What You Don’t Know About Online Dating (Rebroadcast)
Thick markets, thin markets, and the triumph of attributes over compatibility.
Mar 19, 2015•40 min
Freakonomics Radio
Freakonomics co-author Stephen J. Dubner uncovers the hidden side of everything. Why is it safer to fly in an airplane than drive a car? How do we decide whom to marry? Why is the media so full of bad news? Also: things you never knew you wanted to know about wolves, bananas, pollution, search engines, and the quirks of human behavior.
To get every show in the Freakonomics Radio Network without ads and a monthly bonus episode of Freakonomics Radio, start a free trial for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.
Episodes
200. When Willpower Isn’t Enough
Sure, we all want to make good personal decisions, but it doesn't always work out. That's where "temptation bundling" comes in.
Mar 12, 2015•33 min•Ep. 200
199. This Idea Must Die
Every year, Edge.org asks its salon of big thinkers to answer one big question. This year's question borders on heresy: what scientific idea is ready for retirement?
Mar 05, 2015•55 min•Ep. 199
198. The Maddest Men of All
Advertisers have always been adept at manipulating our emotions. Now they're using behavioral economics to get even better.
Feb 26, 2015•33 min•Ep. 198
197. Hacking the World Bank
Jim Yong Kim has an unorthodox background for a World Bank president — and his reign thus far is just as unorthodox.
Feb 19, 2015•36 min•Ep. 197
196. Is There a Better Way to Fight Terrorism?
The White House is hosting an anti-terror summit next week. Summits being what they are, we try to offer some useful advice.
Feb 12, 2015•43 min•Ep. 196
195. How Efficient Is Energy Efficiency?
It's a centerpiece of U.S. climate policy and a sacred cow among environmentalists. Does it work?
Feb 05, 2015•33 min•Ep. 195
194. How Safe Is Your Job?
Economists preach the gospel of "creative destruction," whereby new industries -- and jobs -- replace the old ones. But has creative destruction become too destructive?
Jan 29, 2015•34 min•Ep. 194
193. Someone Else’s Acid Trip
As Kevin Kelly tells it, the hippie revolution and the computer revolution are nearly one and the same.
Jan 22, 2015•29 min•Ep. 193
192. That’s a Great Question!
Verbal tic or strategic rejoinder? Whatever the case: it’s rare to come across an interview these days where at least one question isn’t a “great” one.
Jan 15, 2015•25 min•Ep. 192
191. Why Doesn’t Everyone Get the Flu Vaccine?
Influenza kills, but you’d never know it by how few of us get the vaccine.
Jan 08, 2015•36 min•Ep. 191
What’s the “Best” Exercise? (Rebroadcast)
Most people blame lack of time for being out of shape. So maybe the solution is to exercise more efficiently.
Jan 01, 2015•15 min
What’s More Dangerous: Marijuana or Alcohol? (Rebroadcast)
Imagine that both substances were undiscovered until today. How would we think about their relative risks?
Dec 25, 2014•25 min
190. Time to Take Back the Toilet
Public bathrooms are noisy, poorly designed, and often nonexistent. What to do?
Dec 18, 2014•35 min•Ep. 190
The Troubled Cremation of Stevie the Cat (Rebroadcast)
We spend billions on our pets, and one of the fastest-growing costs is pet "aftercare." But are those cremated remains you got back really from your pet?
Dec 11, 2014•45 min
189. How to Fix a Broken High Schooler, in Four Easy Steps
Okay, maybe the steps aren’t so easy. But a program run out of a Toronto housing project has had great success in turning around kids who were headed for trouble.
Dec 04, 2014•29 min•Ep. 189
188. Is America’s Education Problem Really Just a Teacher Problem?
If U.S. schoolteachers are indeed “just a little bit below average,” it’s not really their fault. So what should be done about it?
Nov 27, 2014•34 min•Ep. 188
187. The Man Who Would Be Everything
Boris Johnson -- mayor of London, biographer of Churchill, cheese-box painter and tennis-racket collector -- answers our FREAK-quently Asked Questions.
Nov 20, 2014•28 min•Ep. 187
186. Why Do People Keep Having Children?
Even a brutal natural disaster doesn’t diminish our appetite for procreating. This surely means we’re heading toward massive overpopulation, right? Probably not.
Nov 13, 2014•39 min•Ep. 186
185. Should the U.S. Merge With Mexico?
Corporations around the world are consolidating like never before. If it’s good enough for companies, why not countries? Welcome to Amexico!
Nov 06, 2014•56 min•Ep. 185
184. What Can Vampires Teach Us About Economics?
A lot! “The Economics of the Undead” is a book about dating strategy, job creation, and whether there should be a legal market for blood.
Oct 30, 2014•25 min•Ep. 184
183. “Tell Me Something I Don’t Know”
The debut of a live game show from Freakonomics Radio, with judges Malcolm Gladwell, Ana Gasteyer, and David Paterson.
Oct 23, 2014•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 183
182. How Can Tiny Norway Afford to Buy So Many Teslas?
The Norwegian government parleys massive oil wealth into huge subsidies for electric cars. Is that carbon laundering or just pragmatic environmentalism?
Oct 16, 2014•36 min•Ep. 182
How to Raise Money Without Killing a Kitten (Rebroadcast)
The science of what works -- and doesn't work -- in fund-raising
Oct 09, 2014•33 min
181. Fixing the World, Bang-for-the-Buck Edition
A team of economists has been running the numbers on the U.N.'s development goals. They have a different view of how those billions of dollars should be spent.
Oct 02, 2014•42 min•Ep. 181
180. Fitness Apartheid
Markets are hardly perfect, but the results can be ugly when you try to subvert them.
Sep 25, 2014•31 min•Ep. 180
179. Outsiders by Design
What does it mean to pursue something that everyone else thinks is nuts? And what does it take to succeed?
Sep 18, 2014•40 min•Ep. 179
178. How to Save $1 Billion Without Even Trying
Doctors, chefs, and other experts are much more likely than the rest of us to buy store-brand products. What do they know that we don’t?
Sep 11, 2014•34 min•Ep. 178
177. Regulate This!
Airbnb, Uber, Lyft, EatWith, and other companies in the “sharing economy” are practically daring government regulators to shut them down. The regulators are happy to comply.
Sep 04, 2014•56 min•Ep. 177
Who Runs the Internet? (Rebroadcast)
The online universe doesn't have nearly as many rules, or rulemakers, as the real world. Discuss.
Aug 28, 2014•32 min