Freakonomics Radio

  • 382. How Goes the Behavior-Change Revolution?

    An all-star team of behavioral scientists discovers that humans are stubborn (and lazy, and sometimes dumber than dogs). We also hear about binge drinking, humblebragging, and regrets. Recorded live in Philadelphia with guests including Richard…

  • 381. Long-Term Thinking in a Start-Up Town

    Recorded live in San Francisco. Guests include the keeper of a 10,000-year clock, the co-founder of Lyft, a pioneer in male birth control, a specialist in water security, and a psychology professor who is also…

  • 380. Notes From an Imperfect Paradise

    Recorded live in Los Angeles. Guests include Mayor Eric Garcetti, the “Earthquake Lady,” the head of the Port of L.A., and a scientist with NASA’s Planetary Protection team. With co-host Angela Duckworth, fact-checker Mike Maughan,…

  • 379. How to Change Your Mind

    There are a lot of barriers to changing your mind: ego, overconfidence, inertia — and cost. Politicians who flip-flop get mocked; family and friends who cross tribal borders are shunned. But shouldn’t we be encouraging…

  • Here’s Why All Your Projects Are Always Late — and What to Do About It (Rebroadcast)

    Whether it’s a giant infrastructure plan or a humble kitchen renovation, it’ll inevitably take way too long and cost way too much. That’s because you suffer from “the planning fallacy.” (You also have an “optimism…

  • 378. 23andMe (and You, and Everyone Else)

    The revolution in home DNA testing is giving consumers important, possibly life-changing information. It’s also building a gigantic database that could lead to medical breakthroughs. But how will you deal with upsetting news? What if…

  • 377. The $1.5 Trillion Question-How to fix student loan debt?

    As the cost of college skyrocketed, it created a debt burden that’s putting a drag on the economy. One possible solution: shifting the risk of debt away from students and onto investors looking for a…

  • 376. The Data-Driven Guide to Sane Parenting

    Humans have been having kids forever, so why are modern parents so bewildered? The economist Emily Oster marshals the evidence on the most contentious topics — breastfeeding and sleep training, vaccines and screen time —…

  • The Invisible Paw (Rebroadcast)

    Humans, it has long been thought, are the only animal to engage in economic activity. But what if we’ve had it exactly backward?

  • 375. The Most Interesting Fruit in the World

    The banana used to be a luxury good. Now it’s the most popular fruit in the U.S. and elsewhere. But the production efficiencies that made it so cheap have also made it vulnerable to a…

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