Steven Pinker’s new book argues that all our relationships depend on shared assumptions and “recursive mentalizing” — our constant efforts to understand what other people are thinking. He and Steve talk about the psychology of eye contact, the particular value of Super Bowl ads, and what it’s like to get cancelled.

• SOURCES:
  • Steven Pinker, professor of psychology at Harvard University.

• RESOURCES:
  • When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows, by Steven Pinker (2025).
  • "Why I Left Harvard," by Carole Hooven (The Free Press, 2024).
  • Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters, by Steven Pinker (2021).
  • "Economics of Toilet Paper X Thread," by Justin Wolfers (2020).
  • "How a Famous Harvard Professor Became a Target Over His Tweets," by Michael Powell (New York Times, 2020).
  • "Police Killings of Blacks: Here Is What the Data Say," by Sendhil Mullainathan (2015).
  • SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes, and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance, by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner (2011).
  • Rational Ritual: Culture, Coordination, and Common Knowledge, by Michael Suk-Young Chwe (2003).
  • "Open Letter to the LSA."

• EXTRAS:
  • "Steven Pinker: 'I Manage My Controversy Portfolio Carefully,'" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2020).

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The Power of Habit author Charles Duhigg wrote his new book in an attempt to learn how to communicate better. Steve shares how the book helped him understand his own conversational weaknesses.

• SOURCES:
  • Charles Duhigg, journalist and author.

• RESOURCES:
  • Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection, by Charles Duhigg (2024).
  • "2023 Word of the Year Is 'Enshittification,'" by the American Dialect Association (2024).
  • "When Someone You Love Is Upset, Ask This One Question," by Jancee Dunn (The New York Times, 2023).
  • Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business, by Charles Duhigg (2016).
  • "The 36 Questions That Lead to Love," by Daniel Jones (The New York Times, 2015).
  • The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, by Charles Duhigg (2012).
  • "The Experimental Generation of Interpersonal Closeness: A Procedure and Some Preliminary Findings," by Arthur Aron, Edward Melinat, Elaine N. Aron, Robert Darrin Vallone, and Renee J. Bator (Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 1997).

• EXTRAS:
  • "How Can You Get Closer to the People You Care About?" by No Stupid Questions (2023).
  • "How Do You Connect With Someone You Just Met?" by No Stupid Questions (2023).
  • "Can I Ask You a Ridiculously Personal Question?" by Freakonomics Radio (2021).
  • "Amanda & Lily Levitt Share What It’s Like to be Steve’s Daughters," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2021).
  • "Marina Nitze: 'If You Googled ‘Business Efficiency Consultant,’ I Was the Only Result,'" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2021).
  • "How to Be More Productive," by Freakonomics Radio (2016).
  • Frozen, film (2013).

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Seth Berkley used to run the world's largest vaccine funding organization. He and Steve talk about the incredible value of vaccines, the economics of immunizing the developing world, and the current attacks on public health.

• SOURCES:
  • Seth Berkley, epidemiologist at Brown University School of Public Health.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Trump Administration Ends Program Critical to Search for an H.I.V. Vaccine," by Apoorva Mandavilli (New York Times, 2025).
  • Fair Doses: An Insider's Story of the Pandemic and the Global Fight for Vaccine Equity, by Seth Berkley (2025).
  • "How a partnership saved millions of children’s lives with vaccines," (Gates Foundation).
  • Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

• EXTRAS:
  • "Sendhil Mullainathan Thinks Messing Around Is the Best Use of Your Time," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2021).
  • "Moncef Slaoui: 'It’s Unfortunate That It Takes a Crisis for This to Happen,'" by People I (Mostly) Admire (2020).

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