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Episode No.
Date
Length
No. 167

Is GPS Changing Your Brain?

Is it better to be an egocentric navigator or an allocentric navigator? Was the New York City Department of Education wrong to ban ChatGPT? And did Mike get ripped off by Michael Jackson’s cousin?

10/15/23
42:28
No. 166

Are You Suffering From Burnout?

What’s the difference between being busy and being productive? Would you be better at your job if you cared a little less? And can somebody get Mike a cup of coffee?

10/8/23
43:14
No. 165

Do “Generations” Mean Anything?

Do you get grittier as you age? What’s worse for mental health: video games or social media? And do baby boomers make the best D.J.s?

10/1/23
41:54
No. 164

Do You Have Impostor Syndrome?

Does anyone really know what they’re doing? How do we reward the competent and not the confident? And what’s wrong with using TikTok for research?

9/24/23
44:05
No. 163

Does Your DNA Determine Your Weight?

How much control do you really have over your body? Could understanding genetics help combat fat-shaming? And why is Mike’s life coach so happy all the time?

9/17/23
32:30
No. 162

How Can You Be Kinder to Yourself?

How do you practice self-care if you don’t have time for a break? Is it weird to talk to yourself? And does Mike need a bag of Doritos — or just a hug?

9/10/23
44:49
No. 161

How Effective Are Ultimatums?

How final is a final offer, really? Does anonymity turn nice people into jerks? And should you tell your crush that you dreamed about marrying them?

9/3/23
41:50
No. 160

How Do You Like Me Now?

Why would a successful person feel the need to stick it to the little guy? Is Angela a name-dropper? And why do rappers grab their crotches?

8/27/23
45:05
No. 159

How Much Personal Space Do You Need?

How do you deal with a close talker? Is Angela drinking too much water? And why can’t Mike keep his phone out of his bedroom?

8/20/23
39:08
No. 158

Bigger Fish, or Bigger Pond?

Is it better to be the best player on the worst team or the worst player on the best team? How did Angela cope with her extremely impressive freshman dorm-mates? And why won’t Shaquille O’Neal let Charles Barkley have an onion ring?

8/13/23
34:24
No. 157

How Can You Get Closer to the People You Care About?

How well do you know the people in your life, really? Are you stuck having surface-level conversations? And should we all be in couples therapy?

8/6/23
44:16
No. 156

How Do You Connect With Someone You Just Met?

How vulnerable should you get with your coworkers? What’s the benefit of telling strangers about your relationship with your mother? And why did Mike’s childhood home burn down — twice?

7/30/23
46:37
No. 155

How Do You Deal With Big Life Changes?

What’s more stressful, divorce or jail? Are you in the middle of a “lifequake”? And should we all be taking notes from Martha Stewart?

7/23/23
48:46
No. 154

Why Is There So Much Social Pressure Around Alcohol?

Why do people drink? Why do people not drink? And why specifically do Angela and Mike not drink?

7/16/23
34:54
No. 153

Should You Spend More Time in Nature?

Is a walk through the city as good as a walk through the woods? Who’s most likely to die while taking a selfie? And how does Angela protect herself from the beer cans falling onto her deck?

7/9/23
35:52
No. 152

What’s the Worst Kind of Regret?

Is it worse to regret something you’ve done, or something you haven’t done? What’s the upside of rejection? And which great American short-story writer convinced Angela to quit driving?

7/2/23
35:43
No. 151

Is It Okay to Be Average?

Must one always strive for excellence? Is perfectionism a good thing? And can Mike have two bad days in a row?

6/25/23
49:36
No. 150

Why Do People Get Scammed?

What makes a con succeed? Does snake oil actually work? And just how gullible is Angela?

6/18/23
40:21
No. 149

Is It Harder to Make Friends as an Adult?

How do friendships change as we get older? Should you join a bowling league? And is Angela more important to Mike than Mike is to Angela?

6/11/23
45:00
No. 91

Do You Savor or Gobble? (Replay)

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?

6/4/23
44:08
No. 148

What Is Fun, Exactly?

Why does time fly when you’re having fun? How do you teach rats to play hide and seek? And what does all this have to do with Anne Boleyn?

5/28/23
40:38
No. 147

Is Nudging Enough?

Is it enough to toss a soda can in the recycling? Why is Maria obsessed with Nobel Prize lectures? And wait — is that a news alert or a tiger?

5/21/23
42:55
No. 146

How Do You Avoid Freezing Under Pressure?

Should you visualize success or failure? How do you bounce back from a mistake? And will Maria hustle Angela into a poker game?

5/14/23
44:37
No. 145

Do You Have a Scarcity Mindset or an Abundance Mindset?

Are highly effective people quicker to share credit? What does poverty do to your brain? And how did Stephen’s mother teach him about opportunity costs? Plus: an announcement about the future of the show.

5/7/23
52:39
No. 144

What Should Be the Eighth Deadly Sin?

We asked you to nominate the worst sins of the modern age. Which one do Stephen and Angela think belongs on the list? And which does Angie struggle with the most?

4/30/23
47:13
No. 143

How Sinful Are “No Stupid Questions” Listeners?

What does the Seven Deadly Sins survey tell us about the people who listen to this podcast? Are we more afflicted by sloth or by lust? And what does Angela mutter under her breath?

Take the Seven Deadly Sins survey: freakonomics.com/nsq-sins/

4/23/23
46:08
No. 142

Is Pride the Worst Sin?

Is pride an emotion? Where’s the line between self-esteem and hubris? And what does Stephen have against peacocks?

Take the Seven Deadly Sins survey: freakonomics.com/nsq-sins/

4/16/23
49:07
No. 141

Is Greed Good?

Who’s greedier — gamblers or casinos? What’s the difference between betting on sports and entering a charity raffle? And does Angela know the name of her city’s football team?

Take the Seven Deadly Sins survey: freakonomics.com/nsq-sins/

4/9/23
45:53
No. 140

Is Envy Healthy?

What does social media do to our self-esteem? How is envy affecting our politics? And should you go to your high school reunion?

Take the Seven Deadly Sins survey: freakonomics.com/nsq-sins/

4/2/23
41:28
No. 139

Why Do We Get Angry?

What’s the difference between anger and indignation? What’s Angela’s problem with turkey sandwiches? And why wasn’t a No Stupid Questions listener angry at the men who assaulted him?

Take the Seven Deadly Sins survey: freakonomics.com/nsq-sins/

3/26/23
43:47
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