208. Can A.I. Companions Replace Human Connection?

What are Mike and Angela’s favorite songs to cry to? Can upbeat music lift you out of a bad mood? And what is Angela going to sing the next time she does karaoke?

• SOURCES:
  • Matthew Desmond, professor of sociology at Princeton University.
  • Daniel Kahneman, professor emeritus of psychology and public affairs at Princeton University.
  • Joshua Knobe, professor of philosophy, psychology, and linguistics at Yale University.
  • Simon McCarthy-Jones, professor of psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin.
  • Yael Millgram, senior lecturer of psychological sciences at Tel Aviv University.
  • Stanley Milgram, 20th-century American social psychologist.
  • Ruth Reichl, food writer.
  • Laurie Santos, professor of psychology at Yale University.
  • Barbara Tversky, professor emerita of psychology at Stanford University.

• RESOURCES:
  • "On the Value of Sad Music," by Mario Attie-Picker, Tara Venkatesan, George E. Newman, and Joshua Knobe (The Journal of Aesthetic Education, 2024).
  • "The Reason People Listen to Sad Songs," by Oliver Whang (The New York Times, 2023).
  • "Adele 30: The Psychology of Why Sad Songs Make Us Feel Good," by Simon McCarthy-Jones (The Conversation, 2021).
  • "Why Do Depressed People Prefer Sad Music?" by Sunkyung Yoon, Edelyn Verona, Robert Schlauch, Sandra Schneider, and Jonathan Rottenberg (Emotion, 2020).
  • Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, by Matthew Desmond (2016).
  • "Sad as a Matter of Choice? Emotion-Regulation Goals in Depression," by Yael Millgram, Jutta Joormann, Jonathan D. Huppert, and Maya Tamir (Psychological Science, 2015).
  • "Music and Emotion Through Time," by Michael Tilson Thomas (TED Talk, 2012).
  • Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman (2011).

• EXTRAS:
  • Girl Power Sing-Along with Laurie Santos and Catherine Price, at the Black Squirrel Club in Philadelphia (September 28, 2024).
  • "What Makes a Good Sense of Humor?" by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • "How Contagious Is Behavior? With Laurie Santos of 'The Happiness Lab' (Replay)," by No Stupid Questions (2023).

What is the evolutionary purpose of laughter? What’s the difference between Swedish depression and American depression? And why aren’t aliens interested in abducting Mike? 

• SOURCES:
  • Jennifer Aaker, professor of marketing at Stanford University.
  • Judd Apatow, film director, screenwriter, and comedian.
  • Fredrik Backman, author.
  • Naomi Bagdonas, lecturer in management at Stanford University.
  • James Corden, actor, comedian, and former late-night television host.
  • Dick Costolo, former C.E.O. of Twitter.
  • Carol Dweck, professor of psychology at Stanford University.
  • Jimmy Fallon, comedian and late-night television host.
  • Daniel Kahneman, professor emeritus of psychology and public affairs at Princeton University.
  • Jimmy Kimmel, comedian and late-night television host.
  • Larry LaPrise, 20th-century American singer-songwriter.
  • Jerry Seinfeld, comedian, actor, and writer.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Fredrik Backman on Creative Anxiety and Procrastination," by Fredrik Backman (Simon & Schuster Centennial Celebration, 2024).
  • "The Relative Importance of Joke and Audience Characteristics in Eliciting Amusement," by Hannes Rosenbusch, Anthony M. Evans, and Marcel Zeelenberg (Psychological Science, 2022).
  • "The 100-Million-Year Origin Story of Laughter and Humor," by Dean Russell (Endless Thread, 2022).
  • Humor, Seriously: Why Humor Is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life (And How Anyone Can Harness It. Even You.), by Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas (2021).
  • "What Makes Things Funny? An Integrative Review of the Antecedents of Laughter and Amusement," by Caleb Warren, Adam Barsky, and A. Peter McGraw (Personality and Social Psychology Review, 2020).
  • Sick in the Head: Conversations About Life and Comedy, by Judd Apatow (2015).
  • How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie (1936).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Can A.I. Take a Joke?" by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • "The Comedian-Ophthalmologist Will See You Now," by Freakonomics, M.D. (2022).
  • There's Something About Mary, film (1998).

