"The Presidents and the People" by Corey Brettschneider

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 points to find statistically significant answers. But who has time for that, not to mention the technical know-how? Well, Seth does. And this week on the show, he'll share the answers he found, starting with the surprising traits you should look for when searching for your soulmate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10 Huhti 202315min

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

7 Huhti 202312min

"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." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

6 Huhti 202312min

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

5 Huhti 202313min

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

4 Huhti 202313min

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 newsletter comes out every Friday. It features commentary from Michael, links to relevant Book Bites, previews of upcoming seasons, and ways to engage with the show. Sign up now! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3 Huhti 202313min

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! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

31 Maalis 202313min

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! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

30 Maalis 202312min