The Next Big Idea

PUZZLES: What Crosswords, Riddles, and Wordle Can Teach You About the Meaning of Life


Listen Later

For the last 25 years, writer A.J. Jacobs has attempted to live his life as a human guinea pig.

“I’ve engaged in a series of experiments on my mind and body,” he says, “some of which have been fruitful, some humiliating failures. I’ve tried to understand the world by immersing myself in extraordinary circumstances.”

His book “The Know-It-All” chronicled his experience reading the encyclopedia from cover to cover. To write “The Year of Living Biblically,” he followed every commandment in the Old Testament, including the edicts stone adulterers and avoid shaving the corners of your beard. Now A.J. is back with a new immersive memoir, “The Puzzler: One Man’s Quest to Solve the Most Baffling Puzzles Ever, from Crosswords to Jigsaws to the Meaning of Life.” 

---

Want to get smart, fast? Want to hear hundreds of the world's leading authors share key insights from their books? Download the Next Big Idea app today: nextbigideaclub.com/app

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Next Big IdeaBy Next Big Idea Club

  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4

4.4

1,219 ratings


More shows like The Next Big Idea

View all
TED Radio Hour by NPR

TED Radio Hour

21,987 Listeners

Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Freakonomics Radio

32,060 Listeners

Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

Hidden Brain

43,531 Listeners

The Tim Ferriss Show by Tim Ferriss: Bestselling Author, Human Guinea Pig

The Tim Ferriss Show

16,093 Listeners

The Knowledge Project by Shane Parrish

The Knowledge Project

2,683 Listeners

The Psychology Podcast by iHeartPodcasts

The Psychology Podcast

1,856 Listeners

HBR IdeaCast by Harvard Business Review

HBR IdeaCast

1,840 Listeners

Masters of Scale by WaitWhat

Masters of Scale

3,982 Listeners

Choiceology with Katy Milkman by Charles Schwab

Choiceology with Katy Milkman

1,424 Listeners

Worklife with Adam Grant by TED

Worklife with Adam Grant

9,149 Listeners

Your Undivided Attention by The Center for Humane Technology, Tristan Harris, Daniel Barcay and Aza Raskin

Your Undivided Attention

1,602 Listeners

The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos by Pushkin Industries

The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos

14,308 Listeners

People I (Mostly) Admire by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

People I (Mostly) Admire

2,082 Listeners

ReThinking by TED

ReThinking

630 Listeners

The Next Big Idea Daily by Next Big Idea Club

The Next Big Idea Daily

84 Listeners