Why does the U.S. use Fahrenheit when Celsius is better? Would you quit your job if a coin flip told you to? And how do you get an entire country to drive on the other side of the road?

• SOURCES:
  • Christian Crandall, professor of psychology at the University of Kansas.
  • Stephen Dubner, host of Freakonomics Radio and co-author of the Freakonomics books.
  • Scott Eidelman, professor of psychology at the University of Arkansas.
  • David Hume, 18th century Scottish philosopher.
  • Ellen Langer, professor of psychology at Harvard University.
  • Steve Levitt, professor emeritus of economics at the University of Chicago, host of People I (Mostly) Admire, and co-author of the Freakonomics books.
  • John McWhorter, professor of linguistics, English, and comparative literature at Columbia University.
  • Mark Twain, 19-20th century American writer.

• RESOURCES:
  • "What Countries Use the Imperial System?" by William Harris and Sascha Bos (HowStuffWorks, 2023).
  • "UK Quietly Drops Brexit Law to Return to Imperial Measurements," by George Parker (Financial Times, 2023).
  • "Heads or Tails: The Impact of a Coin Toss on Major Life Decisions and Subsequent Happiness," by Steven D. Levitt (The Review of Economic Studies, 2021).
  • "A ‘Thrilling’ Mission to Get the Swedish to Change Overnight," by Maddy Savage (BBC, 2018).
  • "Why We Can’t Quit the QWERTY Keyboard," by Rachel Metz (MIT Technology Review, 2018).
  • "Why Americans Still Use Fahrenheit Long After Everyone Else Switched to Celsius," by Zack Beauchamp (Vox, 2015).
  • "The Intuitive Traditionalist: How Biases for Existence and Longevity Promote the Status Quo," by Scott Eidelman and Christian Crandall (Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 2014).
  • "What Scientific Concept Would Improve Everybody's Cognitive Toolkit?" (Edge, 2011).
  • "Mars Probe Lost Due to Simple Math Error," by Robert Lee Hotz (Los Angeles Times, 1999).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Would You Let a Coin Toss Decide Your Future?" by Freakonomics Radio (2013).
  • "The Upside of Quitting," by Freakonomics Radio (2011).

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What happens when machines become funnier, kinder, and more empathetic than humans? Do robot therapists save lives? And should Angela credit her virtual assistant as a co-author of her book?

• SOURCES:
  • Robert Cialdini, professor emeritus of psychology at Arizona State University.
  • Reid Hoffman, co-founder and executive chairman of LinkedIn; co-founder and board member of Inflection AI.
  • Kazuo Ishiguro, novelist and screenwriter.
  • Ethan Mollick, professor of management and co-director of the Generative A.I. Lab at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Ann Patchett, author.
  • Kevin Roose, technology columnist for The New York Times and co-host of the podcast Hard Fork.
  • Niko Tinbergen, 20th-century Dutch biologist and ornithologist.
  • Lyle Ungar, professor of computer and information science at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • E. B. White, 20th-century American author.

• RESOURCES:
  • Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI, by Ethan Mollick (2024).
  • "Meet My A.I. Friends," by Kevin Roose (The New York Times, 2024).
  • "Loneliness and Suicide Mitigation for Students Using GPT3-Enabled Chatbots," by Bethanie Maples, Merve Cerit, Aditya Vishwanath, and Roy Pea (NPJ Mental Health Research, 2024).
  • "AI Can Help People Feel Heard, but an AI Label Diminishes This Impact," by Yidan Yin, Nan Jia, and Cheryl J. Wakslak (PNAS, 2024).
  • "Romantic AI Chatbots Don’t Have Your Privacy at Heart," by Jen Caltrider, Misha Rykov and Zoë MacDonald (Mozilla Foundation, 2024).
  • Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro (2021).
  • The Study Of Instinct, by Niko Tinbergen (1951).
  • Pi.

• EXTRAS:
  • "Are Our Tools Becoming Part of Us?" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).
  • "Is GPS Changing Your Brain?" by No Stupid Questions (2023).
  • "How to Think About A.I.," series by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • "Would You Rather See a Computer or a Doctor?" by Freakonomics, M.D. (2022).

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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).

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How should you treat Seasonal Affective Disorder? Would we all be happier if we hibernated? And why does Stephen think football fans have an easier time?

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How do you let go of resentment? Do apologies even work? And what grievances have Stephen and Angela been nursing for years?

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Do highway warnings save lives or cost lives? How do you keep men from peeing on the floor? And what’s Angela’s plan to get more people washing their hands?

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How is aging different today than it was in the past? What do young people get wrong about happiness? And what does it mean if you impulsively decide to get your ear pierced in an unusual place?

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Can exercising your body boost your brain's stamina? Are some people just born lazy? And why did Angela stop reading “Us Weekly”?

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Why do some activities tire your brain more than others? How exhausting is poverty? And could most of the world’s problems be solved with a sandwich?

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Are Europeans more sophisticated than Americans? What’s wrong with preferring Taylor Swift to Puccini? And is Steve Levitt “Team Edward” or “Team Jacob”?

