Plain English with Derek Thompson
Episodes
A Sports Mystery: What Happened to the NFL Quarterback?
20 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today, a mystery about what some people consider the most important position in sports: What the hell is going on with the NFL quarterback? We are two...
How AI Could Help Us Discover Miracle Drugs
13 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We may be on the cusp of a revolution in medicine, thanks to tools like AlphaFold, the technology for Google DeepMind, which helps scientists predict ...
The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories
06 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Are conspiracy theories more popular than ever? Are Americans more conspiratorial than ever? Are conservatives more conspiratorial than liberals? Jose...
"Exercise May Be the Single Most Potent Medical Intervention Ever Known"
30 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Exercise is a conundrum. On the one hand, physical activity is clearly one of the best interventions for preventing physical disease and mental suffer...
Democrats Are Euphoric. But This Election Is Much Closer Than They Think.
23 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Derek offers a short but sweet review of the Democratic National Convention, the science of post-convention bounces, and the reality of the 2024 polli...
The Four Biggest Myths About Political Persuasion
16 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode is about how we change our minds—and what political science tells us about the best ways to change the minds of voters. Our guest is...
How to Be Happy and the Science of Cognitive Time Travel
09 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Laurie Santos is a superstar in the crowded field of happiness research. She is a cognitive scientist at Yale University whose course on the psycholog...
Market Meltdown FAQ: Recession Fears, Global Stock Wipeout, and the Case for Calm
05 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In a special emergency-ish episode, Bloomberg's Conor Sen joins the show to discuss a buffet of economic and financial fears, including a disappointin...
Why Are Robocalls So Hard to Stop? (Plus: Kamala and the Gender Wars.)
02 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Derek offers his thoughts on Kamala Harris, the new 2024 reality, and gender polarization in the "boys vs. girls" election. Then we talk about the spa...
Why Are Conservatives Happier Than Progressives?
26 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It is a general rule of thumb that richer societies are happier societies. This is true across countries, as GDP and life satisfaction are highly corr...
Harsh Truths About 2024 and the Future of the U.S. Economy
19 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today's episode: the state of American politics and the future of America's economy. Derek discusses a media myth in the aftermath of the failed Tr...
"The Weirdest Housing Market in Recent History"
12 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Skyrocketing rates, shrinking affordability: The U.S. housing market is a mess. It's also a bit of a mystery. Why are prices still sky-high, even thou...
"People Feel Lied To": The White House, the Media, and the Joe Biden Blame Game
05 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Joe Biden's disastrous debate performance has created a crisis for the Democratic Party and a set of interlocking debates about whether the White Hous...
Whatever Happened to Serial Killers?
28 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the first five decades of the 20th century, the number of serial killers in the U.S. remained at a very low level. But between the 1950s and 1960s,...
The Radical Cultural Shift Behind America's Declining Birth Rate
21 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We've done several podcasts on America's declining fertility rate, and why South Korea has the lowest birthrate in the world. But we've never done an ...
Breathing Is Easy. But We’re Doing It Wrong.
14 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about the science of breathing—from the evolution of our sinuses and palate, to the downsides of mouth breathing and the upside...
The News Media’s Dangerous Addiction to ‘Fake Facts’
07 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What do most people not understand about the news media? I would say two things. First: The most important bias in news media is not left or right. It...
Microplastics Are Everywhere. How Dangerous Are They?
31 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Plastic is a life-saving technology. Plastic medical equipment like disposable syringes and IV bags reduce deaths in hospitals. Plastic packaging keep...
Why the New NBA Deal Is So Weird. Plus, How Sports Rights Actually Work.
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In an age of cults, sports are the last gasp of the monoculture—the last remnant of the 20th century mainstream still standing. Even so, the new NBA...
What America’s Bold New Economic Experiment Is Missing
24 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The news media is very good at focusing on points of disagreement in our politics. Wherever Democrats and Republicans are butting heads, that's where ...
The Five Superstars Who Invented the Modern NBA
21 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The game of basketball has changed dramatically in the last 40 years. In the early 1990s, Michael Jordan said that 3-point shooting was "something I d...
Are Smartphones Really Driving the Rise in Teenage Depression?
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today—a closer critical look at the relationship between smartphones and mental health. One of the themes we’ve touched on more than any other on ...
Are Flying Cars Finally Here?
07 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For decades, flying cars have been a symbol of collective disappointment—of a technologically splendid future that was promised but never delivered....
How the Logic of Cults Is Taking Over Modern Life
03 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Several years ago, I told some friends that I had an idea for a second book. It would be called ‘Everything Is a Cult.’ I’d noticed that in an a...
How Will the Gaza War Finally End?
30 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today, with Gaza protests spreading across the country and around the world, we dive deep into what’s actually happening on the ground in the war be...
