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Freakonomics Radio

#42
#182
Language: en-us Society & Culture
Last Checked: 2024-12-26 02:16:28

Why Is There So Much Fraud in Academia? (Update)

Thu, 26 Dec 2024

Some of the biggest names in behavioral science stand accused of faking their results. Last year, an...

Your Brain Doesn’t Work the Way You Think

Mon, 23 Dec 2024

David Eagleman upends myths and describes the vast possibilities of a brainscape that even neuroscie...

616. How to Make Something from Nothing

Thu, 19 Dec 2024

Adam Moss was the best magazine editor of his generation. When he retired, he took up painting. But ...

615. Is Ozempic as Magical as It Sounds?

Thu, 12 Dec 2024

In a wide-ranging conversation with Ezekiel Emanuel, the policymaking physician and medical gadfly, ...

How the Supermarket Helped America Win the Cold War (Update)

Mon, 9 Dec 2024

Last week, we heard a former U.S. ambassador describe Russia’s escalating conflict with the U.S. T...

614. Is the U.S. Sleeping on Threats from Russia and China?

Thu, 5 Dec 2024

John J. Sullivan, a former State Department official and U.S. ambassador, says yes: “Our politicia...

613. Dying Is Easy. Retail Is Hard.

Thu, 28 Nov 2024

Macy’s wants to recapture its glorious past. The author of the Wimpy Kid books wants to rebuild hi...

612. Is Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade Its Most Valuable Asset?

Thu, 21 Nov 2024

The 166-year-old chain, which is fighting extinction, calls the parade its “gift to the nation.”...

How to Stop Worrying and Love the Robot Apocalypse (Update)

Mon, 18 Nov 2024

It’s true that robots (and other smart technologies) will kill many jobs. It may also be true that...

611. Fareed Zakaria on What Just Happened, and What Comes Next

Thu, 14 Nov 2024

After a dramatic election, Donald Trump has returned from exile. We hear what to expect at home and ...

610. Who Wins and Who Loses Once the U.S. Legalizes Weed?

Thu, 7 Nov 2024

Some people want the new cannabis economy to look like the craft-beer movement. Others are hoping to...

609. What Does It Take to Run a Cannabis Farm?

Thu, 31 Oct 2024

Chris Weld worked for years in emergency rooms, then ditched that career and bought an old farm in M...

Abortion and Crime, Revisited (Update)

Mon, 28 Oct 2024

With abortion on the Nov. 5 ballot, we look back at Steve Levitt’s controversial research about an...

608. Cannabis Is Booming, So Why Isn’t Anyone Getting Rich?

Thu, 24 Oct 2024

There are a lot of reasons, including heavy regulations, high taxes, and competition from illegal we...

607. Is America Switching From Booze to Weed?

Thu, 17 Oct 2024

We have always been a nation of drinkers — but now there are more daily users of cannabis than al...

606. How to Predict the Presidency

Fri, 11 Oct 2024

Are betting markets more accurate than polls? What kind of chaos would a second Trump term bring? An...

Has the U.S. Presidency Become a Dictatorship? (Update)

Thu, 10 Oct 2024

Sure, we all pay lip service to the Madisonian system of checks and balances. But presidents have be...

605. What Do People Do All Day?

Thu, 3 Oct 2024

Sixty percent of the jobs that Americans do today didn’t exist in 1940. What happens as our labor ...

EXTRA: Roland Fryer Refuses to Lie to Black America (Update)

Mon, 30 Sep 2024

His research on police brutality and school incentives won him acclaim, but also enemies. He was sus...

604. Did the N.F.L. Solve Diversity Hiring? (Part 2)

Thu, 26 Sep 2024

What happened when the Rooney Rule made its way from pro football to corporate America? Some progres...

603. Did the N.F.L. Solve Diversity Hiring? (Part 1)

Thu, 19 Sep 2024

The biggest sports league in history had a problem: While most of its players were Black, almost non...

EXTRA: In Praise of Maintenance (Update)

Mon, 16 Sep 2024

We revisit an episode from 2016 that asks: Has our culture’s obsession with innovation led us to n...

602. Is Screen Time as Poisonous as We Think?

Thu, 12 Sep 2024

Young people have been reporting a sharp rise in anxiety and depression. This maps neatly onto the g...

601. Multitasking Doesn’t Work. So Why Do We Keep Trying?

Thu, 5 Sep 2024

Only a tiny number of “supertaskers” are capable of doing two things at once. The rest of us are...

What Is the Future of College — and Does It Have Room for Men? (Update)

Thu, 29 Aug 2024

Educators and economists tell us all the reasons college enrollment has been dropping, especially fo...

EXTRA: Why Quitting Is Usually Worth It

Mon, 26 Aug 2024

Stephen Dubner appears as a guest on Fail Better, a new podcast hosted by David Duchovny. The two of...

The University of Impossible-to-Get-Into (Update)

Thu, 22 Aug 2024

America’s top colleges are facing record demand. So why don’t they increase supply? (Part 2 of o...

What Exactly Is College For? (Update)

Thu, 15 Aug 2024

We think of them as intellectual enclaves and the surest route to a better life. But U.S. colleges a...

EXTRA: Here’s Why You’re Not an Elite Athlete (Update)

Mon, 12 Aug 2024

There are a lot of factors that go into greatness, many of which are not obvious. As the Olympics co...

600. “If We’re All in It for Ourselves, Who Are We?”

Thu, 8 Aug 2024

Tania Tetlow, a former federal prosecutor and now the president of Fordham University, thinks the mo...

599. The World's Most Valuable Unused Resource

Thu, 1 Aug 2024

It’s not oil or water or plutonium — it’s human hours. We've got an idea for putting them to u...

EXTRA: Why Rent Control Doesn’t Work (Update)

Mon, 29 Jul 2024

A new proposal from the Biden administration calls for a nationwide cap on rent increases. Economist...

598. Is Overconsolidation a Threat to Democracy?

Thu, 25 Jul 2024

That’s the worry. Even the humble eyeglass industry is dominated by a single firm. We look into t...

597. Why Do Your Eyeglasses Cost $1,000?

Thu, 18 Jul 2024

A single company, EssilorLuxottica, owns so much of the eyewear industry that it’s hard to escape ...

EXTRA: People Aren’t Dumb. The World Is Hard. (Update)

Mon, 15 Jul 2024

You wouldn’t think you could win a Nobel Prize for showing that humans tend to make irrational dec...

596. Farewell to a Generational Talent

Thu, 11 Jul 2024

Daniel Kahneman left his mark on academia (and the real world) in countless ways. A group of his fri...

595. Why Don't We Have Better Candidates for President?

Thu, 4 Jul 2024

American politics is trapped in a duopoly, with two all-powerful parties colluding to stifle competi...

594. Your Brand’s Spokesperson Just Got Arrested — Now What?

Thu, 27 Jun 2024

It’s hard to know whether the benefits of hiring a celebrity are worth the risk. We dig into one g...

593. You Can Make a Killing, but Not a Living

Thu, 20 Jun 2024

Broadway operates on a winner-take-most business model. A runaway hit like Stereophonic — which ju...

EXTRA: The Fascinatingly Mundane Secrets of the World’s Most Exclusive Nightclub

Mon, 17 Jun 2024

The Berlin dance mecca Berghain is known for its eight-hour line and inscrutable door policy. PJ Vog...

592. How to Make the Coolest Show on Broadway

Thu, 13 Jun 2024

Hit by Covid, runaway costs, and a zillion streams of competition, serious theater is in serious tro...

591. Signs of Progress, One Year at a Time

Thu, 6 Jun 2024

Every December, a British man named Tom Whitwell publishes a list of 52 things he’s learned that y...

EXTRA: The Opioid Tragedy — How We Got Here

Mon, 3 Jun 2024

An update of our 2020 series, in which we spoke with physicians, researchers, and addicts about the ...

590. Can $55 Billion End the Opioid Epidemic?

Thu, 30 May 2024

Thanks to legal settlements with drug makers and distributors, states have plenty of money to boost ...

589. Why Has the Opioid Crisis Lasted So Long?

Thu, 23 May 2024

Most epidemics flare up, do their damage, and fade away. This one has been raging for almost 30 year...

Extra: Car Colors & Storage Units

Mon, 20 May 2024

Presenting two stories from The Economics of Everyday Things: Why does it seem like every car is bla...

588. Confessions of a Black Conservative

Thu, 16 May 2024

The economist and social critic Glenn Loury has led a remarkably turbulent life, both professionally...

587. Should Companies Be Owned by Their Workers?

Thu, 9 May 2024

The employee ownership movement is growing, and one of its biggest champions is also a private equit...

586. How Does the Lost World of Vienna Still Shape Our Lives?

Thu, 2 May 2024

From politics and economics to psychology and the arts, many of the modern ideas we take for granted...

Extra: Why Is 23andMe Going Under? (Update)

Mon, 29 Apr 2024

Five years ago, we published an episode about the boom in home DNA testing kits, focusing on the hig...

585. A Social Activist in Prime Minister’s Clothing

Thu, 25 Apr 2024

Justin Trudeau, facing record-low approval numbers, is doubling down on his progressive agenda. But ...

584. How to Pave the Road to Hell

Thu, 18 Apr 2024

So you want to help people? That’s great — but beware the law of unintended consequences. Three ...

Extra: The Men Who Started a Thinking Revolution (Update)

Sun, 14 Apr 2024

The psychologist Daniel Kahneman — a Nobel laureate and the author of Thinking, Fast and Slow — ...

Why Are There So Many Bad Bosses? (Update)

Thu, 11 Apr 2024

People who are good at their jobs routinely get promoted into bigger jobs they’re bad at. We expla...

583. Are We Living Through the Most Revolutionary Period in History?

Thu, 4 Apr 2024

Fareed Zakaria says yes. But it’s not just political revolution — it’s economic, technological...

Extra: How Much Do You Know About Immigration?

Mon, 1 Apr 2024

The political debates over immigration can generate a lot of fuzzy facts. We wanted to test American...

582. Why Is Everyone Moving to Canada?

Thu, 28 Mar 2024

As the U.S. tries to fix its messy immigration system, our neighbor to the north is scooping up more...

581. What Both Parties Get Wrong About Immigration

Thu, 21 Mar 2024

The U.S. immigration system is a massively complicated machine, with a lot of worn-out parts. How to...

Extra: Madeleine Albright’s Warning on Immigration

Mon, 18 Mar 2024

She arrived in the U.S. as an 11-year-old refugee, then rose to become Secretary of State. Her views...

580. The True Story of America’s Supremely Messed-Up Immigration System

Thu, 14 Mar 2024

How did a nation of immigrants come to hate immigration? We start at the beginning, sort through the...

579. Are You Caught in a Social Media Trap?

Thu, 7 Mar 2024

Economists have discovered an odd phenomenon: many people who use social media (even you, maybe?) wi...

Extra: What Is Sportswashing — and Does It Work? (Update)

Mon, 4 Mar 2024

In ancient Rome, it was bread and circuses. Today, it’s a World Cup, an Olympics, and a new Saudi-...

578. Water, Water Everywhere — But You Have to Stop and Think

Thu, 29 Feb 2024

What surprises lurk in our sewage? How did racist city planners end up saving Black lives? Why does ...

Is Google Getting Worse? (Update)

Thu, 22 Feb 2024

It used to feel like magic. Now it can feel like a set of cheap tricks. Is the problem with Google —...

Extra: Mr. Feynman Takes a Trip — But Doesn’t Fall

Mon, 19 Feb 2024

A wide-open conversation with three women who guided Richard Feynman through some big adventures at ...

The Vanishing Mr. Feynman

Thu, 15 Feb 2024

In his final years, Richard Feynman's curiosity took him to some surprising places. We hear from his...

The Brilliant Mr. Feynman

Thu, 8 Feb 2024

What happens when an existentially depressed and recently widowed young physicist from Queens gets a...

How the San Francisco 49ers Stopped Being Losers (Update)

Mon, 5 Feb 2024

They’re heading to the Super Bowl for the second time in five years. But back in 2018, they were c...

The Curious Mr. Feynman

Thu, 1 Feb 2024

From the Manhattan Project to the Challenger investigation, the physicist Richard Feynman loved to s...

574. “A Low Moment in Higher Education”

Thu, 25 Jan 2024

Michael Roth of Wesleyan University doesn’t hang out with other university presidents. He also thi...

5 Psychology Terms You’re Probably Misusing (Replay)

Mon, 22 Jan 2024

We all like to throw around terms that describe human behavior — “bystander apathy” and “ste...

573. Can Academic Fraud Be Stopped?

Thu, 18 Jan 2024

Probably not — the incentives are too strong. Scholarly publishing is a $28 billion global industr...

572. Why Is There So Much Fraud in Academia?

Thu, 11 Jan 2024

Some of the biggest names in behavioral science stand accused of faking their results. Last year, an...

571. Greeting Cards, Pizza Boxes, and Personal Injury Lawyers

Thu, 4 Jan 2024

In a special episode of The Economics of Everyday Things, host Zachary Crockett explains what millen...

570. Is Gynecology the Best Innovation Ever?

Thu, 28 Dec 2023

In a special episode of People I (Mostly) Admire, Steve Levitt talks to Cat Bohannon about her new b...

569. Do You Need Closure?

Thu, 21 Dec 2023

In a special episode of No Stupid Questions, Angela Duckworth and Mike Maughan talk about unfinished...

568. Why Are People So Mad at Michael Lewis?

Thu, 14 Dec 2023

Lewis got incredible access to Sam Bankman-Fried, the billionaire behind the spectacular FTX fraud. ...

567. Do the Police Have a Management Problem?

Thu, 7 Dec 2023

In policing, as in most vocations, the best employees are often promoted into leadership without muc...

513. Should Public Transit Be Free? (Update)

Thu, 30 Nov 2023

It boosts economic opportunity and social mobility. It’s good for the environment. So why do we ch...

566. Why Is It So Hard (and Expensive) to Build Anything in America?

Thu, 23 Nov 2023

Most industries have become more productive over time. But not construction! We identify the causes ...

Extra: Jason Kelce Hates to Lose

Sun, 19 Nov 2023

Pro footballer and star podcaster Jason Kelce is ubiquitous right now (almost as ubiquitous as his b...

565. Are Private Equity Firms Plundering the U.S. Economy?

Thu, 16 Nov 2023

They say they make companies more efficient through savvy management. Critics say they bend the rule...

480. How Much Does Discrimination Hurt the Economy? (Replay)

Thu, 9 Nov 2023

Evidence from Nazi Germany and 1940’s America (and pretty much everywhere else) shows that discrim...

564. How to Succeed at Failing, Part 4: Extreme Resiliency

Thu, 2 Nov 2023

Everyone makes mistakes. How do you learn from them? Lessons from the classroom, the Air Force, and ...

563. How to Succeed at Failing, Part 3: Grit vs. Quit

Thu, 26 Oct 2023

Giving up can be painful. That's why we need to talk about it. Today: stories about glitchy apps, le...

562. How to Succeed at Failing, Part 2: Life and Death

Thu, 19 Oct 2023

In medicine, failure can be catastrophic. It can also produce discoveries that save millions of live...

561. How to Succeed at Failing, Part 1: The Chain of Events

Thu, 12 Oct 2023

We tend to think of tragedies as a single terrible moment, rather than the result of multiple bad de...

232. A New Nobel Laureate Explains the Gender Pay Gap (Replay)

Tue, 10 Oct 2023

Claudia Goldin is the newest winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics. We spoke with her in 2016 about...

560. Is This “the Worst Job in Corporate America” — or Maybe the Best?

Thu, 5 Oct 2023

John Ray is an emergency C.E.O., a bankruptcy expert who takes over companies that have succumbed to...

559. Are Two C.E.O.s Better Than One?

Thu, 28 Sep 2023

If two parents can run a family, why shouldn’t two executives run a company? We dig into the resea...

558. The Facts Are In: Two Parents Are Better Than One

Thu, 21 Sep 2023

In her new book The Two-Parent Privilege, the economist Melissa Kearney says it’s time for liberal...

557. When Is a Superstar Just Another Employee?

Thu, 14 Sep 2023

The union that represents N.F.L. players conducted their first-ever survey of workplace conditions, ...

556. A.I. Is Changing Everything. Does That Include You?

Thu, 7 Sep 2023

For all the speculation about the future, A.I. tools can be useful right now. Adam Davidson discover...

555. New Technologies Always Scare Us. Is A.I. Any Different?

Thu, 31 Aug 2023

Guest host Adam Davidson looks at what might happen to your job in a world of human-level artificial...

