192. Should You Get Out of Your Comfort Zone?

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).

193. Are You as Conscientious as You Think You Are?

Is it really that important to make your bed? What’s the benefit of hiring a lazy person? And how many cups of spinach can Mike fit in a red Solo cup?

Take the Big Five inventory:freakonomics.com/bigfive

• SOURCES:
  • David Barack, philosopher and neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Randall Bell, socio-economist and C.E.O. of Landmark Research Group.
  • Julia Cameron, author, poet, songwriter, filmmaker, and playwright.
  • Charles Duhigg, journalist and author.
  • Guy Kawasaki, author and Silicon Valley venture capitalist.
  • William McRaven, professor of national security at the University of Texas at Austin and retired Admiral in the United States Navy.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Large Studies Reveal How Reference Bias Limits Policy Applications of Self-Report Measures," by Benjamin Lira, Joseph M. O’Brien, Pablo A. Peña, Brian M. Galla, Sidney D’Mello, David S. Yeager, Amy Defnet, Tim Kautz, Kate Munkacsy, and Angela Duckworth (Nature: Scientific Reports, 2022).
  • "Too Much of a Good Thing? Exploring the Inverted-U Relationship Between Self-Control and Happiness," by Christopher Wiese, Louis Tay, Angela Duckworth, Sidney D'Mello, Lauren Kuykendall, Wilhelm Hofmann, Roy Baumeister, and Kathleen Vohs (Journal of Personality, 2018).
  • "7 ‘Rich Habits’ of Highly Successful People, From a Man Who Studied Them for 25 Years," by Kathleen Elkins (CNBC, 2017).
  • Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World, by William McRaven (2017).
  • The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, by Charles Duhigg (2012).
  • "Who Does Well in Life? Conscientious Adults Excel in Both Objective and Subjective Success," by Angela Duckworth, David Weir, Eli Tsukayama, and David Kwok (Frontiers in Psychology, 2012).
  • The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, by Julia Cameron (1992).

• EXTRAS:
  • Big Five Personality Inventory, by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • "Personality: The Big Five," series by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • "Angela Duckworth: The Gritty Road to Growth," by Guy Kawasaki's Remarkable People (2024).
  • "How to Have Great Conversations," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).

192. Should You Get Out of Your Comfort Zone?

What do the most creative people have in common? How open-minded are you, really? And what’s wrong with ordering eggs Benedict?

Take the Big Five inventory:

freakonomics.com/bigfive

• SOURCES:
  • Max Bennett, co-founder and C.E.O. of Alby.
  • David Epstein, author and journalist.
  • Ayelet Fishbach, professor of behavioral science and marketing at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
  • Alison Gopnik, professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.
  • Steve Jobs, co-founder and former C.E.O. of Apple.
  • Oliver John, professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.
  • Daniel Kahneman, professor emeritus of psychology and public affairs at Princeton University.
  • Claude Shannon, 20th century mathematician and computer scientist.
  • Jannik Sinner, professional tennis player.
  • Christopher Soto, professor of psychology at Colby College.
  • Dashun Wang, professor of management and organizations at Northwestern University.
  • Kaitlin Woolley, professor of marketing at the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.

• RESOURCES:
  • A Brief History of Intelligence: Evolution, AI, and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains, by Max Bennett (2023).
  • "Exploration vs. Exploitation: Adults Are Learning (Once Again) From Children," by Alison Gopnik (Observer, 2023).
  • "Motivating Personal Growth by Seeking Discomfort," by Kaitlin Woolley and Ayelet Fishbach (Psychological Science, 2022).
  • "Understanding the Onset of Hot Streaks Across Artistic, Cultural, and Scientific Careers," by Lu Liu, Nima Dehmamy, Jillian Chown, C. Lee Giles, and Dashun Wang (Nature Communications, 2021).
  • "Improv Experience Promotes Divergent Thinking, Uncertainty Tolerance, and Affective Well-Being," by Peter Felsman, Sanuri Gunawardena, and Colleen M. Seifert (Thinking Skills and Creativity, 2020).
  • Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, by David Epstein (2019).
  • "Openness to Experience," by Robert R. McCrae and David M. Greenberg (The Wiley Handbook of Genius, 2014).

