Freakonomics Radio

  • 470. The Pros and Cons of America’s (Extreme) Individualism

    According to a decades-long research project, the U.S. is not only the most individualistic country on earth; we’re also high on indulgence, short-term thinking, and masculinity (but low on “uncertainty avoidance,” if that makes you…


  • 469. The U.S. Is Just Different — So Let’s Stop Pretending We’re Not

    We often look to other countries for smart policies on education, healthcare, infrastructure, etc. But can a smart policy be simply transplanted into a country as culturally unusual (and as supremely WEIRD) as America?


  • 468. Nap Time for Everyone!

    The benefits of sleep are by now well established, and yet many people don’t get enough. A new study suggests we should channel our inner toddler and get 30 minutes of shut-eye in the afternoon.…


  • How Stupid Is Our Obsession With Lawns? (Ep. 289 Rebroadcast)

    Nearly two percent of America is grassy green. Sure, lawns are beautiful and useful and they smell great. But are the costs — financial, environmental and otherwise — worth the benefits?


  • 467. Is the Future of Farming in the Ocean?

    Bren Smith, who grew up fishing and fighting, is now part of a movement that seeks to feed the planet while putting less environmental stress on it. He makes his argument in a book called…


  • 466. She’s From the Government, and She’s Here to Help

    Cecilia Rouse, the chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisors, is as cold-blooded as any economist. But she admits that her profession would do well to focus on policy that actually helps people.…


  • 465. Introducing a New “Freakonomics of Medicine” Podcast

    Bapu Jena was already a double threat: a doctor who’s also an economist. Now he’s a podcast host too. In this sneak preview of the Freakonomics Radio Network’s newest show, Bapu discovers that marathons can…


  • 464. Will Work-from-Home Work Forever?

    The pandemic may be winding down, but that doesn’t mean we’ll return to full-time commuting and packed office buildings. The greatest accidental experiment in the history of labor has lessons to teach us about productivity,…


  • 463. How to Get Anyone to Do Anything

    The social psychologist Robert Cialdini is a pioneer in the science of persuasion. His 1984 book Influence is a classic, and he has just published an expanded and revised edition. In this episode of the…


  • These Shoes Are Killing Me! (Ep. 296 Rebroadcast)

    The human foot is an evolutionary masterpiece, far more functional than we give it credit for. So why do we encase it in “a coffin” (as one foot scholar calls it) that stymies so much…