Big data. Baseball managers use it to win pennants. Stockbrokers use it to beat the market. And now you can use it to get what you really want in life. That's according to a new book by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz called Don't Trust Your Gut. When faced with difficult life decisions-like "Who should I marry?" and "How can I avoid screwing up my kids?"-we typically follow our intuition. The problem is that our intuition is often wrong. The smarter move, Seth says, is to comb through millions of data...
Apr 10, 2023•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today, we wrap up our week-long master class with David Myers with a discussion of hindsight bias and how it can help you be less hard on yourself. Our newsletter comes out today! Sign up now.
Apr 07, 2023•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast "Others notice us less than we imagine. This is liberating: A bad hair day hardly matters. Few will notice. Fewer will care. Of those, fewer still will remember."
Apr 06, 2023•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast David says we worry about improbable horrors (like plane crashes) while ignoring greater risks (car smash-ups). Today, he explains how performing statistically sound risk assessments can calm our worried minds.
Apr 05, 2023•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast We all know it's good for us to nurture our relationships with close friends and loved ones. Today, David explains why chatting up strangers is also important.
Apr 04, 2023•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast All week long on The Next Big Idea Daily, Michael will be chatting with social psychologist David Myers about the wonder of human thought and action, and how you can use insights from the latest research in David's field to boost your mood, improve your decision-making, and more. Today, David shares his first big idea, and it's a counterintuitive one. It turns out that “much as when we observe others and infer their sentiments, so hearing ourselves talk clues us in to our own attitudes.” Our new...
Apr 03, 2023•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast In our final episode with Adam Gopnik, the award-winning New Yorker writer and author of "The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery" learns how to box, how to dance, and why there’s “no mastery in the absence of another.” Our newsletter comes out today! Sign up now!
Mar 31, 2023•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today: Why mastery requires idiosyncrasy. Our newsletter comes out every Friday. It features commentary from Michael, links to relevant Book Bites, previews of upcoming seasons, and ways to engage with us. Sign up now!
Mar 30, 2023•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast Adam Gopnik's first memory of mastery was watching his mother roll out strudel dough, so in midlife, he asked his mother — a linguistics professor by day, pastry maestro by night — to teach him how to bake.
Mar 29, 2023•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's the second day of our week-long master class with Adam Gopnik, New Yorker staff writer and author of "The Real Work: On the Mystery of Mastery." Today, he explains how learning to drive at the tender age of 55 brought him closer to his father. Have you subscribed to our newsletter yet? It comes out every Friday and features commentary from Michael, links to relevant Book Bites, previews of upcoming seasons, and ways to engage with us. Sign up now!
Mar 28, 2023•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast A few years ago, Adam Gopnik, a longtime writer for The New Yorker and three-time winner of the National Magazine Award, started thinking about all the things he wasn't good at. He couldn't dance the foxtrot or bake a brioche. Well into his 50s, he still had no idea how to drive a car. To make matters worse, when he looked around, he saw people who could do these things — often with great skill. How, he wondered, did they do it? How do any of us get good at the things we're good at? And how do s...
Mar 27, 2023•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the final installment of his mini master class, Jonah shares his formula for telling great stories. The latest edition of our weekly newsletter comes out today. It features commentary from Michael, links to relevant Book Bites, details on our next guest, and ways to engage with us. Sign up now!
Mar 24, 2023•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Does asking questions make you look smart? (Yes!) Our newsletter comes out every Friday. It features commentary from Michael, links to relevant Book Bites, previews of upcoming seasons, and ways to engage with us. Sign up now!
Mar 23, 2023•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s what cult leaders, charlatans, and at least one former president have in common. Our newsletter comes out every Friday. It features commentary from Michael, links to relevant Book Bites, previews of upcoming seasons, and ways to engage with us. Sign up now!
Mar 22, 2023•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today, Jonah explains how adding one or two letters to the end of a word can propel you to success. Our newsletter comes out every Friday. It features commentary from Michael, links to related content, previews of upcoming seasons, and ways to engage with us. Sign up now!
Mar 21, 2023•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Almost everything we do involves words. "Words," says Wharton professor Jonah Berger, "are how we persuade, communicate, and connect. They're how executives lead, salespeople sell, and parents parent. Even our private thoughts depend on language." But while we live in a world awash in words, we're strangely indifferent about which ones we use. We focus on the ideas we want to convey, not the best way to articulate them. And that, according to Jonah, is a big mistake because "subtle shifts in the...
