224. How To Win A Nobel Prize
The process is famously secretive (and conducted in Swedish!) but we pry the lid off at least a little bit.
Oct 15, 2015•45 min•Ep. 224
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.
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Episodes
223. Should Kids Pay Back Their Parents for Raising Them?
When one athlete turned pro, his mom asked him for $1 million. Our modern sensibilities tell us she doesn't have a case. But should she?
Oct 08, 2015•47 min•Ep. 223
222. Meet the Woman Who Said Women Can’t Have It All
Anne-Marie Slaughter was best known for her adamant views on Syria when she accidentally became a poster girl for modern feminism. As it turns out, she can be pretty adamant in that realm as well.
Oct 01, 2015•42 min•Ep. 222
221. How Did the Belt Win?
Suspenders may work better, but the dork factor is too high. How did an organ-squeezing belly tourniquet become part of our everyday wardrobe -- and what other suboptimal solutions do we routinely put up with?
Sep 24, 2015•31 min•Ep. 221
220. “I Don't Know What You've Done With My Husband, But He's a Changed Man.”
From domestic abusers to former child soldiers, there is increasing evidence that behavioral therapy can turn them around.
Sep 17, 2015•47 min•Ep. 220
219. Preventing Crime for Pennies on the Dollar
Conventional programs tend to be expensive, onerous, and ineffective. Could something as simple (and cheap) as cognitive behavioral therapy do the trick?
Sep 10, 2015•42 min•Ep. 219
218. The Harvard President Will See You Now
How a pain-in-the-neck girl from rural Virginia came to run the most powerful university in the world.
Sep 03, 2015•39 min•Ep. 218
217. Are You Ready for a Glorious Sunset?
We spend billions on end-of-life healthcare that doesn't do much good. So what if a patient could forego the standard treatment and get a cash rebate instead?
Aug 27, 2015•37 min•Ep. 217
216. How to Make a Smart TV Ad
Step 1: Hire a Harvard psych professor as the pitchman. Step 2: Have him help write the script ...
Aug 20, 2015•31 min•Ep. 216
The Dangers of Safety (Rebroadcast)
What do NASCAR drivers, Glenn Beck and the hit men of the NFL have in common?
Aug 13, 2015•31 min
215. Why Do We Really Follow the News?
There are all kinds of civics-class answers to that question. But how true are they? Could it be that we like to read about war, politics, and miscellaneous heartbreak simply because it's (gasp) entertaining?
Aug 06, 2015•36 min•Ep. 215
214. How to Create Suspense
Why is soccer the best sport? How has Harlan Coben sold 70 million books? And why does "Apollo 13" keep you enthralled even when you know the ending?
Jul 30, 2015•39 min•Ep. 214
213. Aziz Ansari Needs Another Toothbrush
The comedian, actor -- and now, author -- answers our FREAK-quently Asked Questions
Jul 23, 2015•32 min•Ep. 213
212. The Economics of Sleep, Part 2
People who sleep better earn more money. Now all we have to do is teach everyone to sleep better.
Jul 16, 2015•43 min•Ep. 212
211. The Economics of Sleep, Part 1
Could a lack of sleep help explain why some people get much sicker than others?
Jul 09, 2015•45 min•Ep. 211
A Better Way to Eat (Rebroadcast)
Takeru Kobayashi revolutionized the sport of competitive eating. What can the rest of us learn from his breakthrough?
Jul 02, 2015•28 min
210. Is It Okay for Restaurants to Racially Profile Their Employees?
We seem to have decided that ethnic food tastes better when it's served by people of that ethnicity (or at least something close). Does this make sense -- and is it legal?
Jun 25, 2015•54 min•Ep. 210
209. Make Me a Match
Sure, markets generally work well. But for some transactions -- like school admissions and organ transplants -- money alone can't solve the problem. That's when you need a market-design wizard like Al Roth.
Jun 18, 2015•50 min•Ep. 209
208. Making Sex Offenders Pay -- and Pay and Pay and Pay
Sure, sex crimes are horrific, and the perpetrators deserve to be punished harshly. But society keeps exacting costs -- out-of-pocket and otherwise -- long after the prison sentence has been served.
Jun 11, 2015•35 min•Ep. 208
207. Should We Really Behave Like Economists Say We Do?
One man's attempt to remake his life in the mold of homo economicus.
Jun 04, 2015•55 min•Ep. 207
Tell Me Something I Don’t Know (Rebroadcast)
The debut of a live game show from Freakonomics Radio, with judges Malcolm Gladwell, Ana Gasteyer, and David Paterson.
May 28, 2015•1 hr 3 min
Failure Is Your Friend (Rebroadcast)
In which we argue that failure should not only be tolerated but celebrated.
May 21, 2015•32 min
206. Ten Years of Freakonomics
Dubner and Levitt are live onstage at the 92nd Street Y in New York to celebrate their new book "When to Rob a Bank" -- and a decade of working together.
May 14, 2015•46 min•Ep. 206
205. Could the Next Brooklyn Be ... Las Vegas?!
Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh has a wild vision and the dollars to try to make it real. But it still might be the biggest gamble in town.
May 07, 2015•55 min•Ep. 205
Think Like a Child (Rebroadcast)
When it comes to generating ideas and asking questions it can be really fruitful to have the mentality of an eight year old.
Apr 30, 2015•30 min
204. Nate Silver Says: “Everyone Is Kind of Weird”
America's favorite statistical guru answers our FREAK-quently Asked Questions, and more.
Apr 23, 2015•39 min•Ep. 204
203. Diamonds Are a Marriage Counselor’s Best Friend
It may seem like winning a valuable diamond is an unalloyed victory. It's not. It's not even clear that a diamond is so valuable.
Apr 16, 2015•40 min•Ep. 203
202. How Many Doctors Does It Take to Start a Healthcare Revolution?
The practice of medicine has been subsumed by the business of medicine. This is great news for healthcare shareholders -- and bad news for pretty much everyone else.
Apr 09, 2015•54 min•Ep. 202
201. How Do We Know What Really Works in Healthcare?
A lot of the conventional wisdom in medicine is nothing more than hunch or wishful thinking. A new breed of data detectives is hoping to change that.
Apr 02, 2015•42 min•Ep. 201
The Perfect Crime (Rebroadcast)
If you are driving and kill a pedestrian, there's a good chance you'll barely be punished. Why?
Mar 26, 2015•30 min