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Will Angela finally break up with Philadelphia? Is New York really the unhappiest city in the U.S.? And are there trash tornadoes in the metaverse?

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Are you a problem solver or an opportunity seeker? Why is it so hard to find a good leader these days? And could you be Angela’s next boss?

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What risks are worth taking? When should you ignore feedback and go with your gut? And what did Stephen learn on a fishing trip with the town barber?

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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.

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What’s worse: shame, guilt, or humiliation? Does Angela have psychopathic tendencies? And where’s the worst place to sit at a magic show? 

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What is the purpose of negative emotions? Why do we engage with things we know will upset us? And how does Angie deal with rejection?

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Is it O.K. to bother people for a good cause? Why do people donate to charity in the first place? And do those personalized address labels actually make people get out their checkbooks?  

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Are we all either secure, avoidant, or anxious? How does your relationship with your parents shape your romantic partnerships? And what is Stephen’s attachment style? 

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Are you more likely to experience post-traumatic stress or post-traumatic growth? How does belief in the afterlife affect how you view death? And why did Angela hike a deadly gorge with her ex-boyfriend? 

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How do kids learn about money? What’s the big problem with education? And who made "Raiders of the Lost Ark?"

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Why are humans so eager for magic-bullet solutions? Can you explain how a pen works? And how does Angela feel about being forever branded “the grit lady”?

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Why do Americans tip so much? What happened when Angie eliminated grading in a college course? And why did almost every pay toilet in the U.S.A. vanish between 1970 and 1980? 

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How does the profitability of family firms stack up against the rest? Has nepotism become more taboo over time? And why are 90 percent of adoptees in Japan not children but adults?

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Where’s the line between an addiction and a bad habit? Why do definitions of mental illnesses change over time? And what’s the most addictive thing in the world?

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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).

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Why does listening to No Stupid Questions feel like you’re hanging out with your best friends? Why did the whole world take it personally when Princess Diana died? And how do “parasocial relationships” affect your mental health?

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Are there downsides to “personality plagiarism”? Why did no one buy the Crayola Crayon Carver? And should Stephen feel bad for copying Angela’s email signature?

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Why have fertility rates dropped so dramatically? Do fathers or mothers get more happiness from parenting? And how does birth order affect a child’s future?

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Why are women unhappier than men? What can we do to move the needle? And is it better to be happy or to be good?

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How did Chick-fil-A become the third-largest restaurant chain in the U.S.? Why does it serve salad? And can Angie’s moral compass override her craving for a chicken sandwich?

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Can denial be a healthy way of dealing with the death of a loved one? What do the five stages of grief misrepresent about mourning? And why does Angie cover her eyes when she watches the Rocky movies?

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What is the relationship between “catastrophizing” and anxiety? How did Angela react when her mother came close to drowning? And how can you gain perspective when the worst-case scenario is all you can visualize?

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How have Angie’s views on sleep changed since she wrote her Harvard application essay? Would starting high school later in the day be worth $8.6 billion? And what should you do if your chronotype doesn’t fit the way society is structured?

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Is evolution stacked against healthy eating? What policies could increase demand for nutritious food? And does Popeyes count as a cultural icon?

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What’s the difference between people who preserve special things and people who devour them right away? Why do we love to binge-watch? And did Adam really eat an apple?

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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).

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Why do so many Americans say they’re satisfied with their own lives but upset about the way the country is going? Why don’t other countries experience the same gap? And what do horror movies have in common with Coca-Cola enemas?

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What’s the difference between willpower and eagerness? Is there a lifehack that can make you zestier? And could it help Stephen improve his golf game? 

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Is it more important to help society or to help yourself? Does the self-improvement movement do any good for the world? And which podcast episode does Stephen cling to as proof that he’s doing something valuable? 

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How do you know when it’s the right time to retire? What does a “good” retirement look like? And will Stephen and Angela ever really hang up their hats?

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What’s the difference between dispositional optimism and agentic hope? Are there benefits to taking a long shot, even if it turns out to be an air ball? And how is Angela like an N.F.L. quarterback?

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Can you quantify emotional intelligence? Who should you hire — someone smart, or someone good with people? And how did Angie do on an online emotional intelligence test? 

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Why are humans so fascinated by coincidences? What do Carl Jung and an album by The Police have in common? And what did Stephen win in a bar mitzvah limbo contest? 

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What is the cost of admitting you’re wrong? How can intellectual humility make you more open minded? And will Stephen finally persuade Angela that rum-raisin is the best flavor of ice cream?

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How is “negative reinforcement” different from punishment? Could positive reinforcement encourage prosocial behavior on a national scale? And what’s the deal with Taiwan’s dog-poop lottery?

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What’s the connection between conversations about money and financial literacy? Could the taboo against talking about your salary be fading? And why did Angie’s teenage daughter call Vanguard to learn about I.R.A.s?

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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).

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Why are great accomplishments often followed by disappointment? Is it better to win and feel bummed out than to never have won at all? And where was ping-pong invented?

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Also: Angela proposes an upgrade to the show.  

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Also: what does your name say about who you are? 

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