Also: are the most memorable stories less likely to be true? Stephen Dubner chats with Angela Duckworth in this classic episode from July 2020.

• SOURCES:
  • Pearl S. Buck, 20th-century American novelist.
  • Jack Gallant, professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.
  • Steve Levitt, professor emeritus of economics at the University of Chicago, host of People I (Mostly) Admire, and co-author of the Freakonomics books.
  • George Loewenstein, professor of economics and psychology at Carnegie Mellon University.
  • Deborah Small, professor of marketing at Yale University.
  • Adin Steinsaltz, rabbi, philosopher, and author.
  • Diana Tamir, professor of neuroscience and psychology at Princeton University.

• RESOURCES:
  • "The Representation of Semantic Information Across Human Cerebral Cortex During Listening Versus Reading Is Invariant to Stimulus Modality," by Fatma Deniz, Anwar O. Nunez-Elizalde, Alexander G. Huth and Jack L. Gallant (Journal of Neuroscience, 2019).
  • "Reading Fiction and Reading Minds: The Role of Simulation in the Default Network," by Diana Tamir, Andrew B. Bricker, David Dodell-Feder, and Jason P. Mitchell (Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 2016).
  • Think Like a Freak, by Stephen Dubner and Steve Levitt (2014).
  • SuperFreakonomics, by Stephen Dubner and Steve Levitt (2009).
  • Encyclopedia of Ethical Failure, by the Department of Defense (2009).
  • "Stories or Statistics? Farmers' Attitudes Toward Messages in an Agricultural Safety Campaign," by S. E. Morgan, H. P. Cole, T. Struttmann, and L. Piercy (Journal of Agricultural Safety and Health, 2002).
  • "Explaining the Identifiable Victim Effect," by Karen Jenni and George Loewenstein (Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 1997).
  • "Explanation-Based Decision Making: Effects of Memory Structure on Judgment," by N. Pennington and R. Hastie (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 1988).
  • The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck (1931).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Abortion and Crime, Revisited (Update)," by Freakonomics Radio (2022).
  • "This Is Your Brain on Podcasts," by Freakonomics Radio (2016).

Why does the U.S. use Fahrenheit when Celsius is better? Would you quit your job if a coin flip told you to? And how do you get an entire country to drive on the other side of the road?

• SOURCES:
  • Christian Crandall, professor of psychology at the University of Kansas.
  • Stephen Dubner, host of Freakonomics Radio and co-author of the Freakonomics books.
  • Scott Eidelman, professor of psychology at the University of Arkansas.
  • David Hume, 18th century Scottish philosopher.
  • Ellen Langer, professor of psychology at Harvard University.
  • Steve Levitt, professor emeritus of economics at the University of Chicago, host of People I (Mostly) Admire, and co-author of the Freakonomics books.
  • John McWhorter, professor of linguistics, English, and comparative literature at Columbia University.
  • Mark Twain, 19-20th century American writer.

• RESOURCES:
  • "What Countries Use the Imperial System?" by William Harris and Sascha Bos (HowStuffWorks, 2023).
  • "UK Quietly Drops Brexit Law to Return to Imperial Measurements," by George Parker (Financial Times, 2023).
  • "Heads or Tails: The Impact of a Coin Toss on Major Life Decisions and Subsequent Happiness," by Steven D. Levitt (The Review of Economic Studies, 2021).
  • "A ‘Thrilling’ Mission to Get the Swedish to Change Overnight," by Maddy Savage (BBC, 2018).
  • "Why We Can’t Quit the QWERTY Keyboard," by Rachel Metz (MIT Technology Review, 2018).
  • "Why Americans Still Use Fahrenheit Long After Everyone Else Switched to Celsius," by Zack Beauchamp (Vox, 2015).
  • "The Intuitive Traditionalist: How Biases for Existence and Longevity Promote the Status Quo," by Scott Eidelman and Christian Crandall (Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, 2014).
  • "What Scientific Concept Would Improve Everybody's Cognitive Toolkit?" (Edge, 2011).
  • "Mars Probe Lost Due to Simple Math Error," by Robert Lee Hotz (Los Angeles Times, 1999).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Would You Let a Coin Toss Decide Your Future?" by Freakonomics Radio (2013).
  • "The Upside of Quitting," by Freakonomics Radio (2011).

