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…
How did a freshly looted Egyptian antiquity end up in the Metropolitan Museum of Art? Why did it take Kim Kardashian to crack the case? And how much of what you see in any museum is stolen? (Part 1 of “ Stealing Art Is Easy. Giving It Back Is Hard ,” first published in 2023.) SOURCES: Andrea Bayer , deputy director of collections and administration at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Matthew…
Angela Buchdahl was the first Asian American to be ordained as a rabbi, and now she is among the most influential rabbis in the world. She and Stephen Dubner talk about boundary-crossing, the aftermath of October 7, and whether you can be a good Jew without believing in God. If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, you can watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts . Hosted by…
Former S.E.C. chair Gary Gensler has had a front-row seat to numerous financial booms and busts. How does he feel about America’s massive bet on A.I.? “Something has to give.” SOURCES: Gary Gensler , professor of the practice of global economics, management, and finance at M.I.T. RESOURCES: This Time Is Different: Eight Centuries of Financial Folly , by Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff (2011).…
Harlan Coben doesn’t think so. The mega-best-selling author talks suburbia, impostor syndrome, and what he learned from his college friend David Foster Wallace. If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, you can watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for…
Governments started the space age. Now, billionaires and private firms are reinventing it. Guest host Steve Levitt explores what the past can teach us about a high-stakes future. (Part two of a two-part series .) SOURCES: Blaise Agüera y Arcas , vice president and fellow at Google, C.T.O. of technology and society. Rosanna Hoffman , head of space law, policy, and sustainability at the United…
Gary and Stephen talk about creativity, recovery, getting fired, and holding grudges. They also get outside and play basketball, which is a big part of how Gary stays well. If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for…
At first it sounds ridiculous. But it might be inevitable. Guest host Steve Levitt talks to a team that hopes to push A.I. infrastructure off the planet. Part one of a two-part series .) SOURCES: Blaise Agüera y Arcas , vice president and fellow at Google, C.T.O. of technology and society. Travis Beals , senior director of product management at Google, Project Suncatcher lead. Will Marshall ,…
Hillary Sterling was a Brooklyn kid raised on cream cheese sandwiches and canned potatoes. So how did she become one of New York City's best chefs? The Ci Siamo executive chef explains on the second episode of Better in Person. If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for…
Like tens of millions of people, Stephen Dubner thought he had a penicillin allergy. Like the vast majority, he didn’t. This misdiagnosis costs billions of dollars and causes serious health problems, so why hasn’t it been fixed? We find out in this update of a 2025 episode. SOURCES: Kimberly Blumenthal , allergist-immunologist and researcher at the Mayo Clinic. Theresa MacPhail , associate…
Is the oxymoron really “the secret sauce to everything”? That’s the case Ingels makes in this debut episode of our new video show Better in Person, filmed in Stephen Dubner’s living room. If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of…
Stephen Dubner had an idea for a new project. So he drove to Connecticut and knocked on the door of the master. Dubner’s new TV talk show Better in Person launches July 14 on the Freakonomics YouTube channel. SOURCES: Dick Cavett , writer, former talk show host. RESOURCES: Eye on Cavett , by Dick Cavett and Christopher Porterfield (1983). Cavett , by Dick Cavett and Christopher Porterfield (1974).…
Dartmouth president Sian Beilock, a psychologist by training, made her name studying why people choke. Now she’s applying those insights to one of the most scrutinized jobs in America. No pressure! SOURCES: Sian Beilock , president of Dartmouth College. RESOURCES: " Growing share of Americans say the U.S. higher education system is headed in the wrong direction ," by Kim Parker (Pew Research…
It’s a hard time to run a university: public trust is low, political pressure is high, and finances are fragile. But Daniel Diermeier, who trained as a political scientist, has Vanderbilt humming. How? He says the key is choosing magnets over wedges. SOURCES: Daniel Diermeier , chancellor of Vanderbilt University. RESOURCES: " Higher Ed’s New Crisis Managers ," by Lee Gardner (The Chronicle of…
