Look at you knowing stuff.
I'm Angela Duckworth.
I'm Stephen Dubner, and you're listening to.
No stupid questions today on the show.
Where do intrusive thoughts come from?
Oh, no.
Now I have this unwanted thought.
Oh, wait, no.
I thought about it again also, how.
Can you become a more confident person?
I would be confident if I succeeded.
But I can't succeed without the confidence.
Angela, we have a listener question today from one Chris Levenberg, and I think you are going to love this question.
Okay, I'm ready for it.
Chris writes to say, I was talking with a friend recently, and he admitted that he sometimes had awful thoughts, such as slapping a stranger on the street to see what sort of reaction he'd get.
Or at a pool party, he'd get an urge to push a stranger in the pool.
So I want to be friends with Chris's friend.
I have to say, this sounds fun.
Chris continues, this friend is the most gentle, good natured person I know, so I was surprised that he had these thoughts.
I admitted to him that I've always had those thoughts, too, but I thought I was the only one.