominent C.E.O. coach in Silicon Valley.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Dreamscrolling," by Empower (The Currency, 2024).
  • "Most Americans Can’t Afford a $1,000 Emergency: Survey," by Travis Schlepp (The Hill, 2024).
  • "Positive Fantasies and Negative Emotions in Soccer Fans," by A. Timur Sevincer, Greta Wagner, and Gabriele Oettingen (Cognition and Emotion, 2019).
  • Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity, by Kim Scott (2017).
  • "Pleasure Now, Pain Later: Positive Fantasies About the Future Predict Symptoms of Depression," by Gabriele Oettingen, Doris Mayer, and Sam Portnow (Psychological Science, 2016).
  • "Positive Fantasies About Idealized Futures Sap Energy," by Heather Barry Kappes and Gabriele Oettingen (Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 2011).
  • "Self-Regulation of Goal Setting: Turning Free Fantasies About the Future Into Binding Goals," by Gabriele Oettingen, Hyeon-ju Pak, and Karoline Schnetter (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2001).
  • "Intuitive Prediction: Biases and Corrective Procedures," by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky (DARPA Technical Report, 1977).
  • Anarchy, State, and Utopia, by Robert Nozick (1974).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Can You Really 'Manifest' Success Through Positive Visualization?" by No Stupid Questions (2024).

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.

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).

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).

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 operatic tenor.
  • Amy Stoeber, clinical psychologist.
  • Jacqueline Woolley, professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Parenting by Lying," by Peipei Setoh, Petrina Hui Xian Low, Gail D. Heyman, and Kang Lee (Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2024).
  • "Should You Always Tell Your Kids the Truth? It Depends," by Laura Wheatman Hill (CNN, 2021).
  • "Parenting by Lying in Childhood Is Associated With Negative Developmental Outcomes in Adulthood," by Peipei Setoh, Siqi Zhao, Rachel Santos, Gail D. Heyman, and Kang Lee (Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 2020).
  • "The Santa Lie," by Melinda Wenner Moyer (2012).

• EXTRAS:
  • "When Is It OK to Tell a Lie?" by No Stupid Questions (2021).
  • How to Raise Kids Who Aren't A*******: Science-Based Strategies for Better Parenting — from Tots to Teens, by Melinda Wenner Moyer (2021).
  • Life Is Beautiful, film (1997).
  • "Love at the Five and Dime," song by Nanci Griffith (1986).
  • The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom (1971).

WaitWhat C.E.O. Jeff Berman interviews Angela about “grit-scaling” and her unlikely path to academic celebrity.