No Stupid Questions

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).

What’s wrong with donating to charity for the tax write-off? Should we think less of people who do volunteer work to pad their resumes? And why is Angela stopping women in public parks to compliment them?

• SOURCES:
  • Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
  • Geoffrey Goodwin, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Jon Huntsman, politician, diplomat, and businessman.
  • Immanuel Kant, 18th-century German philosopher.
  • Emrys Westacott, professor of philosophy at Alfred University.

• RESOURCES:
  • "How Inferred Motives Shape Moral Judgements," by Ryan W. Carlson, Yochanan E. Bigman, Kurt Gray, Melissa J. Ferguson, and M. J. Crockett (Nature Reviews Psychology, 2022).
  • "Just 2 Minutes of Walking After a Meal Is Surprisingly Good for You," by Rachel Fairbank (The New York Times, 2022).
  • "Psychological Egoism," by Emrys Westacott (ThoughtCo, 2020).
  • "A Meta-Analytic Review of Moral Licensing," by Irene Blanken, Niels van de Ven, and Marcel Zeelenberg (Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2015).
  • "Selfish or Selfless? On the Signal Value of Emotion in Altruistic Behavior," by Alixandra Barasch, Emma E. Levine, Jonathan Z. Berman, and Deborah A. Small (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2014).
  • "Greenwashing — the Deceptive Tactics Behind Environmental Claims," by the United Nations.

• EXTRAS:
  • "Giving It Away," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2022).
  • "How Can We Get More Virtue and Less ‘Virtue Signaling’?" by No Stupid Questions (2020).
  • "Does Doing Good Give You License to Be Bad?" by Freakonomics Radio (2018).

How do you come back from being “canceled”? Are we more likely to forgive someone if they cry? And what makes a successful public apology? 

• SOURCES:
  • Karen Cerulo, professor emeritus of sociology at Rutgers University.
  • Bill Clinton, former president of the United States.
  • David Gergen, professor emeritus of public leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School; former White House adviser to four U.S. presidents.
  • Benjamin Ho, professor and chair of economics at Vassar College.
  • Monica Lewinsky, activist.
  • John List, professor of economics at the University of Chicago.
  • Brandon Rottinghaus, professor of political science at the University of Houston.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Slut-Shamed at 22, an Icon at 50 — How Monica Lewinsky Got Her Life Back," by Helen Rumbelow (The Times, 2024).
  • "Do Scandals Matter?" by Brandon Rottinghaus (Political Research Quarterly, 2023).
  • "Toward An Understanding of the Economics of Apologies: Evidence from a Large-Scale Natural Field Experiment," by Basil Halperin, Benjamin Ho, John List, and Ian Muir (The Economic Journal, 2022).
  • "Embodied Remorse: Physical Displays of Remorse Increase Positive Responses to Public Apologies, but Have Negligible Effects on Forgiveness," by Matthew J. Hornsey, Michael J. A. Wohl, Emily A. Harris, Tyler G. Okimoto, Michael Thai, and Michael Wenzel (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2020).
  • "Commentary: Time for Bill Clinton to Go Away," by Will Rahn (CBS News, 2018).
  • "The Price of Shame," by Monica Lewinsky (TED Talk, 2015).
  • "Apologies Demanded Yet Devalued: Normative Dilution in the Age of Apology," by Tyler G. Okimoto, Michael Wenzel, and Matthew J. Hornsey (Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 2015).
  • "Apologies of the Rich and Famous: Cultural, Cognitive, and Social Explanations of Why We Care and Why We Forgive," by Janet M. Ruane and Karen Cerulo (Social Psychology Quarterly, 2014).

• EXTRAS:
  • "How to Optimize Your Apology," by Freakonomics Radio (2018).
  • "Coal Digger," S1.E5 of Modern Family (2009).

When are negative emotions enjoyable? Are we all a little masochistic? And do pigs like hot sauce?

