Freakonomics Radio

465. Introducing a New “Freakonomics of Medicine” Podcast

10 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Bapu Jena was already a double threat: a doctor who’s also an economist. Now he’s a podcast host too. In this sneak preview of the Freakonomics Ra...

464. Will Work-from-Home Work Forever?

03 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The pandemic may be winding down, but that doesn’t mean we’ll return to full-time commuting and packed office buildings. The greatest accidental e...

463. How to Get Anyone to Do Anything

27 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The social psychologist Robert Cialdini is a pioneer in the science of persuasion. His 1984 book Influence is a classic, and he has just published an ...

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

20 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The human foot is an evolutionary masterpiece, far more functional than we give it credit for. So why do we encase it in “a coffin” (as one foot s...

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

13 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The man who wants America to “think harder” has parlayed his quixotic presidential campaign into front-runner status in New York’s mayoral elect...

461. How to Stop Worrying and Love the Robot Apocalypse

06 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s true that robots (and other smart technologies) will kill many jobs. It may also be true that newer collaborative robots (“cobots”) will to...

460. The True Story of the Minimum-Wage Fight

29 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Backers of a $15 federal wage say it’s a no-brainer if you want to fight poverty. Critics say it’s a blunt instrument that leads to job loss. Even...

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

22 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The state-by-state rollout of legalized weed has given economists a perfect natural experiment to measure its effects. Here’s what we know so far —...

458. How to Manage Your Goal Hierarchy

15 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this special crossover episode, People I (Mostly) Admire host Steve Levitt admits to No Stupid Questions co-host Angela Duckworth that he knows alm...

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

08 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Kidney failure is such a catastrophic (and expensive) disease that Medicare covers treatment for anyone, regardless of age. Since Medicare reimburseme...

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

01 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Medicine has evolved from a calling into an industry, adept at dispensing procedures and pills (and gigantic bills), but less good at actual health. M...

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

25 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Why do so many promising solutions — in education, medicine, criminal justice, etc. — fail to scale up into great policy? And can a new breed of “...

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

21 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In a word: networks. Once it embraced information as its main currency, New York was able to climb out of a deep fiscal (and psychic) pit. Will that m...

455. Are You Ready for a Fresh Start?

18 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Behavioral scientists have been exploring if — and when — a psychological reset can lead to lasting change. We survey evidence from the London Und...

454. Should Traffic Lights Be Abolished?

11 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Americans are so accustomed to the standard intersection that we rarely consider how dangerous it can be — as well as costly, time-wasting, and poll...

453. A Rescue Plan for Black America

04 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

New York Times columnist Charles Blow argues that white supremacy in America will never fully recede, and that it’s time for Black people to do some...

Am I Boring You? (Ep. 225 Rebroadcast)

25 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Researchers are trying to figure out who gets bored — and why — and what it means for ourselves and the economy. But maybe there’s an upside to ...

452. Jeff Immelt Knows He Let You Down

18 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Not so long ago, G.E. was the most valuable company in the world, a conglomerate that included everything from light bulbs and jet engines to financia...

451. Can I Ask You a Ridiculously Personal Question?

11 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Most of us are are afraid to ask sensitive questions about money, sex, politics, etc. New research shows this fear is largely unfounded. Time for some...

450. How to Be Better at Death

04 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Caitlin Doughty is a mortician who would like to put herself out of business. Our corporate funeral industry, she argues, has made us forget how to of...

449. How to Fix the Incentives in Cancer Research

28 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For all the progress made in fighting cancer, it still kills 10 million people a year, and some types remain especially hard to detect and treat. Panc...

448. The Downside of Disgust

21 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a powerful biological response that has preserved our species for millennia. But now it may be keeping us from pursuing strategies that would i...

447. How Much Do We Really Care About Children?

14 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

They can’t vote or hire lobbyists. The policies we create to help them aren’t always so helpful. Consider the car seat: parents hate it, the safet...

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

07 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve collected some of our favorite moments from People I (Mostly) Admire, the latest show from the Freakonomics Radio Network. Host Steve Levitt s...

