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).