Choiceology with Katy Milkman
Episodes
Playing the Long Game: The Power of Self-Control
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As a special addition to this week's episode, you can see Katy's full sit-down interview with Angela Duckworth, where they also explore the relationsh...
Bonus: A Sit Down With Katy Milkman & Angela Duckworth
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this bonus addition of Choiceology, Katy Milkman sits down with psychologist and Grit author Dr. Angela Duckworth, a leading expert on self-contro...
How Mindset Shapes Success
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Most of us label ourselves early on as academic (or not), athletic (or not), or talented (or not). But even if you feel like you're lacking in natural...
Why Starting Over Hurts
22 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you've ever gotten well into a project—maybe a DIY renovation—and then realized that you've taken the wrong approach, you probably know that it...
Teamwork That Works: What Great Teams Have in Common
08 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What makes an effective team? Talent? Skill? Discipline?In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman, we're looking at some of the more surprisin...
When It Feels Like Everyone's Watching
25 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We've all been there. Maybe you fumbled a line in a presentation. Or tripped on a shoelace. Or suffered a bad hair day. It can feel like the whole wor...
How a Single Source of Information Can Seem Like Several
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
You've probably been in situations where multiple friends recommend the same product. It must be great, if everyone is talking about it, right? But th...
Coming Soon: A New Season of Choiceology
28 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It's a new season of Choiceology, an original podcast from Charles Schwab. New episodes arrive every two weeks, so please follow us in your favorite p...
Little Bits of Happiness: With Guests Sally Millington & Ellen Evers
02 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Were you the kind of kid who devoured all your Halloween candy in one sitting—or savored it daily until, somehow, it was Easter? And when it comes t...
Cents & Sensibility: With Guests Melina Palmer & Devin Pope
19 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Would you pay more for a car with 29,999 miles than one with 30,000? The answer should be no—it's a negligible difference, after all—but research ...
Hooked on Streaks: With Guests Chloë Hamilton & Jackie Silverman
05 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Streaks have long been logged in the world of sports. And for tracking habits, like daily writing. But now apps encourage us to keep streaks going for...
Obstacle Illusions: With Guests Daniella McCahey & Tom Gilovich
21 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
First-born children tend to believe that their parents were harder on them than their siblings are willing to grant. Football fans take disproportiona...
The Reality Trap: With Guests Ken Adelman & Julia Minson
07 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is it ever possible to see the world objectively, as it is? Turn on the news, open social media, engage with that family member at Thanksgiving, and i...
A Numbers Game: With Guests Linda Chang & Stephen M. Colbert
24 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Workplaces often rely on numerical ratings for performance reviews. Election debates focus on poll numbers and approval ratings. Your watch counts you...
Coming Soon: A New Season of Choiceology
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a new season of Choiceology, an original podcast from Charles Schwab. New episodes arrive every two weeks, so please follow us in your favorite...
A Hero's Journey: With Guests Ethan Gilsdorf, David Fajgenbaum & Kurt Gray
21 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Luke Skywalker, Frodo Baggins, Katniss Everdeen, the main characters of many great stories, they all have one thing in common: the shape of their jour...
Rebel With a Cause: With Guests Francis Kelly & Christopher Bryan
07 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Most parents encounter resistance from their children. Perhaps when the kids are young and turning their noses up at vegetables, or when they're teena...
On a High Note: With Guests Maurice Schweitzer & Matthew Polly
23 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Do you recall the best concert you ever went to? Best trip? Best meal? Chances are good that a few memories come to mind—maybe not every detail of t...
The Truth Is Out There: With Guests Tania Lombrozo & Toby Ball
09 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Your car breaks down. Must be because you skipped an oil change last month. Or your favorite team loses. Well, that was because of a bad call by a cor...
To Know What You Know: With Guests David Dunning & Andrew Flack
26 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman, we look at the often-misunderstood and surprisingly common Dunning-Kruger effect with an interview ...
The Buddy System: With Guests Max Maeder & Rachel Gershon
12 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Pursuing a goal alone is convenient. Whether you're training for a marathon or aiming to read 20 books this year, it's convenient to move at your own ...