Trust Me (Ep. 266 Rebroadcast)

31 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Societies where people trust one another are healthier and wealthier. In the U.S. (and the U.K. and elsewhere), social trust has been falling for deca...

445. Why Do We Seek Comfort in the Familiar?

24 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of No Stupid Questions — a Freakonomics Radio Network show launched earlier this year — Stephen Dubner and Angela Duckworth debate...

444. How Do You Cure a Compassion Crisis?

17 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Patients in the U.S. healthcare system often feel they’re treated with a lack of empathy. Doctors and nurses have tragically high levels of burnout....

443. A Sneak Peek at Biden’s Top Economist

10 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The incoming president argues that the economy and the environment are deeply connected. This is reflected in his choice for National Economic Council...

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

06 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tony Hsieh, the longtime C.E.O. of Zappos, was an iconoclast and a dreamer. Five years ago, we sat down with him around a desert campfire to talk abou...

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

03 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

G.M. produces more than 20 times as many cars as Tesla, but Tesla is worth nearly 10 times as much. Mary Barra, the C.E.O. of G.M., is trying to fix t...

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

26 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Google and Facebook are worth a combined $2 trillion, with the vast majority of their revenue coming from advertising. In our previous episode, we lea...

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

19 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Companies around the world spend more than half-a-trillion dollars each year on ads. The ad industry swears by its efficacy — but a massive new stud...

439. Please Get Your Noise Out of My Ears

12 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The modern world overwhelms us with sounds we didn’t ask for, like car alarms and cell-phone “halfalogues.” What does all this noise cost us in ...

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

05 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

John Mackey, the C.E.O. of Whole Foods, has learned the perils of speaking his mind. But he still says what he thinks about everything from “conscio...

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

31 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The sociologist Sudhir Venkatesh spent years studying crack dealers, sex workers, and the offspring of billionaires. Then he wandered into an even str...

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

29 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A fine reading of most policies for “business interruption” reveals that viral outbreaks aren’t covered. Some legislators are demanding that ins...

436. Forget Everything You Know About Your Dog

22 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As beloved and familiar as they are, we rarely stop to consider life from the dog’s point of view. That stops now. In this latest installment of the...

435. Why Are Cities (Still) So Expensive?

15 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It isn’t just supply and demand. We look at the complicated history and skewed incentives that make “affordable housing” more punch line than r...

434. Is New York City Over?

08 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The pandemic has hit America's biggest city particularly hard. Amidst a deep fiscal hole, rising homicides, and a flight to the suburbs, some people t...

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

03 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

It was only in his late twenties that America’s favorite brainiac began to seriously embrace his love of trivia. Now he holds the “Greatest of All...

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

01 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Three leading researchers from the Mount Sinai Health System discuss how ketamine, cannabis, and ecstasy are being used (or studied) to treat everythi...

432. When Your Safety Becomes My Danger

24 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The families of U.S. troops killed and wounded in Afghanistan are suing several companies that did reconstruction there. Why? These companies, they sa...

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

19 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The dean of Yale’s School of Management grew up in a small village in Guyana. During his unlikely journey, he has researched video-gaming habits, co...

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

17 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Trump says it would destroy us. Biden needs the voters who support it (especially the Bernie voters). The majority of millennials would like it to rep...

What if Your Company Had No Rules?

12 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings came to believe that corporate rules can kill creativity and innovation. In this latest edition of the Freakonomics R...

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

10 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks to daily Covid testing and regimented protocols, the new football season is underway. Meanwhile, most teachers, students, and parents are essen...

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

05 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

She’s best known for playing neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory, but the award-winning actress has a rich life outside of her a...

America’s Hidden Duopoly (Ep. 356 Rebroadcast)

03 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We all know our political system is “broken” — but what if that’s not true? Some say the Republicans and Democrats constitute a wildly success...

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

27 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We explore the science, scalability, and (of course) economics surrounding the global vaccine race. Guests include the chief medical officer of the fi...

Introducing “People I (Mostly) Admire"

22 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A new interview show with host Steve Levitt. Today he speaks with the Harvard psychologist and linguist Steven Pinker. By cataloging the steady march ...

