How Much Do Your Friends Affect Your Future? (NSQ Ep. 31 Replay)

Also: which professions have the happiest people? Listen and follow No Stupid Questions on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. *      *      * Here’s where you can learn more about the people and ideas in this episode: SOURCES Nicholas Christakis, professor of social and natural science, internal medicine...

1d

Ken Jennings on How a Midlife Crisis Led Him to Jeopardy! (People I (Mostly) Admire Ep. 4 Replay)

It was only in his late twenties that America’s favorite brainiac began to seriously embrace his love of trivia. Jeopardy!’s newest host also holds the show’s “Greatest of All Time” title. Steve digs into how Ken trained for the show, what it means to have a “geographic memory,” and why we lie to our children. Listen and follow People I (Mostly) Admire...

2d

How Can We Break Our Addiction to Contempt? (Ep. 478)

Arthur Brooks is an economist who for 10 years ran the American Enterprise Institute, one of the most influential conservative think tanks in the world. He has come to believe there is only one weapon that can defeat our extreme political polarization: love. Is Brooks a fool for thinking this — and are you perhaps his kind of fool? Listen and follow...

4d

In a Job Interview, How Much Does Timing Matter? (NSQ Ep. 70)

Also: why is it smart to ignore what your podcast hosts look like? *      *      * Relevant Research & References Here’s where you can learn more about the people and ideas in this episode: SOURCES Donald Redelmeier, professor of medicine at the University of Toronto. Daniel Kahneman, professor of psychology and public policy at...

2w

Mayim Bialik on the Surprising Risks of Academia and Stability of Show Biz (People I (Mostly) Admire Ep. 2 Replay)

This new Jeopardy! host is best known for playing neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory, but she has a rich life outside of her acting career too, as a teacher, mother — and a real-life neuroscientist. Steve learns more about this one-time academic and Hollywood non-conformist, who is both very similar to him and also quite his opposite....

2w

Why Is U.S. Media So Negative? (Ep. 477)

Breaking news! Sources say American journalism exploits our negativity bias to maximize profits, and social media algorithms add fuel to the fire. Stephen Dubner investigates. Listen and follow our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Below is a transcript of the episode, edited for readability. For more...

2w

How Can You Convince Someone They’re Wrong? (NSQ Ep. 69)

Also: what’s the best way to handle rejection? *      *      * Relevant Research & References Here’s where you can learn more about the people and ideas in this episode: SOURCES Blaise Pascal (deceased), 17th-Century French philosopher. Dale Carnegie (deceased), writer and lecturer on self-improvement and public speaking. Robert...

3w

Robert Axelrod on Why Being Nice, Forgiving, and Provokable are the Best Strategies for Life (People I (Mostly) Admire, Ep. 47)

The prisoner’s dilemma is a classic game-theory problem. Robert, a political scientist at the University of Michigan, has spent his career studying it — and the ways humans can cooperate, or betray each other, for their own benefit. He and Steve talk about the best way to play it and how it shows up in real world situations, from war zones to Steve’s...

3w

Why Fridays May Be Dangerous for Your Health (Freakonomics, M.D. Ep. 9)

When researchers analyzed which day of the week most drug-safety alerts are released — and what it means for public health — they were stunned. So was Bapu Jena. He talks with them and a physician this week about the “Friday Effect,” a common problem with big repercussions for the safety of the medications. Follow Freakonomics, M.D. on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher,...

3w

That’s a Great Question! (Ep. 192 Rebroadcast)

Verbal tic or strategic rejoinder? Whatever the case: it’s rare to come across an interview these days where at least one question isn’t a “great” one.  Listen and follow our podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Below is a transcript of the episode, edited for readability. For more information on the people...

3w