554. Can A.I. Take a Joke?

Thu, 24 Aug 2023

Artificial intelligence, we’ve been told, will destroy humankind. No, wait — it will usher in a ...

553. The Suddenly Diplomatic Rahm Emanuel

Thu, 17 Aug 2023

The famously profane politician and operative is now U.S. ambassador to Japan, where he’s trying t...

Should Traffic Lights Be Abolished? (Ep. 454 Replay)

Thu, 10 Aug 2023

Americans are so accustomed to the standard intersection that we rarely consider how dangerous it ca...

Extra: A Modern Whaler Speaks Up

Sun, 6 Aug 2023

Bjorn Andersen killed 111 minke whales this season. He tells us how he does it, why he does it, and ...

552. Freakonomics Radio Presents: The Economics of Everyday Things

Thu, 3 Aug 2023

In three stories from our newest podcast, host Zachary Crockett digs into sports mascots, cashmere s...

551. What Can Whales Teach Us About Clean Energy, Workplace Harmony, and Living the Good Life?

Thu, 27 Jul 2023

In the final episode of our whale series, we learn about fecal plumes, shipping noise, and why "Moby...

550. Why Do People Still Hunt Whales?

Thu, 20 Jul 2023

For years, whale oil was used as lighting fuel, industrial lubricant, and the main ingredient in (yu...

549. The First Great American Industry

Thu, 13 Jul 2023

Whaling was, in the words of one scholar, “early capitalism unleashed on the high seas.” How did...

548. Why Is the U.S. So Good at Killing Pedestrians?

Thu, 6 Jul 2023

Actually, the reasons are pretty clear. The harder question is: Will we ever care enough to stop?

Why Did You Marry That Person? (Ep. 511 Replay)

Thu, 29 Jun 2023

Sure, you were “in love.” But economists — using evidence from Bridgerton to Tinder — point ...

547. Satya Nadella’s Intelligence Is Not Artificial

Thu, 22 Jun 2023

But as C.E.O. of the resurgent Microsoft, he is firmly at the center of the A.I. revolution. We spea...

546. Are E.S.G. Investors Actually Helping the Environment?

Thu, 15 Jun 2023

Probably not. The economist Kelly Shue argues that E.S.G. investing just gives more money to firms t...

545. Enough with the Slippery Slopes!

Thu, 8 Jun 2023

Gun control, abortion rights, drug legalization — it seems like every argument these days claims t...

544. Ari Emanuel Is Never Indifferent

Thu, 1 Jun 2023

He turned a small Hollywood talent agency into a massive sports-and-entertainment empire. In a freew...

Make Me a Match (Ep. 209 Update)

Thu, 25 May 2023

Sure, markets work well in general. But for some transactions — like school admissions and organ t...

543. How to Return Stolen Art

Thu, 18 May 2023

Museums are purging their collections of looted treasures. Can they also get something in return? An...

542. Is a Museum Just a Trophy Case?

Thu, 11 May 2023

The world’s great museums are full of art and artifacts that were plundered during an era when plu...

541. The Case of the $4 Million Gold Coffin

Thu, 4 May 2023

How did a freshly looted Egyptian antiquity end up in the Metropolitan Museum of Art? Why did it tak...

Why Your Projects Are Always Late — and What to Do About It (Ep. 323 Replay)

Thu, 27 Apr 2023

Whether it’s a giant infrastructure plan or a humble kitchen renovation, it’ll inevitably take w...

540. Swearing Is More Important Than You Think

Thu, 20 Apr 2023

Every language has its taboo words (which many people use all the time). But the list of forbidden w...

539. Why Does One Tiny State Set the Rules for Everyone?

Thu, 13 Apr 2023

Delaware is beloved by corporations, bankruptcy lawyers, tax avoiders, and money launderers. Critics...

538. A Radically Simple Way to Boost a Neighborhood

Thu, 6 Apr 2023

Many companies say they want to create more opportunities for Black Americans. One company is doing ...

How to Hate Taxes a Little Bit Less (Ep. 400 Replay)

Thu, 30 Mar 2023

Every year, Americans short the I.R.S. nearly half a trillion dollars. Most ideas to increase compli...

537. “Insurance Is Sexy.” Discuss.

Thu, 23 Mar 2023

In this installment of the Freakonomics Radio Book Club, the economist Amy Finkelstein explains why ...

Why Are There So Many Bad Bosses? (Ep. 495 Replay)

Thu, 16 Mar 2023

People who are good at their jobs routinely get promoted into bigger jobs they’re bad at. We expla...

536. Is Your Plane Ticket Too Expensive — or Too Cheap?

Thu, 9 Mar 2023

Most travelers want the cheapest flight they can find. Airlines, meanwhile, need to manage volatile ...

535. Why Is Flying Safer Than Driving?

Thu, 2 Mar 2023

Thanks to decades of work by airlines and regulators, plane crashes are nearly a thing of the past. ...

534. Air Travel Is a Miracle. Why Do We Hate It?

Thu, 23 Feb 2023

It’s an unnatural activity that has become normal. You’re stuck in a metal tube with hundreds of...

Why Does the Most Monotonous Job in the World Pay $1 Million? (Ep. 493 Update)

Thu, 16 Feb 2023

Adam Smith famously argued that specialization is the key to prosperity. In the N.F.L., the long sna...

The Economics of Everyday Things: Used Hotel Soaps

Mon, 13 Feb 2023

Hotel guests adore those cute little soaps, but is it just a one-night stand? In our fourth episode ...

533. Will the Democrats “Make America Great Again”?

Thu, 9 Feb 2023

For decades, the U.S. let globalization run its course and hoped China would be an ally. Now the Bid...

The Economics of Everyday Things: “My Sharona”

Mon, 6 Feb 2023

Can a hit single from four decades ago still pay the bills? Zachary Crockett f-f-f-finds out in the ...

Is Economic Growth the Wrong Goal? (Ep. 429 Update)

Thu, 2 Feb 2023

The economist Kate Raworth says the aggressive pursuit of G.D.P. is trashing the planet and shortcha...

The Economics of Everyday Things: Girl Scout Cookies

Mon, 30 Jan 2023

How does America's cutest sales force get billions of Thin Mints, Samoas, and Tagalongs into our han...

532. Do You Know Who Owns Your Vet?

Thu, 26 Jan 2023

When small businesses get bought by big investors, the name may stay the same — but customers and ...

Introducing “The Economics of Everyday Things”

Mon, 23 Jan 2023

A new podcast hosted by Zachary Crockett. In the first episode: Gas stations. When gas prices skyroc...

531. Should You Trust Private Equity to Take Care of Your Dog?

Thu, 19 Jan 2023

Big investors are buying up local veterinary practices (and pretty much everything else). What does ...

Extra: Samin Nosrat Always Wanted to Be Famous

Mon, 16 Jan 2023

And with her book "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat," she succeeded. Now she's not so sure how to feel about al...

530. What's Wrong with Being a One-Hit Wonder?

Thu, 12 Jan 2023

We tend to look down on artists who can't match their breakthrough success. Should we be celebrating...

529. Can Our Surroundings Make Us Smarter?

Thu, 5 Jan 2023

In a special episode of No Stupid Questions, Stephen Dubner and Angela Duckworth discuss classroom d...

528. Yuval Noah Harari Thinks Life is Meaningless and Amazing

Thu, 29 Dec 2022

In this special episode of People I (Mostly) Admire, Steve Levitt talks to the best-selling author o...

527. Can Adam Smith Fix Our Economy?

Thu, 22 Dec 2022

Labor exploitation! Corporate profiteering! Government corruption! The 21st century can look a lot l...

526. Was Adam Smith Really a Right-Winger?

Thu, 15 Dec 2022

Economists and politicians have turned him into a mascot for free-market ideology. Some on the left ...

Freakonomics Radio Needs Your Help

Mon, 12 Dec 2022

A sneak peek at an upcoming series — and a call for would-be radio reporters.

525. In Search of the Real Adam Smith

Thu, 8 Dec 2022

How did an affable 18th-century “moral philosopher” become the patron saint of cutthroat capital...

524. How Important Is Breastfeeding, Really?

Thu, 1 Dec 2022

In this special episode of Freakonomics, M.D., host Bapu Jena looks at a clever new study that could...

523. Did Michael Lewis Just Get Lucky with “Moneyball”?

Thu, 24 Nov 2022

No — but he does have a knack for stumbling into the perfect moment, including the recent FTX deba...

522. Is Google Getting Worse?

Thu, 17 Nov 2022

It used to feel like magic. Now it can feel like a set of cheap tricks. Is the problem with Google —...

The Most Interesting Fruit in the World (Ep. 375 Update)

Thu, 10 Nov 2022

The banana, once a luxury good, rose to become America’s favorite fruit. Now a deadly fungus threa...

521. I’m Your Biggest Fan!

Thu, 3 Nov 2022

It’s fun to obsess over pop stars and racecar drivers — but is fandom making our politics even m...

520. The Unintended Consequences of Working from Home

Thu, 27 Oct 2022

The last two years have radically changed the way we work — producing winners, losers, and a lot o...

519. Has Globalization Failed?

Thu, 20 Oct 2022

It was supposed to boost prosperity and democracy at the same time. What really happened? According ...

518. Are Personal Finance Gurus Giving You Bad Advice?

Thu, 13 Oct 2022

One Yale economist certainly thinks so. But even if he’s right, are economists any better?

517. Are M.B.A.s to Blame for Wage Stagnation?

Thu, 6 Oct 2022

New research finds that bosses who went to business school pay their workers less. So what are M.B.A...

Please Get Your Noise Out of My Ears (Ep. 439 Update)

Thu, 29 Sep 2022

The pandemic provided city dwellers with a break from the din of the modern world. Now the noise is ...

516. Nuclear Power Isn’t Perfect. Is It Good Enough?

Thu, 22 Sep 2022

Liberals endorse harm reduction when it comes to the opioid epidemic. Are they ready to take the sam...

Extra: Ken Burns | People I (Mostly) Admire

Mon, 19 Sep 2022

The documentary filmmaker, known for The Civil War, Jazz, and Baseball, turns his attention to the H...

515. When You Pray to God Online, Who Else Is Listening?

Thu, 15 Sep 2022

The pandemic moved a lot of religious activity onto the internet. With faith-based apps, Silicon Val...

This Is Your Brain on Pollution (Ep. 472 Update)

Thu, 8 Sep 2022

As the Biden administration rushes to address climate change, Stephen Dubner looks at another, hidde...

514. Roland Fryer Refuses to Lie to Black America

Thu, 1 Sep 2022

The controversial Harvard economist, recently back from a suspension, “broke a lot of glass early ...

513. Should Public Transit Be Free?

Thu, 25 Aug 2022

It boosts economic opportunity and social mobility. It’s good for the environment. So why do we ch...

Why Is U.S. Media So Negative? (Ep. 477 Replay)

Thu, 18 Aug 2022

Breaking news! Sources say American journalism exploits our negativity bias to maximize profits, and...

The Pros and Cons of America’s (Extreme) Individualism (Ep. 470 Replay)

Thu, 11 Aug 2022

According to a decades-long research project, the U.S. is not only the most individualistic country ...

The U.S. Is Just Different — So Let’s Stop Pretending We’re Not (Ep. 469 Replay)

Thu, 4 Aug 2022

We often look to other countries for smart policies on education, healthcare, infrastructure, etc. B...

512. Does Philosophy Still Matter?

Thu, 28 Jul 2022

It used to be at the center of our conversations about politics and society. Scott Hershovitz (autho...

511. Why Did You Marry That Person?

Thu, 21 Jul 2022

Sure, you were “in love.” But economists — using evidence from Bridgerton to Tinder — point ...

The Economist’s Guide to Parenting: 10 Years Later (Ep. 479 Replay)

Thu, 14 Jul 2022

In one of the earliest Freakonomics Radio episodes, we asked a bunch of economists with young kids h...

510. What Problems Does Crypto Solve, Anyway?

Thu, 7 Jul 2022

Boosters say blockchain technology will usher in a brave new era of decentralization. Are they right...

509. Are N.F.T.s All Scams?

Thu, 30 Jun 2022

Some of them are. With others, it’s more complicated (and more promising). We try to get past the ...

508. Does the Crypto Crash Mean the Blockchain Is Over?

Thu, 23 Jun 2022

No. But now is a good time to sort out the potential from the hype. Whether you’re bullish, bearis...

507. 103 Pieces of Advice That May or May Not Work

Thu, 16 Jun 2022

Kevin Kelly calls himself “the most optimistic person in the world.” And he has a lot to say abo...

506. What Is Sportswashing (and Does It Work)?

Thu, 9 Jun 2022

In ancient Rome, it was bread and circuses. Today, it’s a World Cup, an Olympics, and a new Saudi-...

505. Did Domestic Violence Really Spike During the Pandemic?

Thu, 2 Jun 2022

When the world went into lockdown, experts predicted a rise in intimate-partner assaults. What actua...

504. Introducing “Off Leash”

Thu, 26 May 2022

In this new podcast from the Freakonomics Radio Network, dog-cognition expert and bestselling author...

503. What Is the Future of College — and Does It Have Room for Men?

Thu, 19 May 2022

Educators and economists tell us all the reasons college enrollment has been dropping, especially fo...

Abortion and Crime, Revisited (Ep. 384 Update)

Thu, 12 May 2022

As the Supreme Court considers overturning Roe v. Wade, we look back at Steve Levitt’s controversi...

502. “I Don’t Think the Country Is Turning Away From College.”

Thu, 5 May 2022

Enrollment is down for the first time in memory, and critics complain college is too expensive, too ...

501. The University of Impossible-to-Get-Into

Thu, 28 Apr 2022

America’s top colleges are facing record demand. So why don’t they increase supply? (Part 2 of “...

500. What Exactly Is College For?

Thu, 21 Apr 2022

We think of them as intellectual enclaves and the surest route to a better life. But U.S. colleges a...

Is the U.S. Really Less Corrupt Than China — and How About Russia? (Ep. 481 Update)

Thu, 14 Apr 2022

The political scientist Yuen Yuen Ang argues that different forms of government create different sty...

499. Don't Worry, Be Tacky

Thu, 7 Apr 2022

The British art superstar Flora Yukhnovich, the Freakonomist Steve Levitt, and the upstart American ...

498. In the 1890s, the Best-Selling Car Was … Electric

Thu, 31 Mar 2022

After a huge false start, electric cars are finally about to flourish. We speak with a technology hi...

497. Can the Big Bad Wolf Save Your Life?

Thu, 24 Mar 2022

Every year, there are more than a million collisions in the U.S. between drivers and deer. The resul...

How to Change Your Mind (Ep. 379 Update)

Thu, 17 Mar 2022

There are a lot of barriers to changing your mind: ego, overconfidence, inertia — and cost. Politi...

496. Do Unions Still Work?

Thu, 10 Mar 2022

Organized labor hasn’t had this much public support in 50 years, and yet the percentage of America...

495. Why Are There So Many Bad Bosses?

Thu, 3 Mar 2022

People who are good at their jobs routinely get promoted into bigger jobs they’re bad at. We expla...

494. Why Do Most Ideas Fail to Scale?

Thu, 24 Feb 2022

In a new book called The Voltage Effect, the economist John List — who has already revolutionized ...

Why Does the Richest Country in the World Have So Many Poor Kids? (Ep. 475 Update)

Thu, 17 Feb 2022

Among O.E.C.D. nations, the U.S. has one of the highest rates of child poverty. Until recently, it l...

493. Why Does the Most Monotonous Job in the World Pay $1 Million?

Thu, 10 Feb 2022

Adam Smith famously argued that specialization is the key to prosperity. In the N.F.L., the long sna...

Are You Ready for a Fresh Start? (Ep. 455 Replay)

Thu, 3 Feb 2022

Behavioral scientists have been exploring if — and when — a psychological reset can lead to last...

492. How Did a Hayfield Become One of America’s Hottest Cities?

Thu, 27 Jan 2022

Frisco used to be just another sleepy bedroom community outside of Dallas. Now it’s got corporate ...

491. Why Is Everyone Moving to Dallas?

Thu, 20 Jan 2022

When Stephen Dubner learned that Dallas–Fort Worth will soon overtake Chicago as the third-biggest...

490. What Do Broken-Hearted Knitters, Urinating Goalkeepers, and the C.I.A. Have in Common?

Thu, 13 Jan 2022

Curses and other superstitions may have no basis in reality, but that doesn’t stop us from believi...

489. Is “Toxic Positivity” a Thing?

Thu, 6 Jan 2022

 In this special episode of No Stupid Questions, Stephen Dubner and Angela Duckworth discuss the co...