Insurance forms that make no sense. Subscriptions that can’t be cancelled. A never-ending blizzard of automated notifications. In this update of a 2025 episode, Stephen Dubner discovers where all this sludge comes from — and how much it’s costing us. SOURCES: Benjamin Handel, professor of economics at UC Berkeley. Neale Mahoney, professor of economics at Stanford University. Richard Thaler,…
New York is the latest state to legalize medical aid in dying. Stephen Dubner speaks with the governor who signed the law, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, a death doula — and an ethicist who thinks the very idea is wrong. SOURCES: Kathy Hochul , governor of New York. Suzanne O'Brien , death doula, founder of Doulagivers Institute. Al Roth , economist at Stanford University. Daniel Sulmasy ,…
It brings strangers together. It teaches probability, strategy, and emotional control. It has even helped N.F.L. teams win the Super Bowl. Stephen Dubner explores why this ancient game is having a renaissance. (Part two of a series, “ We Are All Gamers Now. ”) SOURCES: Remington Davenport , founder of NYC Backgammon Club. Frank Frigo , game strategy expert & two-time world backgammon champion.…
As the Trump administration rolls back environmental regulations, we revisit a 2022 episode that explored the hidden cost of an invisible threat: air pollution. SOURCES: Angela Duckworth , psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania. Michael Greenstone , economist at the University of Chicago, director of the Energy Policy Institute, co-director of the Climate Impact Lab. Stephan Heblich ,…
Another war in the Middle East. A retreat from the international order. A presidency built on self-dealing and arbitrary power. It’s enough to make you think the U.S. is in a steep decline — but Fareed Zakaria thinks otherwise. SOURCES: Fareed Zakaria , journalist and author. RESOURCES: " Iran is an imperial trap. America walked right in ." by Fareed Zakaria (The Washington Post, 2026). "‘ Bomb…
In his final years, Richard Feynman's curiosity took him to some surprising places. We hear from his companions on the trips he took — and one he wasn’t able to. (Part three of a three-part series originally published in 2024.) SOURCES: Alan Alda , actor and screenwriter. Barbara Berg, friend of Richard Feynman. Helen Czerski , physicist and oceanographer at University College London. Michelle…
What happens when an existentially depressed and recently widowed young physicist from Queens gets a fresh start in California? We follow Richard Feynman out west, to explore his long and extremely fruitful second act. (Part two of a three-part series originally published in 2024.) SOURCES: Seamus Blackley , video game designer and creator of the Xbox. Carl Feynman , computer scientist and son of…
From the Manhattan Project to the Challenger investigation, the physicist Richard Feynman loved to shoot down what he called “lousy ideas.” Today, the world is awash in lousy ideas — so maybe it’s time to get some more Feynman in our lives? (Part one of a three-part series originally published in 2024.) SOURCES: Helen Czerski , physicist and oceanographer at University College London. Michelle…
Not exactly. But their runaway success with games like Wordle says something bigger about the way we live now. (Part one of a series, “ We Are All Gamers Now .”) SOURCES: Alex Hardiman , chief product officer at The New York Times. Jonathan Knight , S.V.P. and general manager for New York Times Games. Eric Zimmerman , game designer, professor of game design at the N.Y.U. Game Center. RESOURCES: "…
Great. Then depressed. Then great again. Stephen Dubner gets the full story from David Lang; we also hear from some fans, and the New York Philharmonic’s president. The math and the aftermath of wealth of nations . (Part two of a series .) SOURCES: David Lang , composer and professor at the Yale School of Music. Matías Tarnopolsky , president and C.E.O. of the New York Philharmonic. RESOURCES: "…
Economists and politicians have turned him into a mascot for free-market ideology. Some on the left say the right has badly misread him. In this updated replay of a 2022 episode, we hold a very Smithy tug of war. SOURCES: Eamonn Butler , co-founder and director of the Adam Smith Institute. Glory Liu , a political scientist and Adam Smith scholar at Georgetown University. Mariana Mazzucato ,…
That’s what the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang wanted to learn. So he turned Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations into an oratorio. We tag along as Lang’s piece heads toward its world premiere with the New York Philharmonic. (Part one of a two-part series .) SOURCES: Fleur Barron , opera singer and mezzo-soprano. David Lang , composer and professor at the Yale School of Music. RESOURCES:…
Epic Systems manages the electronic health records for hundreds of millions of people. This makes Faulkner a healthcare heavyweight and one of the most successful female entrepreneurs in history. So why haven’t we ever heard much from her? Stephen Dubner travels to Verona, Wisc., to explore the Faulknerverse. SOURCES: Judy Faulkner , C.E.O. and founder of Epic Systems. Seth Howard , executive vice…
