Introducing "No Stupid Questions"

197. Is It Wrong to Lie to Children?

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).

Extra: Angela Duckworth on “Masters of Scale”

WaitWhat C.E.O. Jeff Berman interviews Angela about “grit-scaling” and her unlikely path to academic celebrity.

196. What’s Wrong With Being a Little Neurotic?

Is there any upside to negative emotions? What can comedians teach us about dealing with pain? And why did Angela eat off of a stranger’s plate at a sushi bar?

• SOURCES:
  • Ludwig van Beethoven, 18th-19th century composer and pianist.
  • Jen Christensen, reporter and producer at CNN.
  • Lauren Eskreis-Winkler, professor of management & organizations at Northwestern University.
  • Sigmund Freud, neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis.
  • Shirley MacLaine, actor.
  • George Vaillant, professor of psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital.
  • Ali Wong, comedian.

• RESOURCES:
  • "The Sad Clown: The Deep Emotions Behind Stand-Up Comedy," by Jen Christensen (CNN, 2018).
  • "Neuroticism," by Jennifer L. Tackett and Benjamin B. Lahey (The Oxford handbook of the Five Factor Model, 2017).
  • "Thinking Too Much: Self-Generated Thought as the Engine of Neuroticism," by Adam M. Perkins, Danilo Arnone, Jonathan Smallwood, and Dean Mobbs (Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 2015).
  • "Survivor Mission: Do Those Who Survive Have a Drive to Thrive at Work?" by Lauren Eskreis-Winkler, Elizabeth Shulman, and Angela Duckworth (The Journal of Positive Psychology, 2014).
  • "Age Differences in Personality Traits From 10 to 65: Big Five Domains and Facets in a Large Cross-Sectional Sample," by Christopher J. Soto, Oliver P. John, Samuel D. Gosling, and Jeff Potter (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2011).
  • "Adaptive Mental Mechanisms: Their Role in a Positive Psychology," by George Vaillant (American Psychologist, 2000).
  • The Harvard Study of Adult Development.

• EXTRAS:
  • Big Five Personality Inventory, by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • “Personality: The Big Five,” series by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • Terms of Endearment, film by James L. Brooks (1983).
  • "Invictus," poem by William Ernest Henley (1888).

195. Can You Be Too Nice?

Where is the line between a good guy and a doormat? Do people with sharp elbows make more money? And why did Angela’s mother give away her birthday present?

Take the Big Five inventory:freakonomics.com/bigfive

• SOURCES:
  • Kristen Bell, actor.
  • Jeff Bezos, founder and executive chairman of Amazon.
  • Harry Connick Jr., singer, pianist, and actor.
  • Juli Fraga, psychologist and writer.
  • Adam Grant, professor of management and psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Allison Sweet Grant, writer.
  • Timothy Judge, chair of the department of Management and Human Resources at The Ohio State University.
  • Frank Jacobs, journalist and columnist at Big Think.
  • Beth Livingston, professor of industrial relations at the University of Iowa.
  • Topher Payne, playwright and screenwriter.
  • Dax Shepard, actor and podcast host.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Are You a Chronic People-Pleaser? Here’s How to Be Kinder to Yourself," by Juli Fraga (The Washington Post, 2023).
  • "Geopsychology: Your Personality Depends on Where You Live," by Frank Jacobs (Big Think, 2023).
  • "We Need to Talk About ‘The Giving Tree,'" by Adam Grant and Allison Sweet Grant (The New York Times, 2020).
  • The Tree Who Set Healthy Boundaries, by Topher Payne (2020).
  • "Do as You’re Told! Facets of Agreeableness and Early Adult Outcomes for Inner-City Boys," by Margaret Kern, Angela Duckworth, Sergio Urzúa, Rolf Loeber, Magda Stouthamer-Loeber, and Donald Lynam (Journal of Research in Personality, 2013).
  • Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success, by Adam Grant (2013).
  • "Do Nice Guys — and Gals — Really Finish Last? The Joint Effects of Sex and Agreeableness on Income," by Timothy Judge and Beth Livingston (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2012).

• EXTRAS:
  • Big Five Personality Inventory, by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • “Personality: The Big Five,” series by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • "Are You Suffering From Burnout?" by No Stupid Questions (2023).

194. Is It Okay to Be an Introvert?

What’s the difference between being introverted and being shy? What are extroverts so cheerful about? And does Angela’s social battery ever run out?

Take the Big Five inventory:freakonomics.com/bigfive

• SOURCES:
  • Susan Cain, author.
  • Will Fleeson, professor of psychology at Wake Forest University.
  • Sigmund Freud, neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis.
  • Adam Grant, professor of management and psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Carl Jung, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst.
  • Donald Kamentz, founder and C.E.O. of Contigo Ed.
  • Sonja Lyubomirsky, professor of psychology at the University of California, Riverside.
  • Seth Margolis, professor of biological chemistry at Johns Hopkins University.

• RESOURCES:
  • "A Crucial Character Trait for Happiness," by Arthur C. Brooks (The Atlantic, 2023).
  • "Experimental Manipulation of Extraverted and Introverted Behavior and Its Effects on Well-Being," by Seth Margolis and Sonja Lyubomirsky (Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 2020).
  • "Challenges to Capture the Big Five Personality Traits in Non-WEIRD Populations," by Rachid Laajaj, Karen Macours, Daniel Alejandro Pinzon Hernandez, Omar Arias, Samuel D. Gosling, Jeff Potter, Marta Rubio-Codina, and Renos Vakis (Science Advances, 2019).
  • "Rethinking the Extraverted Sales Ideal: The Ambivert Advantage," by Adam Grant (Psychological Science, 2013).
  • "The Power of Introverts," by Susan Cain (TED Talk, 2012).
  • Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain (2012).
  • "Personality Trait Change in Adulthood," by Brent W. Roberts Daniel Mroczek (Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2008).
  • "Toward a Structure- and Process-Integrated View of Personality: Traits as Density Distributions of States," by William Fleeson (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2001).

• EXTRAS:
  • Big Five Personality Inventory, by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • “Personality: The Big Five,” series by No Stupid Questions (2024).