488. Does Death Have to Be a Death Sentence?

Thu, 30 Dec 2021

In this special episode of People I (Mostly) Admire, Steve Levitt speaks with the palliative physici...

487. Is It Okay to Have a Party Yet?

Thu, 23 Dec 2021

In this special episode of Freakonomics, M.D., host Bapu Jena looks at data from birthday parties, M...

486. “The Art Market Is in Massive Disruption.”

Thu, 16 Dec 2021

Is art really meant to be an “asset class”? Will the digital revolution finally democratize a ma...

485. “I’ve Been Working My Ass Off for You to Make that Profit?”

Thu, 9 Dec 2021

The more successful an artist is, the more likely their work will later be resold at auction for a h...

484. “A Fascinating, Sexy, Intellectually Compelling, Unregulated Global Market.”

Thu, 2 Dec 2021

The art market is so opaque and illiquid that it barely functions like a market at all. A handful of...

How Do You Cure a Compassion Crisis? (Ep. 444 Replay)

Thu, 25 Nov 2021

Patients in the U.S. healthcare system often feel they’re treated with a lack of empathy. Doctors ...

483. What’s Wrong With Shortcuts?

Thu, 18 Nov 2021

You know the saying: “There are no shortcuts in life.” What if that saying is just wrong? In his...

482. Is Venture Capital the Secret Sauce of the American Economy?

Thu, 11 Nov 2021

The U.S. is home to seven of the world’s 10 biggest companies. How did that happen? The answer may...

481. Is the U.S. Really Less Corrupt Than China?

Thu, 4 Nov 2021

A new book by an unorthodox political scientist argues that the two rivals have more in common than ...

480. How Much Does Discrimination Hurt the Economy?

Thu, 28 Oct 2021

Evidence from Nazi Germany and 1940’s America (and pretty much everywhere else) shows that discrim...

479. The Economist’s Guide to Parenting: 10 Years Later

Thu, 21 Oct 2021

 In one of the earliest Freakonomics Radio episodes (No. 39!), we asked a bunch of economists with ...

478. How Can We Break Our Addiction to Contempt?

Thu, 14 Oct 2021

Arthur Brooks is an economist who for 10 years ran the American Enterprise Institute, one of the mos...

477. Why Is U.S. Media So Negative?

Thu, 7 Oct 2021

Breaking news! Sources say American journalism exploits our negativity bias to maximize profits, and...

That’s a Great Question! (Ep. 192 Rebroadcast)

Thu, 30 Sep 2021

Verbal tic or strategic rejoinder? Whatever the case: it’s rare to come across an interview these ...

“This Didn't End the Way It’s Supposed to End.” (Bonus)

Mon, 27 Sep 2021

The N.B.A. superstar Chris Bosh was still competing at the highest level when a blood clot abruptly ...

476. What Are the Police for, Anyway?

Thu, 23 Sep 2021

The U.S. is an outlier when it comes to policing, as evidenced by more than 1,000 fatal shootings by...

475. Why Does the Richest Country in the World Have So Many Poor Kids?

Thu, 16 Sep 2021

Among O.E.C.D. nations, the U.S. has one of the highest rates of child poverty. How can that be? To ...

474. All You Need Is Nudge

Thu, 9 Sep 2021

When Richard Thaler published Nudge in 2008 (with co-author Cass Sunstein), the world was just start...

Is There Really a “Loneliness Epidemic”? (Ep. 407 Rebroadcast)

Thu, 2 Sep 2021

That’s what some health officials are saying, but the data aren’t so clear. We look into what’...

473. These Jobs Were Not Posted on ZipRecruiter

Thu, 26 Aug 2021

In a conversation fresh from the Freakonomics Radio Network’s podcast laboratory, Michèle Flourno...

Reasons to Be Cheerful (Ep. 417 Rebroadcast)

Thu, 19 Aug 2021

Humans have a built-in “negativity bias,” which means we give bad news much more power than good...

472. This Is Your Brain on Pollution

Thu, 12 Aug 2021

Air pollution is estimated to cause 7 million deaths a year and cost the global economy nearly $3 tr...

471. Mayor Pete and Elaine Chao Hit the Road

Thu, 5 Aug 2021

While other countries seem to build spectacular bridges, dams, and even entire cities with ease, the...

Two (Totally Opposite) Ways to Save the Planet (Ep. 346 Rebroadcast)

Thu, 29 Jul 2021

The environmentalists say we’re doomed if we don’t drastically reduce consumption. The technolog...

470. The Pros and Cons of America’s (Extreme) Individualism

Thu, 22 Jul 2021

According to a decades-long research project, the U.S. is not only the most individualistic country ...

469. The U.S. Is Just Different — So Let’s Stop Pretending We’re Not

Thu, 15 Jul 2021

We often look to other countries for smart policies on education, healthcare, infrastructure, etc. B...

468. Nap Time for Everyone!

Thu, 8 Jul 2021

The benefits of sleep are by now well established, and yet many people don’t get enough. A new stu...

How Stupid Is Our Obsession With Lawns? (Ep. 289 Rebroadcast)

Thu, 1 Jul 2021

Nearly two percent of America is grassy green. Sure, lawns are beautiful and useful and they smell g...

467. Is the Future of Farming in the Ocean?

Thu, 24 Jun 2021

Bren Smith, who grew up fishing and fighting, is now part of a movement that seeks to feed the plane...

466. She’s From the Government, and She’s Here to Help

Thu, 17 Jun 2021

Cecilia Rouse, the chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisors, is as cold-blooded as any ...

465. Introducing a New “Freakonomics of Medicine” Podcast

Thu, 10 Jun 2021

Bapu Jena was already a double threat: a doctor who’s also an economist. Now he’s a podcast host...

464. Will Work-from-Home Work Forever?

Thu, 3 Jun 2021

The pandemic may be winding down, but that doesn’t mean we’ll return to full-time commuting and ...

463. How to Get Anyone to Do Anything

Thu, 27 May 2021

The social psychologist Robert Cialdini is a pioneer in the science of persuasion. His 1984 book Inf...

These Shoes Are Killing Me! (Ep. 296 Rebroadcast)

Thu, 20 May 2021

The human foot is an evolutionary masterpiece, far more functional than we give it credit for. So wh...

462. The Future of New York City Is in Question. Could Andrew Yang Be the Answer?

Thu, 13 May 2021

The man who wants America to “think harder” has parlayed his quixotic presidential campaign into...

461. How to Stop Worrying and Love the Robot Apocalypse

Thu, 6 May 2021

It’s true that robots (and other smart technologies) will kill many jobs. It may also be true that...

460. The True Story of the Minimum-Wage Fight

Thu, 29 Apr 2021

Backers of a $15 federal wage say it’s a no-brainer if you want to fight poverty. Critics say it’...

459. Let’s Be Blunt: Marijuana Is a Boon for Older Workers

Thu, 22 Apr 2021

The state-by-state rollout of legalized weed has given economists a perfect natural experiment to me...

458. How to Manage Your Goal Hierarchy

Thu, 15 Apr 2021

In this special crossover episode, People I (Mostly) Admire host Steve Levitt admits to No Stupid Qu...

457. Is Dialysis a Test Case of Medicare for All?

Thu, 8 Apr 2021

Kidney failure is such a catastrophic (and expensive) disease that Medicare covers treatment for any...

456. How to Fix the Hot Mess of U.S. Healthcare

Thu, 1 Apr 2021

Medicine has evolved from a calling into an industry, adept at dispensing procedures and pills (and ...

Policymaking Is Not a Science (Yet) (Ep. 405 Rebroadcast)

Thu, 25 Mar 2021

Why do so many promising solutions — in education, medicine, criminal justice, etc. — fail to sc...

How Does New York City Keep Reinventing Itself? (Bonus)

Sun, 21 Mar 2021

In a word: networks. Once it embraced information as its main currency, New York was able to climb o...

455. Are You Ready for a Fresh Start?

Thu, 18 Mar 2021

Behavioral scientists have been exploring if — and when — a psychological reset can lead to last...

454. Should Traffic Lights Be Abolished?

Thu, 11 Mar 2021

Americans are so accustomed to the standard intersection that we rarely consider how dangerous it ca...

453. A Rescue Plan for Black America

Thu, 4 Mar 2021

New York Times columnist Charles Blow argues that white supremacy in America will never fully recede...

Am I Boring You? (Ep. 225 Rebroadcast)

Thu, 25 Feb 2021

Researchers are trying to figure out who gets bored — and why — and what it means for ourselves ...

452. Jeff Immelt Knows He Let You Down

Thu, 18 Feb 2021

Not so long ago, G.E. was the most valuable company in the world, a conglomerate that included every...

451. Can I Ask You a Ridiculously Personal Question?

Thu, 11 Feb 2021

Most of us are are afraid to ask sensitive questions about money, sex, politics, etc. New research s...

450. How to Be Better at Death

Thu, 4 Feb 2021

Caitlin Doughty is a mortician who would like to put herself out of business. Our corporate funeral ...

449. How to Fix the Incentives in Cancer Research

Thu, 28 Jan 2021

For all the progress made in fighting cancer, it still kills 10 million people a year, and some type...

448. The Downside of Disgust

Thu, 21 Jan 2021

It’s a powerful biological response that has preserved our species for millennia. But now it may b...

447. How Much Do We Really Care About Children?

Thu, 14 Jan 2021

They can’t vote or hire lobbyists. The policies we create to help them aren’t always so helpful....

446. “We Get All Our Great Stuff from Europe — Including Witch Hunting.”

Thu, 7 Jan 2021

We’ve collected some of our favorite moments from People I (Mostly) Admire, the latest show from t...

Trust Me (Ep. 266 Rebroadcast)

Thu, 31 Dec 2020

Societies where people trust one another are healthier and wealthier. In the U.S. (and the U.K. and ...

445. Why Do We Seek Comfort in the Familiar?

Thu, 24 Dec 2020

In this episode of No Stupid Questions — a Freakonomics Radio Network show launched earlier this y...

444. How Do You Cure a Compassion Crisis?

Thu, 17 Dec 2020

Patients in the U.S. healthcare system often feel they’re treated with a lack of empathy. Doctors ...

443. A Sneak Peek at Biden’s Top Economist

Thu, 10 Dec 2020

The incoming president argues that the economy and the environment are deeply connected. This is ref...

PLAYBACK (2015): Could the Next Brooklyn Be ... Las Vegas?!

Sun, 6 Dec 2020

Tony Hsieh, the longtime C.E.O. of Zappos, was an iconoclast and a dreamer. Five years ago, we sat d...

442. Is it Too Late for General Motors to Go Electric?

Thu, 3 Dec 2020

G.M. produces more than 20 times as many cars as Tesla, but Tesla is worth nearly 10 times as much. ...

441. Does Advertising Actually Work? (Part 2: Digital)

Thu, 26 Nov 2020

Google and Facebook are worth a combined $2 trillion, with the vast majority of their revenue coming...

440. Does Advertising Actually Work? (Part 1: TV)

Thu, 19 Nov 2020

Companies around the world spend more than half-a-trillion dollars each year on ads. The ad industry...

439. Please Get Your Noise Out of My Ears

Thu, 12 Nov 2020

The modern world overwhelms us with sounds we didn’t ask for, like car alarms and cell-phone “ha...

438. How to Succeed by Being Authentic (Hint: Carefully)

Thu, 5 Nov 2020

John Mackey, the C.E.O. of Whole Foods, has learned the perils of speaking his mind. But he still sa...

Why the Left Had to Steal the Right’s Dark-Money Playbook

Sat, 31 Oct 2020

The sociologist Sudhir Venkatesh spent years studying crack dealers, sex workers, and the offspring ...

437. Many Businesses Thought They Were Insured for a Pandemic. They Weren’t.

Thu, 29 Oct 2020

A fine reading of most policies for “business interruption” reveals that viral outbreaks aren’...

436. Forget Everything You Know About Your Dog

Thu, 22 Oct 2020

As beloved and familiar as they are, we rarely stop to consider life from the dog’s point of view....

435. Why Are Cities (Still) So Expensive?

Thu, 15 Oct 2020

It isn’t just supply and demand. We look at the complicated history and skewed incentives that ma...

434. Is New York City Over?

Thu, 8 Oct 2020

The pandemic has hit America's biggest city particularly hard. Amidst a deep fiscal hole, rising hom...

“Don’t Neglect the Thing That Makes You Weird” | People I (Mostly) Admire: Ken Jennings

Sat, 3 Oct 2020

It was only in his late twenties that America’s favorite brainiac began to seriously embrace his l...

433. How Are Psychedelics and Other Party Drugs Changing Psychiatry?

Thu, 1 Oct 2020

Three leading researchers from the Mount Sinai Health System discuss how ketamine, cannabis, and ecs...

432. When Your Safety Becomes My Danger

Thu, 24 Sep 2020

The families of U.S. troops killed and wounded in Afghanistan are suing several companies that did r...

“One Does Not Know Where an Insight Will Come From” | People I (Mostly) Admire: Kerwin Charles

Sat, 19 Sep 2020

The dean of Yale’s School of Management grew up in a small village in Guyana. During his unlikely ...

Does Anyone Really Know What Socialism Is? (Ep. 408 Rebroadcast)

Thu, 17 Sep 2020

Trump says it would destroy us. Biden needs the voters who support it (especially the Bernie voters)...

What if Your Company Had No Rules?

Sat, 12 Sep 2020

Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings came to believe that corporate rules can kill creativity and innova...

431. Why Can’t Schools Get What the N.F.L. Has?

Thu, 10 Sep 2020

Thanks to daily Covid testing and regimented protocols, the new football season is underway. Meanwhi...

"I Started Crying When I Realized How Beautiful the Universe Is” | People I (Mostly) Admire Ep. 2: Mayim Bialik

Sat, 5 Sep 2020

She’s best known for playing neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory, but the awar...

America’s Hidden Duopoly (Ep. 356 Rebroadcast)

Thu, 3 Sep 2020

We all know our political system is “broken” — but what if that’s not true? Some say the Rep...

430. Will a Covid-19 Vaccine Change the Future of Medical Research?

Thu, 27 Aug 2020

We explore the science, scalability, and (of course) economics surrounding the global vaccine race. ...

Introducing “People I (Mostly) Admire"

Sat, 22 Aug 2020

A new interview show with host Steve Levitt. Today he speaks with the Harvard psychologist and lingu...

The Economics of Sports Gambling (Ep. 388 Rebroadcast)

Thu, 20 Aug 2020

What happens when tens of millions of fantasy-sports players are suddenly able to bet real money on ...

429. Is Economic Growth the Wrong Goal?

Thu, 13 Aug 2020

The endless pursuit of G.D.P., argues the economist Kate Raworth, shortchanges too many people and a...

How the Supermarket Helped America Win the Cold War (Ep. 386 Rebroadcast)

Thu, 6 Aug 2020

Aisle upon aisle of fresh produce, cheap meat, and sugary cereal — a delicious embodiment of free-...

428. The Simple Economics of Saving the Amazon Rain Forest

Thu, 30 Jul 2020

Everyone agrees that massive deforestation is an environmental disaster. But most of the standard so...

427. The Pros and Cons of Reparations

Thu, 23 Jul 2020

Most Americans agree that racial discrimination has been, and remains, a big problem. But that is wh...

426. Should America (and FIFA) Pay Reparations?

Thu, 16 Jul 2020

The racial wealth gap in the U.S. is massive. We explore the causes, consequences, and potential sol...

425. Remembrance of Economic Crises Past

Thu, 9 Jul 2020

Christina Romer was a top White House economist during the Great Recession. As a researcher, she spe...

424. How to Make Your Own Luck

Thu, 2 Jul 2020

Before she decided to become a poker pro, Maria Konnikova didn’t know how many cards are in a deck...

423. The Doctor Will Zoom You Now

Thu, 25 Jun 2020

Thanks to the pandemic, the telehealth revolution we’ve been promised for decades has finally arri...

422. Introducing "No Stupid Questions"

Thu, 18 Jun 2020

In this new addition to the Freakonomics Radio Network, co-hosts Stephen Dubner and Angela Duckworth...

421. How to Prevent Another Great Depression

Thu, 11 Jun 2020

Millions and millions are out of work, with some jobs never coming back. We speak with four economis...

420. Which Jobs Will Come Back, and When?

Thu, 4 Jun 2020

Covid-19 is the biggest job killer in a century. As the lockdown eases, what does re-employment look...

How to Make Meetings Less Terrible (Ep. 389 Rebroadcast)

Thu, 28 May 2020

In the U.S. alone, we hold 55 million meetings a day. Most of them are woefully unproductive, and ty...

