No Stupid Questions

Stephen Dubner (co-author of the Freakonomics book series) and research psychologist Angela Duckworth (author of Grit) really like to ask people questions, and came to believe there’s no such thing as a stupid one. So they made a podcast where they can ask each other as many “stupid questions” as they want. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your podcasts, or use the R.S.S. feed. Follow No Stupid Questions on Facebook and Twitter. And stay tuned to Freakonomics Radio and sign up for our newsletter.

EPISODE

DATE

LENGTH

50
Are You as Observant as You Think? (NSQ Ep. 50)

Also: Angela accidentally discovers the secret to a good night’s sleep.

5/2/2021
34:35
49
How Does Facing Death Change Your Life? (NSQ Ep. 49)

Also: why are we so bad at assessing risk?

4/25/2021
39:05
48
Do Good Deeds Invite More Bad Ones? (NSQ Ep. 48)

Also: what is the most significant choice you will ever make?

4/18/2021
40:07
47
Is Laziness Real? (NSQ Ep. 47)

Also: why do we dislike being alone in public?

4/11/2021
34:11
46
How Can You Stop Feeling So Irritable? (NSQ Ep. 46)

Also: what’s wrong with being impatient?

4/4/2021
39:29
45
How Much Better Do You Really Want to Be? (NSQ, Ep. 45)

Also: why do we pad our speech with so much filler language?

3/28/2021
39:10
44
Is Empathy in Fact Immoral? (NSQ Ep. 44)

Also: is it better to “go with the wind” or to “be the wind”?

3/21/2021
37:47
43
What Do We Really Learn From Failure? (NSQ Ep. 43)

Also: What is teasing supposed to accomplish?

3/14/2021
38:26
42
How Does When You Are Born Affect Who You Are? (NSQ Ep. 42)

Also: how did Angela do with her no-sugar challenge?

3/7/2021
40:08
41
Why Are We So Attracted to Fame? (NSQ Ep. 41)

Also: do we subconsciously lie about our major influences?

2/28/2021
37:15
40
Have We All Lost Our Ability to Compromise? (NSQ Ep.40)

Also: is it better to be right or “not wrong”?

2/21/2021
37:49
39
Is Everybody Cheating These Days? (NSQ Ep. 39)

Also, what’s better: to learn new skills or go deep on what you’re good at?

2/14/2021
38:09
38
What Does It Mean to Be a “Good” Man? (NSQ Ep. 38)

Also: how can you stop ruminating?

2/7/2021
35:18
37
How Do You Know if People Don’t Like You? (NSQ Ep. 37)

Also: do self-help books really help?

1/31/2021
41:13
36
Which Matters More, a First or Last Impression? (NSQ Ep. 36)

Also: does wisdom really come with age?

1/24/2021
36:38
35
Does Psychotherapy Actually Work? (NSQ Ep. 35)

Also: how many “selves” is it okay to have?

1/17/2021
32:37
34
Are Humans Smarter or Stupider Than We Used to Be? (NSQ Ep. 34)

Also: how can you become a more curious person?

1/10/2021
35:39
33
Is Optimism a Luxury Good? (NSQ Ep. 33)

Also: why is public speaking so terrifying?

1/3/2021
38:41
0
How Much of Your Life Do You Actually Control? (NSQ Ep. 15 Rebroadcast)

Also: why do we procrastinate?

12/27/2020
37:09
32
Which Gets You Further: Talent or Effort? (NSQ Ep. 32)

Also: where is the line between acronyms, initialisms, and gibberish?

12/20/2020
33:36
31
How Much Do Your Friends Affect Your Future? (NSQ Ep. 31)

Also: which professions have the happiest people?

12/13/2020
36:38
30
Why Do We Seek Comfort in the Familiar? (NSQ Ep. 30)

Also: is a little knowledge truly a dangerous thing?

12/6/2020
35:12
29
How Do You Know When It’s Time to Quit? (NSQ Ep. 29)

Also: why is it so hard to predict success?

11/29/2020
31:39
28
Why Do We Hoard? (NSQ Ep. 28)

Also: do you spend more time thinking about the past, the present, or the future?