A Political Scientist on How Protests Can Change Minds or Backfire
26 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the last week, hundreds of protests across college campuses and American cities have taken place in response to the war in Gaza. Campus life has sh...
What Kind of a Superpower Is India Becoming?
23 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is all about India.You don’t have to believe that demography is pure destiny to appreciate the fact that the future of India is th...
Health Fads and Fictions: VO2 Max, Supplement Mania, Sunlight, and Immortality
19 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today's show is a critical look at some of the most popular health fads of the moment, with return guests Steve Magness and Brad Stulberg, from the Gr...
U.S. Economy FAQ: Skyrocketing Insurance Prices, Stuck Inflation, Higher Rates, and Wrong Experts
16 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jason Furman, a professor of economics at Harvard, returns to the show to discuss the biggest economic questions of the moment, including: - Why have ...
If the 2024 Election Is So Important, Why Does It Feel So Boring?
12 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"This presidential election is not very interesting, but it is important," the political commentator Josh Barro wrote in his newsletter, 'Very Serious...
A Psychologist Explains Four Reasons the Internet Feels So Broken
09 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jay Van Bavel is a professor of psychology and neural science at New York University. His lab has published papers on how the internet became a fun-ho...
Why School Absences Have "Exploded" Across America
05 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The other day, I read a statistic about my hometown of Washington D.C. that knocked my socks off. In D.C. high schools, 60 percent of students were ch...
What Evolutionary Biology Can Teach Us About Diet, Exercise, and Staying Alive
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What can the science of ancient humans and the lifestyle of hunter-gatherers teach us about how to be healthy today? Harvard evolutionary biologist Da...
America's Biggest Car Companies Are in Trouble
26 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today, the media vibes around electric vehicles are all bad. But if you lift up and take in the big picture, electric vehicles and hybrids are taking ...
Should the U.S. Ban TikTok?
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Derek shares his thoughts on the question of the moment in tech and tech politics. If you have questions, observations, or ideas for future episodes, ...
How Hollywood’s Hit Formula Flopped—and What Could Come Next
12 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we’re talking about movies, the philosophy of hits in Hollywood, and why we might be at a fascinating inflection point in how the entertainme...
What Many Economists (and I) Got Wrong About This Economy
05 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2024 was to do more episodes with people who think I'm wrong about something. For example, I've done several ep...
Why the "Need for Chaos" Is Eating American Politics
01 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about one of the most interesting pieces of research I’ve read in the past year. It's an idea called "need for chaos," and the ...
Why Americans Stopped Hanging Out—and Why It Matters
27 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about the extraordinary decline in face-to-face socializing in America—and the real stakes of the country’s hanging-out crisi...
"We’re Seeing a Fundamental Reorganization of Work in America"
23 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about arguably the most important economic statistic out there: real (or inflation-adjusted) wage growth. For much of the last fe...
How to Have the Hardest Conversations—in Marriage, Politics, and Life
20 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Life is a series of conversations. Our relationships, friendships, marriages, breakups, makeups, hirings, promotions, and firings are mostly the story...
Would You Buy a Drug to Extend Your Dog’s Life?
16 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about the science of slowing down the aging process … and why one biotech company has found some success with dogs. Last Novemb...
The Dark Side of the Internet's Obsession With Anxiety
13 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve done several shows on America’s anxiety crisis. This one asks several questions that might get me in trouble. Have we overcorrected from an ...
Can Solar Power and Battery Tech Save the World From Climate Change?
09 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You could make the argument that last year was the worst year in human history for climate change. The Earth experienced its hottest day on record ove...
The Gender War Within Gen Z
06 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Something mysterious is happening in the politics of young men and women. Gen Z women—those in their 20s and younger—have become sharply more libe...
What’s the Best Diet for Planet Earth?
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If you love food and also consider yourself a good person, you probably care about where your food comes from, how it’s grown, and whether it's part...
Why Did Stanley Water Bottles Suddenly Become a Cultural Phenomenon?
26 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's just a steel tumbler with a straw and side handle. But the Stanley cup is a social media phenomenon and an incredible business success story. How...
Why the U.S. Media Industry Is in Meltdown
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Sports Illustrated layoffs. The demise of independent Pitchfork. Hundreds of millions of dollars in losses at major newspapers like the Washington Pos...
World on Fire, Part 3: How Did America's Border Crisis Get So Bad?
19 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Today is the third and final episode in our miniseries on this unique moment in global war and conflict. In the first episode, we looked at the turmo...
World on Fire, Part 2: Global Conflict Has Surged to an 80-Year High. Why?
16 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is the second episode in "World on Fire," a series on the historic levels of global violence and conflict in the Middle East, the Americas, and b...
