Reality TV Show Casting Call: Perfect for Freakonomics Blog Readers
…(i.e. developing a theory of how to pick the fastest line at the supermarket), what would it be? And what out of the box approach would you use to solve…
…(i.e. developing a theory of how to pick the fastest line at the supermarket), what would it be? And what out of the box approach would you use to solve…
What do Renaissance painting, civil-rights movements, and Olympic cycling have in common? In each case, huge breakthroughs came from taking tiny steps. In a world where everyone is looking for…
Does the future of food lie in its past — or inside a tank of liquid nitrogen? Also: how anti-social can you be on a social network? This is a…
Public bathrooms are noisy, poorly designed, and often nonexistent. What to do?
Medicine has evolved from a calling into an industry, adept at dispensing procedures and pills (and gigantic bills), but less good at actual health. Most reformers call for big, bold…
How much does the President of the United States really matter? And: where did all the hitchhikers go? A pair of “attribution errors.” This is a “mashupdate” of “How Much…
How do friendships change as we get older? Should you join a bowling league? And is Angela more important to Mike than Mike is to Angela?…
Once considered noble and heroic, pigeons are now viewed as an urban nuisance — one that costs cities millions of dollars a year. Zachary Crockett tosses some crumbs….
Corporate Social Responsibility programs can attract better job applicants who’ll work for less money. But they also encourage employees to misbehave. Don’t laugh — you too probably engage in “moral…
What’s the difference between schadenfreude and sadism? Can envy be put to good use? And how do you teach a kid to punch a clown?…
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…
…lot of flavors of jam to choose from in a supermarket — but that’s the gist. Here’s how Schwartz describes the very memorable jam study, by the psychologists Mark Lepper…
…a bit. Read below and please offer any insights you have. I like his black-market theory. Last night, while at the supermarket, someone tried to break into the gas tank…
There are all kinds of civics-class answers to that question. But how true are they? Could it be that we like to read about war, politics, and miscellaneous heartbreak simply…
…a bank or supermarket coin machine, then it might be worthwhile to keep the pennies. But I’m not, and so it’s not. These facts, coupled with the fact of inflation,…
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…
Also: should you feel guilty if you don’t read books?…
What do a computer hacker, an Indiana farm boy, and Napoleon Bonaparte have in common? The past, present, and future of food science.
How did love stories about vampires, cowboys, and wealthy dukes become the highest-grossing fiction genre in the world? Zachary Crockett gets swept away….
…for copper that led the meth addicts (maybe) to cripple the irrigation systems that damaged the crops that drove down the supply, which led to higher prices in the supermarket….
…the Eve of the Revolution 2. How American Food Got Bad 3. Revolutionizing the Supermarket Experience 4. The Rules for Finding a Good Place to Eat 5. Barbecue: The Greatest…
…about a relatively high-end supermarket in the Redbird neighborhood of Miami. I went in yesterday and noticed they had a new homemade cereal (a lot of their products are made…
Billionaire John Arnold is figuring out how to do as much good as he can with his wealth. It takes hard work, risk tolerance, and a lot of spending.
…in France that some of the “horse meat” which has turned up on supermarket shelves in Britain, France and Sweden may, in fact, turn out to be donkey meat. “Horses…
…or supermarket vouchers. And here’s a summary of their findings in Ecuador, Niger, Uganda, and Yemen, which were also discussed at a recent IFPRI seminar: Findings revealed that there is…
Did we needlessly scare ourselves into ditching a good thing? And, with millions of cars driving around with no passengers, should we be rooting for a renaissance?
Are modern parents too protective? Why do we worry so much about things that almost never happen? And how did Mike learn about bus stops?…
How do you let go of resentment? Do apologies even work? And what grievances have Stephen and Angela been nursing for years?…
Is your favorite treat changing your brain? Why do so many snacks melt in your mouth? And why can’t Stephen replicate his favorite salad dressing? Take the Seven Deadly Sins…
Our cognitive health can change as we get older. So, does leaving the workforce make problems like memory loss and difficulty focusing worse? We investigate the research, and Bapu asks:…
