No Stupid Questions
Episodes
96. Why Is Chick-fil-A Such a Big Deal?
24 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 cravi...
95. What’s So Bad About Denial?
17 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
94. What to Do When Everything Looks Like a Catastrophe?
10 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What is the relationship between “catastrophizing” and anxiety? How did Angela react when her mother came close to drowning? And how can you gain ...
93. Does the Early Bird Really Catch the Worm? Or Could the Night Owl Get There First?
03 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 bil...
92. Is Poor Nutrition a Supply Problem or a Demand Problem?
27 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Is evolution stacked against healthy eating? What policies could increase demand for nutritious food? And does Popeyes count as a cultural icon? Hoste...
91. Do You Savor or Gobble?
20 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
90. If America Is a Train Wreck, Why Am I Doing Fine?
13 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 experi...
89. How Valuable Is Enthusiasm?
06 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 gam...
88. Is Self-Improvement Too Selfish?
27 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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...
87. What’s So Great About Retirement?
20 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 the...
86. Should We All Be Taking More Long Shots?
13 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 b...
85. Is Emotional Intelligence Really So Important?
06 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Can you quantify emotional intelligence? Who should you hire — someone smart, or someone good with people? And how did Angie do on an online emotion...
84. Why Do We Find So Much Meaning in Meaningless Coincidences?
30 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 l...
83. Can You Change Your Mind Without Losing Face?
23 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 r...
82. Which Is More Powerful: Reward or Punishment?
16 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How is “negative reinforcement” different from punishment? Could positive reinforcement encourage prosocial behavior on a national scale? And what...
81. Why Is It So Hard to Talk About Money?
09 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What’s the connection between conversations about money and financial literacy? Could the taboo against talking about your salary be fading? And why...
80. Is a “Success Hangover” Real?
02 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 p...
79. Why Do We Root for Underdogs?
26 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: Angela proposes an upgrade to the show. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection an...
78. Why Do We Put Things Off Until the Very Last Minute?
19 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: what does your name say about who you are? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection ...
77. How Can You Avoid Boredom?
12 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: are we getting any better at assessing COVID risk? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our colle...
76. Why Can’t Baby Boomers and Millennials Just Get Along?
05 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: how do phone cameras affect the way we experience live events? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information a...
Why Do We Seek Comfort in the Familiar? (NSQ Ep. 30 Replay)
28 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: is a little knowledge truly a dangerous thing? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collect...
75. How Do You Deal With Intrusive Thoughts?
21 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: how much does confidence really matter? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and u...
74. Does Reverse Psychology Really Work?
14 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: does knowing your family history affect your identity? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our c...
73. Is It Okay to Engage in “Social Loafing”?
07 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: why is it so great to be part of a team, even when you lose? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about...
72. If Everyone Hates Meetings, Why Do We Have So Many of Them?
31 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: why do so many people feel lost in their 20s? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collecti...
71. Why Is Pig Milk the One Milk We Don’t Drink?
24 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: what’s a food you love that seems disgusting to everyone else? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information a...
How Much Do Your Friends Affect Your Future? (NSQ Ep. 31 Replay)
17 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: which professions have the happiest people? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection a...
70. In a Job Interview, How Much Does Timing Matter?
10 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: why is it smart to ignore what your podcast hosts look like? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about...
69. How Can You Convince Someone They’re Wrong?
03 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: what’s the best way to handle rejection? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection an...
68. Why Do We Want What We Can’t Have?
26 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: why are humans still so tribal? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of pe...
67. How Can You Escape Binary Thinking?
19 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: why is it so satisfying to find a bargain? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection an...
66. When Is It OK to Tell a Lie?
12 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: is obsessing over your mental health bad for your mental health? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information a...
Why Do We Forget So Much of What We’ve Read? (Ep. 24 Rebroadcast)
05 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: do we overestimate or underestimate our significance in other people’s lives? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com fo...
65. What’s the Best Advice You’ve Ever Received?
29 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: why don’t you need a license to become a parent? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our colle...
Why Do We Buy Things We Never Use? (Rebroadcast From Ep.22)
22 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: why do we hoard? (Rebroadcast From Ep. 28) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection an...
64. Are Women Required to Be Nicer Than Men?
15 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: should you feel guilty if you don’t read books? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collec...
63. How Contagious Is Behavior? With Laurie Santos of “The Happiness Lab.”
08 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: life is good — so why aren’t you happy? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection a...
62. How Can You Escape a Drama Triangle?
01 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: how do awards affect motivation? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of p...
61. Should We Just Ignore Our Weaknesses?
25 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: why do we like what we like? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of perso...
60. Why Do We Complain?
18 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: what do you really mean when you say you “don’t have time”? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information ...
59. Do Dreams Actually Mean Anything?
11 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: why is music so memorable? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of persona...
How Can You Stop Comparing Yourself With Other People? (Ep. 13 Rebroadcast)
04 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: how can we stop confusing correlation with causation? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our co...
58. What’s So Gratifying About Gossip?
27 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: why do people hate small talk? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of per...
57. Which Incentives Are Best at Boosting Vaccination, and Why?
20 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: what does your desired superpower say about you? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collect...
56. Why Is Academic Writing So Bad?
13 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: what does your perfect day look like? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use...
55. What Changes Will Stick When the Pandemic Is Gone?
06 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: would you take a confirmation-bias vaccine? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection a...
54. Do You Really Need a Muse to Be Creative?
30 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: is shortsightedness part of human nature? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and...
53. What’s the Secret to Making a Great Prediction?
23 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: how do you recover from a bad day? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use o...
52. How Much Should We Be Able to Customize Our World?
16 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: does multitasking actually increase productivity? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collec...
