Tricky incentives in tournament poker
…sponsored by someone else, i.e. a third party pays a player’s entry fee in return for a share of the profits earned. This is true in professional golf as well….
What do the most creative people have in common? How open-minded are you, really? And what’s wrong with ordering eggs Benedict? Take the Big Five inventory: freakonomics.com/bigfive…
In a new book called The Voltage Effect, the economist John List — who has already revolutionized how his profession does research — is trying to start a scaling revolution….
Jim Yong Kim has an unorthodox background for a World Bank president — and his reign thus far is just as unorthodox.
Robert Solow is 98 years old and a giant among economists. He tells Steve about cracking German codes in World War II, why it’s so hard to reduce inequality, and…
What is the purpose of negative emotions? Why do we engage with things we know will upset us? And how does Angie deal with rejection?
Also: how do phone cameras affect the way we experience live events?…
Jim Yong Kim has an unorthodox background for a World Bank president — and his reign has been just as unorthodox. He has just announced he’s stepping down, well before…
Steve and producer Morgan Levey look back at the first 100 episodes of the podcast, including surprising answers, spectacular explanations, and listeners who heard the show and changed their lives….
What if the thing we call “talent” is grotesquely overrated? And what if deliberate practice is the secret to excellence? Those are the claims of the research psychologist Anders Ericsson,…
…sponsored by someone else, i.e. a third party pays a player’s entry fee in return for a share of the profits earned. This is true in professional golf as well….
According to an A.P. report, the recent Nextel Cup champion Jimmie Johnson broke his left wrist after falling out of a golf cart. “I was in a golf cart,” Johnson…
…main activity. Their example is the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA). Better-looking golfers get lower scores (perform better) — but only going from average-lookers to the best-looking. Below the average,…
The Ryder Cup was about as exciting as golf can get. Down 10-6 going into the last day, the European team eked out a 14.5-13.5 victory. The headline in USA…
Football great Emmitt Smith was just inducted into the Hall of Fame. I had the great pleasure of playing golf with Emmitt a few years back. It is a round…
…in far higher regard than others. Q. Who would win an arm-wrestling match between Dubner and Levitt? Golf? Tennis? Chess? — Kevin A. Dubner would definitely win arm-wrestling, Levitt would…
…themselves. Their responses are varied and fascinating. David Lavallee, for example, wonders about his superstitious golf behaviors: “While I appreciate that carrying the same amount of tees in my pocket…
…Joji Abe some years ago. According to news reports at that time, those two ex-wrestlers went to play golf and to a whorehouse together on the day before they died….
…we both believe that golf should be played quickly! So every weekend, at least once, Gene and I get up before the sun rises and get in 18 holes (walking)…
The gist: the Nobel selection process is famously secretive (and conducted in Swedish!) but we pry the lid off, at least a little bit.
Victoria Groce is one of the best trivia contestants on earth. She explains the structure of a good question, why she knits during competitions, and how to memorize 160,000 flashcards….
Dubner and Levitt talk about circadian rhythms, gay marriage, autism, and whether “pay what you want” is everything it’s cracked up to be.
It was only in his late twenties that America’s favorite brainiac began to seriously embrace his love of trivia. Jeopardy!’s newest host also holds the show’s “Greatest of All Time”…
He’s a cognitive neuroscientist and philosopher who has written five best-selling books. Sam Harris also hosts the Making Sense podcast and helps people discover meditation through his Waking Up app….
Doctors, chefs, and other experts are much more likely than the rest of us to buy store-brand products. What do they know that we don’t?
The process is famously secretive (and conducted in Swedish!) but we pry the lid off at least a little bit.
It was only in his late twenties that America’s favorite brainiac began to seriously embrace his love of trivia. Now, he holds the “Greatest of All Time” title on Jeopardy!…
Why do some activities tire your brain more than others? How exhausting is poverty? And could most of the world’s problems be solved with a sandwich?…
Everyone makes mistakes. How do you learn from them? Lessons from the classroom, the Air Force, and the world’s deadliest infectious disease. Part of the series “How to Succeed at…
It’s time to do away with feel-good stories, gut hunches, and magical thinking.
Artist Wendy MacNaughton knows the difficulty of sitting in silence and the power of having fun. She explains to Steve the lessons she’s gleaned from drawing hospice residents, working in…