419. 68 Ways to Be Better at Life

Thu, 21 May 2020

The accidental futurist Kevin Kelly on why enthusiasm beats intelligence, how to really listen, and ...

418. What Will College Look Like in the Fall (and Beyond)?

Thu, 14 May 2020

Three university presidents try to answer our listeners’ questions. The result? Not much pomp and ...

417. Reasons to Be Cheerful

Thu, 7 May 2020

Humans have a built-in “negativity bias,” which means we give bad news much more power than good...

416. How Do You Reopen a Country?

Thu, 30 Apr 2020

We speak with a governor, a former C.D.C. director, a pandemic forecaster, a hard-charging pharmacis...

415. How Rahm Emanuel Would Run the World

Mon, 27 Apr 2020

As a former top adviser to presidents Clinton and Obama, he believes in the power of the federal gov...

414. Will Covid-19 Spark a Cold War (or Worse) With China?

Thu, 23 Apr 2020

The U.S. spent the past few decades waiting for China to act like the global citizen it said it want...

413. Who Gets the Ventilator?

Thu, 16 Apr 2020

Should a nurse or doctor who gets sick treating Covid-19 patients have priority access to a potentia...

412. What Happens When Everyone Stays Home to Eat?

Thu, 9 Apr 2020

Covid-19 has shocked our food-supply system like nothing in modern history. We examine the winners, ...

411. Is $2 Trillion the Right Medicine for a Sick Economy?

Thu, 2 Apr 2020

Congress just passed the biggest aid package in modern history. We ask six former White House econom...

410. What Does Covid-19 Mean for Cities (and Marriages)?

Thu, 26 Mar 2020

There are a lot of upsides to urban density — but viral contagion is not one of them. Also: a nati...

409. The Side Effects of Social Distancing

Thu, 19 Mar 2020

In just a few weeks, the novel coronavirus has undone a century’s worth of our economic and social...

Why Rent Control Doesn’t Work (Ep. 373 Rebroadcast)

Thu, 12 Mar 2020

As cities become ever-more expensive, politicians and housing advocates keep calling for rent contro...

408. Does Anyone Really Know What Socialism Is?

Thu, 5 Mar 2020

Trump says it would destroy us. Sanders says it will save us. The majority of millennials would like...

407. Is There Really a “Loneliness Epidemic”?

Thu, 27 Feb 2020

That’s what some health officials are saying, but the data aren’t so clear. We look into what’...

406. Can You Hear Me Now?

Thu, 20 Feb 2020

When he became chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai announced that he was goi...

405. Policymaking Is Not a Science (Yet)

Thu, 13 Feb 2020

Why do so many promising solutions — in education, medicine, criminal justice, etc. — fail to sc...

404. Does the President Matter as Much as You Think?

Thu, 6 Feb 2020

We asked this same question nearly a decade ago. The answer then: probably not. But a lot has change...

How the San Francisco 49ers Stopped Being Losers (Ep. 350 Update)

Thu, 30 Jan 2020

One of the most storied (and valuable) sports franchises in the world had fallen far. So they decide...

403. The Opioid Tragedy, Part 2: “It’s Not a Death Sentence”

Thu, 23 Jan 2020

One prescription drug is keeping some addicts from dying. So why isn’t it more widespread? A story...

402. The Opioid Tragedy, Part 1: “We’ve Addicted an Entire Generation”

Thu, 16 Jan 2020

How pharma greed, government subsidies, and a push to make pain the “fifth vital sign” kicked of...

5 Psychology Terms You’re Probably Misusing (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 9 Jan 2020

We all like to throw around terms that describe human behavior — “bystander apathy” and “ste...

The Zero-Minute Workout (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 2 Jan 2020

There is strong evidence that exercise is wildly beneficial. There is even stronger evidence that mo...

401. How Many Prince Charleses Can There Be in One Room?

Thu, 26 Dec 2019

In a special holiday episode, Stephen Dubner and Angela Duckworth take turns asking each other quest...

Why Is This Man Running for President? (Update)

Thu, 19 Dec 2019

A year ago, nobody was taking Andrew Yang very seriously. Now he is America’s favorite entrepre-ne...

400. How to Hate Taxes a Little Bit Less

Thu, 12 Dec 2019

Every year, Americans short the I.R.S. nearly half a trillion dollars. Most ideas to increase compli...

399. Honey, I Grew the Economy

Thu, 5 Dec 2019

Innovation experts have long overlooked where a lot of innovation actually happens. The personal com...

How to Change Your Mind (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 28 Nov 2019

There are a lot of barriers to changing your mind: ego, overconfidence, inertia — and cost. Politi...

398. The Truth About the Vaping Crisis

Thu, 21 Nov 2019

A recent outbreak of illness and death has gotten everyone’s attention — including late-to-the-g...

397. How to Save $32 Million in One Hour

Thu, 14 Nov 2019

For nearly a decade, governments have been using behavioral nudges to solve problems — and the str...

396. Why Does Tipping Still Exist?

Thu, 7 Nov 2019

It’s an acutely haphazard way of paying workers, and yet it keeps expanding. We dig into the data ...

395. Speak Softly and Carry Big Data

Thu, 31 Oct 2019

Do economic sanctions work? Are big democracies any good at spreading democracy? What is the root ca...

394. Does Hollywood Still Have a Princess Problem?

Thu, 24 Oct 2019

For decades, there’s been a huge gender disparity both on-screen and behind the scenes. But it see...

393. Can Britain Get Its “Great” Back?

Thu, 17 Oct 2019

It used to be a global capital of innovation, invention, and exploration. Now it’s best known for ...

392. The Prime Minister Who Cried Brexit

Thu, 10 Oct 2019

In 2016, David Cameron held a referendum on whether the U.K. should stay in the European Union. A lo...

391. America’s Math Curriculum Doesn’t Add Up

Thu, 3 Oct 2019

Most high-school math classes are still preparing students for the Sputnik era. Steve Levitt wants t...

390. Fed Up

Thu, 26 Sep 2019

Mary Daly rose from high-school dropout to president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. S...

389. How to Make Meetings Less Terrible

Thu, 19 Sep 2019

In the U.S. alone, we hold 55 million meetings a day. Most of them are woefully unproductive, and ty...

Yes, the Open Office Is Terrible — But It Doesn’t Have to Be (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 12 Sep 2019

It began as a post-war dream for a more collaborative and egalitarian workplace. It has evolved into...

388. The Economics of Sports Gambling

Thu, 5 Sep 2019

What happens when tens of millions of fantasy-sports players are suddenly able to bet real money on ...

The Future of Meat (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 29 Aug 2019

Global demand for beef, chicken, and pork continues to rise. So do concerns about environmental and ...

Should America Be Run by … Trader Joe’s? (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 22 Aug 2019

The quirky little grocery chain with California roots and German ownership has a lot to teach all of...

387. Hello, My Name Is Marijuana Pepsi!

Thu, 15 Aug 2019

Research shows that having a distinctively black name doesn’t affect your economic future. But wha...

How Much Does Your Name Matter? (Rebroadcast )

Thu, 8 Aug 2019

A kid’s name can tell us something about his parents — their race, social standing, even their p...

386. How the Supermarket Helped America Win the Cold War

Thu, 1 Aug 2019

Aisle upon aisle of fresh produce, cheap meat, and sugary cereal — a delicious embodiment of free-...

America’s Hidden Duopoly (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 25 Jul 2019

We all know our political system is “broken” — but what if that’s not true? Some say the Rep...

385. What Do Nancy Pelosi, Taylor Swift, and Serena Williams Have in Common?

Thu, 18 Jul 2019

They — along with a great many other high-achieving women — were all once Girl Scouts. So was Sy...

384. Abortion and Crime, Revisited

Thu, 11 Jul 2019

The controversial theory linking Roe v. Wade to a massive crime drop is back in the spotlight as sev...

A Better Way to Eat (Rebroadcast )

Thu, 4 Jul 2019

Takeru Kobayashi revolutionized the sport of competitive eating. What can the rest of us learn from ...

383. The Zero-Minute Workout

Thu, 27 Jun 2019

There is strong evidence that exercise is wildly beneficial. There is even stronger evidence that mo...

382. How Goes the Behavior-Change Revolution?

Thu, 20 Jun 2019

An all-star team of behavioral scientists discovers that humans are stubborn (and lazy, and sometime...

381. Long-Term Thinking in a Start-Up Town

Thu, 13 Jun 2019

Recorded live in San Francisco. Guests include the keeper of a 10,000-year clock, the co-founder of ...

380. Notes From an Imperfect Paradise

Thu, 6 Jun 2019

Recorded live in Los Angeles. Guests include Mayor Eric Garcetti, the “Earthquake Lady,” the hea...

379. How to Change Your Mind

Thu, 30 May 2019

There are a lot of barriers to changing your mind: ego, overconfidence, inertia — and cost. Politi...

Here’s Why All Your Projects Are Always Late — and What to Do About It (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 23 May 2019

Whether it’s a giant infrastructure plan or a humble kitchen renovation, it’ll inevitably take w...

378. 23andMe (and You, and Everyone Else)

Thu, 16 May 2019

The revolution in home DNA testing is giving consumers important, possibly life-changing information...

377. The $1.5 Trillion Question-How to fix student loan debt?

Thu, 9 May 2019

As the cost of college skyrocketed, it created a debt burden that’s putting a drag on the economy....

376. The Data-Driven Guide to Sane Parenting

Thu, 2 May 2019

Humans have been having kids forever, so why are modern parents so bewildered? The economist Emily O...

The Invisible Paw (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 25 Apr 2019

Humans, it has long been thought, are the only animal to engage in economic activity. But what if we...

375. The Most Interesting Fruit in the World

Thu, 18 Apr 2019

The banana used to be a luxury good. Now it’s the most popular fruit in the U.S. and elsewhere. Bu...

374. How Spotify Saved the Music Industry (But Not Necessarily Musicians)

Thu, 11 Apr 2019

Daniel Ek, a 23-year-old Swede who grew up on pirated music, made the record labels an offer they co...

373. Why Rent Control Doesn’t Work

Thu, 4 Apr 2019

As cities become ever-more expensive, politicians and housing advocates keep calling for rent contro...

372. Freakonomics Radio Live: “Would You Eat a Piece of Chocolate Shaped Like Dog Poop?”

Thu, 28 Mar 2019

What your disgust level says about your politics, how Napoleon influenced opera, why New York City’...

Why You Shouldn’t Open a Restaurant (Update)

Thu, 21 Mar 2019

Kenji Lopez-Alt became a rock star of the food world by bringing science into the kitchen in a way t...

371. A Free-Trade Democrat in the Trump White House

Thu, 14 Mar 2019

For years, Gary Cohn thought he’d be the next C.E.O. of Goldman Sachs. Instead, he became the “a...

370. How to Fail Like a Pro

Thu, 7 Mar 2019

The road to success is paved with failure, so you might as well learn to do it right. (Ep. 5 of the ...

369. A Good Idea Is Not Good Enough

Thu, 28 Feb 2019

Whether you’re building a business or a cathedral, execution is everything. We ask artists, scient...

368. Where Do Good Ideas Come From?

Thu, 21 Feb 2019

Whether you’re mapping the universe, hosting a late-night talk show, or running a meeting, there a...

367. The Future of Meat

Thu, 14 Feb 2019

Global demand for beef, chicken, and pork continues to rise. So do concerns about environmental and ...

366. This Economist Predicted the Last Crisis. What’s the Next One?

Thu, 7 Feb 2019

In 2005, Raghuram Rajan said the financial system was at risk “of a catastrophic meltdown.” Afte...

Extra: Domonique Foxworth Full Interview

Sat, 2 Feb 2019

Stephen Dubner’s conversation with the former N.F.L. player, union official, and all-around sports...

365. Not Just Another Labor Force

Thu, 31 Jan 2019

If you think talent and hard work give top athletes all the leverage to succeed, think again. As emp...

Extra: Mark Cuban Full Interview

Sat, 26 Jan 2019

A conversation with the Shark Tank star, entrepreneur, and Dallas Mavericks owner recorded for the F...

364. Inside the Sports-Industrial Complex

Thu, 24 Jan 2019

For most of us, the athletes are what make sports interesting. But if you own the team or run the le...

Extra: Mark Teixeira Full Interview

Sat, 19 Jan 2019

A conversation with former Major League Baseball player and current ESPN analyst Mark Teixeira, reco...

363. Think Like a Winner

Thu, 17 Jan 2019

Great athletes aren’t just great at the physical stuff. They’ve also learned how to handle press...

Hacking the World Bank (Update)

Sat, 12 Jan 2019

Jim Yong Kim has an unorthodox background for a World Bank president — and his reign has been just...

362. Why Is This Man Running for President?

Thu, 10 Jan 2019

In the American Dream sweepstakes, Andrew Yang was a pretty big winner. But for every winner, he cam...

How to Be Happy (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 3 Jan 2019

The U.N.’s World Happiness Report — created to curtail our unhealthy obsession with G.D.P. — i...

How to Win Games and Beat People (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 27 Dec 2018

Games are as old as civilization itself, and some people think they have huge social value regardles...

People Aren’t Dumb. The World Is Hard. (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 20 Dec 2018

You wouldn’t think you could win a Nobel Prize for showing that humans tend to make irrational dec...

Freakonomics Radio Live: “Where Does Fear Live in the Brain?”

Sat, 15 Dec 2018

Our co-host is comedian Christian Finnegan, and we learn: the difference between danger and fear; th...

361. Freakonomics Radio Live: “Jesus Could Have Been a Pigeon.”

Thu, 13 Dec 2018

Our co-host is Grit author Angela Duckworth, and we learn fascinating, Freakonomical facts from a pa...

360. Is the Protestant Work Ethic Real?

Thu, 6 Dec 2018

In the early 20th century, Max Weber argued that Protestantism created wealth. Finally, there are da...

359. Should America Be Run by … Trader Joe’s?

Thu, 29 Nov 2018

The quirky little grocery chain with California roots and German ownership has a lot to teach all of...

There’s a War on Sugar. Is It Justified? (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 22 Nov 2018

Some people argue that sugar should be regulated, like alcohol and tobacco, on the grounds that it’...

358. Yes, the Open Office Is Terrible — But It Doesn’t Have to Be

Thu, 15 Nov 2018

It began as a post-war dream for a more collaborative and egalitarian workplace. It has evolved into...

357. Can an Industrial Giant Become a Tech Darling?

Thu, 8 Nov 2018

The Ford Motor Company is ditching its legacy sedans, doubling down on trucks, and trying to steer i...

356. America’s Hidden Duopoly

Thu, 1 Nov 2018

We all know our political system is “broken” — but what if that’s not true? Some say the Rep...

Extra: Elvis Costello Full Interview

Sat, 27 Oct 2018

A conversation with the iconic singer-songwriter, recorded for the Freakonomics Radio series “How ...

355. Where Does Creativity Come From (and Why Do Schools Kill It Off)?

Thu, 25 Oct 2018

Family environments and “diversifying experiences” (including the early death of a parent); intr...

Extra: Jeremy Lin Full Interview

Sat, 20 Oct 2018

A conversation with veteran NBA point guard Jeremy Lin, recorded for the Freakonomics Radio series “...

354. How to Be Creative

Thu, 18 Oct 2018

There are thousands of books on the subject, but what do we actually know about creativity? In this ...

353. How to Optimize Your Apology

Thu, 11 Oct 2018

You said, “I’m sorry,” but somehow you haven’t been forgiven. Why? Because you’re doing it...

352. Can This Man Stop a Trade War?

Thu, 4 Oct 2018

The World Trade Organization is the referee for 164 trading partners, each with their own political ...

Extra: Shawn Johnson Full Interview

Mon, 1 Oct 2018

A conversation with 2008 Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson, recorded for the Freakonomics Radio se...

351. Here’s Why You’re Not an Elite Athlete

Thu, 27 Sep 2018

There are a lot of factors that go into greatness, many of which are not obvious. A variety of Olymp...

Extra: Full Interviews With Jimmy Garoppolo, Joe Staley, Mike McGlinchey, and Kyle Juszczyk

Sun, 23 Sep 2018

Stephen Dubner’s conversations with members of the San Francisco 49ers offense, recorded for Freak...

350. How to Stop Being a Loser

Thu, 20 Sep 2018

The San Francisco 49ers, one of the most valuable sports franchises in the world, also used to be on...

349. How Sports Became Us

Thu, 13 Sep 2018

Dollar-wise, the sports industry is surprisingly small, about the same size as the cardboard-box ind...

