Freakonomics Radio

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. 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 Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

640. Why Governments Are Betting Big on Sports

Jul 11, 2025·50 mins

The Gulf States and China are spending billions to build stadiums and buy up teams — but what are they really buying? And can an entrepreneur from Cincinnati make his own…

How to Make Your Own Luck (Update)

Jul 09, 2025·58 mins

Before she decided to become a poker pro, Maria Konnikova didn’t know how many cards are in a deck. But she did have a Ph.D. in psychology, a brilliant coach, and…

639. “This Country Kicks My Ass All the Time”

Jul 04, 2025·53 mins

Cory Booker on the politics of fear, the politics of hope, and how to split the difference.

638. Are You Ready for the Elder Swell?

Jun 27, 2025·54 mins

In the U.S., there will soon be more people over 65 than there are under 18 — and it’s not just lifespan that’s improving, it’s “healthspan” too. Unfortunately, the American approach…

What Do Medieval Nuns and Bo Jackson Have in Common? (Update)

Jun 25, 2025·36 mins

In this episode from 2013, we look at whether spite pays — and if it even exists.

637. What It’s Like to Be Middle-Aged (in the Middle Ages)

Jun 20, 2025·45 mins

The simplicity of life back then is appealing today, as long as you don’t mind Church hegemony, the occasional plague, trial by gossip — and the lack of ibuprofen. (Part two…

636. Why Aren’t We Having More Babies?

Jun 13, 2025·50 mins

For decades, the great fear was overpopulation. Now it’s the opposite. How did this happen — and what’s being done about it? (Part one of a three-part series, “Cradle to Grave.”)

An Economics Lesson from a Talking Pencil (Update)

Jun 11, 2025·39 mins

A famous essay argues that “not a single person on the face of this earth” knows how to make a pencil. How true is that? In this 2016 episode, we looked…

635. Can a Museum Be the Conscience of a Nation?

Jun 06, 2025·50 mins

Nicholas Cullinan, the new director of the British Museum, seems to think so. “I'm not afraid of the past,” he says — which means talking about looted objects, the basement storerooms,…

634. “Fault-Finder Is a Minimum-Wage Job”

May 30, 2025·1h 2m

Austan Goolsbee, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, is less reserved than the average banker. He explains why vibes are overrated, why the Fed’s independence is non-negotiable, and why…

633. The Most Powerful People You’ve Never Heard Of

May 23, 2025·1h 5m

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. Javier Blas and Jack…

How to Succeed at Failing, Part 4: Extreme Resiliency (Update)

May 21, 2025·52 mins

Everyone makes mistakes. How do we learn from them? Lessons from the classroom, the Air Force, and the world’s deadliest infectious disease. (Part four of a four-part series.)

How to Succeed at Failing, Part 3: Grit vs. Quit (Update)

May 16, 2025·1h 3m

Giving up can be painful. That's why we need to talk about it. Today: stories about glitchy apps, leaky paint cans, broken sculptures — and a quest for the perfect bowl…

How to Succeed at Failing, Part 2: Life and Death (Update)

May 14, 2025·53 mins

In medicine, failure can be catastrophic. It can also produce discoveries that save millions of lives. Tales from the front line, the lab, and the I.T. department. (Part two of a…

How to Succeed at Failing, Part 1: The Chain of Events (Update)

May 09, 2025·55 mins

We tend to think of tragedies as a single terrible moment, rather than the result of multiple bad decisions. Can this pattern be reversed? We try — with stories about wildfires,…

632. When Did We All Start Watching Documentaries?

May 02, 2025·54 mins

It used to be that making documentary films meant taking a vow of poverty (and obscurity). The streaming revolution changed that. Award-winning filmmaker R.J. Cutler talks to Stephen Dubner about capturing…

631. Will "3 Summers of Lincoln" Make It to Broadway?

Apr 25, 2025·46 mins

It’s been in development for five years and has at least a year to go. On the eve of its out-of-town debut, the actor playing Lincoln quit. And the producers still…

Is It a Theater Piece or a Psychological Experiment? (Update)

Apr 23, 2025·37 mins

In an episode from 2012, we looked at what "Sleep No More" and the Stanford Prison Experiment can tell us about who we really are.

630. On Broadway, Nobody Knows Nothing

Apr 18, 2025·1h 1m

A hit like "Hamilton" can come from nowhere while a sure bet can lose $20 million in a flash. We speak with some of the biggest producers in the game —…

629. How Is Live Theater Still Alive?

Apr 11, 2025·59 mins

It has become fiendishly expensive to produce, and has more competition than ever. And yet the believers still believe. Why? And does the world really want a new musical about ...…

Policymaking Is Not a Science — Yet (Update)

Apr 09, 2025·45 mins

Why do so many promising solutions in education, medicine, and criminal justice fail to scale up into great policy? And can a new breed of “implementation scientists” crack the code?

628. Sludge, Part 2: Is Government the Problem, or the Solution?

Apr 04, 2025·48 mins

There is no sludgier place in America than Washington, D.C. But there are signs of a change. We’ll hear about this progress — and ask where Elon Musk and DOGE fit…

627. Sludge, Part 1: The World Is Drowning in It

Mar 28, 2025·54 mins

Insurance forms that make no sense. Subscriptions that can’t be cancelled. A never-ending blizzard of automated notifications. Where does all this sludge come from — and how much is it costing…

Should America Be Run by … Trader Joe’s? (Update)

Mar 21, 2025·48 mins

The quirky little grocery chain with California roots and German ownership has a lot to teach all of us about choice architecture, efficiency, frugality, collaboration, and team spirit.

626. Ten Myths About the U.S. Tax System

Mar 14, 2025·1h 3m

Nearly everything that politicians say about taxes is at least half a lie. They are also dishonest when it comes to the national debt. Stephen Dubner finds one of the few…

625. The Biden Policy That Trump Hasn’t Touched

Mar 07, 2025·1h 3m

Lina Khan, the youngest F.T.C. chair in history, reset U.S. antitrust policy by thwarting mega-mergers and other monopolistic behavior. This earned her enemies in some places, and big fans in others…

EXTRA: The Downside of Disgust (Update)

Mar 05, 2025·44 mins

It’s a powerful biological response that has preserved our species for millennia. But now it may be keeping us from pursuing strategies that would improve the environment, the economy, even our…

624. The Animal No One Loves, Until They Do

Feb 28, 2025·45 mins

To most people, the rat is vile and villainous. But not to everyone! We hear from a scientist who befriended rats and another who worked with them in the lab —…

623. Can New York City Win Its War on Rats?

Feb 21, 2025·50 mins

Even with a new rat czar, an arsenal of poisons, and a fleet of new garbage trucks, it won’t be easy — because, at root, the enemy is us. (Part two…

The Show That Never Happened

Feb 20, 2025·13 mins

A brief meditation on loss, relativity, and the vagaries of show business.

622. Why Does Everyone Hate Rats?

Feb 14, 2025·41 mins

New York City’s mayor calls them “public enemy number one.” History books say they caused the Black Death — although recent scientific evidence disputes that claim. So is the rat a…

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