I'd be sitting in a mud hut and then there'd be a Viking ride up and he'd put a hatchet through my skull.
I'm Angela Duckworth.
I'm Stephen Dubner.
And you're listening to No Stupid Questions.
Today on the show, how does praise affect the human psyche?
Oh God, you guys are just so great.
Love ya.
Also, how do you measure psychological trauma?
Don't immediately start drinking.
Too late.
Stephen, I have been wondering about praise lately.
I'm teaching undergraduates and at the end of every class,
I have them rate me on a scale from zero, total waste of my time, to 10.
Can I just say I'm glad you include zero because scales of one to 10 feel dishonest.
Dishonest?
What do you mean, why?
It's like, what if I think you're worse than one?
Oh, you want to give people the full range to express themselves.
I would rarely grade someone a total zero, but there is a phrase.
Total zero.