5. What Do Tom Sawyer and the Founder of Duolingo Have in Common?

FromNo Stupid Questions

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5. What Do Tom Sawyer and the Founder of Duolingo Have in Common?

FromNo Stupid Questions

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Length:

29 minutes

Released:

Jun 15, 2020

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

Also: is there such a thing as too much science? With special guest Luis von Ahn.

Released:

Jun 15, 2020

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

Stephen Dubner (co-author of the Freakonomics book series) and research psychologist Angela Duckworth (author of Grit) really like to ask people questions, and came to believe there’s no such thing as a stupid one. So they made a podcast where they can ask each other as many “stupid questions” as they want. New episodes each week. No Stupid Questions is a production of the Freakonomics Radio Network.

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1. Did Covid-19 Kill the Handshake?: Also: why can't humans handle uncertainty already? by No Stupid Questions
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5. What Do Tom Sawyer and the Founder of Duolingo Have in Common?: Also: is there such a thing as too much science? With special guest Luis von Ahn. by No Stupid Questions
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Introducing "No Stupid Questions": Stephen Dubner, the host of Freakonomics Radio, and Angela Duckworth, the psychologist and author of Grit, explore the weird and wonderful ways in which humans behave. In each episode, they take turns asking each other questions, with conversations ranging from friendship and parenting to immortality and whether dogs are better than people. No Stupid Questions premieres May 18th. by No Stupid Questions
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10. Why Are Stories Stickier Than Statistics?: Also: are the most memorable stories less likely to be true? by No Stupid Questions
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2. What is the Optimal Way to Be Angry?: Also: why do we treat pets better than people? by No Stupid Questions
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3. What Does It Mean to Be a “Hard Worker”?: Also: how does age affect happiness? by No Stupid Questions
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13. How Can You Stop Comparing Yourself With Other People?: Also: how can we stop confusing correlation with causation? by No Stupid Questions
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19. Is There Such a Thing as Good Estrangement?: Also: how do you know if you have a “bad personality”? by No Stupid Questions
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11. Are Ambitious People Inherently Selfish?: Also: why do we habituate to life’s greatest pleasures? by No Stupid Questions
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12. Does “As If” Thinking Really Work?: Also: how effective is the placebo effect? by No Stupid Questions
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9. Why Is It So Hard to Be Alone With Our Thoughts?: Also: how do you avoid screwing up your kids? by No Stupid Questions
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6. Is Incompetence a Form of Dishonesty?: Also: should we all have personal mission statements? by No Stupid Questions
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17. How Can We Get More Virtue and Less ‘Virtue Signaling’?: Also: is it better to be a thinker, a doer, or a charmer? by No Stupid Questions
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18. How Do You Raise a “Likable” Kid?: Also: what’s so great about friendship? by No Stupid Questions
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20. Should We Separate the Art From the Artist?: Also: what is the meaning of life? by No Stupid Questions
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22. Why Do We Buy Things We’ll Never Use?: Also: how is social media like a knife? by No Stupid Questions
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4. Does All Creativity Come From Pain?: Also: is life precious because it’s finite? by No Stupid Questions
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7. How Do You Handle Criticism?: Also: is it better to send a congratulatory note to someone who deserves it or a condolence note to someone who needs it? by No Stupid Questions
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28. Why Do We Hoard?: Also: do you spend more time thinking about the past, the present, or the future? by No Stupid Questions
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16. What’s the Downside to Being Goal-Oriented?: Also: how does a cook become a chef? With Gabrielle Hamilton. by No Stupid Questions
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26. Do Checklists Make People Stupid?: Also: what’s so great about New York City anyway? by No Stupid Questions
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23. Is It Wrong to Crave Praise?: Also: should everyone have their own trauma score? by No Stupid Questions
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35. Does Psychotherapy Actually Work?: Also: how many “selves” is it OK to have? by No Stupid Questions
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24. Why Do We Forget So Much of What We’ve Read?: Also: do we overestimate or underestimate our significance in other people’s lives? by No Stupid Questions
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40. Have We All Lost Our Ability to Compromise?: Also: is it better to be right or “not wrong”? by No Stupid Questions
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31. How Much Do Your Friends Affect Your Future?: Also: which professions have the happiest people? by No Stupid Questions
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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 by No Stupid Questions
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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 by No Stupid Questions
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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 by No Stupid Questions
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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 by No Stupid Questions
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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? by No Stupid Questions
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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? by No Stupid Questions
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189. When Should You Trust Your Gut?: Does instinct trump expertise? Can playing poker improve your intuition? And why did Angela jump off of a moving trolley car? by No Stupid Questions
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188. Why Do Kids Today Get So Many A’s?: Is grade inflation on the rise? How much does your G.P.A. matter in the long run? And when did M.I.T., of all places, become “the cool university”? by No Stupid Questions
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187. Is Fear Running Your Life?: How can you summon courage when you’re terrified? Is hiking more dangerous than skiing? And what is the stupidest thing that Mike has ever done? by No Stupid Questions
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186. Do You Need a Routine?: Would you be more adventurous if you had more structure? Do you multitask while brushing your teeth? And what would Mike’s perfect brother Peter do? by No Stupid Questions
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185. Do You Need Closure?: What’s the best way to carry out random acts of kindness? What’s wrong with making an “Irish exit”? And why is Mike secretly buying lottery tickets? by No Stupid Questions
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184. Are You Doing Too Much?: How can you strive for excellence without overworking yourself? Why is perfectionism on the rise? And is Angela part of the problem? by No Stupid Questions
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183. Does Free Will Exist, and Does It Matter?: Does anyone have any real agency? What do McDonald’s and Oxford University have in common? And why did Angela give up on philosophy? by No Stupid Questions
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182. Is It Good or Bad to Keep Secrets?: Should you shout your sins from the rooftops? How many skeletons are in the average person’s closet? And what has Angela been hiding? by No Stupid Questions
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181. What’s So Great About Meritocracy?: Do you really deserve the credit for your accomplishments? Should college admissions be determined by lottery? And how did Mike’s contribution to a charity auction change his life? by No Stupid Questions
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180. What Makes Some Objects Feel Special?: Where does sentimental value come from? Why did Angela throw out her childhood journals? And would Mike wear Hitler’s sweater? by No Stupid Questions
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179. Can You Really “Manifest” Success Through Positive Visualization?: Is there any scientific basis for the law of attraction? Are people who believe in “cosmic collaboration” more successful? And what happens when you write yourself a check for $10 million? by No Stupid Questions
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177. What Does Success Look Like?: What matters more: meeting our own ambitions, or winning fame and glory? What’s it like to earn a gold medal at the Olympics? And why didn’t Mike’s grandfather get a watch? by No Stupid Questions
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170. Are We Getting Lonelier?: How can you be lonely when so many people showed up at your birthday party? Can you fight loneliness by managing expectations? And where can you find company while enjoying the best garlic cheeseburger in the greater Salt Lake City metro area? by No Stupid Questions
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169. Can We Disagree Better?: Do you suffer from the sin of certainty? How did Angela react when a grad student challenged her research? And can a Heineken commercial strengthen our democracy? by No Stupid Questions
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5. What Do Tom Sawyer and the Founder of Duolingo Have in Common?

5. What Do Tom Sawyer and the Founder of Duolingo Have in Common?

Description

Titles in the series (100)

More Episodes from No Stupid Questions

Related podcast episodes