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
Jul 6
29. How Do You Know When It’s Time to Quit?
Also: why is it so hard to predict success? This episode originally aired on November 29, 2020. 
31m 43s
Jun 29
28. Why Do We Hoard?
Also: do you spend more time thinking about the past, the present, or the future? This episode originally aired on November 22, 2020. 
29m 14s
Jun 22
27. How Should You Ask for Forgiveness?
Also: why is behavior change so darn hard? This episode originally aired on November 15, 2020. 
37m 45s
Recommended Episodes
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
Jul 2024
596. Farewell to a Generational Talent
Daniel Kahneman left his mark on academia (and the real world) in countless ways. A group of his friends and colleagues recently gathered in Chicago to reflect on this legacy — and we were there, with microphones. SOURCES:Maya Bar-Hillel, professor emeritus of psychology at the H ... Show More
52m 41s
Aug 2024
62: Lacan and Psychosis in the City feat. Loren Dent
Abby and Patrick welcome Loren Dent, a clinical psychologist in the Lacanian tradition. The topic is psychosis, both as understood theoretically by Freud and Lacan, and also as experienced and encountered by real people in New York City, where Loren practices and where he has hel ... Show More
2h 7m
Jun 2024
Dr. Nicole LePera: Embracing Authenticity and Challenging Traditional Therapy
In this podcast episode, Amanda de Cadenet and Dr. Nicole LePera, the Holistic Psychologist, discuss Dr. LePera's new book "How to Be the Love You Seek." They explore themes of personal growth, relationships, and therapy. Dr. LePera shares her journey of questioning tradition ... Show More
1 h
Mar 2024
126. How to Have Great Conversations
The Power of Habit author Charles Duhigg wrote his new book in an attempt to learn how to communicate better. Steve shares how the book helped him understand his own conversational weaknesses. SOURCES:Charles Duhigg, journalist and author. RESOURCES:Supercommunicators: How to Unl ... Show More
47m 31s
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
May 2024
Throwback/Encore Presentation: Dr. Richard Davidson on the Neuroscience of Well-Being and Human Flourishing
Note for this encore presentation: At the time that we celebrated our one year/50th episode in March of 2024, this episode was our most listened to.  We bring it back now as part of The Optimism Institute’s recognition of National Mental Health Month and hope Blue Sky fans will e ... Show More
53m 41s
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
May 31
Does Death Have to Be a Death Sentence? (Update)
Palliative physician B.J. Miller asks: Is there a better way to think about dying? And can death be beautiful? SOURCES:B.J. Miller, palliative-care physician and President at Mettle Health. RESOURCES:A Beginner’s Guide to the End: Practical Advice for Living Life and Facing Death ... Show More
42m 22s