51. What Separates Humans From Other Animals?
09 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: why do people pace while talking on the phone? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collectio...
50. Are You as Observant as You Think?
02 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Angela accidentally discovers the secret to a good night’s sleep Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about...
49. How Does Facing Death Change Your Life?
25 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: why are we so bad at assessing risk? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use...
48. Do Good Deeds Invite More Bad Ones?
18 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: what is the most significant choice you will ever make? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our ...
47. Is Laziness Real?
11 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: why do we dislike being alone in public? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and ...
46. How Can You Stop Feeling So Irritable?
04 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: what’s wrong with being impatient? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and us...
45. How Much Better Do You Really Want to Be?
28 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: why do we pad our speech with so much filler language? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our c...
44. Is Empathy in Fact Immoral?
21 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: is it better to “go with the wind” or to “be the wind”? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information ab...
43. What Do We Really Learn From Failure?
14 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: what is teasing supposed to accomplish? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and u...
42. How Does When You Are Born Affect Who You Are?
07 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: how did Angela do with her no-sugar challenge? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collectio...
41. Why Are We So Attracted to Fame?
28 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: do we subconsciously lie about our major influences? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our col...
40. Have We All Lost Our Ability to Compromise?
21 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: is it better to be right or “not wrong”? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection ...
39. Is Everybody Cheating These Days?
14 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also, what's better: to learn new skills or go deep on what you're good at? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for informat...
38. What Does It Mean to Be a “Good” Man?
07 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: how can you stop ruminating? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of perso...
37. How Do You Know if People Don’t Like You?
31 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: do self-help books really help? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of pe...
36. Which Matters More, a First or Last Impression?
24 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: does wisdom really come with age? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of ...
35. Does Psychotherapy Actually Work?
17 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: how many “selves” is it OK to have? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and u...
34. Are Humans Smarter or Stupider Than We Used to Be?
10 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: how can you become a more curious person? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and...
33. Is Optimism a Luxury Good?
03 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Also: why is public speaking so terrifying? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and us...
How Much of Your Life Do You Actually Control? (Ep. 15 Rebroadcast)
27 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: why do we procrastinate? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal ...
32. Which Gets You Further: Talent or Effort?
20 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: where is the line between acronyms, initialisms, and gibberish? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information a...
31. How Much Do Your Friends Affect Your Future?
13 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: which professions have the happiest people? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection a...
30. Why Do We Seek Comfort in the Familiar?
06 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: is a little knowledge truly a dangerous thing? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collectio...
29. How Do You Know When It’s Time to Quit?
29 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: why is it so hard to predict success? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use...
28. Why Do We Hoard?
22 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: do you spend more time thinking about the past, the present, or the future? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for in...
27. How Should You Ask for Forgiveness?
15 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: why is behavior change so darn hard? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use...
26. Do Checklists Make People Stupid?
08 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: what’s so great about New York City anyway? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection...
25. Is Hedonism Better Than Self-Control?
01 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: is it wrong to feel inured to the pandemic? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection ...
24. Why Do We Forget So Much of What We’ve Read?
25 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: do we overestimate or underestimate our significance in other people’s lives? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com f...
23. Is It Wrong to Crave Praise?
18 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: should everyone have their own trauma score? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection ...
22. Why Do We Buy Things We’ll Never Use?
11 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: how is social media like a knife? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of ...
21. How Can You Identify Hidden Talent? With Eric Schmidt.
04 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: is there a downside to billionaire philanthropy? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collect...
20. Should We Separate the Art From the Artist?
27 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: what is the meaning of life? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of perso...
19. Is There Such a Thing as Good Estrangement?
20 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: how do you know if you have a “bad personality”? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our co...
18. How Do You Raise a “Likable” Kid?
13 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: what’s so great about friendship? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use o...
17. How Can We Get More Virtue and Less ‘Virtue Signaling’?
06 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: is it better to be a thinker, a doer, or a charmer? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our coll...
16. What’s the Downside to Being Goal-Oriented?
30 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: how does a cook become a chef? With Gabrielle Hamilton. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our...
15. How Much of Your Life Do You Actually Control?
23 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: why do we procrastinate? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal ...
14. Are You a Maximizer or a Satisficer?
16 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: what is the best question you’ve ever been asked in a job interview? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for informa...
13. How Can You Stop Comparing Yourself With Other People?
09 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: how can we stop confusing correlation with causation? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our co...
12. Does “As If” Thinking Really Work?
03 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: how effective is the placebo effect? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use ...
11. Are Ambitious People Inherently Selfish?
27 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: why do we habituate to life’s greatest pleasures? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our coll...
10. Why Are Stories Stickier Than Statistics?
20 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: are the most memorable stories less likely to be true? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our ...
9. Why Is It So Hard to Be Alone With Our Thoughts?
13 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: how do you avoid screwing up your kids? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and u...
8. Wouldn’t It Be Better to Hear Your Eulogy Before You’re Dead?
06 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: how does a comedian cope with tragedy? With Eugene Mirman. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about o...
7. How Do You Handle Criticism?
29 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: is it better to send a congratulatory note to someone who deserves it or a condolence note to someone who needs it? Hosted by Simplecast, an Ads...
6. Is Incompetence a Form of Dishonesty?
22 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: should we all have personal mission statements? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collecti...
5. What Do Tom Sawyer and the Founder of Duolingo Have in Common?
15 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: is there such a thing as too much science? With special guest Luis von Ahn. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for in...
4. Does All Creativity Come From Pain?
08 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: is life precious because it’s finite? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and u...
3. What Does It Mean to Be a “Hard Worker”?
01 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Also: how does age affect happiness? Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of per...