Episode · Freakonomics Radio · 2022-01-06
Books mentioned on 489. Is “Toxic Positivity” a Thing?
In this special episode of No Stupid Questions, Stephen Dubner and Angela Duckworth discuss the consequences of seeing every glass as at least half-full. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company.
Stephen Dubner discussed Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich, Bright-sided by Barbara Ehrenreich, and Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Nickel and Dimed
Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich is a classic piece of undercover investigative journalism documenting the grueling realities of low-wage work and poverty in America.
Discussed“It reminds me of this book by Barbara Ehrenreich, the journalist who's most well-known for a book called Nickel and Dimed, which was an amazing piece of reporting about low-wage work in America.”
Where to get it
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Bright-sided
Bright-sided by Barbara Ehrenreich is a critical examination of the American culture of enforced optimism and toxic positivity.
Discussed“But she wrote another book called Bright Sided, which is a play on Blind Sided. And it came about because she'd been diagnosed with breast cancer and she was suddenly being assaulted with all these optimistic and inspirational messages about, you know, keep your head up, everything's going to be okay. And she was more like, hey, shut up, I”
Where to get it
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Democracy in America
Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America is a foundational sociological and political study analyzing the structure, culture, and institutions of American society from the perspective of an outside observer.
Discussed“I'd like to read you a couple sentences from Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville's mind-bogglingly interesting book written in the 1830s from the perspective of a French visitor. He wrote, they, Americans, have a lively faith in the perfectibility of man.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (1) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
“Hey there. It's Stephen Dubner. A couple years ago, I got to be good friends with Angela Duckworth, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania and author of the book Grit.”