On the 149th episode of
What is a Good Life?, I welcome Adam Mastroianni. Adam is an experimental psychologist and author of the popular science newsletter
Experimental History. His work has been featured in
Nature,
The New York Times, and
Jimmy Kimmel Live. He has escaped from over 170 escape rooms.
In this conversation, Adam discusses the nature of questions and curiosity as driving forces in life. He explores the concept of being possessed by ideas, the role of suffering in personal growth, and the shift from academia to independent thought.
This episode highlights the impact that finding your unique role—and contributing meaningfully to the world from that place—can have on your life.
04:06 – Enjoying The Friction
07:48 – Why Toilets Took Millennia
13:13 – First Day Being Curious
18:16 – Internet Praise Vs Real Life
23:51 – Freedom Without A Boss
28:07 – Choosing Productive Fear
31:07 – Leaving A “Good” Career
36:52 – What’s Worth Suffering For
45:46 – The Cost Of Pretending
48:00 – The Ideas Graveyard
52:15 – What Is A Good Life?
Keywords: Meaning of Life Interviews | meaning of life conversations | exploring life | big life questions | meaning of life discussions | creating a meaningful life
What is What is a Good Life??
A project exploring the big questions around how we live, who we are and what actually matters. Over the past four years, I’ve sat with more than 300 people — artists, parents, executives, wanderers, therapists, and strangers and invited them into a simple but profound inquiry, "What is a good life for you?"
The conversations explore presence, paradox, uncertainty, and the moments that shape a life - love and loss, trust and fear, clarity and not knowing. It’s an invitations to slow down, to listen deeply, and to bring you into conversation with your own life. There are new episodes every Tuesday.