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Scientists discovered the power of $5 and a nap
A strange experiment with students, three friendship fixes, and a patent that went too far.
Greg Sullivan
November 05, 2026 • Est. Reading Time: 4 minutes
“Laugh and the world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone.”
― Anthony Burgess
Would you go to bed earlier for $5? Why is asking someone to be your friend so much scarier than asking them out? And how did a guy who never built a working car manage to cause so much trouble for Henry Ford? Erik Barnes helps us with the friendship question, researchers tackle the bedtime negotiations, and history supplies a particularly audacious answer to the last one.
Health
Scientists found an unusual way to improve students' grades.
College students often survive on caffeine, ramen, and four hours of sleep. Which is, let me look up the scientific term here… not great. So researchers at the University of Pittsburgh decided to try something radical: What if we paid them to go to bed?
More than 1,100 students joined an experiment in which some could earn about $5 a night just for sleeping seven hours. No essays. No extra credit. Just cold, hard cash for getting some shut-eye. Where was this program when I was in college?
As researchers Osea Giuntella, Sally Sadoff, and Silvia Saccardo explain, the experiment wasn't just about getting students to hit the pillow. They wanted to see whether a little financial motivation could change stubborn habits. And the results showed up where you might not expect: their report cards.
The researchers also tested whether simple reminders could do the same thing, and whether when students got paid made a difference. One approach worked considerably better than the others, offering a fascinating lesson about motivation that goes well beyond the bedroom.
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GOOD reader Anne Fowler was enjoying a walk during a snowstorm (as one does) in Pennsylvania when she spotted this vibrant cardinal watching her. I can’t for the life of me work out how Anne spotted such a cleverly disguised critter, but I’m glad she did; this picture is fantastic.
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How much is eight hours of sleep worth to you?Let's put a price on a good night's sleep. |
Yesterday's Results
In yesterday's issue, we shared how scientists are tracking tiny migrating birds with even tinier backpacks.
And we asked: How far is the longest recorded nonstop flight by a bird? The answer is about 8,400 miles, and 32.0% of you got it right. An impressive feat of endurance, especially without a complimentary bag of pretzels.
About 1,200 miles (8.2%)
About 3,500 miles (25.9%)
About 5,800 miles (34.0%)
About 8,400 miles 🏆 (32.0%)
A few people in the comments asked which bird set the record. It was a juvenile bar-tailed godwit, a bird I'd never even heard of. Here's what one looks like:
Skills | Courtesy of Upworthy
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Former Secret Service Agent reveals ingenious ‘spy trick’ to gain the upper hand in any conversation | ||
“The biggest mistake people make is they talk a lot.” | ||
By Tod Perry | ||
Isn’t it wild to think that spies are actually real? Governments all over the world send secret agents to other countries to steal information or conduct missions. The key element that makes a spy, of course, is the secretive nature of their work. They go undercover, sometimes even wearing disguises, and carry out their missions without attracting attention. That means they’re masters of psychology and social science rather than combat and weaponry. | ||
In a revealing interview with Steven Bartlett on his “Diary of a CEO” podcast, former Secret Service Special Agent Evy Poumpouras shared how to get people to do what you want them to do. The key, according to Poumpouras, is to understand what motivates them. Once you know the psychological framework behind what makes them tick, you can persuade them to behave as you like. | ||
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Culture
A TikTok friendship coach says it only takes 3 small shifts to get back in the friend game.
Making new friends as a grown-up? Somehow way harder than taxes. Remote work killed off casual watercooler chats. People move, marry, have kids, or just… drift. In their place? A buffet of digital substitutes: TikTok giggles, Reddit debates, and maybe a little oversharing with your AI chatbot.
It feels like connection. But to your brain, it's more like fast food: convenient, addictive, and hollow.
We’re wired for real, in-person connection. The kind where someone actually shows up, not just sends a heart emoji. But how do you meet new people without it feeling forced or painfully awkward?
Enter TikTok friendship coach Mary. In this story by Erik Barnes, she offers three surprisingly doable ways to break out of the friend drought, no cringe, no gimmicks, just small shifts that actually work.
On November 5, 1895, George Selden received a U.S. patent covering a gasoline-powered automobile, despite never having built a working car himself. His sweeping claim eventually led to years of legal battles with automakers, including Henry Ford.
Ford ultimately prevailed, helping free the fledgling automobile industry from a patent that might otherwise have put one man in the driver's seat.
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Until tomorrow, let me know if you find anyone willing to pay you to sleep. I’ve got a resume standing by.