No Stupid Questions

Research psychologist Angela Duckworth (author of "Grit") and tech and sports executive Mike Maughan really like to ask people questions, and they believe there’s no such thing as a stupid one. So they have 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. To get every show in our network without ads and a monthly bonus episode of Freakonomics Radio, sign up for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts at http://apple.co/SiriusXM.

35. Does Psychotherapy Actually Work?

Also: how many “selves” is it OK to have? This episode originally aired on January 17, 2021.

17 Aug 2025 - 32 min 42 sec

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34. Are Humans Smarter or Stupider Than We Used to Be?

Also: how can you become a more curious person? This episode originally aired on January 10, 2021.

10 Aug 2025 - 36 min 45 sec

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33. Is Optimism a Luxury Good?

Also: why is public speaking so terrifying? This episode originally aired on January 3, 2021.

3 Aug 2025 - 40 min 43 sec

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32. Which Gets You Further: Talent or Effort?

Also: where is the line between acronyms, initialisms, and gibberish? This episode originally aired on December 20, 2020.

27 Jul 2025 - 39 min 25 sec

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31. How Much Do Your Friends Affect Your Future?

Also: which professions have the happiest people? This episode originally aired on December 13, 2020.

20 Jul 2025 - 38 min 40 sec

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30. Why Do We Seek Comfort in the Familiar?

Also: is a little knowledge truly a dangerous thing? This episode originally aired on December 6, 2020.

13 Jul 2025 - 37 min 53 sec

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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.

6 Jul 2025 - 35 min 13 sec

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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.

29 Jun 2025 - 33 min 14 sec

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27. How Should You Ask for Forgiveness?

Also: why is behavior change so darn hard? This episode originally aired on November 15, 2020.

22 Jun 2025 - 39 min 45 sec

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26. Do Checklists Make People Stupid?

Also: what’s so great about New York City anyway? This episode originally aired on November 8, 2020.

15 Jun 2025 - 38 min 19 sec

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