The Economics of Sports Gambling (Ep. 388 Rebroadcast)

20 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when tens of millions of fantasy-sports players are suddenly able to bet real money on real games? We’re about to find out. A recent Su...

429. Is Economic Growth the Wrong Goal?

13 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The endless pursuit of G.D.P., argues the economist Kate Raworth, shortchanges too many people and also trashes the planet. Economic theory, she says,...

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

06 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Aisle upon aisle of fresh produce, cheap meat, and sugary cereal — a delicious embodiment of free-market capitalism, right? Not quite. The supermark...

428. The Simple Economics of Saving the Amazon Rain Forest

30 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone agrees that massive deforestation is an environmental disaster. But most of the standard solutions — scolding the Brazilians, invoking univ...

427. The Pros and Cons of Reparations

23 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Most Americans agree that racial discrimination has been, and remains, a big problem. But that is where the agreement ends.

426. Should America (and FIFA) Pay Reparations?

16 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The racial wealth gap in the U.S. is massive. We explore the causes, consequences, and potential solutions. Also: another story of discrimination and ...

425. Remembrance of Economic Crises Past

09 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Christina Romer was a top White House economist during the Great Recession. As a researcher, she specializes in the Great Depression. She tells us wha...

424. How to Make Your Own Luck

02 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Before she decided to become a poker pro, Maria Konnikova didn’t know how many cards are in a deck. But she did have a Ph.D. in psychology, a brilli...

423. The Doctor Will Zoom You Now

25 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks to the pandemic, the telehealth revolution we’ve been promised for decades has finally arrived. Will it stick? Will it cut costs — and impr...

422. Introducing "No Stupid Questions"

18 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this new addition to the Freakonomics Radio Network, co-hosts Stephen Dubner and Angela Duckworth discuss the relationship between age and happines...

421. How to Prevent Another Great Depression

11 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Millions and millions are out of work, with some jobs never coming back. We speak with four economists — and one former presidential candidate — a...

420. Which Jobs Will Come Back, and When?

04 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Covid-19 is the biggest job killer in a century. As the lockdown eases, what does re-employment look like? Who will be first and who last? Which secto...

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

28 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In the U.S. alone, we hold 55 million meetings a day. Most of them are woefully unproductive, and tyrannize our offices. The revolution begins now —...

419. 68 Ways to Be Better at Life

21 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The accidental futurist Kevin Kelly on why enthusiasm beats intelligence, how to really listen, and why the solution to bad technology is more technol...

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

14 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Three university presidents try to answer our listeners’ questions. The result? Not much pomp and a whole lot of circumstance.

417. Reasons to Be Cheerful

07 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Humans have a built-in “negativity bias,” which means we give bad news much more power than good. Would the Covid-19 crisis be an opportune time t...

416. How Do You Reopen a Country?

30 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We speak with a governor, a former C.D.C. director, a pandemic forecaster, a hard-charging pharmacist, and a pair of economists — who say it’s all...

415. How Rahm Emanuel Would Run the World

27 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As a former top adviser to presidents Clinton and Obama, he believes in the power of the federal government. But as former mayor of Chicago, he says t...

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

23 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. spent the past few decades waiting for China to act like the global citizen it said it wanted to be. The waiting may be over.

413. Who Gets the Ventilator?

16 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Should a nurse or doctor who gets sick treating Covid-19 patients have priority access to a potentially life-saving healthcare device? Americans aren’...

412. What Happens When Everyone Stays Home to Eat?

09 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Covid-19 has shocked our food-supply system like nothing in modern history. We examine the winners, the losers, the unintended consequences — and ju...

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

02 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Congress just passed the biggest aid package in modern history. We ask six former White House economic advisors and one U.S. Senator: Will it actually...

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

26 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There are a lot of upsides to urban density — but viral contagion is not one of them. Also: a nationwide lockdown will show if familiarity really br...

409. The Side Effects of Social Distancing

19 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In just a few weeks, the novel coronavirus has undone a century’s worth of our economic and social habits. What consequences will this have on our f...

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

12 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

As cities become ever-more expensive, politicians and housing advocates keep calling for rent control. Economists think that’s a terrible idea. They...

