Turning Work into Play (Update)

<p>Michael Greenstone knows it’s corny, but he wants to make the world a better place — by tracking the impact of air quality, developing pollution markets in India, and … starting a podcast, which Steve says proves he’s over the hill.</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong> ... Show More

<p>Suleika Jaouad was diagnosed with cancer at 22. She made her illness the subject of a <i>New York Times</i> column and a memoir, <i>Between Two Kingdoms.</i> She and Steve talk about what it means to live with a potentially fatal illness, how to talk to people who've gone thro ... Show More

<p>Physicist and former pop star Brian Cox tells Steve about discovering the Higgs boson, having a number-one hit, and why particle physics research will almost certainly not create a black hole that destroys all life on earth.</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li> ... Show More

<p>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.</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="ht ... Show More

<p>What are Mike and Angela’s favorite songs to cry to? Can upbeat music lift you out of a bad mood? And what is Angela going to sing the next time she does karaoke?</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://sociology.princeton.edu/people/matthew-desmon ... Show More

<p>How can you learn to love uncertainty? Is it better to cultivate acceptance or strive for change? And, after 223 episodes, what is the meaning of life? </p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://www.depts.ttu.edu/psy/people/jalquist/">Jessica Alquist ... Show More

<p>Also: are the most memorable stories less likely to be true? Stephen Dubner chats with Angela Duckworth in this classic episode from July 2020.</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1938/buck/biographical/">Pe ... Show More

<p>Does a surplus of information create a shortage of attention? Are today’s young people really unable to focus? And do goldfish need better PR? </p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://www.rosalindfranklin.edu/academics/faculty/neil-a-bradbury/">Nei ... Show More

<p>Are things really as bad as they seem? Has Gen Z given up hope for the world? And why was the father of positive psychology a lifelong pessimist?</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/29/science/albert-bandura-dead.html">A ... Show More

<p>We tend to think of tragedies as a single terrible moment, rather than the result of multiple bad decisions. Can this pattern be reversed? We try — with stories about wildfires, school shootings, and love. (Part one of a <a href="https://freakonomics.com/podcast-tag/how-to-suc ... Show More

<p>Do you see yourself the same way others see you? What’s the difference between self-perception and self-awareness? And why do Mike and Angela both hate fishing?</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-von-ahn-duolingo/">Lui ... Show More

<p>Why does listening to <i>No Stupid Questions</i> feel like you’re hanging out with your best friends? Why did the whole world take it personally when Princess Diana died? And how do “parasocial relationships” affect your mental health?</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</stro ... Show More

<p>Why does the U.S. use Fahrenheit when Celsius is better? Would you quit your job if a coin flip told you to? And how do you get an entire country to drive on the other side of the road?</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://psychology.ku.edu/peop ... Show More