World on Fire, Part 1: The Houthis, Israel's Impossible War, and Worsening Middle East Chaos
12 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The chaos in the Middle East is getting worse. It’s not just in Gaza. It’s not the spasms of violence in the West Bank. It’s not just the northe...
The Dark Side of the Obsession With Focus
09 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The 'New York Times' bestselling author and contrarian self-help writer Oliver Burkeman joins the show to talk about his new audio essay series on wor...
Four Megatrends for 2024 in Tech, Economics, Media, and Weird Science
03 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Derek shares what he considers the most important narratives of the moment, including the return of normalcy in economics, a big shift in sports media...
The Biggest Breakthroughs in Science Happening Right Now
27 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you're looking for a hopeful and mind-expanding conversation to round out the year, this one is for you. It's our breakthroughs of the year episode...
The Truth About Ketamine: Depression Cure, Health Fad, or Placebo?
22 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One week ago, Matthew Perry’s autopsy report came back, finding that the ‘Friends’ actor died from the acute effects of ketamine overdose. His d...
The Year in Media and Entertainment: What’s Broken (News), What’s Surging (Netflix), and What’s Next
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about 2023 in media—from TV to film, from the miracle of Barbenheimer’s to the superhero drought, from Netflix’s show of st...
How Weight-Loss Drugs Could Impact U.S. Healthcare and Food. Plus, the Biggest Problems With GLP1s.
15 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is our second in a series on the weight-loss drug revolution of the last two years. On Tuesday, we talked to endocrinologist Beverly...
The Weight-Loss Drug Revolution, Part 1: Why These Drugs Work So Well
12 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s podcast is about the weight-loss drug revolution—which I believe might be one of the most important stories in the world right now. Despit...
Why It’s So Hard to Buy a House Right Now—and Why It Might Get Better Soon
08 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we’re examining the U.S. housing market, starting with a specific question: Should you look to rent or buy your next home? By some metrics, t...
How Henry Kissinger’s Catastrophes and Triumphs Changed the World
05 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about the controversial life and legacy of Henry Kissinger, who died last week at the age of 100. First as Nixon’s National Sec...
Elon Musk’s Meltdown, the Death of Twitter, and the Chaotic Future of Social Media
01 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is a wide-ranging one, from breaking news in tech to the philosophy of social media. The Atlantic's Charlie Warzel joins to discuss ...
How China's Economic Miracle Went Off the Rails
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This month, President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China (PRC) met in San Francisco amid trade wars and even the pro...
Inside the OpenAI Meltdown
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about whatever the hell just happened—is still happening—at OpenAI, where CEO Sam Altman has been fired, almost rehired, and ...
The Media is Missing Something Big in Biden’s Bad Polling Numbers
17 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about the question of the moment in politics: the meaning of Joe Biden’s terrible polling numbers. Today’s guest is Nate Cohn...
How ChatGPT Can Change the Future of Jobs—Starting With Your Own
14 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about thinking practically about the AI revolution. Yes, it may one day usher in some now unthinkable utopia or dystopia. But in ...
What Most People Get Wrong About Wealth, Fame, and Happiness
10 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Morgan Housel, the author of 'The Psychology of Money' and a partner at Collab Fund, talks about his new book, 'Same as Ever,' on the virtues of ancie...
The Fragile Hope for Peace in Israel-Palestine
07 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the last few weeks, our coverage of this conflict has tried very hard to see the problem from as many angles as possible. In our first episode, we ...
Could a Housing Recession Take Down the U.S. Economy?
03 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
One year ago, it was a matter of conventional wisdom among experts that the U.S. was on the brink of a recession. They were wrong. The latest GDP repo...
Two Israel-Palestine Historians Explain: How Did We Get Here? And What Happens Next?
31 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The eminent Israeli historian Benny Morris walks us through the origins of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, from antiquity to October 7. And the exce...
The Science of Achievement, With Adam Grant
27 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we’re taking a break from war to talk about the science of human potential and a new book on that subject from the psychologist and bestselli...
Israel Has No Good Options
24 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Two things seem true: First, Israel has a profound moral right to defend itself from terrorism. Second, its current strategy could kill thousands of c...
The Tragedy of Picking Sides in the Israel-Palestine Conflict
17 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is our second episode on the war between Israel and Hamas. Today’s guest is Peter Beinart. Peter Beinart is a professor at CUNY of journalism a...
Inside the Trial of Sam Bankman-Fried
13 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The former golden boy of crypto is on trial for one of the most lurid corporate fraud scandals of the century. What's happening at the trial? What are...
Israel at War: Why Did Hamas Attack?
10 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What motivated the Hamas terrorist attack? How did Israel fail to stop it? What role is Iran playing in this conflict? What should Americans know abou...