348. Is the Government More Entrepreneurial Than You Think?

Thu, 6 Sep 2018

We all know the standard story: our economy would be more dynamic if only the government would get o...

347. Why You Shouldn’t Open a Restaurant

Thu, 30 Aug 2018

Kenji Lopez-Alt became a rock star of the food world by bringing science into the kitchen in a way t...

346. Two (Totally Opposite) Ways to Save the Planet

Thu, 23 Aug 2018

The environmentalists say we’re doomed if we don’t drastically reduce consumption. The technolog...

345. How to Be Happy

Thu, 16 Aug 2018

The U.N.’s World Happiness Report — created to curtail our unhealthy obsession with G.D.P. — i...

344. Who Decides How Much a Life Is Worth?

Thu, 9 Aug 2018

After every mass shooting or terrorist attack, victims and survivors receive a huge outpouring of su...

A Conversation With PepsiCo C.E.O. Indra Nooyi (Ep. 316 Update)

Tue, 7 Aug 2018

One of the world’s biggest and best-known companies just announced that its C.E.O. would be steppi...

343. An Astronaut, a Catalan, and Two Linguists Walk Into a Bar…

Thu, 2 Aug 2018

In this live episode of “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know,” we learn why New York has skinny sky...

342. Has Lance Armstrong Finally Come Clean?

Thu, 26 Jul 2018

He was once the most lionized athlete on the planet, with seven straight Tour de France wins and a v...

341. Why We Choke Under Pressure (and How Not To)

Thu, 19 Jul 2018

It happens to just about everyone, whether you’re going for Olympic gold or giving a wedding toast...

340. People Aren’t Dumb. The World Is Hard.

Thu, 12 Jul 2018

You wouldn’t think you could win a Nobel Prize for showing that humans tend to make irrational dec...

339. The Future of Freakonomics Radio

Tue, 3 Jul 2018

After 8 years and more than 300 episodes, it was time to either 1) quit, or 2) make the show bigger ...

In Praise of Incrementalism (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 28 Jun 2018

What do Renaissance painting, civil-rights movements, and Olympic cycling have in common? In each ca...

In Praise of Maintenance (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 21 Jun 2018

Has our culture's obsession with innovation led us to neglect the fact that things also need to be t...

338. How to Catch World Cup Fever

Thu, 14 Jun 2018

For soccer fans, it's easy. For the rest of us? Not so much, especially since the U.S. team didn't q...

337. How to Build a Smart City

Thu, 7 Jun 2018

We are in the midst of a historic (and wholly unpredicted) rise in urbanization. But it's hard to re...

How Stupid Is Our Obsession With Lawns? (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 31 May 2018

Nearly two percent of America is grassy green. Sure, lawns are beautiful and useful and they smell g...

336. The Most Vilified Industry in America Is Also the Most Charitable

Thu, 24 May 2018

Pharmaceutical firms donate an enormous amount of their products (and some cash too). But it doesn't...

335. Does Doing Good Give You License to Be Bad?

Thu, 17 May 2018

Corporate Social Responsibility programs can attract better job applicants who'll work for less mone...

334. 5 Psychology Terms You’re Probably Misusing

Thu, 10 May 2018

We all like to throw around terms that describe human behavior — “bystander apathy” and “ste...

Evolution, Accelerated (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 3 May 2018

A breakthrough in genetic technology has given humans more power than ever to change nature. It coul...

333. The Most Ambitious Thing Humans Have Ever Attempted

Thu, 26 Apr 2018

Sure, medical progress has been astounding. But today the U.S. spends more on healthcare than any ot...

332. Why the Trump Tax Cuts Are Terrible/Awesome (Part 2)

Thu, 19 Apr 2018

Three former White House economists weigh in on the new tax bill. A sample: "The overwhelming e...

331. Why the Trump Tax Cuts are Awesome/Terrible (Part 1)

Thu, 12 Apr 2018

Kevin Hassett, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, explains the thinking behind the contro...

330. Extra: Ray Dalio Full Interview

Mon, 9 Apr 2018

Stephen Dubner's conversation with the founder and longtime C.E.O. of Bridgewater Associates, record...

329. The Invisible Paw

Thu, 5 Apr 2018

Humans, it has long been thought, are the only animal to engage in economic activity. But what if we...

328. Extra: Mark Zuckerberg Full Interview

Mon, 2 Apr 2018

Stephen Dubner's conversation with the Facebook founder and C.E.O., recorded for the Freakonomics Ra...

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Money (But Were Afraid to Ask) (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 29 Mar 2018

The bad news: roughly 70 percent of Americans are financially illiterate. The good news: all the imp...

327. Extra: Carol Bartz Full Interview

Mon, 26 Mar 2018

Stephen Dubner's conversation with the former C.E.O. of Yahoo, recorded for the Freakonomics Radio s...

The Stupidest Thing You Can Do With Your Money (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 22 Mar 2018

It's hard enough to save for a house, tuition, or retirement. So why are we willing to pay big fees ...

326. Extra: Jack Welch Full Interview

Mon, 19 Mar 2018

Stephen Dubner's conversation with the former longtime C.E.O. of General Electric, recorded for the ...

325. How to Train Your Dragon Child

Thu, 15 Mar 2018

Every 12 years, there's a spike in births among certain communities across the globe, including the ...

324. Extra: Satya Nadella Full Interview

Mon, 12 Mar 2018

Stephen Dubner's conversation with the C.E.O. of Microsoft, recorded for the Freakonomics Radio seri...

323. Here’s Why All Your Projects Are Always Late — and What to Do About It

Thu, 8 Mar 2018

Whether it's a giant infrastructure plan or a humble kitchen renovation, it'll inevitably take way t...

322. Extra: David Rubenstein Full Interview

Mon, 5 Mar 2018

Stephen Dubner's conversation with the co-founder and longtime co-C.E.O. of the Carlyle Group, recor...

Does “Early Education” Come Way Too Late? (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 1 Mar 2018

In our collective zeal to reform schools and close the achievement gap, we may have lost sight of wh...

321. Extra: Richard Branson Full Interview

Mon, 26 Feb 2018

Stephen Dubner's conversation with the Virgin Group founder, recorded for the Freakonomics Radio ser...

320. Letting Go

Thu, 22 Feb 2018

If you're a C.E.O., there are a lot of ways to leave your job, from abrupt firing to carefully plann...

319. After the Glass Ceiling, a Glass Cliff

Thu, 15 Feb 2018

Only 5 percent of Fortune 500 companies are run by women. Why? Research shows that female executives...

318. It’s Your Problem Now

Thu, 8 Feb 2018

No, it's not your fault the economy crashed. Or that consumer preferences changed. Or that new techn...

317. What Can Uber Teach Us About the Gender Pay Gap?

Tue, 6 Feb 2018

The gig economy offers the ultimate flexibility to set your own hours. That's why economists thought...

An Egghead’s Guide to the Super Bowl (Rebroadcast)

Sat, 3 Feb 2018

We assembled a panel of smart dudes -- a two-time Super Bowl champ; a couple of N.F.L. linemen, incl...

316. “I Wasn’t Stupid Enough to Say This Could Be Done Overnight”

Thu, 1 Feb 2018

Indra Nooyi became C.E.O. of PepsiCo just in time for a global financial meltdown. She also had a po...

315. How to Become a C.E.O.

Thu, 25 Jan 2018

Mark Zuckerberg's dentist dad was an early adopter of digital x-rays. Jack Welch blew the roof off a...

314. What Does a C.E.O. Actually Do?

Thu, 18 Jan 2018

They're paid a fortune — but for what, exactly? What makes a good C.E.O. — and how can you even ...

313. How to Be a Modern Democrat — and Win

Thu, 11 Jan 2018

Gina Raimondo, the governor of tiny Rhode Island, has taken on unions, boosted big business, and mad...

Why Is My Life So Hard? (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 4 Jan 2018

Most of us feel we face more headwinds and obstacles than everyone else — which breeds resentment....

Trust Me (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 28 Dec 2017

Societies where people trust one another are healthier and wealthier. In the U.S. (and the U.K. and ...

Make Me a Match (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 21 Dec 2017

Sure, markets generally work well. But for some transactions — like school admissions and organ tr...

312. Not Your Grandmother’s I.M.F.

Thu, 14 Dec 2017

The International Monetary Fund has long been the "lender of last resort" for economies in crisis. C...

311. Why Is the Live-Event Ticket Market So Screwed Up?

Thu, 7 Dec 2017

The public has almost no chance to buy good tickets to the best events. Ticket brokers, meanwhile, m...

310. Are We Running Out of Ideas?

Thu, 30 Nov 2017

Economists have a hard time explaining why productivity growth has been shrinking. One theory: true ...

Is America Ready for a “No-Lose Lottery”? (Update)

Thu, 23 Nov 2017

Most people don't enjoy the simple, boring act of putting money in a savings account. But we do love...

309. Nurses to the Rescue!

Thu, 16 Nov 2017

They are the most-trusted profession in America (and with good reason). They are critical to patient...

308. How Can I Do the Most Social Good With $100? And Other FREAK-quently Asked Questions

Thu, 9 Nov 2017

Dubner and his Freakonomics co-author Steve Levitt answer your questions about crime, traffic, real-...

Why Is There So Much Ground Beef in the World? (Special Feature)

Tue, 7 Nov 2017

In this live episode of "Tell Me Something I Don't Know," you'll learn about carcass balan...

307. Thinking Is Expensive. Who’s Supposed to Pay for It?

Thu, 2 Nov 2017

Corporations and rich people donate billions to their favorite think tanks and foundations. Should w...

306. How to Launch a Behavior-Change Revolution

Thu, 26 Oct 2017

Academic studies are nice, and so are Nobel Prizes. But to truly prove the value of a new idea, you ...

305. The Demonization of Gluten

Thu, 19 Oct 2017

Celiac disease is thought to affect roughly one percent of the population. The good news: it can be ...

304. What Are the Secrets of the German Economy — and Should We Steal Them?

Thu, 12 Oct 2017

Smart government policies, good industrial relations, and high-end products have helped German manuf...

“Tell Me Something I Don't Know” on the topic of Behavior Change (Special Feature)

Sun, 1 Oct 2017

Stephen J. Dubner hosts an episode full of the world's most renowned behavior change experts, includ...

303. Why Larry Summers Is the Economist Everyone Hates to Love

Thu, 28 Sep 2017

He's been U.S. Treasury Secretary, a chief economist for the Obama White House and the World Bank, a...

302. Why Learn Esperanto?

Tue, 26 Sep 2017

A language invented in the 19th century, and meant to be universal, it never really caught on. So wh...

301. What Would Be the Best Universal Language? (Earth 2.0 Series)

Thu, 21 Sep 2017

We explore votes for English, Indonesian, and … Esperanto! The search for a common language goes b...

300. Why Don’t We All Speak the Same Language? (Earth 2.0 Series)

Thu, 14 Sep 2017

There are 7,000 languages spoken on Earth. What are the costs — and benefits — of our modern-day...

299. "How Much Brain Damage Do I Have?"

Thu, 7 Sep 2017

John Urschel was the only player in the N.F.L. simultaneously getting a math Ph.D. at M.I.T. But aft...

Bad Medicine, Part 3: Death by Diagnosis (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 31 Aug 2017

By some estimates, medical error is the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. How can that be? An...

Bad Medicine, Part 2: (Drug) Trials and Tribulations (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 24 Aug 2017

How do so many ineffective and even dangerous drugs make it to market? One reason is that clinical t...

Bad Medicine, Part 1: The Story of 98.6 (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 17 Aug 2017

We tend to think of medicine as a science, but for most of human history it has been scientific-ish ...

What Are You Waiting For? (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 10 Aug 2017

Standing in line represents a particularly sloppy — and frustrating — way for supply and demand ...

298. Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Money (But Were Afraid to Ask)

Thu, 3 Aug 2017

The bad news: roughly 70 percent of Americans are financially illiterate. The good news: all the imp...

297. The Stupidest Thing You Can Do With Your Money

Thu, 27 Jul 2017

It's hard enough to save for a house, tuition, or retirement. So why are we willing to pay big fees ...

296. These Shoes Are Killing Me!

Thu, 20 Jul 2017

The human foot is an evolutionary masterpiece, far more functional than we give it credit for. So wh...

295. When Helping Hurts

Thu, 13 Jul 2017

Good intentions are nice, but with so many resources poured into social programs, wouldn't it be eve...

294. The Fracking Boom, a Baby Boom, and the Retreat From Marriage

Thu, 6 Jul 2017

Over 40 percent of U.S. births are to unmarried mothers, and the numbers are especially high among t...

The Harvard President Will See You Now (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 29 Jun 2017

How a pain-in-the-neck girl from rural Virginia came to run the most powerful university in the worl...

293. Why Hate the Koch Brothers? (Part 2)

Fri, 23 Jun 2017

Charles Koch, the mega-billionaire CEO of Koch Industries and half of the infamous political machine...

292. Why Hate the Koch Brothers? (Part 1)

Thu, 22 Jun 2017

Charles Koch, the mega-billionaire CEO of Koch Industries and half of the infamous political machine...

"Tell Me Something I Don't Know" on the topic of Rivalry

Tue, 20 Jun 2017

Steve Levitt, Scott Turow and Bridget Gainer are panelists. For the "Freakonomics" co-auth...

291. Evolution, Accelerated

Thu, 15 Jun 2017

A breakthrough in genetic technology has given humans more power than ever to change nature. It coul...

290. He’s One of the Most Famous Political Operatives in America. America Just Doesn’t Know It Yet.

Thu, 8 Jun 2017

Steve Hilton was the man behind David Cameron's push to remake British politics. Things didn't work ...

289. How Stupid Is Our Obsession With Lawns?

Thu, 1 Jun 2017

Nearly two percent of America is grassy green. Sure, lawns are beautiful and useful and they smell g...

288. Are the Rich Really Less Generous Than the Poor?

Thu, 25 May 2017

A series of academic studies suggest that the wealthy are, to put it bluntly, selfish jerks. It's an...

287. Hoopers! Hoopers! Hoopers!

Thu, 18 May 2017

As CEO of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer was famous for over-the-top enthusiasm. Now he's brought that sam...

286. How Big is My Penis? (And Other Things We Ask Google)

Thu, 11 May 2017

On the Internet, people say all kinds of things they'd never say aloud -- about sex and race, about ...

Food + Science = Victory! (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 4 May 2017

A kitchen wizard and a nutrition detective talk about the perfect hamburger, getting the most out of...

285. There’s a War on Sugar. Is It Justified?

Thu, 27 Apr 2017

Some people argue that sugar should be regulated, like alcohol and tobacco, on the grounds that it's...

284. Is Income Inequality Inevitable? (Earth 2.0 Series)

Thu, 20 Apr 2017

In pursuit of a more perfect economy, we discuss the future of work; the toxic remnants of colonizat...

283. What Would Our Economy Look Like? (Earth 2.0 Series)

Thu, 13 Apr 2017

If we could reboot the planet and create new systems and institutions from scratch, would they be an...

282. Could Solving This One Problem Solve All the Others?

Thu, 6 Apr 2017

The biggest problem with humanity is humans themselves. Too often, we make choices — what we eat, ...

281. Big Returns from Thinking Small

Thu, 30 Mar 2017

By day, two leaders of Britain's famous Nudge Unit use behavioral tricks to make better government p...

280. “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know” on the topic of Collections.

Tue, 28 Mar 2017

Hear live journalism wrapped in a game show package and hosted by Stephen J. Dubner. In this episode...

How Safe Is Your Job? (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 23 Mar 2017

Economists preach the gospel of "creative destruction," whereby new industries -- and jobs...

279. Why Is My Life So Hard?

Thu, 16 Mar 2017

Most of us feel we face more headwinds and obstacles than everyone else — which breeds resentment....

278. Chuck E. Cheese’s: Where a Kid Can Learn Price Theory

Thu, 9 Mar 2017

The pizza-and-gaming emporium prides itself on affordability, which means its arcade games are reall...

277. The Taboo Trifecta

Thu, 2 Mar 2017

The serial entrepreneur Miki Agrawal loves to talk about the bodily functions that make most people ...

276. No Hollywood Ending for the Visual-Effects Industry

Thu, 23 Feb 2017

In their chase for a global audience, American movie studios spend billions to make their films look...

275. Professor Hendryx vs. Big Coal

Thu, 16 Feb 2017

What happens when a public-health researcher deep in coal country argues that mountaintop mining end...

How to Get More Grit in Your Life

Thu, 9 Feb 2017

The psychologist Angela Duckworth argues that a person's level of stick-to-itiveness is directly rel...