Mar 20, 2023•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the final installment of Jessi’s five-part master class, she explains why setting boundaries is critical if you want to establish healthy relationships. • Jessi Hempel is the author of “The Family Outing: A Memoir.” She also hosts the podcast “Hello Monday.” • Have thoughts about this week’s episodes? Sign up for our LinkedIn newsletter and leave a post a comment! • Don’t forget to download the Next Big Idea app
Mar 17, 2023•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast When it comes to the people closest to you, do you ever regret not showing up? --- • This is day four of our week-long master class with Jessi Hempel, author of "The Family Outing" • Be sure to check out our newsletter where we take listeners behind the scenes of these episodes • And download the Next Big Idea app to hear hundreds of authors summarize their books in 15 minutes or less
Mar 16, 2023•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast What truths emerge when we imagine life as other people experience it? --- • This is day three of our week-long master class with Jessi Hempel, author of "The Family Outing" • Be sure to check out our newsletter where we take listeners behind the scenes of these episodes • And download the Next Big Idea app to hear hundreds of authors summarize their books in 15 minutes or less
Mar 15, 2023•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast First, listen. Then try "Tell me more." --- • This is day two of our week-long master class with Jessi Hempel, author of "The Family Outing." • Be sure to check out our newsletter where we take listeners behind the scenes of these episodes.
Mar 14, 2023•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, Michael sits down with journalist and podcaster Jessi Hempel to discuss her new memoir, "The Family Outing," which tells the remarkable story of how every member of Jessi's immediate family came out — she and her father as gay, her sister as bisexual, her brother as transgender, and her mother as a survivor of a traumatic experience with an alleged serial killer. But "The Family Outing" is more than just a coming-out story: it's a powerful and thought-provoking exploration of what it ...
Mar 13, 2023•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s not enough for us to solve our money and love issues on an individual level. Enter the tempered radical.
Mar 10, 2023•15 min•Transcript available on Metacast Don’t let poor communication ruin your next conversation about money and love. Instead, follow Myra and Abby’s tips. Subscribe to our newsletter if you’d like to ask questions about this episode, give us feedback, or learn more about Money and Love.
Mar 09, 2023•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this episode, Myra and Abby share their five-step process for making good decisions. It goes like this: CLARIFY what’s most important to you. COMMUNICATE with those most affected by your decision. Generate a broad range of CHOICES. CHECK IN with friends, family, and trusted resources. And explore your decision’s possible CONSEQUENCES. --- Check out our newsletter where we take listeners behind the scenes of these episodes!
Mar 08, 2023•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast Ready, set … wait a sec. Today, Myra and Abby explain why slowing down is key to making good decisions. --- • Myra Strober is a professor emerita at Stanford University and the founding director of the Stanford Center for Research on Women (now the Clayman Institute for Gender Research). Abby Davisson served as president of Gap Foundation and co-founded the clothing company's employee resource group for parents and caregivers. • Check out our newsletter where we take listeners behind the scenes ...
Mar 07, 2023•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Diet Coke and Mentos. Suede and water. Tupac and Biggie. Money and love. What do they all have in common? They don't play well together. Especially that last dueling duo. We've all been taught to make money decisions with our heads and love decisions with our hearts. Mix them up and, well, kaboom. But a new book by Myra Strober and Abby Davisson says that's a bunch of nonsense. In "Money and Love: An Intelligent Roadmap for Life's Biggest Decisions," they make the case that by acknowledging the ...
Mar 06, 2023•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the final installment of her master class, Gloria strikes an optimistic note. “We are not doomed to have short attention spans,” she says. “We can change our relationship with technology.” What might that new relationship look like? Tune in to find out. --- • Be sure to check out our newsletter where we take listeners behind the scenes of these episodes. • And download the Next Big Idea app. Hundreds of authors are sharing the best ideas from their books!
Mar 03, 2023•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast Before checking the news, imagine what your future self will be doing at 10 p.m. Will you be relaxing reading your favorite book or still working on that deadline? --- Gloria Mark is a professor at UC Irvine and the author of the new book “Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness, and Productivity.” Be sure to check out our newsletter where Michael takes listeners behind the scenes of these episodes.
Mar 02, 2023•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast We are as likely to interrupt ourselves as to be interrupted by others. What can we do about it? Gloria has the answer in today’s episode. --- Gloria Mark is a professor at UC Irvine and the author of the new book “Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness, and Productivity.” Be sure to check out our newsletter where we take listeners behind the scenes of these episodes.
Mar 01, 2023•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today, Gloria explains how you can use rote activities — like solving a puzzle or weeding your garden — to replenish your attentional reservoirs. --- Gloria Mark is a professor at UC Irvine and the author of the new book “Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness, and Productivity.” Be sure to check out our newsletter where Michael takes listeners behind the scenes of these episodes.
Feb 28, 2023•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