To Fight Another Day: With Guests Alex Imas & Mary Stockwell
03 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When you're facing loss—say, in a board game or during a sporting event or with a declining stock—it can be difficult to remember your true tolera...
Choiceology's Guide to Better Decisions: With Guests James Korris, Carey Morewedge & Jack Soll
20 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Over the years, Choiceology has offered a lot of advice for making better decisions. In this special episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman, we bri...
The Charmer's Playbook: With Guests Wilfred Webster & Daniel Read
06 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"Don't judge a book by its cover" is an old adage for a good reason. Elegant book cover designs can create a positive impression and make you more li...
Recipe for Success: With Guests Simon Rogan & Michele Gelfand
22 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Are rules made to be followed—or meant to be broken? Often, the answer will depend on culture and the context in which people make decisions. In t...
Take the Deal! With Guests Daniel Kahneman, Colin Camerer & Luis Green (Rebroadcast)
08 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman, we look at how framing a decision based on what you stand to lose versus what you stand to gain aff...
Top of Mind: With Guests John Farrell & Manasvini Singh
25 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When someone asks, "What's your favorite restaurant?" odds are you're inclined to recommend a place you've eaten at recently—even if it's not really...
Repeat After Me: With Guests Jennifer LeMesurier & Tali Sharot
11 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Vitamin C is a cure for the common cold. Bats are blind. Sugar makes children hyperactive.All of these statements are false. So why are they so pervas...
(BONUS) From What It's Like to Be … a Forensic Accountant
18 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Curious what it would be like to walk in someone else's (work) shoes? Join New York Times bestselling author Dan Heath as he explores the world of wor...
A Sticky Situation: With Guests Richard Thaler, Wendy Wood & Susan Budowski
23 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Filling out an overly complicated form or waiting on hold for hours to speak with a customer service rep is a frustrating experience. And sometimes it...
Jumping to Conclusions: With Guests David Silbey & Ned Augenblick
09 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
A train was speeding along the tracks in 19th-century England when a passenger suddenly started smashing windows and waving a pistol in the air. Peopl...
No Mean Feat: With Guests Albert Chen & Elizabeth Tipton
25 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s halftime at a basketball game. A kid nervously steps onto center court. If he can score a basket from center court, he’ll take home the prize...
A Cup of Knowledge: With Guests A.J. Jacobs & Steven Sloman
11 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Why do ocean waves move the way they do? How does a toaster work? How might ink flow through a ballpoint pen without the help of gravity? You may know...
The Golden Misfits: With Guests Gary Lawless & Erika Kirgios
28 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What is the difference between buying groceries for the whole week versus grabbing something to eat on the way home each day? Grouping choices togethe...
An Accidental Experiment: With Guests Steven Levitt, Solomon Ezra & Stephen Spector
14 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Scientifically sound, randomized experiments can be expensive and difficult to run. But there’s an alternative: It turns out that certain real-life ...
The Superforecasters: With Guests Leon Panetta, Peter Bergen & Barbara Mellers
05 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There are moments in life where it seems as though everything is riding on one important decision. If only we had a crystal ball to see the future, we...
Survey Says: With Guests W. Joseph Campbell & Emily Oster
22 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you ran a survey at a science fiction convention to find out which movies were most popular with the general public, chances are good that the resu...
Brave on the Waves: With Guests Bianca Valenti & Katherine Coffman
24 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We all make decisions involving risk. Decisions like trying out for your school’s chess team, speaking up when you don’t agree with your boss, or ...
Fan Fictions: With Guests Hannah Sung, Crystal Tai & Anuj Shah
10 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Finding a new favorite celebrity feels a little bit like falling in love. Perhaps you find their smile endearing, or you relate to their sense of humo...
The Beanie Bandwagon: With Guests Robert Cialdini & Yemisi Brookes
27 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mullets. Skinny jeans. Crocs. Many of us can recall trends that we've jumped on, only to see those trends become passé soon after. But the fear of mi...
The Power of Do-Overs: With Guests Jeff Ryan & Marissa Sharif
13 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When you fail to reach a challenging goal, say, saving a certain amount of money each month or getting to the gym a certain number of times a week, it...
