Honours versus Money
Bruno S. Frey
Mentioned 4 months ago
62. How Can You Escape a Drama Triangle?
Book Recommendations
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...
Episodes
322
Books
342
Recently mentioned
Latest Recommendations
Some must watch while some must sleep (The Portable Stanford series)
William C. Dement
Mentioned 7 months ago
50. Are You as Observant as You Think?
The Black Swan
Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Mentioned 7 months ago
49. How Does Facing Death Change Your Life?
Grit
Angela Duckworth
Mentioned 8 months ago
46. How Can You Stop Feeling So Irritable?
Um. . .
Michael Erard
Mentioned 8 months ago
45. How Much Better Do You Really Want to Be?
Against Empathy
Paul Bloom
Mentioned 9 months ago
44. Is Empathy in Fact Immoral?
Type A Behavior and Your Heart
Meyer Friedman
Mentioned 9 months ago
44. Is Empathy in Fact Immoral?
Super Freakonomics
Steven D. Levitt
Mentioned 9 months ago
42. How Does When You Are Born Affect Who You Are?
![Freakonomics [Revised and Expanded]: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything cover](https://media.podcastbookpicks.com/books/677.jpg)
Freakonomics [Revised and Expanded]
Steven D. Levitt
Mentioned 9 months ago
41. Why Are We So Attracted to Fame?
The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Consumption and Consumer Studies (Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedias in Social Sciences)
Daniel Thomas Cook
Mentioned 9 months ago
41. Why Are We So Attracted to Fame?
Influence, New and Expanded
Robert B. Cialdini PhD
Mentioned 9 months ago
41. Why Are We So Attracted to Fame?
How Not to Be Wrong
Jordan Ellenberg
Mentioned 10 months ago
40. Have We All Lost Our Ability to Compromise?
Most Recommended
The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings Boxed Set Hardcover Illustrated edition 2020 June 25
It was mentioned briefly in relation to the story of the Ring of Gaijes in Plato's Republic, likely due to the shared theme of rings and power.
"
When you said the Ring of Gaijes, I was like, is this from The Hobbit?
— Episode: 57. Which Incentives Are Best at Boostin...
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Episode: 57. Which Incentives Are Best at Boosting Vaccinat...
It was mentioned briefly in relation to the story of the Ring of Gaijes in Plato's Republic, likely due to the shared theme of rings and power.
"
When you said the Ring of Gaijes, I was like, is this from The Hobbit?
Evil Geniuses
The Unmaking of America
It was mentioned as one of Kurt Anderson's books exploring the topic of an anti-intellectual bent in the US, particularly regarding skepticism of experts.
"
Kurt Anderson has written a couple really good books on this topic. One is called Evil Geniuses and the other was called Fantasy Land.
— Episode: 112. Is It Okay to Hate Highbrow Culture...
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Episode: 112. Is It Okay to Hate Highbrow Culture?
It was mentioned as one of Kurt Anderson's books exploring the topic of an anti-intellectual bent in the US, particularly regarding skepticism of experts.
"
Kurt Anderson has written a couple really good books on this topic. One is called Evil Geniuses and the other was called Fantasy Land.
The Paradox of Choice
Why More Is Less
"The Paradox of Choice" by Barry Schwartz was discussed in the context of choice overload and how having too many options can lead to decision paralysis and unhappiness.
"
There's this idea of information overload or choice overload. I mentioned Barry Swartz who talked about decision making in The Paradox of Choice.
— Episode: 176. Why Is It So Hard to Make Decisions...
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Episode: 176. Why Is It So Hard to Make Decisions?
"The Paradox of Choice" by Barry Schwartz was discussed in the context of choice overload and how having too many options can lead to decision paralysis and unhappiness.
"
There's this idea of information overload or choice overload. I mentioned Barry Swartz who talked about decision making in The Paradox of Choice.
So Barry for a very long time lived not far from my house, kind of down the street in Philadelphia.
And he felt like in addition to the stark fact that we have these little brains and we cannot process all the information about all these different options.
A Prayer for Owen Meany
It was mentioned as a book that the host, Angela, disliked as a young person and described its unique formatting as a reason for her negative experience.
"
I remember the day that I was reading John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany and I hate, did you read that book?
— Episode: 180. What Makes Some Objects Feel Specia...
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Episode: 180. What Makes Some Objects Feel Special?
It was mentioned as a book that the host, Angela, disliked as a young person and described its unique formatting as a reason for her negative experience.
"
I remember the day that I was reading John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany and I hate, did you read that book?
Great writer and in general one of my favorite writers but A Prayer for Owen Meany, a lot of it is like all caps and I just felt like I was getting yelled at the whole time.