New York City’s mayor called them “public enemy number one.” History books say they caused the Black Death — although recent scientific evidence disputes that claim. In an updated episode from 2025, we ask: Is the rat a scapegoat? And what does our rat hatred say about us? SOURCES: Bethany Brookshire , author of Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains. Kathy Corradi , senior vice president of…
One possibility: a leading hypothesis pursued by researchers (and funders) was built on science that now appears to be fraudulent. Stephen Dubner speaks with the scientist and the journalist who blew the whistle. SOURCES: Charles Piller , investigative journalist for Science, author of Doctored . Matthew Schrag , associate professor of neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. RESOURCES:…
How do beekeepers make a living? Why is there so much honey fraud? And why did billions of bees suddenly disappear? To find out, guest host Steve Levitt activates his hive mind. SOURCES: Alex Sapoznik , historian, reader in late medieval history at King’s College London. Chris Hiatt , past president of the American Honey Producers Association, owner of Hiatt Honey Company. Michael Roberts ,…
Nearly everything that politicians say about taxes is at least half a lie. They are also dishonest when it comes to the national debt. In this update of an episode from 2025, Stephen Dubner finds one of the few people in Washington who is willing to tell the truth — and it’s even worse than you think. SOURCES: Jessica Riedl , budget and tax fellow at the Brookings Institution. RESOURCES: " How Did…
Is it tradition … or protectionism? And what happens when the bourbon boom turns into a glut? SOURCES: Andrew Muhammad , agricultural economist at the University of Tennessee. Brad Patrick , executive in residence and lecturer at the University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics, bourbon fellow at the James B. Beam Institute for Kentucky Spirits. Danny Kahn , master distiller and…
As one researcher told us: “We’ve engineered a world where the most distracting device ever made is also the one we use to listen to music in the car." A new study tries to measure the cost. SOURCES: Bapu Jena , economist, physician, and professor at Harvard Medical School. Chris Worsham , pulmonary and critical-care physician at Mass General Hospital, health-policy and public-health researcher at…
In blue cities across the country, unions and politicians want to ban self-driving cars. In this episode from the Search Engine podcast, PJ Vogt visits Boston to sort the facts from the propaganda. (Part two of a two-part series .) SOURCES: Carl Richardson , ADA coordinator for the Massachusetts State House, president of the Guide Dog Users of Massachusetts. Gabriela Coletta Zapata , Boston City…
How a secret project at Google led to driverless cars on American roads. Freakonomics Radio shares a story from our friends at Search Engine. (Part one of a two-part series .) SOURCES: Alex Davies , author of Driven: The Race To Create the Autonomous Car . Chris Urmson , co-founder and C.E.O. of Aurora. Don Burnette , founder and C.E.O. of Kodiak AI. PJ Vogt , reporter, writer, and host of the…
A ruthless (and ruthlessly efficient) industry is using digital tools to supercharge one of the world’s oldest behaviors. We look at how the industry works, and ask the scam-fighters what they’re doing about it. SOURCES: Kati Daffan , former assistant director at the Federal Trade Commission's Division of Marketing Practices. Marti DeLiema , assistant professor of social work at the University of…
Economists don’t usually talk about “culture.” But Joel Mokyr argues that it’s the engine of innovation — and the Nobel Prize committee agreed. Stephen Dubner sits down for a thousand-year conversation (including advice!) with the new Nobel laureate. SOURCES: Joel Mokyr , economic historian at Northwestern University. RESOURCES: Two Paths to Prosperity: Culture and Institutions in Europe and…
Just beneath the surface of the global economy, there is a hidden layer of dealmakers for whom war, chaos, and sanctions can be a great business opportunity. In this updated episode from 2025, journalists Javier Blas and Jack Farchy help us shine a light on the shadowy realm of commodity traders. SOURCES: Javier Blas , opinion columnist at Bloomberg News. Jack Farchy , energy and commodities…
... of bad reviews, meager financing, or artificial intelligence. But he is worried that the world is full of sloppy thinkers who mistake facts for the truth. SOURCES: Werner Herzog , writer, filmmaker, and actor. RESOURCES: The Future of Truth , by Werner Herzog (2025). Every Man for Himself and God Against All: A Memoir , by Werner Herzog (2023). EXTRAS: " When Did We All Start Watching…
