Is it really that important to make your bed? What’s the benefit of hiring a lazy person? And how many cups of spinach can Mike fit in a red Solo cup?

Take the Big Five inventory: freakonomics.com/bigfive

• SOURCES:
  • David Barack, philosopher and neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Randall Bell, socio-economist and C.E.O. of Landmark Research Group.
  • Julia Cameron, author, poet, songwriter, filmmaker, and playwright.
  • Charles Duhigg, journalist and author.
  • Guy Kawasaki, author and Silicon Valley venture capitalist.
  • William McRaven, professor of national security at the University of Texas at Austin and retired Admiral in the United States Navy.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Large Studies Reveal How Reference Bias Limits Policy Applications of Self-Report Measures," by Benjamin Lira, Joseph M. O’Brien, Pablo A. Peña, Brian M. Galla, Sidney D’Mello, David S. Yeager, Amy Defnet, Tim Kautz, Kate Munkacsy, and Angela Duckworth (Nature: Scientific Reports, 2022).
  • "Too Much of a Good Thing? Exploring the Inverted-U Relationship Between Self-Control and Happiness," by Christopher Wiese, Louis Tay, Angela Duckworth, Sidney D'Mello, Lauren Kuykendall, Wilhelm Hofmann, Roy Baumeister, and Kathleen Vohs (Journal of Personality, 2018).
  • "7 ‘Rich Habits’ of Highly Successful People, From a Man Who Studied Them for 25 Years," by Kathleen Elkins (CNBC, 2017).
  • Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...And Maybe the World, by William McRaven (2017).
  • The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, by Charles Duhigg (2012).
  • "Who Does Well in Life? Conscientious Adults Excel in Both Objective and Subjective Success," by Angela Duckworth, David Weir, Eli Tsukayama, and David Kwok (Frontiers in Psychology, 2012).
  • The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, by Julia Cameron (1992).

• EXTRAS:
  • Big Five Personality Inventory, by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • "Personality: The Big Five," series by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • "Angela Duckworth: The Gritty Road to Growth," by Guy Kawasaki's Remarkable People (2024).
  • "How to Have Great Conversations," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024).

What do the most creative people have in common? How open-minded are you, really? And what’s wrong with ordering eggs Benedict?

Take the Big Five inventory:

freakonomics.com/bigfive

• SOURCES:
  • Max Bennett, co-founder and C.E.O. of Alby.
  • David Epstein, author and journalist.
  • Ayelet Fishbach, professor of behavioral science and marketing at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
  • Alison Gopnik, professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.
  • Steve Jobs, co-founder and former C.E.O. of Apple.
  • Oliver John, professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.
  • Daniel Kahneman, professor emeritus of psychology and public affairs at Princeton University.
  • Claude Shannon, 20th century mathematician and computer scientist.
  • Jannik Sinner, professional tennis player.
  • Christopher Soto, professor of psychology at Colby College.
  • Dashun Wang, professor of management and organizations at Northwestern University.
  • Kaitlin Woolley, professor of marketing at the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.

• RESOURCES:
  • A Brief History of Intelligence: Evolution, AI, and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains, by Max Bennett (2023).
  • "Exploration vs. Exploitation: Adults Are Learning (Once Again) From Children," by Alison Gopnik (Observer, 2023).
  • "Motivating Personal Growth by Seeking Discomfort," by Kaitlin Woolley and Ayelet Fishbach (Psychological Science, 2022).
  • "Understanding the Onset of Hot Streaks Across Artistic, Cultural, and Scientific Careers," by Lu Liu, Nima Dehmamy, Jillian Chown, C. Lee Giles, and Dashun Wang (Nature Communications, 2021).
  • "Improv Experience Promotes Divergent Thinking, Uncertainty Tolerance, and Affective Well-Being," by Peter Felsman, Sanuri Gunawardena, and Colleen M. Seifert (Thinking Skills and Creativity, 2020).
  • Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, by David Epstein (2019).
  • "Openness to Experience," by Robert R. McCrae and David M. Greenberg (The Wiley Handbook of Genius, 2014).

• EXTRAS:
  • Big Five Personality Inventory, by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • "David Epstein Knows Something About Almost Everything," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2021).

Are you the same person you were a decade ago? Do we get better as we age? And is your sixth-grade class clown still funny?

• SOURCES:
  • Aaron (Tim) Beck, professor emeritus of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Daniel Gilbert, professor of psychology at Harvard University.
  • Olga Khazan, staff writer at The Atlantic.
  • Brian Little, professor of psychology at the University of Cambridge.
  • Jordi Quoidbach, professor of people management and organisation at ESADE, University Ramon Llull.
  • Carl Rogers, 20th-century psychologist.
  • Martin Short, actor and comedian.
  • Richard Wiseman, professor of the public understanding of psychology at the University of Hertfordshire.
  • Timothy Wilson, professor of psychology at the University of Virginia.

• RESOURCES:
  • "I Gave Myself Three Months to Change My Personality," by Olga Khazan (The Atlantic, 2022).
  • "You Can Be a Different Person After the Pandemic," by Olga Khazan (The New York Times, 2021).
  • "The Theory of Modes: Applications to Schizophrenia and Other Psychological Conditions," by Aaron T. Beck, Molly R. Finkel, and Judith S. Beck (Cognitive Therapy and Research, 2020).
  • “Brian Little: Are Human Personalities Hardwired?" by Guy Raz (TED Radio Hour, 2017).
  • I Must Say: My Life As a Humble Comedy Legend, by Martin Short (2014).
  • "The End of History Illusion," by Jordi Quoidbach, Daniel T. Gilbert, and Timothy D. Wilson (Science, 2013).
  • "Age Differences in Personality Traits From 10 to 65: Big Five Domains and Facets in a Large Cross-Sectional Sample," by Christopher J. Soto, Oliver P. John, Samuel D. Gosling, and Jeff Potter (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2011).
  • "The Rank-Order Consistency of Personality Traits From Childhood to Old Age: A Guantitative Review of Longitudinal Studies," by Brent W. Roberts and Wendy F. DelVecchio (Psychological Bulletin, 2000).

• EXTRAS:
  • Big Five Personality Inventory, by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, TV series (2012-present).