No Stupid Questions
Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
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 the Freakonomics Radio Network without ads and a monthly bonus episode of Freakonomics Radio, start a free trial for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.
To get every show in the Freakonomics Radio Network without ads and a monthly bonus episode of Freakonomics Radio, start a free trial for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.
Episodes
Mentioned books
37 snips
May 10, 2026 • 37min
74. Does Reverse Psychology Really Work?
They unpack whether reverse psychology is real and explain psychological reactance. They discuss ways to preserve autonomy to boost motivation and when mandates can override resistance. They explore how DNA testing and family history shape identity and warn against genetic essentialism. They urge recording elders to save family stories before they are lost.
88 snips
May 3, 2026 • 32min
73. Is It Okay to Engage in “Social Loafing”?
They explore why people sometimes slack off in groups and classic experiments showing effort drops as teams grow. Different causes like diffusion of responsibility, laziness, and competence are debated. Practical fixes such as identifiable roles and the Kohler effect are described. They also dig into why team membership sparks strong emotions, using sports moments and production-team stories.
117 snips
Apr 26, 2026 • 38min
72. If Everyone Hates Meetings, Why Do We Have So Many of Them?
They explore why meetings multiply and how group size, status dynamics, and maker versus manager schedules shape who speaks and who gets protected time. They examine optimal meeting sizes and rules for focused work. The conversation also turns to feeling lost in your 20s, brain development, changing social timelines, and why the decade can feel turbulent yet formative.
49 snips
Apr 19, 2026 • 28min
71. Why Is Pig Milk the One Milk We Don’t Drink?
They explore why humans drink some milks but not pig milk, tracing history, biology, and practical farming challenges. They consider a rare pig-milk cheese experiment and ethical and environmental trade-offs of animal versus plant milks. Conversation then shifts to foods many find disgusting, with personal takes on natto, durian, eel, anchovy paste, offal, and edible insects.
90 snips
Apr 12, 2026 • 36min
70. In a Job Interview, How Much Does Timing Matter?
They debate how interview timing affects memory, with primacy and recency making first and last slots stickier. Middle slots and interviewer mood, hunger, or weather may sway decisions. They explore contrast effects, forced distribution biases, and evidence from blind auditions. They also dig into why audio-only formats can boost focus and reduce visual bias.
116 snips
Apr 5, 2026 • 37min
69. How Can You Convince Someone They’re Wrong?
A lively conversation about how to persuade someone who refuses to change their mind. They debate whether conceding parts of an argument helps and explore why people overestimate their own knowledge. The discussion covers why political beliefs resist facts, strategies for promoting intellectual humility, and practical ways to give and receive rejection without taking it personally.
158 snips
Mar 29, 2026 • 36min
68. Why Do We Want What We Can’t Have?
They explore why people crave what they lack and how yearning drives behavior. They contrast self-improvement with envy and revisit the stonecutter parable about endless desire. They dig into tribalism: how subgroups form, experiments that unite rivals, and why the pandemic failed to create lasting unity. They discuss social identity, biases that exaggerate out-group hostility, and ideas to reduce exclusion.
107 snips
Mar 22, 2026 • 39min
67. How Can You Escape Binary Thinking?
Discussion of why humans default to black‑and‑white thinking and the functional reasons behind it. Examination of medical and psychological categories versus continuous measures. Conversation about political polarization and ways to practice more nuanced thinking. Shift to why bargain hunting feels rewarding, including transactional utility, coupons, and the psychology of perceived savings.
158 snips
Mar 15, 2026 • 40min
65. What’s the Best Advice You’ve Ever Received?
They debate whether advice can be improved and why people ignore good guidance. Personal stories about bold choices, risk-taking, and viewing life as a story come up. They unpack effects of solicited versus unsolicited advice and surprising wisdom from students. The conversation tackles parenting classes, evidence from Nurse-Family Partnership, and practical early-childhood strategies like scaffolding.
84 snips
Mar 8, 2026 • 38min
64. Are Women Required to Be Nicer Than Men?
They debate whether society expects women to be nicer than men and how warmth and competence interact in gendered judgments. Conversation covers strategies for reducing defensiveness in conversations and when niceness helps or hurts. They also pivot to whether reading books is morally superior to other media and how different formats demand different kinds of engagement.