Disney’s Downfall: The Rise and Fall of an Entertainment Giant
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Hollywood has been decimated by the rise of streaming. At Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, and Sony, profits on TV, film, and streaming went...
Why Americans are Losing Faith in College
26 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Twenty years ago, higher education was one of the most trusted institutions in America. Today, confidence in higher ed is falling among every demograp...
What’s So Great About Marriage?
19 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Since the 1970s, the General Social Survey has asked thousands of Americans the same question: “Taken all together, how would you say things are th...
Why Is It So Expensive to Build Stuff in America?
12 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We're in the midst of a great affordability crisis. It's not just the inflation crisis. It's a greater cost crisis of the last few decades. Everything...
Fatherhood and What Americans Get Wrong About Major Life Changes
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Derek is back, and ... he's a new dad! After several weeks of parental leave, he talks about what's surprised him about new fatherhood. Brad Stulberg,...
Experts Predicted a Recession This Year. How Were They So Wrong?
08 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s show is about what I consider the biggest mystery of the U.S. economy. Last year, economic experts predicted a recession in 2023 with more c...
Why Elite College Admissions Are Biased Toward the Superrich
01 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Less than 1 percent of college students attend Ivy League colleges and equally selective schools, like Stanford and Duke. But these schools have an ou...
Oppenheimer: The Genius, the Film, and the Project That Changed the World
25 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Richard Rhodes, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of 'The Making of the Atomic Bomb,' discusses the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the Manhattan Proje...
How Hollywood Drove Its Business Model Off a Cliff
19 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The trouble brewing in the media and entertainment industry has become one of the most interesting—and truly perplexing—business stories in the wo...
Americans Think the Economy Is Terrible. The Data Tell Another Story.
11 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
By many measures, this is one of the best times to find a job in decades. And by many measures, Americans are locked in a state of extreme glumness ab...
How the Digital Workplace Broke Our Brains
05 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Calvin Newport is a computer science professor at Georgetown University and the author of, among other books, 'Deep Work' and 'A World Without Email.'...
What Just Happened in Russia This Weekend?
27 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
University of Chicago professor Paul Poast breaks down Yevgeny Prigozhin's rebellion, Vladimir Putin's weakness, Russia's military incompetence, and t...
The Science of Procrastination—and How to Really Get Stuff Done
20 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is the first in a new miniseries about getting stuff done. This episode in particular is about NOT getting stuff done. I consider my...
Why Fertility Rates Are Plunging—in the U.S., South Korea, and Everywhere Else
13 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Last year, there were 3,661,220 babies born in the U.S. That sounds like a lot. But historically speaking, it’s really not. It’s actually 15 perce...
Why So Many Young Men Are Lonely, Sexless, and Extremely Online
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about the state of men in America. Last week, the non-profit institute Equimondo published a report on the state of men and boys ...
How Hollywood's Writers Strike Could Change the Future of TV and Movies
30 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In May of this year, the Writers Guild of America went on strike. For weeks, TV and film writers have been walking in picket lines in Los Angeles and ...
Why Youth Sports in America Are in Decline
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the last five years, high school sports participation has fallen for the first time on record. The number of boys playing high school sports today ...
The Future of War Is Here
16 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about how artificial intelligence will change the future of war. First, we have Brian Schimpf, the CEO of Anduril, a military tec...
A Diet Conspiracy: Is Ice Cream Secretly Good for You?
09 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about a narrow question and a broad question. The narrow question is: Is ice cream secretly good for you? The broader question is...
An Optimistic Guide to America’s Clean-Energy Future
02 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The world is engaged in a multitrillion-dollar project to decarbonize the economy to slow or reverse climate change. But what exactly does that mean? ...
The Most Important Thing Most Americans Misunderstand About Insomnia
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I am fascinated by sleep and also—perhaps, relatedly—not very good at it. Like tens of millions of Americans, I've had trouble falling asleep and ...
How American Cities Can Avoid the ‘Urban Doom Loop’
18 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about the future of the American city. Many downtowns are "wounded renditions of their once-robust selves." Offices are empty. C...
Americans Die Younger Than People in Any Other Rich Country. Why?
11 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about guns, drugs, cars, and a big question: Why do Americans die so much younger than people in any other rich country? Before t...
How Strong Is the Case Against Donald Trump?
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Derek talks to ‘Semafor’ political reporter Dave Weigel about how the Trump indictment could reshape the election—or turn out to be a big ole no...
Myth-Busting Wellness Hacks: Cold Plunges, Coffee, Alcohol, and Fitness Trackers
04 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we go wading in the murky waters of 2023 wellness trends. We’re talking cold plunges, fitness trackers, and recovery scores. And on the more ...
Eight Burning Questions About the Donald Trump Indictment
31 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump has been indicted. But what do we actually know about the case against him? What will the charges be? Is there any legal precedent for th...