Do you have any mind tricks, please?

I'm Angela Duckworth.

I'm Stephen Dubner, and you're listening to No Stupid Questions.

Today on the show, is laziness a false concept?

Sometimes a dog really did eat your homework, okay?

Also, why do we feel so uncomfortable spending time alone in public places? Tickets? How many?

Just one, please, sir.

Angela, a question from a listener named Susan Kemp, at least that's the name she's using to write to us under.

Could be a pseudonym.

Might be Angela Duckworth for all we know.

Quote, Susan Kemp has this to ask.

Do you think laziness is really a thing, she writes?

For the last year, I've been debating if laziness is real or just some concept we created in order to, I don't know, Protestant guilt trip ourselves

into doing things. I like Susan. Already. Say that someone doesn't do their homework. Maybe they have

an undiagnosed sleep disorder or are chronically sleep deprived. And that's why they can't focus.

Maybe their diet is off. So they're tired. Maybe they're just tired because school starts at 730 a.m.

And science says that is stupid. Actually, I think science says that early school start is bad for some people, but not others.

There are different chronotypes, yes? Well, in general, though, adolescents tend to be later risers.

So the science would say that starting school for most high school students at 730 is dumb.

Okay.

So she's right on that.

I'm wrong on that.

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