Nudge

Are metrics controlling your life?

Nudge

Show Notes

Have you ever finished a book you dislike just to say you’ve finished it?

Have you loaded up Duolingo at 11:55pm to keep the streak alive?

Have you felt the crushing disappointment of realising you forgot to record your run for Strava?

If so, metrics might be controlling your life. And philosopher C. Thi Nguyen, my guest on today’s episode of Nudge, thinks that’s a problem.

Nguyen believes that our lives are increasingly organised around metrics and that these rankings don’t just track what we value. They replace it.

This episode contains some explicit language.

---

Get Thi’s book The Score: https://amzn.to/4fsqxTD

Unlock the Nudge Vaults: ⁠https://www.nudgepodcast.com/vaults⁠

Join 12,411 readers of my newsletter: ⁠https://www.nudgepodcast.com/mailing-list

Connect on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/phill-agnew/⁠

---

Today’s sources:

Nguyen, C. T. (2026). The Score: How to stop playing somebody else's game. Penguin Press.

More from Nudge

Oct 19, 2026

When Greece beat France in Euro 2004, the stock market shifted. When Allbirds rebranded as an AI company, its stock rose 600%. When British radio plays happy music, the FTSE improves.

Oct 12, 2026

I think Sam Altman of OpenAI has deliberately tried to build his fame.

Oct 5, 2026

Wiebe Wakker spent three years driving from the Netherlands to Australia.

Sep 28, 2026

Are men who are insecure about their manhood more likely to buy sports cars?

Sep 21, 2026

Every weekend, thousands of Brits order takeaways from independent restaurants.

See all episodes →