74% of Americans avoid asking for help
BetterHelp's 2026 State of Stigma Report found that 74% of Americans believe society still discourages asking for help.
Where this was said
Sponsor: BetterHelp
At 0:05 · chapter starts 0:00
The episode opens with a BetterHelp sponsorship read, anchored by a striking statistic from the company's own 2026 State of Stigma Report: 74% of Americans believe society still discourages asking for help. The ad frames therapy as a way to 'close a few tabs' in an overwhelmed mind, and directs listeners to betterhelp.com/NewYorkTimes to connect with a licensed therapist online.
6 murder victims
David Wood was convicted of killing 6 women and girls, one as young as 14, whose bodies were found buried in the desert outside El Paso.
30+ years on death row
David Wood has been on death row since his conviction in the early 1990s, with multiple execution dates set and stayed over three decades.
Similar snapshots
Mayo Clinic radiology staff grew 55%
Despite predictions that AI would eliminate radiologists, the Mayo Clinic's radiology staff grew 55% after AI arrived at reading scans.
Radiology incomes 48% higher than a decade ago
In 2025, radiology was the second-highest paid medical specialty in America, with average incomes 48% higher than a decade ago.
Radiologists spend only 36% of time reading scans
A study across 3 hospitals found radiologists spent only 36% of their time reading scans — the part AI can do — with the rest being human judgment.
1 in 6 Americans on depression meds
Robert Greene notes that one in six Americans is on some form of drug to deal with depression, suggesting a deep societal disconnection from meaningful experience.
500 self-help techniques → 12 levers
Spencer Greenberg and Jeremy Stevenson analyzed almost 500 self-improvement techniques and found they all reduce to just 12 underlying psychological drivers.
Cold exposure: weak long-term evidence
Cold exposure has good short-term alertness benefits but the evidence base for long-term health benefits is much weaker than popularly believed.
20 habit techniques tested; almost none worked
In a randomized study of 20 habit-formation techniques run on hundreds of people, almost none of the techniques produced statistically meaningful results.
Tiny habit users stick to the FULL habit more
People given a tiny-habit fallback option (e.g. 10 squats instead of gym) were actually MORE successful at completing the full habit, not less.
Habit reflection = standout technique
The most effective habit-formation technique was 'habit reflection' — recalling a past successful habit, writing down what helped, then applying those lessons to a new habit.