What happens when machines become funnier, kinder, and more empathetic than humans? Do robot therapists save lives? And should Angela credit her virtual assistant as a co-author of her book?

• SOURCES:
  • Robert Cialdini, professor emeritus of psychology at Arizona State University.
  • Reid Hoffman, co-founder and executive chairman of LinkedIn; co-founder and board member of Inflection AI.
  • Kazuo Ishiguro, novelist and screenwriter.
  • Ethan Mollick, professor of management and co-director of the Generative A.I. Lab at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Ann Patchett, author.
  • Kevin Roose, technology columnist for The New York Times and co-host of the podcast Hard Fork.
  • Niko Tinbergen, 20th-century Dutch biologist and ornithologist.
  • Lyle Ungar, professor of computer and information science at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • E. B. White, 20th-century American author.

• RESOURCES:
  • Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI, by Ethan Mollick (2024).
  • "Meet My A.I. Friends," by Kevin Roose (The New York Times, 2024).
  • "Loneliness and Suicide Mitigation for Students Using GPT3-Enabled Chatbots," by Bethanie Maples, Merve Cerit, Aditya Vishwanath, and Roy Pea (NPJ Mental Health Research, 2024).
  • "AI Can Help People Feel Heard, but an AI Label Diminishes This Impact," by Yidan Yin, Nan Jia, and Cheryl J. Wakslak (PNAS, 2024).
  • "Romantic AI Chatbots Don’t Have Your Privacy at Heart," by Jen Caltrider, Misha Rykov and Zoë MacDonald (Mozilla Foundation, 2024).
  • Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro (2021).
  • The Study Of Instinct, by Niko Tinbergen (1951).
  • Pi.

• EXTRAS:
  • "Are Our Tools Becoming Part of Us?" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).
  • "Is GPS Changing Your Brain?" by No Stupid Questions (2023).
  • "How to Think About A.I.," series by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • "Would You Rather See a Computer or a Doctor?" by Freakonomics, M.D. (2022).

Do you see yourself the same way others see you? What’s the difference between self-perception and self-awareness? And why do Mike and Angela both hate fishing?

• SOURCES:
  • Luis von Ahn, co-founder and C.E.O. of Duolingo; former chair of the board at Character Lab.
  • Paul DePodesta, chief strategy officer of the Cleveland Browns; former baseball executive.
  • Daniel Kahneman, professor emeritus of psychology and public affairs at Princeton University.
  • Michel de Montaigne, 16th-century French philosopher.
  • Barbara Tversky, professor emerita of psychology at Stanford University and professor of psychology and education at Teachers College, Columbia University.

• RESOURCES:
  • "What Makes a 360-Degree Review Successful?" by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman (Harvard Business Review, 2020).
  • "Self-Other Agreement in Personality Reports: A Meta-Analytic Comparison of Self- and Informant-Report Means," by Hyunji Kim, Stefano I. Di Domenico, and Brian S. Connelly (Psychological Science, 2019).
  • "Don’t Let a Lack of Self-Awareness Hold You Back," by Tim Herrera (The New York Times, 2018).
  • "Self-Discipline Outdoes IQ in Predicting Academic Performance of Adolescents," by Angela Duckworth and Martin E.P. Seligman (Psychological Science, 2005).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Personality: The Big Five," series by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • Big Five Personality Inventory, by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • "Remembering Daniel Kahneman," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).
  • "How Much Personal Space Do You Need?" by No Stupid Questions (2023).
  • Moneyball, film (2011).
  • Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis (2003).