Existing drugs can sometimes be repurposed to treat rare diseases. But making that match can be hard — and the financial incentives are weak. Guest host Steve Levitt tries to solve the puzzle. SOURCES: Chris Snyder , professor of economics at Dartmouth College. David Fajgenbaum , co-founder and president of Every Cure, physician-scientist at the University of Pennsylvania. Heather Stone , health…
When Richard Thaler first published Nudge , the world was just starting to believe in his brand of behavioral economics. In this 2021 episode, we ask: How has nudge theory held up in the face of a global financial meltdown, a pandemic, and other existential crises? SOURCES: Richard Thaler , professor of economics at the University of Chicago. RESOURCES: Nudge: The Final Edition , by Richard Thaler…
The science says no, at least not in the athletic sense. But the psychic benefits can be large — just ask former N.F.L. star Ricky Williams. He says athletes should consider cannabis a healing drug, not a party drug. Even the N.F.L. is starting to agree. (Part two of a two-part series .) SOURCES: Angela Bryan , professor, associate chair for faculty development in the department of psychology and…
In sports, the rules are meant to be sacrosanct. But when it comes to performance-enhancing drugs, the slope is super-slippery. (Part one of a two-part series .) SOURCES: April Henning , associate professor of international sport management at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. Aron D'Souza , founder of the Enhanced Games. Floyd Landis , former professional cyclist, founder of Floyd's…
They used to be the N.F.L.’s biggest stars, with paychecks to match. Now their salaries are near the bottom, and their careers are shorter than ever. In this updated episode from 2025, we speak with an analytics guru, an agent, an economist, and some former running backs to understand why. SOURCES: Brian Burke, sports data scientist at ESPN. Roland Fryer, professor of economics at Harvard…
For 50 years, the healthcare industry has been trying (and failing) to harness the power of artificial intelligence. It may finally be ready for prime time. What will this mean for human doctors — and the rest of us? (Part four of “ The Freakonomics Radio Guide to Getting Better .”) SOURCES: Bob Wachter , professor, chair of the department of medicine at the University of California, San…
Zeke Emanuel (a physician, medical ethicist, and policy wonk) has some different ideas for how to lead a healthy and meaningful life. It starts with ice cream. (Part three of “ The Freakonomics Radio Guide to Getting Better .”) SOURCES: Zeke Emanuel , oncologist, bioethicist, professor at the University of Pennsylvania. RESOURCES: Eat Your Ice Cream: Six Simple Rules for a Long and Healthy Life ,…
After five years, Levitt is ending People I (Mostly) Admire, and will start hosting the occasional Freakonomics Radio episode. We couldn’t be happier. SOURCES: Steve Levitt , co-author of Freakonomics and host of People I (Mostly) Admire . RESOURCES: " How to Help Kids Succeed ," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2025). " Feeling Sound and Hearing Color ," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2024). " Richard…
It regulates 20 percent of the U.S. economy, and its commissioner has an aggressive agenda — faster drug approvals, healthier food, cures for diabetes and cancer. How much can he deliver? (Part two of “ The Freakonomics Radio Guide to Getting Better .”) SOURCES: Marty Makary , commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. RESOURCES: " Clinical Trials Affected by Research Grant Terminations at…
We all want to stay sharp, and forestall the cognitive effects of aging. But do brain supplements actually work? Are they safe? And why doesn’t the F.D.A. even know what’s in them? (Part one of “ The Freakonomics Radio Guide to Getting Better .”) SOURCES: Marty Makary , commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration. Peter Attia , physician, author, and host of The Peter Attia Drive . Pieter…
One Yale economist certainly thinks so. But even if he’s right, are economists any better? We find out, in this update of a 2022 episode. SOURCES: James Choi , professor of finance at the Yale School of Management. Morgan Housel , personal finance author and partner at the Collaborative Fund. RESOURCES: The Art of Spending Money: Simple Choices for a Richer Life , by Morgan Housel (2025). “…
Behavioral scientists have been exploring whether a psychological reset can lead to lasting change. In this update of a 2021 episode, we survey evidence from the London Underground, Major League Baseball, and New Year’s resolutions to look at accidental fresh starts, forced fresh starts, fresh starts that backfire — and the ones that succeed. SOURCES: Katy Milkman , professor at the Wharton…