274. An Egghead’s Guide to the Super Bowl

Thu, 2 Feb 2017

We assembled a panel of smart dudes -- a two-time Super Bowl champ; a couple of NFL linemen, includi...

273. Did China Eat America’s Jobs?

Thu, 26 Jan 2017

For years, economists promised that global free trade would be mostly win-win. Now they admit the pa...

Is the American Dream Really Dead?

Thu, 19 Jan 2017

Just a few decades ago, more than 90 percent of 30-year-olds earned more than their parents had earn...

272. Trevor Noah Has a Lot to Say

Thu, 12 Jan 2017

The Daily Show host grew up as a poor, mixed-race South African kid going to three churches every Su...

271. The Men Who Started a Thinking Revolution

Thu, 5 Jan 2017

Starting in the late 1960s, the Israeli psychologists Amos Tversky and Danny Kahneman began to redef...

How to Become Great at Just About Anything (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 29 Dec 2016

What if the thing we call "talent" is grotesquely overrated? And what if deliberate practi...

How to Be More Productive (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 22 Dec 2016

In this busy time of year, we could all use some tips on how to get more done in less time. First, h...

270. Bad Medicine, Part 3: Death by Diagnosis

Thu, 15 Dec 2016

By some estimates, medical error is the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. How can that be? An...

269. Bad Medicine, Part 2: (Drug) Trials and Tribulations

Thu, 8 Dec 2016

How do so many ineffective and even dangerous drugs make it to market? One reason is that clinical t...

268. Bad Medicine, Part 1: The Story of 98.6

Thu, 1 Dec 2016

We tend to think of medicine as a science, but for most of human history it has been scientific-ish ...

The No-Tipping Point (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 24 Nov 2016

The restaurant business model is warped: kitchen wages are too low to hire cooks, while diners are p...

267. How to Make a Bad Decision

Thu, 17 Nov 2016

Some of our most important decisions are shaped by something as random as the order in which we make...

Introducing Stephen J. Dubner's new podcast, "Tell Me Something I Don't Know"

Tue, 15 Nov 2016

"Tell Me Something I Don't Know" is a live game show hosted by Stephen J. Dubner of "...

266. Trust Me

Thu, 10 Nov 2016

Societies where people trust one another are healthier and wealthier. In the U.S. (and the U.K. and ...

How Much Does the President Really Matter? (Rebroadcast )

Wed, 9 Nov 2016

The U.S. president is often called the "leader of free world." But if you ask an economist...

265. The White House Gets Into the Nudge Business

Thu, 3 Nov 2016

A tiny behavioral-sciences startup is trying to improve the way federal agencies do their work. Cons...

264. In Praise of Incrementalism

Thu, 27 Oct 2016

What do Renaissance painting, civil-rights movements, and Olympic cycling have in common? In each ca...

263. In Praise of Maintenance

Thu, 20 Oct 2016

Has our culture's obsession with innovation led us to neglect the fact that things also need to be t...

262. This Is Your Brain on Podcasts

Thu, 13 Oct 2016

Neuroscientists still have a great deal to learn about the human brain. One recent MRI study sheds s...

How To Win A Nobel Prize (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 6 Oct 2016

The process is famously secretive (and conducted in Swedish!) but we pry the lid off at least a litt...

261. Why Are We Still Using Cash?

Thu, 29 Sep 2016

It facilitates crime, bribery, and tax evasion -- and yet some governments (including ours) are prin...

260. Has the U.S. Presidency Become a Dictatorship?

Thu, 22 Sep 2016

Sure, we all pay lip service to the Madisonian system of checks and balances. But as one legal schol...

259. Ten Signs You Might Be a Libertarian

Thu, 15 Sep 2016

Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party's presidential candidate, likes to say that most Americans are l...

258. Why Uber Is an Economist’s Dream

Thu, 8 Sep 2016

To you, it's just a ride-sharing app that gets you where you're going. But to an economist, Uber is ...

257. The Future (Probably) Isn’t as Scary as You Think

Thu, 1 Sep 2016

Internet pioneer Kevin Kelly tries to predict the future by identifying what's truly inevitable. How...

Are You Ready for a Glorious Sunset? (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 25 Aug 2016

The gist: we spend billions on end-of-life healthcare that doesn’t do much good. So what if a pati...

Aziz Ansari Needs Another Toothbrush (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 18 Aug 2016

The comedian, actor -- and now, author -- answers our FREAK-quently Asked Questions.

256. What Are You Waiting For?

Thu, 11 Aug 2016

Standing in line represents a particularly sloppy - and frustrating - way for supply and demand to m...

Is It Okay for Restaurants to Racially Profile Their Employees? (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 4 Aug 2016

We seem to have decided that ethnic food tastes better when it's served by people of that ethnicity ...

255. Ten Ideas to Make Politics Less Rotten

Thu, 28 Jul 2016

We Americans may love our democracy -- at least in theory -- but at the moment our feelings toward t...

254. What Are Gender Barriers Made Of?

Thu, 21 Jul 2016

Overt discrimination in the labor markets may be on the wane, but women are still subtly penalized b...

253. Is the Internet Being Ruined?

Thu, 14 Jul 2016

It's a remarkable ecosystem that allows each of us to exercise control over our lives. But how much ...

252. Confessions of a Pothole Politician

Thu, 7 Jul 2016

Eric Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles, has big ambitions but knows he must first master the small ...

The Suicide Paradox (Rebroadcast )

Thu, 30 Jun 2016

There are more than twice as many suicides as murders in the U.S., but suicide attracts far less scr...

How Much Does the President Really Matter? (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 23 Jun 2016

The U.S. president is often called the "leader of free world." But if you ask an economist...

Why Do We Really Follow the News? (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 16 Jun 2016

There are all kinds of civics-class answers to that question. But how true are they? Could it be tha...

Time to Take Back the Toilet

Thu, 9 Jun 2016

Public bathrooms are noisy, poorly designed, and often nonexistent. What to do?

250. Why Does Everyone Hate Flying? And Other Questions Only a Pilot Can Answer

Thu, 2 Jun 2016

Patrick Smith, the author of Cockpit Confidential, answers every question we can throw at him about ...

249. The Longest Long Shot

Thu, 26 May 2016

When the uncelebrated Leicester City Football Club won the English Premier League, it wasn't just th...

248. How to Be Tim Ferriss

Thu, 19 May 2016

Our Self-Improvement Month concludes with a man whose entire life and career are one big pile of sel...

247. How to Win Games and Beat People

Thu, 12 May 2016

Games are as old as civilization itself, and some people think they have huge social value regardles...

246. How to Get More Grit in Your Life

Thu, 5 May 2016

The psychologist Angela Duckworth argues that a person's level of stick-to-itiveness is directly rel...

245. Being Malcolm Gladwell

Mon, 2 May 2016

"Books are a pain in the ass," says Gladwell, who has written some of the most popular, in...

244. How to Become Great at Just About Anything

Thu, 28 Apr 2016

What if the thing we call "talent" is grotesquely overrated? And what if deliberate practice is the ...

243. How to Be More Productive

Thu, 21 Apr 2016

It's Self-Improvement Month at Freakonomics Radio. We begin with a topic that seems to be on everyon...

242. Is the World Ready for a Guaranteed Basic Income?

Thu, 14 Apr 2016

A lot of full-time jobs in the modern economy simply don't pay a living wage. And even those jobs ma...

241. Are Payday Loans Really as Evil as People Say?

Thu, 7 Apr 2016

Critics -- including President Obama -- say short-term, high-interest loans are predatory, trapping ...

The Economics of Sleep, Part 2 (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 31 Mar 2016

People who sleep better earn more money. Now all we have to do is teach everyone to sleep better.

The Economics of Sleep, Part 1 (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 24 Mar 2016

Could a lack of sleep help explain why some people get much sicker than others?

240. Yes, the American Economy Is in a Funk -- But Not for the Reasons You Think

Thu, 17 Mar 2016

As sexy as the digital revolution may be, it can't compare to the Second Industrial Revolution (elec...

239. The No-Tipping Point

Fri, 11 Mar 2016

The restaurant business model is warped: kitchen wages are too low to hire cooks, while diners are p...

238. The United States of Cory Booker

Thu, 3 Mar 2016

The junior U.S. Senator from New Jersey thinks bipartisanship is right around the corner. Is he just...

237. Ask Not What Your Podcast Can Do for You

Thu, 25 Feb 2016

Now and again, Freakonomics Radio puts hat in hand and asks listeners to donate to the public-radio ...

236. How Can This Possibly Be True?

Thu, 18 Feb 2016

A famous economics essay features a pencil (yes, a pencil) arguing that “not a single person on th...

235. Who Needs Handwriting?

Thu, 11 Feb 2016

The digital age is making pen and paper seem obsolete. But what are we giving up if we give up on ha...

How to Fix a Broken High Schooler, in Four Easy Steps (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 4 Feb 2016

Okay, maybe the steps aren't so easy. But a program run out of a Toronto housing project has had gre...

Is America’s Education Problem Really Just a Teacher Problem? (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 28 Jan 2016

If U.S. schoolteachers are indeed "just a little bit below average," it's not really their...

234. Do Boycotts Work?

Thu, 21 Jan 2016

The Montgomery Bus Boycott, the South African divestment campaign, Chick-fil-A! Almost anyone can la...

233. How to Be Less Terrible at Predicting the Future

Thu, 14 Jan 2016

Experts and pundits are notoriously bad at forecasting, in part because they aren't punished for bad...

232. The True Story of the Gender Pay Gap

Thu, 7 Jan 2016

Discrimination can't explain why women earn so much less than men. If only it were that easy.

When Willpower Isn’t Enough (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 31 Dec 2015

Sure, we all want to make good personal decisions, but it doesn't always work out. That's where &quo...

Fixing the World, Bang-for-the-Buck Edition (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 24 Dec 2015

A team of economists has been running the numbers on the U.N.'s development goals. They have a diffe...

231. Is Migration a Basic Human Right?

Thu, 17 Dec 2015

The argument for open borders is compelling -- and deeply problematic.

230. The Cheeseburger Diet

Thu, 10 Dec 2015

One woman's quest to find the best burger in town can teach all of us to eat smarter.

229. Ben Bernanke Gives Himself a Grade

Thu, 3 Dec 2015

He was handed the keys to the global economy just as it started heading off a cliff. Fortunately, he...

Why Do People Keep Having Children? (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 26 Nov 2015

Even a brutal natural disaster doesn't diminish our appetite for procreating. This surely means we'r...

228. Does “Early Education” Come Way Too Late?

Thu, 19 Nov 2015

In our collective zeal to reform schools and close the achievement gap, we may have lost sight of wh...

227. Should Everyone Be in a Rock Band?

Thu, 12 Nov 2015

Lessons from Tom Petty's rise and another rocker's fall.

226. Food + Science = Victory!

Thu, 5 Nov 2015

A kitchen wizard and a nutrition detective talk about the perfect hamburger, getting the most out of...

225. Am I Boring You?

Thu, 29 Oct 2015

Researchers are trying to figure out who gets bored - and why - and what it means for ourselves and ...

How to Save $1 Billion Without Even Trying (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 22 Oct 2015

Doctors, chefs, and other experts are much more likely than the rest of us to buy store-brand produc...

224. How To Win A Nobel Prize

Thu, 15 Oct 2015

The process is famously secretive (and conducted in Swedish!) but we pry the lid off at least a litt...

223. Should Kids Pay Back Their Parents for Raising Them?

Thu, 8 Oct 2015

When one athlete turned pro, his mom asked him for $1 million. Our modern sensibilities tell us she ...

222. Meet the Woman Who Said Women Can’t Have It All

Thu, 1 Oct 2015

Anne-Marie Slaughter was best known for her adamant views on Syria when she accidentally became a po...

221. How Did the Belt Win?

Thu, 24 Sep 2015

Suspenders may work better, but the dork factor is too high. How did an organ-squeezing belly tourni...

220. “I Don't Know What You've Done With My Husband, But He's a Changed Man.”

Thu, 17 Sep 2015

From domestic abusers to former child soldiers, there is increasing evidence that behavioral therapy...

219. Preventing Crime for Pennies on the Dollar

Thu, 10 Sep 2015

Conventional programs tend to be expensive, onerous, and ineffective. Could something as simple (and...

218. The Harvard President Will See You Now

Thu, 3 Sep 2015

How a pain-in-the-neck girl from rural Virginia came to run the most powerful university in the worl...

217. Are You Ready for a Glorious Sunset?

Thu, 27 Aug 2015

We spend billions on end-of-life healthcare that doesn't do much good. So what if a patient could fo...

216. How to Make a Smart TV Ad

Thu, 20 Aug 2015

Step 1: Hire a Harvard psych professor as the pitchman. Step 2: Have him help write the script ...

The Dangers of Safety (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 13 Aug 2015

What do NASCAR drivers, Glenn Beck and the hit men of the NFL have in common?

215. Why Do We Really Follow the News?

Thu, 6 Aug 2015

There are all kinds of civics-class answers to that question. But how true are they? Could it be tha...

214. How to Create Suspense

Thu, 30 Jul 2015

Why is soccer the best sport? How has Harlan Coben sold 70 million books? And why does "Apollo ...

213. Aziz Ansari Needs Another Toothbrush

Thu, 23 Jul 2015

The comedian, actor -- and now, author -- answers our FREAK-quently Asked Questions

212. The Economics of Sleep, Part 2

Thu, 16 Jul 2015

People who sleep better earn more money. Now all we have to do is teach everyone to sleep better.

211. The Economics of Sleep, Part 1

Thu, 9 Jul 2015

Could a lack of sleep help explain why some people get much sicker than others?

A Better Way to Eat (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 2 Jul 2015

Takeru Kobayashi revolutionized the sport of competitive eating. What can the rest of us learn from ...

210. Is It Okay for Restaurants to Racially Profile Their Employees?

Thu, 25 Jun 2015

We seem to have decided that ethnic food tastes better when it's served by people of that ethnicity ...

209. Make Me a Match

Thu, 18 Jun 2015

Sure, markets generally work well. But for some transactions -- like school admissions and organ tra...

208. Making Sex Offenders Pay -- and Pay and Pay and Pay

Thu, 11 Jun 2015

Sure, sex crimes are horrific, and the perpetrators deserve to be punished harshly. But society keep...

207. Should We Really Behave Like Economists Say We Do?

Thu, 4 Jun 2015

One man's attempt to remake his life in the mold of homo economicus.

Tell Me Something I Don’t Know (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 28 May 2015

The debut of a live game show from Freakonomics Radio, with judges Malcolm Gladwell, Ana Gasteyer, a...

Failure Is Your Friend (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 21 May 2015

In which we argue that failure should not only be tolerated but celebrated.

206. Ten Years of Freakonomics

Thu, 14 May 2015

Dubner and Levitt are live onstage at the 92nd Street Y in New York to celebrate their new book &quo...

205. Could the Next Brooklyn Be ... Las Vegas?!

Thu, 7 May 2015

Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh has a wild vision and the dollars to try to make it real. But it still might b...

Think Like a Child (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 30 Apr 2015

When it comes to generating ideas and asking questions it can be really fruitful to have the mentali...

204. Nate Silver Says: “Everyone Is Kind of Weird”

Thu, 23 Apr 2015

America's favorite statistical guru answers our FREAK-quently Asked Questions, and more.

203. Diamonds Are a Marriage Counselor’s Best Friend

Thu, 16 Apr 2015

It may seem like winning a valuable diamond is an unalloyed victory. It's not. It's not even clear t...

202. How Many Doctors Does It Take to Start a Healthcare Revolution?

Thu, 9 Apr 2015

The practice of medicine has been subsumed by the business of medicine. This is great news for healt...

201. How Do We Know What Really Works in Healthcare?

Thu, 2 Apr 2015

A lot of the conventional wisdom in medicine is nothing more than hunch or wishful thinking. A new b...

The Perfect Crime (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 26 Mar 2015

If you are driving and kill a pedestrian, there's a good chance you'll barely be punished. Why?

What You Don’t Know About Online Dating (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 19 Mar 2015

Thick markets, thin markets, and the triumph of attributes over compatibility.

200. When Willpower Isn’t Enough

Thu, 12 Mar 2015

Sure, we all want to make good personal decisions, but it doesn't always work out. That's where &quo...

199. This Idea Must Die

Thu, 5 Mar 2015

Every year, Edge.org asks its salon of big thinkers to answer one big question. This year's question...

198. The Maddest Men of All

Thu, 26 Feb 2015

Advertisers have always been adept at manipulating our emotions. Now they're using behavioral econom...