What makes a con succeed? Does snake oil actually work? And just how gullible is Angela?

• SOURCES:
  • Robert Cialdini, professor emeritus of psychology and marketing at Arizona State University.
  • Yaniv Hanoch, professor of decision sciences at University of Southampton.
  • Hugo Mercier, research scientist at the French National Centre for Scientific Research.
  • George Parker, 19-20th century American con artist.
  • Clark Stanley, 19th century American herbalist and quack doctor.
  • William Thompson, 19th century American criminal and con artist.
  • Danny Wallace, British filmmaker, comedian, writer, and actor.
  • Stacey Wood, professor of psychology at Scripps College.

• RESOURCES:
  • "They Thought Loved Ones Were Calling for Help. It Was an A.I. Scam," by Pranshu Verma (The Washington Post, 2023).
  • "Who Experiences Scams? A Story for All Ages," by the Federal Trade Commission (2022).
  • "The Scams Among Us: Who Falls Prey and Why," by Yaniv Hanoch and Stacey Wood (Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2021).
  • "The Nigerian Prince Scam Is Still Fooling People. Here’s Why," by Eleanor Cummins (Popular Science, 2020).
  • "How Gullible Are We? A Review of the Evidence From Psychology and Social Science," by Hugo Mercier (Review of General Psychology, 2017).
  • "The Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower. Twice," by Jeff Maysh (Smithsonian Magazine, 2016).
  • "Why Your Brain Loves Good Storytelling," by Paul J. Zak (Harvard Business Review, 2014).
  • "A History Of 'Snake Oil Salesmen,'" by Lakshmi Gandhi (Code Switch, 2013).
  • Yes Man, by Danny Wallace (2005).
  • "For You, Half Price," by Gabriel Cohen (The New York Times, 2005).
  • Influence, by Robert Cialdini (1984).
  • "Arrest of the Confidence Man," (New York Herald, 1849).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Are N.F.T.s All Scams?" by Freakonomics Radio (2022).
  • "Trust Me," by Freakonomics Radio (2016).

Should government jobs have mandatory retirement ages? Is it foolish to care about your legacy? And why did Jason always call Angela’s father “Dr. Lee”?

• SOURCES:
  • William Bridges, professor emeritus of American literature at Mills College, consultant, and author.
  • Arthur Brooks, professor of leadership at Harvard University.
  • Jimmy Carter, former President of the United States and founder of the Carter Center.
  • Erik Erikson, 20th-century psychoanalyst.
  • Craig Fox, professor of management at the University of California, Los Angeles.
  • Daniel Kahneman, professor emeritus of psychology and public affairs at Princeton University.
  • Mitt Romney, U.S. Senator from Utah.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Congress Today Is Older Than It's Ever Been," by Geoffrey Skelley (FiveThirtyEight, 2023).
  • "America’s Bosses Just Won’t Quit. That Could Spell Trouble," (The Economist, 2023).
  • "At What Age Is Your Brain the Sharpest?" by Kendra Cherry (Verywell Mind, 2023).
  • "Mitt Romney Announces He Won’t Seek Reelection as He Calls for ‘New Generation of Leaders’," by Clare Foran (CNN, 2023).
  • From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life, by Arthur Brooks (2022).
  • "Psychological Research on Retirement," by Mo Wang and Junqi Shi (Annual Review of Psychology, 2014).
  • "Daniel Kahneman in Conversation with Craig Fox," (2004).
  • "The Psychology of Life Stories," by Dan P. McAdams (Review of General Psychology, 2001).
  • Childhood and Society, by Erik Erikson (1950).
  • Bridges Transition Model.

• EXTRA:
  • "Personality: The Big Five," series by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • "What Does Success Look Like?" by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • "How Do You Deal With Big Life Changes?" by No Stupid Questions (2023).
  • "What’s So Great About Retirement?" by No Stupid Questions (2022).
  • "I Know Him," song by Jonathan Groff (Hamilton: An American Musical, 2015).

