No Stupid Questions
A Freakonomics spinoff; behavior and decision questions trace back to research
31:43When Her Mother Lost Her Pulse in the Sea, She Learned the Difference Between Catastrophizing and Real Disaster
To judge whether it's catastrophizing, don't look at the intensity of anxiety itself, but whether it matches the actual situation before you—during those moments of actually drowning in the sea, a five-out-of-five panic is the proportionate response.
30:03Does the Early Bird Really Catch the Worm? Or Could the Night Owl Get There First?
Early risers earning more is only a correlation — you can't tell whether the social structure favors early risers or whether early risers are simply different people; and chronotype is biological, not a choice of willpower.
32:25Opening a New Supermarket Solves Only 10% of Nutrition Inequality
Bringing healthy food supply into low-income neighborhoods closes only about 10% of nutrition inequality; the remaining 90% is driven by demand — and demand can be changed by taxes and culture.
47:30A Comedian Turned Depression Into an HBO Special by Playing Basketball Every Day
When Gary Gulman's depression hit, he lost three to six months of productivity every six to nine months. In the end he got there through hospitalization, medication, daily exercise, and turning his medical chart into material — and made the HBO special The Great Depresh.