How is the brain affected by solitary confinement? How would you deal with being stranded on a deserted island? And do baby monkeys make the best therapists?

• SOURCES:
  • William Broyles Jr., screenwriter, journalism, and former U.S. Marine Corps officer.
  • Beatriz Flamini, Spanish mountaineer.
  • Craig Haney, professor of psychology at the University of California Santa Cruz.
  • Harry Harlow, 20th-century American psychologist.
  • Sarah Hepola, author.
  • Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa.
  • Tree Meinch, freelance writer, editor, and freediver.
  • Alexander Selkirk, 18th-century Scottish privateer and Royal Navy officer.
  • Cheryl Strayed, writer and podcast host.

• RESOURCES:
  • "The Impact of Isolation on Brain Health," by Vibol Heng, Craig Haney, and Richard Jay Smeyne (Neurobiology of Brain Disorders, 2023).
  • "What Happens When Humans Are Extremely Isolated?" by Tree Meinch (Discover, 2023).
  • "Spanish Climber Leaves Cave After 500 Days in Isolation," by Ciarán Giles (AP News, 2023).
  • "Solitary Confinement Is Not 'Solitude': The Worst Case Scenario of Being 'Alone' in Prison," by Craig Haney (The Handbook of Solitude, 2021).
  • This Tender Land, by William Kent Krueger (2019).
  • Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed (2012).
  • "The Real Robinson Crusoe," by Bruce Selcraig (Smithsonian Magazine, 2005).
  • "Lost at Sea and Back Again," by Sarah Hepola (The Austin Chronicle, 2000).
  • "Social Recovery of Monkeys Isolated for the First Year of Life: I. Rehabilitation and Therapy," by Melinda Novak and Harry Harlow (Developmental Psychology, 1975).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Do You Need a Hug?" by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • "What Makes a Good Gathering?" by No Stupid Questions (2024).
  • "What to Do When Everything Looks Like a Catastrophe?" by No Stupid Questions (2022).
  • Cast Away, film (2000).

Do humans need touch to survive? Do any of us get enough touch throughout our lives? And why doesn’t Angela want to hug anyone for eight seconds?

• SOURCES:
  • Ophelia Deroy, chair of the department of philosophy of mind and cognitive neuroscience at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.
  • Kory Floyd, professor of communications at the University of Arizona.
  • Harry Harlow, 20th-century American psychologist.
  • Sirin Kale, associate editor at Vice.
  • Christy Kane, clinical mental health counselor.
  • Carmen Rasmusen Herbert, country music artist and columnist.
  • Virginia Satir, 20th-century clinical social worker and family therapist.

• RESOURCES:
  • "A Systematic Review and Multivariate Meta-Analysis of the Physical and Mental Health Benefits of Touch Interventions," by Julian Packheiser, Helena Hartmann, Kelly Fredriksen, Valeria Gazzola, Christian Keysers, and Frédéric Michon (Nature Human Behaviour, 2024).
  • "WHO Advises Immediate Skin to Skin Care for Survival of Small and Preterm Babies," by the World Health Organization (2022).
  • "Affective Interpersonal Touch in Close Relationships: A Cross-Cultural Perspective," by Agnieszka Sorokowska, Supreet Saluja, Ilona Croy, et al. (Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2021).
  • "Results Revealed for The Touch Test: The World’s Largest Study of Touch," (BBC Media Centre, 2020).
  • "How 8-Second Hugs Can Counteract the Negative Side Effects From Electronics," by Carmen Rasmusen Herbert (Deseret News, 2018).
  • "Confidence is Higher in Touch Than in Vision in Cases of Perceptual Ambiguity," by Merle T. Fairhurst, Eoin Travers, Vincent Hayward, and Ophelia Deroy (Nature: Scientific Reports, 2018).
  • "The Life of the Skin-Hungry: Can You Go Crazy from a Lack Of Touch?" by Sirin Kale (Vice, 2016).
  • "Warm Partner Contact Is Related to Lower Cardiovascular Reactivity," by Karen M. Grewen, Bobbi J. Anderson, Susan S. Girdler, and Kathleen C. Light (Behavioral Medicine, 2010).
  • "The Nature of Love," by Harry Harlow (American Psychologist, 1958).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Did Covid-19 Kill the Handshake?" by No Stupid Questions (2020).

How final is a final offer, really? Does anonymity turn nice people into jerks? And should you tell your crush that you dreamed about marrying them?

• SOURCES:
  • Max Bazerman, professor of business administration at Harvard Business School.
  • Deepak Malhotra, professor of business administration at Harvard Business School.
  • Elon Musk, owner and C.T.O. of X Corp (formerly Twitter), C.E.O. of Space X, and C.E.O. of Tesla.
  • John Krasinski, actor and filmmaker.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Elon Musk Says Twitter Will Try to Rehire Some of Its Laid-Off Staff, and That Some of the People He Fired 'Shouldn't Have Been' Cut," by Pete Syme (Business Insider, 2023).
  • "Read the Midnight Email Elon Musk Sent Twitter Staff Telling Them to Work 'Long Hours at High Intensity' – or Quit," by Jyoti Mann (Business Insider, 2022).
  • "When to Use Ultimatums & When to Avoid Them," by Deepak Malhotra (Negotiation Insights Video Series, 2020).
  • "'Take It or Leave It!' A Choice Mindset Leads to Greater Persistence and Better Outcomes in Negotiations," by Anyi Ma, Yu Yang, and Krishna Savani (Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 2019).
  • "John Krasinski Was Ready To Quit Acting Before 'The Office'," by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (2018).
  • "Models of the Evolution of Fairness in the Ultimatum Game: A Review and Classification," by Stéphane Debove, Nicolas Baumard, and Jean-Baptiste André (Evolution and Human Behavior, 2016).
  • "15 Rules for Negotiating a Job Offer," by Deepak Malhotra (Harvard Business Review, 2014).
  • Negotiation Genius: How to Overcome Obstacles and Achieve Brilliant Results at the Bargaining Table and Beyond, by Deepak Malhotra and Max Bazerman (2007).
  • "Fairness Versus Reason in the Ultimatum Game," by Martin A. Nowak, Karen M. Page, and Karl Sigmund (Science, 2000).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Get Your Share of the Pie," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2022).
  • Mrs. Miracle, by Debbie Macomber (1996).