Mesmerized: With Guests Mara Rockliff & John List
07 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It seems like every other week there's a news report about how coffee will help you live longer or will shorten your life. There are similar reports a...
The Bad with the Good: With Guests Uzma Khan & Gustav Källstrand
24 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You've probably caught yourself indulging after a workout or a game or a stretch of healthy eating. Maybe it was a pint or two after a soccer game or ...
Rebroadcast: Silver Linings: With Guests Annie Duke, Kassia St. Clair & Adam Grant
10 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever lost a job, or been through a breakup, or failed an exam, you’ll know that the aftermath can be painful and disorienting. But for s...
So Much in Common: With Guests Samantha Futerman, Anaïs Bordier & Kareem Haggag
26 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When we feel angry or excited, or happy or sad, the reasons for those emotions may seem obvious. Angry? It was that argument with a spouse. Excited? I...
How You Spend It: With Guests Joshua Fields Millburn & Cassie Mogilner Holmes
12 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” A quintessentially American phrase from the Declaration of Independence. That “pursuit of happine...
Not by a Long Shot: With Guests Katia Jordan & Craig Fox
29 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Humans can easily distinguish between a zero-chance event (e.g., the Washington Nationals winning the World Series in 2022) and a sure thing (e.g., th...
Fail Better: With Guests Joseph Herscher & Lauren Eskreis-Winkler
15 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You hear it a lot in contemporary education, the tech world, and the arts: that it's important to fail, to make mistakes so that you can learn from th...
Under Pressure: With Guests Svetlana Savranskaya, Gary Slaughter & Modupe Akinola
23 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If you've ever been faced with an important decision when time was scarce, information was incomplete, or tempers were running high, you'll know that ...
Out of Proportion: With Guests Damon Lesmeister & Kelly Shue
09 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Many of the decisions we make require us to compare numbers. Which car is most fuel efficient? How is a stock performing relative to the market? How r...
Choiceology's Guide to Nudges
25 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nudges are all around you. They might help you choose your meal at a restaurant, navigate a busy airport terminal, or start saving for the future. But...
More Than a Feeling: With Guests Jamie Wall, Mona Krewel & Alex Edmans
11 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
While it’s nice to think of ourselves as rational decision-makers, more often than not, emotion plays a role in how we decide. Some people may spend...
Second-Guessing First Impressions: With Guests Allen Sarven & Richard Nisbett
28 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Don’t shoot the messenger is a metaphorical phrase for blaming the bearer of bad news. It’s easy to be angry with someone who is associated with i...
Less Is More: With Guests Ryan McFarland & Gabrielle Adams
14 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Supply chain issues and income inequality notwithstanding, we live in an age of abundance. Our closets overflow with clothing. Many children have more...
A Clean Slate: With Guests John Beshears, Richard Thaler & Ray Zahab (Rebroadcast)
01 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For many people, the start of a new year is an occasion to re-examine their lives, to set new goals and to give up old habits. Making New Year’s res...
The Power of Negative Thinking: With Guests Annie Duke, Mike Richard & Kelvin Wu
25 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Anticipating and planning for obstacles can sometimes be more powerful than adopting a positive mindset.A positive attitude is important when embarkin...
The Good Fight: With Guests Adam Grant & Tom Crouch
11 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Most of us would prefer to avoid an argument at work or at home. But there are times when arguments—at least when they’re civil—can help surface...
Expect the Unexpected: With Guests Abigail Sussman, Howie Jeon & Greg Golden
27 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Perhaps this scenario seems familiar. Let’s say you generally do a good job of sticking to your monthly budget, but a rare opportunity arises—mayb...
What’s the Big Idea? With Guests Robert Rydell & Don Moore
13 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When young children imagine their future lives, they’re often very optimistic. They’ll say things like “I’m going to be an astronaut!” or “...
Not Just Another Statistic: With Guests Carol Quirke & Deborah Small
30 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
You may notice that charity campaigns tend to focus on the stories of one or two individuals or families, and that those stories are often rich with e...
Big Goals, Little Steps: With Guests Shannon Miller & Hal Hershfield
16 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Most people wouldn’t attempt a marathon or a climb up Mount Everest without first working through some less audacious objectives. And yet there are ...