Do you get your principles from your parents — or in spite of them? Is there anything wrong with valuing conformity? And why doesn’t McDonald’s sell salads? 

• SOURCES:
  • Erika James, dean of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Olivia Rodrigo, singer-songwriter.
  • Shalom Schwartz, professor emeritus of psychology at the Hebrew ‎‎University of Jerusalem.
  • Thomas Talhelm, professor of behavioral science at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Measuring Trends in Americans' Personal Values," by Frank Newport (Gallup, 2023).
  • "America Pulls Back From Values That Once Defined It, WSJ-NORC Poll Finds," by Aaron Zitner (The Wall Street Journal, 2023).
  • "What Really Happened To McDonald's McSalad Shakers," by Colin McCandless (Mashed, 2023).
  • "Personal Values Across Cultures," by Lilach Sagiv and Shalom H. Schwartz (Annual Review of Psychology, 2022).
  • "Moving Chairs in Starbucks: Observational Studies Find Rice-Wheat Cultural Differences in Daily Life in China," by Thomas Talhelm, Xuemin Zhang, and Shigehiro Oishi (Science Advances, 2018).
  • "Large-Scale Psychological Differences Within China Explained by Rice Versus Wheat Agriculture," by Thomas Talhelm, Xuemin Zhang, Shigehiro Oishi, Shinobu Kitayama, et al. (Science, 2014).
  • "An Overview of the Schwartz Theory of Basic Values," by Shalom Schwartz (Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2012).
  • The Short Schwartz’s Value Survey, from "Measuring values with the Short Schwartz's Value Survey," by Marjaana Lindeman and Markku Verkasalo (Journal of Personality Assessment, 2005).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Should You Get Out of Your Comfort Zone?" by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • "How Sinful Are 'No Stupid Questions' Listeners?" by No Stupid Questions (2023).
  • "hope ur ok," song by Olivia Rodrigo (Sour, 2021).

How is the brain affected by solitary confinement? How would you deal with being stranded on a deserted island? And do baby monkeys make the best therapists? 

• SOURCES:
  • William Broyles Jr., screenwriter, journalism, and former U.S. Marine Corps officer.
  • Beatriz Flamini, Spanish mountaineer.
  • Craig Haney, professor of psychology at the University of California Santa Cruz.
  • Harry Harlow, 20th-century American psychologist.
  • Sarah Hepola, author.
  • Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa.
  • Tree Meinch, freelance writer, editor, and freediver.
  • Alexander Selkirk, 18th-century Scottish privateer and Royal Navy officer.
  • Cheryl Strayed, writer and podcast host.

• RESOURCES:
  • "The Impact of Isolation on Brain Health," by Vibol Heng, Craig Haney, and Richard Jay Smeyne (Neurobiology of Brain Disorders, 2023).
  • "What Happens When Humans Are Extremely Isolated?" by Tree Meinch (Discover, 2023).
  • "Spanish Climber Leaves Cave After 500 Days in Isolation," by Ciarán Giles (AP News, 2023).
  • "Solitary Confinement Is Not 'Solitude': The Worst Case Scenario of Being 'Alone' in Prison," by Craig Haney (The Handbook of Solitude, 2021).
  • This Tender Land, by William Kent Krueger (2019).
  • Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed (2012).
  • "The Real Robinson Crusoe," by Bruce Selcraig (Smithsonian Magazine, 2005).
  • "Lost at Sea and Back Again," by Sarah Hepola (The Austin Chronicle, 2000).
  • "Social Recovery of Monkeys Isolated for the First Year of Life: I. Rehabilitation and Therapy," by Melinda Novak and Harry Harlow (Developmental Psychology, 1975).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Do You Need a Hug?" by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • "What Makes a Good Gathering?" by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • "What to Do When Everything Looks Like a Catastrophe?" by No Stupid Questions (2022).
  • Cast Away, film (2000).