Season One, Episode #12 Stop crying Matt Damon. On this episode, we talk about smarts - book smarts, street smarts, all the smarts. Mohnish, Armi, and Kevin cover: - Does anyone care about your ACT, SAT or GPA? - How smart is the high school jock? - Can you become more intelligent? - Why is "college = more income" misleading? For more material on this episode, visit www.realtalkstudio.com   Credits and Special Thanks Main Host: Mohnish Soundararajan Co-Hosts: Kevin Sanji and Armi Legge Research and Editing: Mohnish Soundararajan Content Ideation and Feedback: Mohnish Soundararajan, Vysali Soundararajan, Justin Brumm Movie Clip from Good Will Hunting (1997) Music: CJ Beats

#12 Wicked Smaht, or Is Intelligence Important?

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Welcome to the show on how to moonwalk your life. Think interdimensional roller coaster, but for your mind. 

We take big adventures and even bigger ideas, from science, to explore the ordinary – from how to be a better thinker to (most important) how to be better human being. Whether scientists or provocateurs, discover the wrinkles in everyday life. Uncover more at moonwalkpodcast.com.

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Science

Health & Fitness

First off—it's been a thousand years. But I have a quick update—and if you liked Moonwalk, I think you'll (most likely) be into it. If you already know what it is (or just listened): here's the free system. And the update is: I talked to a guy named Andrew, because Andrew read a book. But when he read that book, it addressed a long-standing concern in his life. On this quick 2-minute update, we talk about it. For the book (the notetaking system is free, and you can read it in under 3 minutes) go here: www.mohnish.net/book Music by Kevin Macleod

Announcing: How to Take Notes at the Speed of Light

The future of Moonwalk, and where I'm going next. Join the email list, where I'll post new projects, updates, and book recommendations, all at mohnish.net/insider The Facts Special thanks to Kevin Sanji, Jarrod Sport, Justine Brumm, Vysali Soundararajan, Armi Legge, Justin Sheppard, and - last but not least - you. Thanks for listening.  

The Future of Moonwalk

"But he listened to it and he says, 'That's good shit, dad!'" - Paul Rozin There's a deep, subjective feeling inside us. And it's the feeling that you know what tastes good, you know what movies are terrible, and you know that your grandfather's esoteric opinions on classical operas are actually spot-on. But in a world filled with varying subjective preferences (as well as people who enjoy eating pickles whole), there is an idea that won't die. It's the idea that someone can have "good taste". The idea that your taste can be better than my taste. On this episode, we investigate: - Does that idea make sense? - Is is possible to improve your taste systematically? - What are the components of someone who has good taste, and someone who doesn't? - And how subjective is taste in a world with clear preferences?   The Facts Moonwalk is hosted, written, and produced by Mohnish Soundararajan.  Episode was co-hosted by Kevin Sanji. Feedback is by Jarrod Sport, Justine Brumm, and Kevin Sanji. Special thanks to Anna Leonard and Paul Rozin. Sign up for the insider newsletter for exclusive updates and book recommendations.    Music is by Podington Bear, BitBasic, and Kevin MacLeod

The Superpower: Can You Have Good Taste?

"Worst case scenario, the spy gets killed" - Benedetta Lerva If you hire a spy, a lot can happen. They can get caught. They can get tortured with endless roundhouse kicks to the face. And worst case scenario: they can die. So if you had to risk someone’s life to spy for your country, would you do it? And, more importantly, what does this teach us about what it means to be a better person? An economist helps us figure it out.   The Facts Moonwalk is hosted, written, and produced by Mohnish Soundararajan. Episode was co-hosted by Kevin Sanji. Feedback is by Vysali Soundararajan. Special thanks to Benedetta Lerva. The research:  East-West Germany espionage paper, Rotten Kid Theorem paper, and the “Pay Not to Go to the Gym” paper. Sign up for the insider newsletter for exclusive updates and book recommendations. Music is by Podington Bear, BitBasic, and Broke for Free.  

The Rational Spy: How Incentives Screw with Everything

“My parents thought they hit the jackpot with me” - Gordie Bufton There’s a woman who buys a ticket. She gets in a plane, and passes all these little cultures of hills and cars and highways, and then - 2,000 miles later - realizes that the man whom she gave birth to and bought diapers in bulk for, is actually a complete shit show. On this episode, we talk about the shit show, and dive into a question that’s older than Nietzsche himself: can disadvantages be turned into advantages? Is that completely wrong? And if it’s true, why does the research give a different picture?   The Facts Moonwalk is hosted, written, and produced by Mohnish Soundararajan. Episode was co-hosted by Kevin Sanji. Feedback is by Jarrod Sport, Kevin Sanji, Justine Brumm, Justin Sheppard, and Mary Moran. Special thanks to Gordie Bufton, Lisa Moore, and Mark Seery. To sign up for the newsletter (and for more on this episode), go to mohnish.net Music is by Podington Bear.

#12 Wicked Smaht, or Is Intelligence Important?

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