logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2024
39m 11s

203. Do You Need a Hug?

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
About this episode

Do humans need touch to survive? Do any of us get enough touch throughout our lives? And why doesn’t Angela want to hug anyone for eight seconds?

 

  • SOURCES:

 

 

Up next
Oct 5
42. How Does When You Are Born Affect Who You Are?
Also: how did Angela do with her no-sugar challenge? This episode originally aired on March 7, 2021. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. 
38m 35s
Sep 28
41. Why Are We So Attracted to Fame?
Also: do we subconsciously lie about our major influences? This episode originally aired on February 28, 2021. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. 
35m 41s
Sep 21
40. Have We All Lost Our Ability to Compromise?
Also: is it better to be right or “not wrong”? This episode originally aired on February 21, 2021. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising. 
36m 15s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2025
153. We’re Not Getting Sicker — We’re Overdiagnosed
Suzanne O'Sullivan is a neurologist who sees many patients with psychosomatic disorders. Their symptoms may be psychological in origin, but their pain is real and physical — and the way we practice medicine, she argues, is making those and other health problems worse. SOURCES:Suz ... Show More
1h 3m
Sep 2024
602. Is Screen Time as Poisonous as We Think?
Young people have been reporting a sharp rise in anxiety and depression. This maps neatly onto the global rise of the smartphone. Some researchers are convinced that one is causing the other. But how strong is the evidence? SOURCES:David Blanchflower, professor of economics at Da ... Show More
40m 29s
Jun 2024
#25 - AJ Jacobs - The Power of Social Experimentation
How literally should we take the US Constitution? What about the bible? Should we experiment with radical honesty with strangers? Those are just some of the questions human guinea pig A.J. Jacobs spends his life trying to answer. An author and journalist, he regularly immerses hi ... Show More
1h 39m
Feb 2025
Can You Inherit Trauma - And If So, Can You Inherit Healing?
JVN sits down with journalist and author James Longman to explore one of the most fascinating questions in mental health: can you inherit trauma? Drawing from his deeply personal journey and his new book The Inherited Mind, James unpacks the science behind genetic predisposition, ... Show More
57m 47s
Oct 1
Serpopsychology (WHAT’S CREEPY?) with Frank McAndrew
Are you creepy? How would you know? What’s “creepy” as opposed to scary or eerie? We talk to the pioneer of this research, Serpopsychologist, Dr. Frank McAndrew, a professor emeritus at Knox College. We chat: dates that give you the willies, Weary Willie the Clown, haunted dolls, ... Show More
1h 9m
Jan 2025
How Do I Stop Being Such A People Pleaser?
JVN sits down with Kati Morton, a licensed therapist and bestselling author, to dive deep into the world of people-pleasing. Together, they unpack why people-pleasing isn’t just about being nice—it’s about discomfort with other people’s discomfort, and why it leaves so many of us ... Show More
53m 15s
Sep 13
Weekend Woman’s Hour: Davina McCall, Papua New Guinea, Jung Chang, Fawning, Sophie Ellis Bextor
Davina McCall, one of TV’s most popular presenters has a new book out, Birthing, co-written with the midwife, Marley Henry. Davina joined Anita Rani to talk about her stellar career so far, including hosting Big Brother for 10 years, campaigning for better menopause care and buil ... Show More
55m 13s
Oct 7
What we’re getting wrong about mental health with RaQuel Hopkins
RaQuel Hopkins is a therapist and HR professional whose hot takes on growth and well-being have challenged how many people talk and think about mental health. In this episode, Adam and RaQuel explore how some people use mental health labels as a crutch, discuss ways to expand our ... Show More
33m 53s
Apr 2025
Meloni meets Trump, Eczema, Girl choristers, Singledom
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni - the first woman to occupy that role - has faced one of her biggest international tests yet. She is the first European leader to go to Washington to meet President Trump since his recent announcement of new tariffs on the EU. So how did Melo ... Show More
57m 31s
Mar 2025
How Is Trauma Dumping Affecting My Relationships?
This week, JVN sits down with existential psychotherapist and author Dr. Sara Kuburic, widely recognized as the @Millennial.Therapist in Instagram, to delve into the phenomenon of "trauma dumping." We’re exploring the nuances between sharing personal experiences and overloading o ... Show More
43m 20s