• EXTRAS:
  • Big Five Personality Inventory, by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • "David Epstein Knows Something About Almost Everything," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2021).

191. Can You Change Your Personality?

Are you the same person you were a decade ago? Do we get better as we age? And is your sixth-grade class clown still funny?

• SOURCES:
  • Aaron (Tim) Beck, professor emeritus of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Daniel Gilbert, professor of psychology at Harvard University.
  • Olga Khazan, staff writer at The Atlantic.
  • Brian Little, professor of psychology at the University of Cambridge.
  • Jordi Quoidbach, professor of people management and organisation at ESADE, University Ramon Llull.
  • Carl Rogers, 20th-century psychologist.
  • Martin Short, actor and comedian.
  • Richard Wiseman, professor of the public understanding of psychology at the University of Hertfordshire.
  • Timothy Wilson, professor of psychology at the University of Virginia.

• RESOURCES:
  • "I Gave Myself Three Months to Change My Personality," by Olga Khazan (The Atlantic, 2022).
  • "You Can Be a Different Person After the Pandemic," by Olga Khazan (The New York Times, 2021).
  • "The Theory of Modes: Applications to Schizophrenia and Other Psychological Conditions," by Aaron T. Beck, Molly R. Finkel, and Judith S. Beck (Cognitive Therapy and Research, 2020).
  • “Brian Little: Are Human Personalities Hardwired?" by Guy Raz (TED Radio Hour, 2017).
  • I Must Say: My Life As a Humble Comedy Legend, by Martin Short (2014).
  • "The End of History Illusion," by Jordi Quoidbach, Daniel T. Gilbert, and Timothy D. Wilson (Science, 2013).
  • "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).
  • "The Rank-Order Consistency of Personality Traits From Childhood to Old Age: A Guantitative Review of Longitudinal Studies," by Brent W. Roberts and Wendy F. DelVecchio (Psychological Bulletin, 2000).

• EXTRAS:
  • Big Five Personality Inventory, by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, TV series (2012-present).

190. What’s the Point of Nostalgia?

Is it dangerous to live in the past? Why is Disney remaking all of its classic movies? And why does Angela get sentimental over a cup of soup and a free roll?

• SOURCES:
  • Julie Beck, senior editor at The Atlantic.
  • Danielle Campoamor, freelance writer and reporter.
  • Kyle Chayka, staff writer at The New Yorker.
  • Amelia Dennis, research associate in psychology at the University of Bath.
  • Erica Hepper, lecturer in personality/social psychology at the University of Surrey.
  • Lucy Hone, director of the New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing and Resilience.
  • Imran Rahman-Jones, freelance journalist.
  • Florence Saint-Jean, executive director of Global Trauma Research.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Pancultural Nostalgia in Action: Prevalence, Triggers, and Psychological Functions of Nostalgia Across Cultures," by Erica Hepper, Constantine Sedikides, Bettina Zengel, et al. (Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 2024).
  • "From Rosy Past to Happy and Flourishing Present: Nostalgia as a Resource for Hedonic and Eudaimonic Wellbeing," by Erica Hepper and Amelia Dennis (Current Opinion in Psychology, 2023).
  • "Locating Nostalgia Among the Emotions: A Bridge From Loss to Love," by Wijnand A.P. van Tilburg (Current Opinion in Psychology, 2023).
  • "Hindsight is 2022: The Psychology Behind Our Cultural Nostalgia," by Kyle Chayka (Town & Country, 2022).
  • "Why We Reach for Nostalgia in Times of Crisis," by Danielle Campoamor (The New York Times, 2020).
  • "Mulan: Disney Remakes and the Power of Nostalgia During Coronavirus," by Imran Rahman-Jones (BBC, 2020).
  • "The Three Secrets of Resilient People," by Lucy Hone (TEDxChristchurch, 2019).
  • "When Nostalgia Was a Disease," by Julie Beck (The Atlantic, 2013).

• EXTRAS:
  • Big Five Personality Inventory, by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • Zoom, by Istvan Banyai (1995).
  • Peter and Wendy, by J. M. Barrie (1911).