Can I just say, baby elephants are so cute that they should be able to stay baby for a long time.
I'm Angela Duckworth.
I'm Stephen Dubner, and you're listening to.
No stupid questions today on the show.
Do we really need family?
I cannot come to Thanksgiving this year, and I cannot stand you.
Angela.
A listener named Erin writes in to say the my relationships with my parents and siblings have become very strained over the past few years.
It has me thinking a lot about family relationships.
Take a seat.
Now, Angela, big, provocative question.
Do we need family?
Aaron asks, what causes us to place so much emphasis on relationships with people we didn't choose to be with but happen to know by chance?
Well, by chance and DNA and environment and so on.
Are these relationships worth the work?
I love the times they've had with my family, but the relationships have become so toxic recently, it has me thinking I should just cut ties and move on.
All right, so, Angela, obviously this is a tricky question, but let's start with the data.
What does the psychological literature say to Aaron?
Do we, quote, need family?
I think the psychology is relevant, but also evolutionary biology, which is a sister discipline.