Also: why do we hoard? (Rebroadcast From Ep. 28)…
…(without having ever studied computer science) and then started a company focused on big questions — like how to provide the world with clean energy and how to optimize pizza-baking….
In 2005, Raghuram Rajan said the financial system was at risk “of a catastrophic meltdown.” After stints at the I.M.F. and India’s central bank, he sees another potential crisis —…
Stephen Dubner’s conversation with the former longtime C.E.O. of General Electric, recorded for the Freakonomics Radio series “The Secret Life of a C.E.O.”…
…the undeserving ultrarich is underway. It’s epitomized by the revulsion against bankers who’ve walked away with millions after gambling with junk securities that wrecked the economy. The Obama team and…
Is booing an act of verbal vandalism or the last true expression of democracy? And: when you drive a Prius, are you guilty of “conspicuous conservation”? This is a “mashupdate”…
As a neuroscientist and psychology professor at Columbia University who studies the immediate and long-term effects of illicit substances, Carl Hart believes that all drugs — including heroin, methamphetamines, and…
…is completed and comprehensive. Q. Globally, but especially here in the United States, we have, in my opinion, an organized labor crisis. It cannot be denied that perhaps one of…
Beyond the immediate casualties, school shootings have costs — for survivors, and for the rest of us….
Why does treating a venomous snake bite cost as much as a house? Zachary Crockett slithers over to North Carolina to find out….
In this new addition to the Freakonomics Radio Network, co-hosts Stephen Dubner and Angela Duckworth discuss the relationship between age and happiness. Also, does all creativity come from pain? New…
What we know — and don’t know — about the gazillions of dollars that never show up on anyone’s books.
…training manual and cell phone app. We are in research and development right now, but the results of the first 120 rides are astonishing. Average wait time is under 7…
Is it really in a restaurant’s best interest to give customers free bread or chips before they even order?
…people who listen to this podcast? Are we more afflicted by sloth or by lust? And what does Angela mutter under her breath? Take the Seven Deadly Sins survey: freakonomics.com/nsq-sins/…
What are Mike and Angela’s favorite songs to cry to? Can upbeat music lift you out of a bad mood? And what is Angela going to sing the next time…
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…
Also: are the most memorable stories less likely to be true?
Do more expensive wines taste better? And: what does one little rodent in a salad say about a restaurant’s future? This is a “mashupdate” of “Do More Expensive Wines Taste…
How did an affable 18th-century “moral philosopher” become the patron saint of cutthroat capitalism? Does “the invisible hand” mean what everyone thinks it does? We travel to Smith’s hometown in…
Can a clever new study shed light on one of parenting’s most elusive and contentious questions?…
…your blegs in the comments section below or send them to bleg [at] freakonomics [dot] com . Remember, no problem is too hard (or small, or weird) for our readership!…
…The Prostitute Chapter Thirteen: The Bachelor Chapter Fourteen: The World Chapter Fifteen: The Baby This post is no longer accepting comments. The answers to the Q&A can be found here….
Also: is it better to send a congratulatory note to someone who deserves it or a condolence note to someone who needs it?
…vote (or don’t). So fire away in the comments section below, and keep up with the podcast at iTunes or via the RSS feed to see if your question gets…
In honor of New York Fashion Week, which begins today, our new Q&A subject is John Caplan, the president of Ford Models. In the comments section below, feel free to…
…Forrest Gump could understand. Besides his political activities, of course, Perot also founded two successful technology-services companies: Electronic Data Systems (sold to General Motors in 1984) and Perot Systems, of…
…questions. I’m happy to answer any questions that Freakonomics readers might have, so please ask away in the comments section below! Here’s the table of contents: Preface Part I. Background…
…book, The Darwin Economy: Liberty, Competition, and the Common Good, will spawn a similar conversation. In it, Frank makes a rather bold prediction: within the next century, Charles Darwin, the…
…future radio shows and on the blog — as long as we don’t run out of repugnant ideas to talk about. That’s where you come in. Please use the comments…