Klara and the Sun
A novel
It was recommended by a psychologist; the book follows the perspective of an empathic robot, Clara, who interacts mostly with humans, and sometimes with her fellow robots. It was considered eerily prescient of current events, especially considering it was published in 2021.
"
So I wonder, I mean, I actually see a lot of benefit to what you're talking about and I see a lot of value there.
— Episode: 208. Can A.I. Companions Replace Human C...
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Episode: 208. Can A.I. Companions Replace Human Connection?
It was recommended by a psychologist; the book follows the perspective of an empathic robot, Clara, who interacts mostly with humans, and sometimes with her fellow robots. It was considered eerily prescient of current events, especially considering it was published in 2021.
"
So I wonder, I mean, I actually see a lot of benefit to what you're talking about and I see a lot of value there.
I have not
Clara and the Sun is a book that I was recommended by a human. And that human is Bob Chaldeany, the psychologist.
It is beautiful. It is not written by an engineer. It is not written by Chachi Bt. It's written by Kizuo Ishiguro. It's his eighth novel. And he published it in March 2021.
So this is before the universe shifted under our feet.
Scarcity
Why Having Too Little Means So Much
It was mentioned as a book written by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir, which discussed actual scarcity and the effects of limited resources, differentiating it from a scarcity mindset.
"
I would have given a very similar answer because Sendel and Eldar published a book called Scarcity not that long ago.
— Episode: 145. Do You Have a Scarcity Mindset or a...
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Episode: 145. Do You Have a Scarcity Mindset or an Abundanc...
It was mentioned as a book written by Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir, which discussed actual scarcity and the effects of limited resources, differentiating it from a scarcity mindset.
"
I would have given a very similar answer because Sendel and Eldar published a book called Scarcity not that long ago.
I didn't read the book. I feel like I should have.
But actually the terms Scarcity mindset versus abundance mindset came from a source that surprised me a little bit.
They're talking about often actual Scarcity in other words. It's not a Scarcity mindset.
The Bonfire of the Vanities
A Novel
The speaker mentioned loving this book, but found the film adaptation terrible and that it ruined the book for them due to the power of visuals.
"
But then I think of another book that I loved, Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolf.
— Episode: 70. In a Job Interview, How Much Does Ti...
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Episode: 70. In a Job Interview, How Much Does Timing Matte...
The speaker mentioned loving this book, but found the film adaptation terrible and that it ruined the book for them due to the power of visuals.
"
But then I think of another book that I loved, Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolf.
And then the movie came out. I can't remember that movie.
You were so fortunate you can't because it was really a terrible movie and it's too bad because it was Brian De Palma directed who's a very good director.
And for me, it kind of ruined the book because visuals are so powerful, the bad visuals of this bad movie superseded my own memory and reckoning of this story.
Remains Concerning Britain
It was published in 1636 and contained a list of English proverbs, including 'the early bird catcheth the worm', which was discussed in the podcast.
"
the early bird catcheth the worm
— Episode: 93. Does the Early Bird Really Catch the...
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Episode: 93. Does the Early Bird Really Catch the Worm? Or...
It was published in 1636 and contained a list of English proverbs, including 'the early bird catcheth the worm', which was discussed in the podcast.
"
the early bird catcheth the worm
Theory of Games and Economic Behavior
Maria mentioned reading this book and learning that John Von Neumann, a poker player and the father of game theory, believed life is more like a game of poker than chess due to uncertainty.
"
And it wasn't my idea. So I was actually reading the Theory of Games and Economic Behavior by John Von Neumann and Oscar Morgenstern.
— Episode: 146. How Do You Avoid Freezing Under Pre...
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Episode: 146. How Do You Avoid Freezing Under Pressure?
Maria mentioned reading this book and learning that John Von Neumann, a poker player and the father of game theory, believed life is more like a game of poker than chess due to uncertainty.
"
And it wasn't my idea. So I was actually reading the Theory of Games and Economic Behavior by John Von Neumann and Oscar Morgenstern.
And I learned that Von Neumann was a poker player and that game theory came out of-
Von Neumann was like game theorist? No. He was the father of game theory, yes.
Because poker is a game of imperfect, incomplete information. It's a game of uncertainty. That's what life is.
Don Quixote
It was referenced as a source for the idiom 'the pot calling the kettle black', with an early written version appearing in a 1620 translation of the book.
"
one of the earliest written versions of the phrase appears in Thomas Shelton's 1620 translation of Don Quixote
— Episode: 120. Why Are Rich Countries So Unhappy?
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Episode: 120. Why Are Rich Countries So Unhappy?