11/22/2020
29:14
27
How Should You Ask for Forgiveness? (NSQ Ep. 27)

Also: why is behavior change so darn hard? 

11/15/2020
37:44
26
Do Checklists Make People Stupid? (NSQ Ep. 26)

Also: what’s so great about New York City anyway?

11/8/2020
34:17
25
Is Hedonism Better Than Self-Control? (NSQ Ep. 25)

Also: is it wrong to feel inured to the pandemic?

11/1/2020
30:43
24
Why Do We Forget So Much of What We’ve Read? (NSQ Ep. 24)

Also: do we overestimate or underestimate our significance in other people’s lives?

10/25/2020
33:53
23
Is It Wrong to Crave Praise? (NSQ Ep. 23)

Also: should everyone have their own trauma score?

10/18/2020
38:33
22
Why Do We Buy Things We’ll Never Use? (NSQ Ep. 22)

Also: how is social media like a knife?

10/11/2020
31:28
21
How Can You Identify Hidden Talent? With Eric Schmidt (NSQ Ep. 21)

Also: is there a downside to billionaire philanthropy?

10/4/2020
35:03
20
Should We Separate the Art From the Artist? (NSQ Ep. 20)

Also: what is the meaning of life?

9/27/2020
32:37
19
Is There Such a Thing as Good Estrangement? (NSQ Ep. 19)

Also: how do you know if you have a “bad personality”?

9/20/2020
34:19
18
How Do You Raise a “Likable” Kid? (NSQ Ep. 18)

Also: what’s so great about friendship?

9/13/2020
29:30
17
How Can We Get More Virtue and Less ‘Virtue Signaling’? (NSQ Ep. 17)

Also: is it better to be a thinker, a doer, or a charmer? 

9/6/2020
32:23
16
What’s the Downside to Being Goal-Oriented? (NSQ Ep. 16)

Also: how does a cook become a chef? With Gabrielle Hamilton.

8/30/2020
31:36
15
How Much of Your Life Do You Actually Control? (NSQ Ep. 15)

Also: why do we procrastinate?

8/23/2020
38:07
14
Are You a Maximizer or a Satisficer? (NSQ Ep. 14)

Also: what is the best question you’ve ever been asked in a job interview?

8/16/2020
24:00
13
How Can You Stop Comparing Yourself With Other People? (NSQ Ep. 13)

Also: how can we stop confusing correlation with causation?

8/9/2020
33:50
12
Does “As If” Thinking Really Work? (NSQ Ep. 12)

Also: how effective is the placebo effect?

8/2/2020
32:47
11
Are Ambitious People Inherently Selfish? (NSQ Ep. 11)

Also: why do we habituate to life’s greatest pleasures?

7/26/2020
35:53
10
Why Are Stories Stickier Than Statistics? (NSQ Ep. 10)

Also: are the most memorable stories less likely to be true?

7/19/2020
30:20
9
Why Is It So Hard to Be Alone With Our Thoughts? (NSQ Ep. 9)

Also: how do you avoid screwing up your kids?

7/12/2020
35:10
8
Wouldn’t It Be Better to Hear Your Eulogy Before You’re Dead? (NSQ Ep. 8)

Also: how does a comedian cope with tragedy? With Eugene Mirman.

7/5/2020
37:43
7
How Do You Handle Criticism? (NSQ Ep. 7)

Also: is it better to send a congratulatory note to someone who deserves it or a condolence note to someone who needs it? 

6/28/2020
31:56
6
Is Incompetence a Form of Dishonesty? (NSQ Ep. 6)

Also: should we all have personal mission statements?

6/21/2020
40:50
5
What Do Tom Sawyer and the Founder of Duolingo Have in Common? (NSQ Ep. 5)

Also: is there such a thing as too much science? With special guest Luis von Ahn.

6/14/2020
31:02
4
Does All Creativity Come From Pain? (NSQ Ep. 4)

Also: is life precious because it’s finite? 

6/7/2020
33:18
3
What Does It Mean to Be a “Hard Worker”? (NSQ Ep. 3)

Also: how does age affect happiness? 

5/31/2020
28:12
2
What Is the Optimal Way to Be Angry? (NSQ Ep. 2)

Also: why do we treat pets better than people?

5/24/2020
36:24