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Episode 211

The Economics of Sleep, Part 1 (Replay)

Could a lack of sleep help explain why some people get much sicker than others?

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Episode 524

How Important Is Breastfeeding, Really?

In this special episode of Freakonomics, M.D., host Bapu Jena looks at a clever new study that could help answer one of parenting’s most contentious questions….

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Episode 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…

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Episode 198

The Maddest Men of All

Advertisers have always been adept at manipulating our emotions. Now they’re using behavioral economics to get even better.

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Episode 19

Do Your Doctor’s Political Views Affect Your Care?

Since doctors are human, they bring their own beliefs and preferences into the examining room. But they’ve also taken an oath to act in the best interest of all patients….

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Episode 58

How Important Is Breastfeeding, Really?

Can a clever new study shed light on one of parenting’s most elusive and contentious questions?…

Are We a Nation of Financial Illiterates?

…to know how to cook (please see statistics about obesity), it would add to the lives of people, and moms are now working full time and have stopped teaching that,…



The Kids are Alright

American high school students today take significantly fewer health risks than did their counterparts in the early 1990s, although they do slightly worse in terms of obesity, asthma, exercise, and…




The FREAK-est Links

Personal unhappiness may boost spending. New Web site lets users create their own carbon tax. (Earlier) Artificial sweeteners may cause more weight gain than sugar. (Earlier) Does all corporate culture…




The FREAK-est Links

New company plans to stop online identity theft. (Earlier) Does discrimination start in the brain? Obesity, high blood pressure, and smoking slash your chances of living to 90. (Earlier) How…



Preferences, Revealed

Photo: Andres Rueda I was on an airplane recently, daydreaming about the often-vast gulf between people’s declared preferences (what they say they’ll do) and their revealed preferences (what they actually…



Smart Stuff From the Comments

…to choose grains over protein and fat, driving the obesity, diabetes, and heart disease rates higher, which shifts resources to those with government-granted monopoly rights to market pharmaceuticals to treat…




The Inefficiency of Local Food

…And, as we try to tackle obesity, locavorism is likely to raise the cost of precisely the wrong foods. Grains can be grown cheaply across much of the country, but…



Pick Your Apocalypse

…them on this blog — media piracy, obesity, cars — though in a considerably less apocalyptic context. Apparently this blog is way out of step with the pessimistic mainstream. [%comments]…



Help Wanted. No Smokers Need Apply (Ep. 123)

…start before they’re adults and that it’s incredibly hard to quit once you’ve started.” Emanuel also appeared in an earlier Freakonomics Radio podcast, “Is the Obesity Epidemic for Real?” In…




Serious Fun: A Q&A With the Author of Play

…As I say in my book, blaming play for these compulsive and addictive disorders that incorporate play is like blaming food for obesity. Are video games play? Most of those…



The Incredible Shrinking Food Packages

…rundown called “Food Inflation Kept Hidden in Tinier Bags.” It’s well worth reading. The funny part is that if the intention of the smaller packages were to fight obesity, the…




The FREAK-est Links

Submit your entries for the new NASA slogan. Will humans evolve based on high carb diets? (Earlier) The latest in prediction markets: how good will a new product be? Vote…



The Benefits of the Safety Net

…Specifically, access to food stamps in childhood leads to a significant reduction in the incidence of “metabolic syndrome” (obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes) and, for women, an increase in…




Your Garbage Questions, Answered

…fresh over processed foods where possible radically reduces packaging waste in the h ome, with the added benefit of more health and less obesity. If you’re doing all that, your…



Why Does the U.S Rank 29th in Longevity?

…better identification (for example, through screening programs) or better survival. The history of exceptionally heavy smoking and the more recent increase in obesity in the United States suggest that a…



The FREAK-est Links

Limiting child access to TV and Internet can lower their weight. (Earlier) Is online therapy the future of mental health treatment? Is Google recession-proof? (Earlier) 140-year-old math problem solved. (Earlier)…