It was referenced as a source for the idiom 'the pot calling the kettle black', with an early written version appearing in a 1620 translation of the book.
"
one of the earliest written versions of the phrase appears in Thomas Shelton's 1620 translation of Don Quixote
On Writing
A Memoir of the Craft (Scribner Classics)
Stephen King's perspective on the incident where he was hit by a car was mentioned and discussed by the hosts, referencing a passage from his book 'On Writing'.
"
I've read Stephen King's side of it in the book. What is it like On Writing?
— Episode: 88. Is Self-Improvement Too Selfish?
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Episode: 88. Is Self-Improvement Too Selfish?
Stephen King's perspective on the incident where he was hit by a car was mentioned and discussed by the hosts, referencing a passage from his book 'On Writing'.
"
I've read Stephen King's side of it in the book. What is it like On Writing?
The Science of Getting Rich
It was a 1910 self-help book that Rhonda Byrne was influenced by when writing 'The Secret', focusing on a three-step process of asking, believing, and receiving.
"
She was heavily influenced by a book from 1910, so almost 100 years before she wrote hers, by a guy named Wallace Waddles who wrote a book called The Science of Getting Rich.
— Episode: 179. Can You Really “Manifest” Success T...
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Episode: 179. Can You Really “Manifest” Success Through Pos...
It was a 1910 self-help book that Rhonda Byrne was influenced by when writing 'The Secret', focusing on a three-step process of asking, believing, and receiving.
"
She was heavily influenced by a book from 1910, so almost 100 years before she wrote hers, by a guy named Wallace Waddles who wrote a book called The Science of Getting Rich.
The Code of the Extraordinary Mind
10 Unconventional Laws to Redefine Your Life and Succeed On Your Own Terms
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Angela's Ashes (The Frank McCourt Memoirs)
It was mentioned as a book the speaker loved and enjoyed the film adaptation, finding it to be a well-crafted and moving version of the book.
"
And that was Angela's Ashes, which I thought was a pretty good film.
— Episode: 70. In a Job Interview, How Much Does Ti...
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Episode: 70. In a Job Interview, How Much Does Timing Matte...
It was mentioned as a book the speaker loved and enjoyed the film adaptation, finding it to be a well-crafted and moving version of the book.
"
And that was Angela's Ashes, which I thought was a pretty good film.
It was an incredibly well crafted and moving version of the book.
A Guide to the Good Life
The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy
It was mentioned as a book Irvine wrote that helped the speaker cope with a knee injury by using stoic principles and practicing negative visualization.
"
I actually went back to the stoics because I knew I needed hardcore people who were gonna help me with this and I read a book by this current practicing stoic Bill Irvine and he went through like let'...
— Episode: 63. How Contagious Is Behavior? With Lau...
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Episode: 63. How Contagious Is Behavior? With Laurie Santos...
It was mentioned as a book Irvine wrote that helped the speaker cope with a knee injury by using stoic principles and practicing negative visualization.
"
I actually went back to the stoics because I knew I needed hardcore people who were gonna help me with this and I read a book by this current practicing stoic Bill Irvine and he went through like let's talk about some cases that you could have he's like you could be a shut in
Genius & Anxiety
How Jews Changed the World, 1847-1947
A book discussing Jewish history was mentioned, which claimed that five Jewish figures significantly changed how the world is viewed.
"
In a book I'm reading about Jewish history, how Jews changed the world, it's said that five Jews changed how we see the world most significantly.
— Episode: 3. What Does It Mean to Be a “Hard Worke...
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Episode: 3. What Does It Mean to Be a “Hard Worker”?
A book discussing Jewish history was mentioned, which claimed that five Jewish figures significantly changed how the world is viewed.
"
In a book I'm reading about Jewish history, how Jews changed the world, it's said that five Jews changed how we see the world most significantly.
Gang Leader for a Day
A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets
It was mentioned as an amazing book written by Sudhir Venkatesh about his experiences embedding with drug gangs, which caught the attention of Mark Zuckerberg, leading to Sudhir's work at Facebook.
"
Soudir wrote an amazing book himself called Gang Leader for a Day.
— Episode: 48. Do Good Deeds Invite More Bad Ones?
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Episode: 48. Do Good Deeds Invite More Bad Ones?
It was mentioned as an amazing book written by Sudhir Venkatesh about his experiences embedding with drug gangs, which caught the attention of Mark Zuckerberg, leading to Sudhir's work at Facebook.
"
Soudir wrote an amazing book himself called Gang Leader for a Day.
Note: The book recommendations on this page are discovered automatically from podcast transcripts, and may be incorrect or incomplete.