Scientist Mode: With Guests Adam Grant & Luca Parmitano
07 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Important decisions can be complex and difficult to make. We’re at the mercy of certain behavioral biases, and we often face a degree of uncertainty...
Judge the Judges: With Guests Daniel Kahneman, James Hutchinson & G.M. Pucilowski
24 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Many episodes of this podcast deal with cognitive biases that can hinder our decision-making abilities. In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkm...
Silver Linings: With Guests Annie Duke, Kassia St. Clair & Adam Grant
10 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever lost a job, or been through a breakup, or failed an exam, you’ll know that the aftermath can be painful and disorienting. But for s...
Hold That Thought: With Guests Sarah-Louise Miller, Warren Reed, Todd Rogers & Angela Duckworth
26 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
You probably have a list of reminders somewhere. Maybe you have a calendar with important dates marked. And likely a mental to-do list. And shopping l...
In the Face of Risk: With Guests Jeff Elison & Ido Erev
12 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For many, the onset of the coronavirus pandemic was terrifying. Descriptions of the outbreak in Europe and Asia led to panic buying and sheltering in ...
Mindful of Mindsets: With Guests Erik Vance & Alia Crum
29 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever visited your doctor to deal with a minor health issue and then left the office with nothing more than the doctor’s calming reassurance...
Some Assembly Preferred: With Guests Mike Norton & Michael Ojo
15 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Hardware stores and home improvement shows often promote do-it-yourself projects. And while it’s challenging to make your own projects look as good ...
If Only …: With Guests Stirling Hart & Colin Camerer
12 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In a past episode titled “Spoiled for Choice,” we looked at how decision-making can be hampered by our desire to avoid the painful emotion of regr...
I Don’t Want to Know: With Guests Amelia Boone & Emily Ho
28 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For some people, the check engine light on their car dashboard means an immediate trip to the repair shop. But for others, it represents a nagging unp...
A Successful Failure: With Guests Cass Sunstein, Kirabo Jackson & Andrew Chaikin
14 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
You’ve probably had the annoying experience of going to a store to pick up a few things, only to leave having forgotten at least one of them. That’...
Fair Is Fair: With Guests John Thorn & Richard Thaler
31 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“Mom! Janey got more ice cream than me! Not fair!” For kids—and many adults—the notion of what’s fair or not often involves comparing quanti...
Spoiled for Choice: With Guests Barry Schwartz & Jen Glantz
17 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Traditional economic theory says that more choice should always be better than less. After all, if the cereal aisle has corn flakes, honey nut corn fl...
Bidder Beware: With Guests Max Bazerman & Glenye Cain Oakford
11 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever bid in a competitive auction—say, on eBay—and won the item, only to see a similar item for sale elsewhere at a lower price? If so, y...
A Choice Apart: With Guests Max Bazerman & Vivienne Wagner
27 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever purchased a car or a motorcycle or a boat, based on some particular quality it had that made you fall in love? Maybe it was candy apple ...
So Close to the Prize: With Guests Oleg Urminsky & Brian Zinn
13 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever signed up for a frequent flyer program, chances are good that you were awarded a certain number of bonus points to start. Those bonus...
Coping Amid the Crisis: With Guest Laurie Santos
06 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
An unprecedented global health crisis has overwhelmed healthcare systems, disrupted economies and financial markets, and radically altered our daily l...
The Simple Choice: With Guests Shlomo Benartzi & Eric Sink
30 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We are inundated with decisions in the modern world. What to wear, what to buy, what to watch, where to work, what to eat, who to call, where to live,...
Judge the Judges: With Guests Daniel Kahneman, James Hutchinson & G.M. Pucilowski
16 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Many episodes of this podcast deal with cognitive biases that can hinder our decision-making abilities. In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkm...
Creatures of Habit: With Guests Wendy Wood, Angela Duckworth & Stephan Kesting
18 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Benjamin Franklin is one of the most revered figures in American history. He accomplished more in one lifetime--as a publisher, scientist, and politic...