197. Hacking the World Bank

Thu, 19 Feb 2015

Jim Yong Kim has an unorthodox background for a World Bank president — and his reign thus far is j...

196. Is There a Better Way to Fight Terrorism?

Thu, 12 Feb 2015

The White House is hosting an anti-terror summit next week. Summits being what they are, we try to o...

195. How Efficient Is Energy Efficiency?

Thu, 5 Feb 2015

It's a centerpiece of U.S. climate policy and a sacred cow among environmentalists. Does it work?

194. How Safe Is Your Job?

Thu, 29 Jan 2015

Economists preach the gospel of "creative destruction," whereby new industries -- and jobs...

193. Someone Else’s Acid Trip

Thu, 22 Jan 2015

As Kevin Kelly tells it, the hippie revolution and the computer revolution are nearly one and the sa...

192. That’s a Great Question!

Thu, 15 Jan 2015

Verbal tic or strategic rejoinder? Whatever the case: it’s rare to come across an interview these ...

191. Why Doesn’t Everyone Get the Flu Vaccine?

Thu, 8 Jan 2015

Influenza kills, but you’d never know it by how few of us get the vaccine.

What’s the “Best” Exercise? (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 1 Jan 2015

Most people blame lack of time for being out of shape. So maybe the solution is to exercise more eff...

What’s More Dangerous: Marijuana or Alcohol? (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 25 Dec 2014

Imagine that both substances were undiscovered until today. How would we think about their relative ...

190. Time to Take Back the Toilet

Thu, 18 Dec 2014

Public bathrooms are noisy, poorly designed, and often nonexistent. What to do?

The Troubled Cremation of Stevie the Cat (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 11 Dec 2014

We spend billions on our pets, and one of the fastest-growing costs is pet "aftercare." Bu...

189. How to Fix a Broken High Schooler, in Four Easy Steps

Thu, 4 Dec 2014

Okay, maybe the steps aren’t so easy. But a program run out of a Toronto housing project has had g...

188. Is America’s Education Problem Really Just a Teacher Problem?

Thu, 27 Nov 2014

If U.S. schoolteachers are indeed “just a little bit below average,” it’s not really their fau...

187. The Man Who Would Be Everything

Thu, 20 Nov 2014

Boris Johnson -- mayor of London, biographer of Churchill, cheese-box painter and tennis-racket coll...

186. Why Do People Keep Having Children?

Thu, 13 Nov 2014

Even a brutal natural disaster doesn’t diminish our appetite for procreating. This surely means we...

185. Should the U.S. Merge With Mexico?

Thu, 6 Nov 2014

Corporations around the world are consolidating like never before. If it’s good enough for compani...

184. What Can Vampires Teach Us About Economics?

Thu, 30 Oct 2014

A lot! “The Economics of the Undead” is a book about dating strategy, job creation, and whether ...

183. “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know”

Thu, 23 Oct 2014

The debut of a live game show from Freakonomics Radio, with judges Malcolm Gladwell, Ana Gasteyer, a...

182. How Can Tiny Norway Afford to Buy So Many Teslas?

Thu, 16 Oct 2014

The Norwegian government parleys massive oil wealth into huge subsidies for electric cars. Is that c...

How to Raise Money Without Killing a Kitten (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 9 Oct 2014

The science of what works -- and doesn't work -- in fund-raising

181. Fixing the World, Bang-for-the-Buck Edition

Thu, 2 Oct 2014

A team of economists has been running the numbers on the U.N.'s development goals. They have a diffe...

180. Fitness Apartheid

Thu, 25 Sep 2014

Markets are hardly perfect, but the results can be ugly when you try to subvert them.

179. Outsiders by Design

Thu, 18 Sep 2014

What does it mean to pursue something that everyone else thinks is nuts? And what does it take to su...

178. How to Save $1 Billion Without Even Trying

Thu, 11 Sep 2014

Doctors, chefs, and other experts are much more likely than the rest of us to buy store-brand produc...

177. Regulate This!

Thu, 4 Sep 2014

Airbnb, Uber, Lyft, EatWith, and other companies in the “sharing economy” are practically daring...

Who Runs the Internet? (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 28 Aug 2014

The online universe doesn't have nearly as many rules, or rulemakers, as the real world. Discuss.

Parking Is Hell (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 21 Aug 2014

There ain't no such thing as a free parking spot. Somebody has to pay for it -- and that somebody is...

What Do Medieval Nuns and Bo Jackson Have in Common? (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 14 Aug 2014

A look at whether spite pays -- and if it even exists.

Should Tipping be Banned? (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 7 Aug 2014

It's awkward, random, confusing -- and probably discriminatory too.

How Much Does Your Name Matter? (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 31 Jul 2014

A kid's name can tell us something about his parents -- their race, social standing, even their poli...

176. Does Religion Make You Happy?

Thu, 24 Jul 2014

It’s a hard question to answer, but we do our best.

175. Why You Should Bribe Your Kids

Thu, 17 Jul 2014

Educational messaging looks good on paper but kids don’t respond to it -- and adults aren’t much...

174. What Do King Solomon and David Lee Roth Have in Common?

Thu, 10 Jul 2014

It isn’t easy to separate the guilty from the innocent, but a clever bit of game theory can help.

173. A Better Way to Eat

Thu, 3 Jul 2014

Takeru Kobayashi revolutionized the sport of competitive eating. What can the rest of us learn from ...

172. How to Screen Job Applicants, Act Your Age, and Get Your Brain Off Autopilot

Thu, 26 Jun 2014

Dubner and Levitt answer reader questions in this first installment of the “Think Like a Freak” ...

171. There’s No Such Thing as a Free Appetizer

Thu, 19 Jun 2014

Is it really in a restaurant’s best interest to give customers free bread or chips before they eve...

170. Why America Doesn’t Love Soccer (Yet)

Thu, 12 Jun 2014

Every four years, the U.S. takes a look at the World Cup and develops a slight crush. What would it ...

169. Failure Is Your Friend

Thu, 5 Jun 2014

In which we argue that failure should not only be tolerated but celebrated.

The Upside of Quitting (Rebroadcast )

Thu, 29 May 2014

You know the saying: a winner never quits and a quitter never wins. To which Freakonomics Radio says...

168. Think Like a Child

Thu, 22 May 2014

When it comes to generating ideas and asking questions it can be really fruitful to have the mentali...

167. The Three Hardest Words in the English Language

Thu, 15 May 2014

Why learning to say “I don’t know” is one of the best things you can do.

166. How to Think Like a Freak -- and Other FREAK-quently Asked Questions

Thu, 8 May 2014

Stephen Dubner and Steve Levitt talk about their new book and field questions about prestige, univer...

165. The Perfect Crime

Thu, 1 May 2014

If you are driving and kill a pedestrian, there's a good chance you'll barely be punished. Why?

164. Which Came First, the Chicken or the Avocado?

Thu, 24 Apr 2014

When it comes to exercising outrage, people tend to be very selective. Could it be that humans are o...

163. What’s More Dangerous: Marijuana or Alcohol?

Thu, 17 Apr 2014

Imagine that both substances were undiscovered until today. How would we think about their relative ...

162. “If Mayors Ruled the World”

Thu, 10 Apr 2014

Unlike certain elected officials in Washington, mayors all over the country actually get stuff done....

161. How to Make People Quit Smoking

Thu, 3 Apr 2014

The war on cigarettes has been fairly successful in some places. But 1 billion humans still smoke --...

160. Why Everybody Who Doesn’t Hate Bitcoin Loves It

Thu, 27 Mar 2014

Thinking of Bitcoin as just a digital currency is like thinking about the Internet as just e-mail. I...

Women Are Not Men (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 20 Mar 2014

In many ways, the gender gap is closing. In others, not so much. And that's not always a bad thing.

159. “It’s Fun to Smoke Marijuana”

Thu, 13 Mar 2014

A psychology professor argues that the brain's greatest attribute is knowing what other people are t...

158. Is Learning a Foreign Language Really Worth It?

Thu, 6 Mar 2014

Yes, it expands the mind but we usually don't retain much -- and then there's the opportunity cost.

157. Why Are Japanese Homes Disposable?

Thu, 27 Feb 2014

In most countries, houses get more valuable over time. In Japan, a new buyer will often bulldoze the...

156. Why Marry? (Part 2)

Thu, 20 Feb 2014

The consequences of our low marriage rate -- and if the old model is less attractive, how about a ne...

155. Why Marry? (Part 1)

Thu, 13 Feb 2014

The myths of modern marriage.

154. What You Don’t Know About Online Dating

Thu, 6 Feb 2014

Thick markets, thin markets, and the triumph of attributes over compatibility.This episode is includ...

153. Reasons to Not Be Ugly

Thu, 30 Jan 2014

The "beauty premium" is real, for everyone from babies to NFL quarterbacks.

152. Everybody Gossips (and That’s a Good Thing)

Thu, 23 Jan 2014

The benefits of rumor-mongering

Fear Thy Nature (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 16 Jan 2014

What "Sleep No More" and the Stanford Prison Experiment tell us about who we really are.

151. Are We Ready to Legalize Drugs? And Other FREAK-Quently Asked Questions

Thu, 9 Jan 2014

Dubner and Levitt talk about fixing the post office, putting cameras in the classroom, and wearing h...

150. What’s the “Best” Exercise?

Thu, 2 Jan 2014

Most people blame lack of time for being out of shape. So maybe the solution is to exercise more eff...

Save Me From Myself (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 26 Dec 2013

A commitment device forces you to be the person you really want to be. What could possibly go wrong?...

149. Pontiff-icating on the Free-Market System

Thu, 19 Dec 2013

The Pope just gave it to the global economy with both barrels. Was he right to do so?

148. Are Gay Men Really Rich?

Thu, 12 Dec 2013

It’s easy to get that idea. But is the stereotype true?

147. The Most Dangerous Machine

Thu, 5 Dec 2013

More than 1 million people die worldwide each year from traffic accidents. But there's never been a ...

146. Fighting Poverty With Actual Evidence

Wed, 27 Nov 2013

It's time to do away with feel-good stories, gut hunches, and magical thinking.

145. What Do Skating Rinks, Ultimate Frisbee, and the World Have in Common?

Thu, 21 Nov 2013

Spontaneous order is everywhere if you know where to look for it.

144. Who Runs the Internet?

Thu, 14 Nov 2013

The online universe doesn't have nearly as many rules, or rulemakers, as the real world. Discuss.

Freakonomics Goes to College, Part 2 (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 7 Nov 2013

College tends to make people happier, healthier, and wealthier. But how?

Freakonomics Goes to College, Part 1 (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 31 Oct 2013

What's a college degree really worth these days?

143. Why Bad Environmentalism Is Such an Easy Sell

Thu, 24 Oct 2013

Being green is rarely a black-and-white issue -- but that doesn't stop marketers and politicians fro...

142. The Troubled Cremation of Stevie the Cat

Mon, 14 Oct 2013

We spend billions on our pets, and one of the fastest-growing costs is pet "aftercare." Bu...

141. How to Raise Money Without Killing a Kitten

Thu, 10 Oct 2013

The science of what works -- and doesn't work -- in fund-raising

140. How to Think About Money, Choose Your Hometown, and Buy an Electric Toothbrush

Thu, 3 Oct 2013

Dubner and Levitt field your queries in this latest installment of our FREAK-quently Asked Questions...

139. Would a Big Bucket of Cash Really Change Your Life?

Thu, 26 Sep 2013

A 19th-century Georgia land lottery may have something to teach us about today's income inequality.

The Economist’s Guide to Parenting (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 19 Sep 2013

Think you know how much parents matter? Think again. Economists crunch the numbers to learn the ROI ...

138. Whatever Happened to the Carpal Tunnel Epidemic?

Thu, 12 Sep 2013

Once upon a time, office workers across America lived in fear of a dreaded infirmity. Was the comput...

The Suicide Paradox (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 5 Sep 2013

There are more than twice as many suicides as murders in the U.S., but suicide attracts far less scr...

137. Who Are the Most Successful Immigrants in the World?

Thu, 29 Aug 2013

It's impossible to say for sure, but the Lebanese do remarkably well. Why?

The Folly of Prediction (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 22 Aug 2013

Human beings love to predict the future, but we're quite terrible at it. So how about punishing all ...

136. The Middle of Everywhere

Thu, 15 Aug 2013

Chicago has given the world more than sausage, crooked politics, and Da Bears.

The Church of "Scionology" (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 8 Aug 2013

We worship the tradition of handing off a family business to the next generation. But is that really...

135. Do Baby Girls Cause Divorce?

Thu, 1 Aug 2013

Even American parents have a strong "son preference" -- which means that a newborn daughte...

The Upside of Quitting (Rebroadcast)

Mon, 22 Jul 2013

You know the saying: a winner never quits and a quitter never wins. To which Freakonomics Radio says...

134. Government Employees Gone Wild

Thu, 18 Jul 2013

The Encyclopedia of Ethical Failures catalogs the fiscal, sexual, and mental lapses of federal worke...

133. A Burger a Day

Thu, 11 Jul 2013

Is junk food an abomination or a modern miracle?

132. Jane Austen, Game Theorist

Wed, 3 Jul 2013

What does "Pride and Prejudice" have to do with nuclear deterrence?

Legacy of a Jerk (Rebroadcast)

Thu, 27 Jun 2013

What happens to your reputation when you're no longer around to defend it?

131. Do You Really Want to Know Your Future?

Thu, 20 Jun 2013

You might think that someone with a 50-50 chance of getting a fatal disease would want to know for s...

130. Why Family and Business Don’t Mix

Wed, 12 Jun 2013

Yet another reason to blame your parents for pretty much everything.

129. Should Tipping be Banned?

Mon, 3 Jun 2013

It's awkward, random, confusing -- and probably discriminatory too.

128. Baby, You Can Program My Car

Wed, 29 May 2013

A glimpse into our driverless future.

127. Can You Be Too Smart for Your Own Good? And Other FREAK-quently Asked Questions

Thu, 23 May 2013

Dubner and Levitt talk about circadian rhythms, gay marriage, autism, and whether "pay what you...

The Hidden Cost of False Alarms (Rebroadcast)

Wed, 15 May 2013

If any other product failed 94 percent of the time, you'd probably stop using it. So why do we put u...

126. What Do Medieval Nuns and Bo Jackson Have in Common?

Thu, 9 May 2013

A look at whether spite pays — and if it even exists.

125. It’s Crowded at the Top

Wed, 1 May 2013

Why is unemployment still so high? It may be because of something that happened well before the Grea...

124. Running to Do Evil

Thu, 25 Apr 2013

An interview with Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, whose younger brother turned him in -- and what it says a...

123. Help Wanted. No Smokers Need Apply

Wed, 17 Apr 2013

In many states, it is perfectly legal to not hire someone who smokes. Should employers also be able ...

122. How Much Does Your Name Matter?

Mon, 8 Apr 2013

A kid's name can tell us something about his parents -- their race, social standing, even their poli...

121. The Tax Man Nudgeth

Wed, 3 Apr 2013

Real tax reform may or may not ever happen. In the meantime, how about making the current system wor...

120. 100 Ways to Fight Obesity

Wed, 27 Mar 2013

Freakonomics asks a dozen smart people for their best ideas. Get ready for a fat tax, a sugar ban, a...

119. How Money Is March Madness?

Thu, 21 Mar 2013

The NCAA basketball tournament grabs a lot of eyeballs, but turning them into dollars hasn't always ...

118. Parking Is Hell

Wed, 13 Mar 2013

There ain't no such thing as a free parking spot. Somebody has to pay for it -- and that somebody is...

117. When Is a Negative a Positive?

Wed, 6 Mar 2013

Sure, we all like to hear compliments. But if you're truly looking to get better at something, it's ...

116. Women Are Not Men

Sun, 24 Feb 2013

In many ways, the gender gap is closing. In others, not so much. And that's not always a bad thing.

115. The Downside of More Miles Per Gallon

Wed, 20 Feb 2013

The gas tax doesn't work well, and it's only going to get worse. What's next?

114. How to Think About Guns

Wed, 13 Feb 2013

No one wants mass shootings. Unfortunately, no one has a workable plan to stop them either.

113. Sure, I Remember That

Wed, 6 Feb 2013

It is startlingly easy to create false memories, especially in politics.

112. Would You Let a Coin Toss Decide Your Future?

Wed, 30 Jan 2013

Levitt and Dubner go deep on "Freakonomics Experiments," a new research project that lets ...

