Should You Get Out of Your Comfort Zone?
40:24 Share

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).