Invisible Failures: With Guests Emily Oster, Sendhil Mullainathan & Linda Rodriguez McRobbie
04 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve toured through any old world cities, you’ve probably marveled at ancient buildings that have stood the test of time. You might think to ...
Take the Deal! With Guests Daniel Kahneman, Colin Camerer & Luis Green
21 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman, we look at how framing a decision based on what you stand to lose versus what you stand to gain affe...
Your Own Advice: With Guests Angela Duckworth, Lauren Eskreis-Winkler & Mike Mangini
07 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Say you have a colleague who is struggling to complete a project at work. You might offer them some tips and tricks based on your own experience with ...
Not Quite Enough: With Guests Howard Scott Warshaw, Sendhil Mullainathan & Anuj Shah
23 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Think back to a situation where you’ve been really pressed for time. Chances are good that the pressure of a deadline or an appointment caused you t...
The Lucky Loonie: With Guests Peter Jordan, Trent Evans & Don Moore
09 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There’s something satisfying about the close door button in an elevator, especially when you’re in a rush. However, it turns out that most of thos...
Best-Laid Plans: With Guests Ken Bowersox, Robert Godwin & Bradley Staats
27 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever been through a home renovation, you know that it often takes more time or more money (or both!) than the contractor’s original esti...
Boxed In: With Guests Sophie Morgan, Modupe Akinola & Dolly Chugh
13 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Assuming you live in the northern hemisphere, which would you say is colder: a day in March or a Day in April? On average, of course, March is colder ...
Knew It All Along: With Guests Kathleen Vohs, Douglas Porch & Julian Jackson
29 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Think about a time when something happened that just seemed meant to be. Maybe you had a feeling that your child would get into a certain college. Per...
Hitting Your Number: With Guests Jason Beck & Devin Pope
01 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever noticed that there’s something satisfying about seeing a car’s odometer roll over from 99,999 to 100,000 miles? Or maybe more likely...
Out of Focus: With Guests Dolly Chugh, Max Bazerman & Mark Pendergrast
18 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If you’ve ever watched a TV crime drama, you’ve probably heard that eyewitness testimony is notoriously unreliable. A person commits a crime liter...
Love the Mug You’re With: With Guests Joel Platt, Sally Sadoff & Richard Thaler
18 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
“For most things are differently valued by those who have them and by those who wish to get them; what belongs to us, and what we give away, always ...
Data for the Win: With Guests Michael Kist & Cade Massey
04 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Netflix recommendations, Amazon suggestions, Google searches, airline ticket prices, your social media feed. All of these things are driven by algorit...
The Mystery of Chance: With Guests Andy Marocco & Tom Gilovich
21 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever seen a cloud overhead that looks very much like, say, a rabbit? Or maybe you’ve found a potato chip that had an uncanny resemblance to...
A Clean Slate: With Guests John Beshears, Richard Thaler & Ray Zahab
07 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
For many people, the start of a new year is an occasion to re-examine their lives, to set new goals and to give up old habits. Making New Year’s res...
Happiness: With Guests Scott Harrison & Mike Norton
10 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman, we examine an old insight about happiness and giving. It’s an insight that is now backed up by beh...
Everybody’s Doing It: With Guests Tyler Hamilton & Todd Rogers
26 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
You’re an independent-minded person. You make choices for yourself based on the best information available. You own your decisions, right or wrong. ...
The Temptation of Now: With Guests Richard Thaler & Angela Duckworth
12 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Most of us would like to think we make decisions for our own good. Presented with the imaginary choice between a bag of salty, greasy potato chips and...
Losses Loom Large: With Guests Hank Haney, Dolly Chugh & Maurice Schweitzer
29 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Winning feels good. Whether it’s nailing a tricky golf shot or landing a big client for your firm, it’s nice to come out on top. But is it the thr...
Introducing Season 2 of Choiceology
15 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Season 2 of Choiceology is coming soon! Dan Heath hands the reins over to new host Katy Milkman for this season. Katy brings an incredible depth of kn...
How Tomorrow Feels Today
14 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine you’ve just been through a major life event: The birth of a child. A major award. The loss of a job. A divorce. Now picture yourself 10 year...