Freakonomics Radio
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, professor of economics at The University of Chicago.
- RESOURCES:
- “Selling Subscriptions,” by Liran Einav, Ben Klopack, and Neale Mahoney (Stanford University, 2023).
- “The ‘Enshittification’ of TikTok,” by Cory Doctorow (WIRED, 2023).
- “Dominated Options in Health Insurance Plans,” by Chenyuan Liu and Justin Sydnor (American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 2022).
- Nudge: The Final Edition, by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein (2021).
- “Frictions or Mental Gaps: What’s Behind the Information We (Don’t) Use and When Do We Care?” by Benjamin Handel and Joshua Schwartzstein (Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2018).
- “Adverse Selection and Switching Costs in Health Insurance Markets: When Nudging Hurts,” by Benjamin Handel (National Bureau of Economic Research, 2011).
- EXTRAS:
- “Sludge,” series by Freakonomics Radio (2025).
- “People Aren’t Dumb. The World Is Hard. (Update)” by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
- “All You Need is Nudge,” by Freakonomics Radio (2021).
- “How to Fix the Hot Mess of U.S. Healthcare,” by Freakonomics Radio (2021).
- “Should We Really Behave Like Economists Say We Do?” by Freakonomics Radio (2015).
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
-
336. The Most Vilified Industry in America Is Also the Most Charitable
Pharmaceutical firms donate an enormous amount of their products (and some cash too). But it doesn’t seem to be helping their reputation. We ask Pfizer’s generosity chief why the company gives so much, who it…
-
336. The Most Vilified Industry in America Is Also the Most Charitable
Pharmaceutical firms donate an enormous amount of their products (and some cash too). But it doesn’t seem to be helping their reputation. We ask Pfizer’s generosity chief why the company gives so much, who it…
-
335. Does Doing Good Give You License to Be Bad?
Corporate Social Responsibility programs can attract better job applicants who’ll work for less money. But they also encourage employees to misbehave. Don’t laugh — you too probably engage in “moral licensing,” even if you don’t…
-
335. Does Doing Good Give You License to Be Bad?
Corporate Social Responsibility programs can attract better job applicants who’ll work for less money. But they also encourage employees to misbehave. Don’t laugh — you too probably engage in “moral licensing,” even if you don’t…
-
334. 5 Psychology Terms You’re Probably Misusing
We all like to throw around terms that describe human behavior — “bystander apathy” and “steep learning curve” and “hard-wired.” Most of the time, they don’t actually mean what we think they mean. But don’t…
-
334. 5 Psychology Terms You’re Probably Misusing
We all like to throw around terms that describe human behavior — “bystander apathy” and “steep learning curve” and “hard-wired.” Most of the time, they don’t actually mean what we think they mean. But don’t…
-
Evolution, Accelerated (Rebroadcast)
A breakthrough in genetic technology has given humans more power than ever to change nature. It could help eliminate hunger and disease; it could also lead to the sort of dystopia we used to only…
-
Evolution, Accelerated (Rebroadcast)
A breakthrough in genetic technology has given humans more power than ever to change nature. It could help eliminate hunger and disease; it could also lead to the sort of dystopia we used to only…
-
333. The Most Ambitious Thing Humans Have Ever Attempted
Sure, medical progress has been astounding. But today the U.S. spends more on healthcare than any other country, with so-so outcomes. Atul Gawande — cancer surgeon, public-health researcher, and best-selling author — has some simple…
-
333. The Most Ambitious Thing Humans Have Ever Attempted
Sure, medical progress has been astounding. But today the U.S. spends more on healthcare than any other country, with so-so outcomes. Atul Gawande — cancer surgeon, public-health researcher, and best-selling author — has some simple…