111. Introducing “Freakonomics Experiments”

Wed, 23 Jan 2013

Steve Levitt has a novel idea for helping people make tough decisions

110. Who Owns the Words That Come Out of Your Mouth?

Wed, 16 Jan 2013

The very long reach of Winston Churchill -- and how the British government is remaking copyright law...

109. How to Live Longer

Wed, 9 Jan 2013

Why do Hall of Fame inductees, Oscar winners, and Nobel laureates outlive their peers?

108. How Did “Freakonomics” Get Its Name? … and Other FREAK-quently Asked Questions

Wed, 2 Jan 2013

Levitt and Dubner answer your questions about driving, sneezing, and ladies’ nights. Plus a rememb...

107. How Much Does a Good Boss Really Matter?

Wed, 26 Dec 2012

It's harder than you'd think to measure the value of a boss. But some enterprising economists have d...

106. The House of Dreams

Wed, 19 Dec 2012

Dubner's childhood home goes from sacred to profane -- and then back again.

105. Have a Very Homo Economicus Christmas

Wed, 12 Dec 2012

Who better than an economist to help with your shopping list?

104. The Things They Taught Me

Wed, 5 Dec 2012

College, at its best, is about learning to think. Stephen Dubner chats up three of his former profes...

103. Free-conomics

Wed, 28 Nov 2012

Economists are a notoriously self-interested bunch. But a British outfit called Pro Bono Economics i...

102. I Consult, Therefore I Am

Wed, 21 Nov 2012

There are enough management consultants these days to form a small nation. But what do they actually...

101. Mass Transit Hysteria

Wed, 14 Nov 2012

Adding more train and bus lines looks like an environmental slam dunk. Until you start to do the mat...

100. Our 100th Episode!

Mon, 5 Nov 2012

Turkey sex and chicken wings, selling souls and swapping organs, the power of the president and the ...

99. How to Maximize Your Halloween Candy Haul

Wed, 31 Oct 2012

Is it as simple as going to the richest neighborhood you can find? Of course not ...

98. We the Sheeple

Wed, 24 Oct 2012

Politicians tell voters exactly what they want to hear, even when it makes no sense. Which is pretty...

97. Lying to Ourselves

Wed, 17 Oct 2012

We rely on polls and surveys to tell us how people will behave in the future. Too bad they're comple...

96. The Cobra Effect

Wed, 10 Oct 2012

When you want to get rid of a nasty pest, one obvious solution comes to mind: just offer a cash rewa...

95. Why America’s Economic Growth May Be (Shh!) Over

Wed, 3 Oct 2012

Sure, we love our computers and all the rest of our digital toys. But when it comes to real economic...

94. The Tale of the $15 Tomato

Sun, 23 Sep 2012

Trying to go rustic by baking, brewing, and knitting at home can be terribly inefficient. And that's...

93. Why Online Poker Should Be Legal

Wed, 19 Sep 2012

The data show that poker is indeed a game of skill, not chance, and a Federal judge agrees. So why ...

92. Fear Thy Nature

Wed, 12 Sep 2012

What "Sleep No More" and the Stanford Prison Experiment tell us about who we really are.

91. Can Selling Beer Cut Down on Public Drunkenness?

Wed, 5 Sep 2012

Binge drinking is a big problem at college football games. Oliver Luck -- father of No. 1 NFL pick A...

90. How Deep Is the Shadow Economy?

Wed, 29 Aug 2012

What we know -- and don't know -- about the gazillions of dollars that never show up on anyone's boo...

89. There’s Cake in the Breakroom!

Wed, 22 Aug 2012

If you think working from home offers too many distractions, just think about what happens at the of...

88. Freakonomics Goes to College, Part 2

Wed, 15 Aug 2012

College tends to make people happier, healthier, and wealthier. But how?

87. The Season of Death

Wed, 8 Aug 2012

We know that summertime brings far too many fatal accidents. But you may be surprised if you dig int...

86. Freakonomics Goes to College, Part 1

Sun, 29 Jul 2012

What's a college degree really worth these days?

85. Olympian Economics

Wed, 25 Jul 2012

Do host cities really get the benefits their boosters promise, or are they just engaging in some fis...

84. Legacy of a Jerk

Wed, 18 Jul 2012

What happens to your reputation when you're no longer around to defend it?

83. What's Wrong With Cash for Grades?

Tue, 10 Jul 2012

If we want our kids to thrive in school, maybe we should just pay them.

82. Please Steal My Car

Wed, 4 Jul 2012

Levitt and Dubner answer your FREAK-quently Asked Questions about junk food, insurance, and how to m...

81. Star-Spangled Banter?

Tue, 26 Jun 2012

Once a week, the British Prime Minister goes before the House of Commons for a lightning round of ha...

80. Riding the Herd Mentality

Wed, 20 Jun 2012

How using peer pressure -- and good, old-fashioned shame -- can push people to do the right thing.

79. A Cheap Employee Is … a Cheap Employee

Wed, 13 Jun 2012

Paying workers as little as possible seems smart -- unless you can make more money by paying them mo...

78. You Eat What You Are, Part 2

Wed, 6 Jun 2012

To feed 7 billion people while protecting the environment, it would seem that going local is a no-br...

77. Playing the Nerd Card

Wed, 30 May 2012

The NBA’s superstars are suddenly sporting Urkel glasses -- but is it more than a fashion stateme...

76. You Eat What You Are, Part 1

Wed, 23 May 2012

How American food so got bad -- and why it's getting so much better.

75. Retirement Kills

Wed, 16 May 2012

Sure, we all dream of leaving the office forever. But what if it's bad for your health?

74. Soul Possession

Mon, 7 May 2012

In a world where nearly everything is for sale, is it always okay to buy what isn’t yours?

73. A Rose By Any Other Distance

Wed, 2 May 2012

At a time when people worry about every mile their food must travel, why is it okay to import most o...

72. Lottery Loopholes and Deadly Doctors

Wed, 25 Apr 2012

What do you do when smart people keep making stupid mistakes? And: are we a nation of financial illi...

71. Is Good Corporate Citizenship Also Good for the Bottom Line?

Wed, 18 Apr 2012

A new study says that yes, it is -- but try telling that to the United Nations officials who are pre...

70. Eating and Tweeting

Wed, 11 Apr 2012

Does the future of food lie in its past – or inside a tank of liquid nitrogen? Also: how anti-soci...

69. The Hidden Cost of False Alarms

Tue, 3 Apr 2012

If any other product failed 94 percent of the time, you’d probably stop using it. So why do we put...

68. The Power of the President -- and the Thumb

Wed, 28 Mar 2012

How much does the President of the United States really matter? And: where did all the hitchhikers g...

67. The Patent Gap

Thu, 22 Mar 2012

Women hold fewer than one in 10 patents. Why? And what are we missing out on?

66. Show and Yell

Wed, 14 Mar 2012

Is booing an act of verbal vandalism or the last true expression of democracy? And: when you drive a...

65. It’s Not the President, Stupid

Wed, 7 Mar 2012

Isn’t it time to admit that the U.S. economy doesn’t have a commander in chief?

64. The Days of Wine and Mouses

Mon, 27 Feb 2012

Do more expensive wines taste better? And: what does one little rodent in a salad say about a restau...

63. The Dilbert Index?

Wed, 22 Feb 2012

Measuring workplace morale -- and how to game the sick-day system.

62. How Biased Is Your Media?

Wed, 15 Feb 2012

The left and the right blame each other for pretty much everything, including slanted media coverage...

61. Does This Recession Make Me Look Fat?

Wed, 8 Feb 2012

A look at some non-obvious ways to lose weight.

60. Save Me From Myself

Wed, 1 Feb 2012

A commitment device forces you to be the person you really want to be. What could possibly go wrong...

59. The Hidden Side of the Super Bowl

Wed, 25 Jan 2012

A football cheat sheet to help you sound like the smartest person at the party.

58. What Do Hand-Washing and Financial Illiteracy Have in Common?

Thu, 19 Jan 2012

Education is the surest solution to a lot of problems. Except when it’s not.

57. Does Money Really Buy Elections?

Wed, 11 Jan 2012

We all know the answer is yes. But the data -- and Rudy Giuliani -- say no.

56. Why Is “I Don’t Know” So Hard to Say?

Wed, 4 Jan 2012

Levitt and Dubner answer your FREAK-quently Asked Questions about certifying politicians, irrational...

55. The Perils of Drunk Walking

Tue, 27 Dec 2011

We know it's terribly dangerous to drive drunk. But heading home on foot isn't the solution.

54. How Is a Bad Radio Station Like Our Public-School System? (Encore)

Wed, 21 Dec 2011

The thrill of customization, via Pandora and a radical new teaching method

53. How American Food Got So Bad

Tue, 13 Dec 2011

Tyler Cowen points fingers. There's plenty of blame to go around.

52. Weird Recycling

Fri, 2 Dec 2011

Clever ways to not waste our waste.

51. What Makes a Donor Donate?

Tue, 29 Nov 2011

The science of charity, with economist John List.

50. The Truth Is Out There…Isn’t It?

Tue, 22 Nov 2011

There’s a nasty secret about hot-button topics like global warming: knowledge is not always power....

49. Unnatural Turkeys

Wed, 16 Nov 2011

Our appetite for breast meat renders our holiday birds unable to reproduce.

48. Boo…Who?

Tue, 8 Nov 2011

Is booing an act of verbal vandalism—or the last true expression of democracy?

47. Wildfires, Cops, and Keggers

Wed, 2 Nov 2011

On Election Day, most people focus on the obvious winners and losers -- that is, the candidates. But...

46. Misadventures in Baby-Making

Tue, 25 Oct 2011

We are constantly wowed by new technologies and policies meant to make childbirth better. But bewar...

45. Those Cheating Teachers!

Tue, 18 Oct 2011

High-stakes testing has produced some rotten apples. But they can be caught.

44. Where Have All the Hitchhikers Gone?

Mon, 10 Oct 2011

Did we needlessly scare ourselves into ditching a good thing? And, with millions of cars driving aro...

43. The Decline and Fall of Violence

Wed, 5 Oct 2011

The world is a more peaceful place today that at any time in history -- by a long, long shot.

42. The Upside of Quitting

Wed, 28 Sep 2011

You know the saying: a winner never quits and a quitter never wins. To which Freakonomics Radio says...

41. The Folly of Prediction

Wed, 14 Sep 2011

Human beings love to predict the future, but we're quite terrible at it. So how about punishing all ...

40. The Suicide Paradox

Wed, 31 Aug 2011

There are more than twice as many suicides as murders in the U.S., but suicide attracts far less scr...

39. The Economist’s Guide to Parenting

Tue, 16 Aug 2011

Think you know how much parents matter? Think again. Economists crunch the numbers to learn the ROI ...

38. The Church of "Scionology"

Wed, 3 Aug 2011

We worship the tradition of handing off a family business to the next generation. But is that really...

37. Mouse in the Salad

Wed, 20 Jul 2011

In restaurants and in life, bad things happen. But what happens next is just as important.

36. Hey Baby, Is That a Prius You're Driving?

Wed, 6 Jul 2011

"Conspicuous conservation" is about showing off your environmental bona fides. In other wo...

35. Live From St. Paul!

Wed, 22 Jun 2011

Freakonomics Radio hits the road, and plays some Quiz Bowl

34. Things Our Fathers Gave Us

Wed, 8 Jun 2011

What did Levitt and Dubner learn as kids from their dads?

33. To Catch a Fugitive

Wed, 25 May 2011

Who is likelier to get to the fugitive first? When a fugitive is on the run, it’s not only the pol...

32. Growing Up Buffett

Wed, 11 May 2011

What’s it like to wake up one day and realize Dad is a multi-billionaire? That's what happened to ...

31. Gambling With Your Life

Wed, 27 Apr 2011

Does Las Vegas increase your risk of suicide? A researcher embeds himself in the city where America...

30. Does College Still Matter? And Other Freaky Questions Answered ...

Wed, 13 Apr 2011

In our second round of FREAK-quently Asked Questions, Steve Levitt answers some queries from listene...

29. Smarter Kids at 10 Bucks a Pop

Wed, 6 Apr 2011

It won’t work for everyone, but there’s a cheap, quick, and simple way to lift some students’ ...

28. Why Can’t We Predict Earthquakes?

Wed, 30 Mar 2011

We talk to a U.S. Geological Survey physicist about the science -- and folly -- of predicting earthq...

27. Death by Fire? Probably Not

Wed, 23 Mar 2011

Fire deaths in the U.S. have fallen 90 percent over the past 100 years, a great and greatly underapp...

26. The Health of Nations

Wed, 16 Mar 2011

For decades, GDP has been the yardstick for measuring living standards around the world. Martha Nuss...

25. Is Twitter a Two-Way Street?

Wed, 9 Mar 2011

To get a lot of followers on Twitter, do you need to follow a lot of other Tweeps? And if not, why n...

24. The Power of Poop

Wed, 2 Mar 2011

Since the beginning of civilization, we’ve thought that human waste was worthless and dangerous. W...

23. Millionaires vs. Billionaires

Thu, 24 Feb 2011

Five things you don’t know about the NFL labor standoff

22. Why Cities Rock

Thu, 17 Feb 2011

Could it be that cities are "our greatest invention" -- that, despite a reputation as blac...

21. Bring on the Pain!

Wed, 9 Feb 2011

It's not about how much something hurts -- it's how you remember the pain. This week, lessons on pai...

20. Waiter, There’s a Physicist in My Soup! (Part 2)

Wed, 2 Feb 2011

What do a computer hacker, an Indiana farm boy, and Napoleon Bonaparte have in common? The past, pre...

19. Waiter, There’s a Physicist in My Soup! (Part 1)

Wed, 26 Jan 2011

The "molecular gastronomy" movement -- which gets a bump in visibility next month with the...

18. Freakonomics FAQ, No. 1

Wed, 19 Jan 2011

Levitt and Dubner field questions from the public and hold forth on everything from dating strategie...

17. Trashed

Thu, 13 Jan 2011

How economics -- and emotion -- have turned our garbage into such a mess

16. Exit Interview: Schools Chancellor, NYC

Wed, 5 Jan 2011

Having already amassed an eventful resume -- the Clinton White House, the Department of Justice, and...

15. You Say Repugnant, I Say … Let's Do It!

Wed, 29 Dec 2010

What happens when the most disturbing ideas are also the best?

14. Do More Expensive Wines Taste Better?

Wed, 15 Dec 2010

They should! It's a cardinal rule: more expensive items are supposed to be qualitatively better than...

13. The "No-Lose Lottery," Part 2

Wed, 1 Dec 2010

It’s the banking tool that got millions of people around the world to stop wasting money on the lo...

12. Is America Ready for a "No-Lose Lottery"?

Wed, 17 Nov 2010

For the most part, Americans don't like the simple, boring act of putting money in a savings account...

11. How Much Does the President of the U.S. Really Matter?

Wed, 3 Nov 2010

The U.S. president is often called the "leader of free world." But if you ask an economist or a Cons...

10. The NFL's Best Real Estate Isn't For Sale. Yet.

Thu, 28 Oct 2010

The NFL is very good at making money. So why on earth doesn't it sell ad space on the one piece of r...

9. Reading, Rockets, and 'Rithmetic

Thu, 21 Oct 2010

Government and the private sector often feel far apart. One is filled with compliance-driven bureau...

8. Who Stole All the Runs in Major League Baseball?

Thu, 7 Oct 2010

It was a pretty good baseball season -- especially if you're a fan of the Yankees, Rays, Twins, Rang...

7. Two Book Authors and a Microphone

Thu, 30 Sep 2010

The next chapter in the adventures of Dubner and Levitt has begun. Listen to a preview of what's to ...

6. Why the World Cup Is an Economist's Dream

Thu, 10 Jun 2010

Steve Levitt talks about why the center cannot hold in penalty kicks, why a running track hurts home...

5. How Is a Bad Radio Station Like Our Public-School System?

Thu, 13 May 2010

In this episode of Freakonomics Radio, we explore a way to make 1.1 million schoolkids feel like the...

4. Faking It

Tue, 13 Apr 2010

Do you "fake it"? If so, you're hardly alone. In this episode, you'll hear how everyone fr...

3. What Would the World Look Like if Economists Were in Charge?

Wed, 24 Mar 2010

In this episode we speculate what would happen if economists got to run the world. Hear from a high-...

2. Is America's Obesity Epidemic For Real?

Fri, 26 Feb 2010

Americans keep putting on pounds. So is it time for a cheeseburger tax? Or would a chill pill be the...

1. The Dangers of Safety

Sat, 6 Feb 2010

What do NASCAR drivers, Glenn Beck and the hit men of the NFL have in common?