• SOURCES:
  • Carol Dweck, professor of psychology at Stanford University.
  • Sigmund Freud, neurologist and father of psychoanalysis.
  • Paul Rozin, professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Robert Sapolsky, professor of biology, neurology, and neurosurgery at Stanford University.
  • George Vaillant, professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Mass General Research Institute.

• RESOURCES:
  • "The 10 Scariest Horror Movies Ever," by RT Staff (Rotten Tomatoes, 2022).
  • "Box Office History for Horror," (The Numbers, 2022).
  • "Around the World, Adolescence Is a Time of Heightened Sensation Seeking and Immature Self-Regulation," by Laurence Steinberg, Grace Icenogle, Hanan M. S. Takash, et al. (Developmental Science, 2018).
  • "Why Taste Buds Dull As We Age," by Natalie Jacewicz (The Salt, 2017).
  • Horror Literature Through History, edited by Matt Cardin (2017).
  • "Why We Love the Pain of Spicy Food," by John McQuaid (The Wall Street Journal, 2014).
  • "Glad to Be Sad, and Other Examples of Benign Masochism," by Paul Rozin, Lily Guillot, Katrina Fincher, Alexander Rozin, and Eli Tsukayama (Judgment and Decision Making, 2013).
  • "The Ignorant and the Furious: Video and Catharsis," by the Association for Psychological Science (2010).
  • Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol S. Dweck (2006).
  • "Adaptive Mental Mechanisms: Their Role in a Positive Psychology," by George E. Vaillant (American Psychologist, 2000).

• EXTRAS:
  • Terrifier 2, film (2022).
  • "How to Change Your Mind (Update)," by Freakonomics Radio (2022).
  • "Why Is U.S. Media So Negative?" by Freakonomics Radio (2021).
  • "Why Is Academic Writing So Bad?" by No Stupid Questions (2021).
  • Han Dynasty restaurant.

What makes normal people do terrible things? Are there really bad apples — or just bad barrels? And how should you deal with a nefarious next-door neighbor?

• SOURCES:
  • Jonathan Haidt, professor of ethical leadership at New York University’s Stern School of Business.
  • Christina Maslach, professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.
  • Stanley Milgram, 20th century professor of psychology at Yale University.
  • Edward R. Murrow, 20th century American broadcast journalist and war correspondent.
  • Alexander Pope, 17-18th century English poet.
  • Adrian Raine, professor of criminology, psychiatry, and psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Oskar Schindler, 20th century German businessman.
  • Philip Zimbardo, professor emeritus of psychology at Stanford University.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Mental Illness and Violence: Debunking Myths, Addressing Realities," by Tori DeAngelis (Monitor on Psychology, 2021).
  • "Debunking the Stanford Prison Experiment," by Thibault Le Texier (American Psychologist, 2019).
  • "How 'Evil' Became a Conservative Buzzword," by Emma Green (The Atlantic, 2017).
  • "The Double-Edged Sword: Does Biomechanism Increase or Decrease Judges' Sentencing of Psychopaths?" by Lisa G. Aspinwall, Teneille R. Brown, and James Tabery (Science, 2012).
  • "The Psychology of Evil," by Philip Zimbardo (TED Talk, 2008).
  • The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil, by Philip Zimbardo (2007).
  • "When Morality Opposes Justice: Conservatives Have Moral Intuitions that Liberals may not Recognize," by Jonathan Haidt and Jesse Graham (Social Justice Research, 2007).
  • "Abu Ghraib Whistleblower Speaks Out," by Michele Norris (All Things Considered, 2006).
  • Obedience to Authority: An Experimental View, by Stanley Milgram (1974).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Does Free Will Exist, and Does It Matter?" by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • "Are You Suffering From Burnout?" by No Stupid Questions (2023).
  • Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov (1955).
  • "Essay on Man, Epistle II," poem by Alexander Pope (1733).