408. Does Anyone Really Know What Socialism Is?

05 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Trump says it would destroy us. Sanders says it will save us. The majority of millennials would like it to replace capitalism. But what is “it”? W...

407. Is There Really a “Loneliness Epidemic”?

27 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

That’s what some health officials are saying, but the data aren’t so clear. We look into what’s known (and not known) about the prevalence and e...

406. Can You Hear Me Now?

20 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

When he became chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai announced that he was going to take a “weed whacker” to Obama-era regul...

405. Policymaking Is Not a Science (Yet)

13 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Why do so many promising solutions — in education, medicine, criminal justice, etc. — fail to scale up into great policy? And can a new breed of “...

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

06 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We asked this same question nearly a decade ago. The answer then: probably not. But a lot has changed since then, and we’re three years into one of ...

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

30 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most storied (and valuable) sports franchises in the world had fallen far. So they decided to do a full reboot — and it worked: this week...

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

23 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

One prescription drug is keeping some addicts from dying. So why isn’t it more widespread? A story of regulation, stigma, and the potentially fatal ...

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

16 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

How pharma greed, government subsidies, and a push to make pain the “fifth vital sign” kicked off a crisis that costs $80 billion a year and has k...

5 Psychology Terms You’re Probably Misusing (Rebroadcast)

09 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We all like to throw around terms that describe human behavior — “bystander apathy” and “steep learning curve” and “hard-wired.” Most of...

The Zero-Minute Workout (Rebroadcast)

02 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

There is strong evidence that exercise is wildly beneficial. There is even stronger evidence that most people hate to exercise. So if a pill could mim...

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

26 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In a special holiday episode, Stephen Dubner and Angela Duckworth take turns asking each other questions about charisma, wealth vs. intellect, and (of...

Why Is This Man Running for President? (Update)

19 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A year ago, nobody was taking Andrew Yang very seriously. Now he is America’s favorite entrepre-nerd, with a candidacy that keeps gaining momentum. ...

400. How to Hate Taxes a Little Bit Less

12 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Every year, Americans short the I.R.S. nearly half a trillion dollars. Most ideas to increase compliance are more stick than carrot — scary letters,...

399. Honey, I Grew the Economy

05 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Innovation experts have long overlooked where a lot of innovation actually happens. The personal computer, the mountain bike, the artificial pancreas ...

How to Change Your Mind (Rebroadcast)

28 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

There are a lot of barriers to changing your mind: ego, overconfidence, inertia — and cost. Politicians who flip-flop get mocked; family and friends...

398. The Truth About the Vaping Crisis

21 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A recent outbreak of illness and death has gotten everyone’s attention — including late-to-the-game regulators. But would a ban on e-cigarettes do...

397. How to Save $32 Million in One Hour

14 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

For nearly a decade, governments have been using behavioral nudges to solve problems — and the strategy is catching on in healthcare, firefighting, ...

396. Why Does Tipping Still Exist?

07 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

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

395. Speak Softly and Carry Big Data

31 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Do economic sanctions work? Are big democracies any good at spreading democracy? What is the root cause of terrorism? It turns out that data analysis ...

394. Does Hollywood Still Have a Princess Problem?

24 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, there’s been a huge gender disparity both on-screen and behind the scenes. But it seems like cold, hard data — with an assist from th...

393. Can Britain Get Its “Great” Back?

17 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

It used to be a global capital of innovation, invention, and exploration. Now it’s best known for its messy European divorce. We visit London to see...

392. The Prime Minister Who Cried Brexit

10 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In 2016, David Cameron held a referendum on whether the U.K. should stay in the European Union. A longtime Euroskeptic, he nevertheless led the Remain...

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

03 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Most high-school math classes are still preparing students for the Sputnik era. Steve Levitt wants to get rid of the “geometry sandwich” and inste...

390. Fed Up

26 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Mary Daly rose from high-school dropout to president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. She thinks the central bank needs an upgrade too. I...

389. How to Make Meetings Less Terrible

19 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In the U.S. alone, we hold 55 million meetings a day. Most of them are woefully unproductive, and tyrannize our offices. The revolution begins now —...