Each year, millions of people get sick or die from diseases caused by their own unhealthy behavior. Getting people to change their bad habits – to quit smoking, eat better,…
The war on cigarettes has been fairly successful in some places. But 1 billion humans still smoke — so what comes next?
A recent outbreak of illness and death has gotten everyone’s attention — including late-to-the-game regulators. But would a ban on e-cigarettes do more harm than good? We smoke out the…
…(Or maybe we should try charging for a full feed. Is it worth $1/year? $5?) Judging from feed readers’ comments on the blog — a compelling but hardly representative sample…
The pandemic moved a lot of religious activity onto the internet. With faith-based apps, Silicon Valley is turning virtual prayers into earthly rewards. Does this mean sharing user data? Dear…
Gun control, abortion rights, drug legalization — it seems like every argument these days claims that if X happens, then Y will follow, and we’ll all be doomed to Z….
…that it’s addictive and toxic. How much sense does that make? We hear from a regulatory advocate, an evidence-based skeptic, a former F.D.A. commissioner — and the organizers of Milktoberfest….
Taxes on alcohol and tobacco promise to make people healthier and raise public funds. But can they backfire? Bapu Jena looks at the complicated economics of sin taxes….
…that it’s addictive and toxic. How much sense does that make? We hear from a regulatory advocate, an evidence-based skeptic, a former F.D.A. commissioner — and the organizers of Milktoberfest….
…a loved-one remembered as a smoking bandit: There are many reasons why smoking is not cited on death certificates. One frequently cited reason is the reluctance of doctors to stigmatize…
Levitt rarely interviews advocates, but the founder of the Good Food Institute is different. Once an outspoken — and sometimes outlandish — animal-rights activist, Bruce has come to believe that…
…free to express yourself in the comments section below, but know that it will be hard to come up with a new way of saying “This feed sucks,” which has…
…do you and your friends view smoking cigarettes? Do you smoke? If not, why not? Most of my friends are anti-smoking, in as much as we don’t like being around…
(Photo: Mike chernucha) Smoking is one of our favorite topics on this blog — from the ethics of not hiring smokers to the use of commitment devices to quit. A…
…Philippines. The commitment contracts worked great to reduce smoking for those who would sign a contract (disclosure: these contracts are designed similarly to stickK.com, a corporate wellness program and personal…
…smoking has the largest effect: the decline in cigarette smoking explains about 2% of the increase in the weight measures. The other significant factors explain less. The researchers examined differences…
…the adult population now smokes, compared to 21.6% in 2002. What accounts for this huge drop? The article offers three potential causes: anti-tobacco TV ads, a smoking ban in restaurants,…
…more demand for the latter than the former anyway.) Like American.com (the example I gave in my original post, when I noted that it doesn’t lead to the airline), Northwest.com…
…confirms the unintentional visit: www.Gm.com: 0.94% (and Gmail is the top downstream email/social networks site) www.Toyota.com: 0.14% (Gmail is the 8th downstream email/social networking site) www.Chevrolet.com: Gmail is not even…
…that it wouldn’t come close to offsetting the downsides of smoking. There are certain reported “health benefits of smoking,” including weight loss, but even for someone who likes finding counterintuitive…
Physician Peter Attia returns to the show to talk about the science of longevity — which focuses not only on extending life but on maintaining good health into old age….
Since his last visit to People I (Mostly) Admire, the formerly top-ranked golfer has become the sport’s most controversial figure. Why has he partnered with the Saudi government — and…
A friend of mine, Patrick McCusker, recently received an email from Amazon.com that read as follows: Dear Amazon.com Customer, We’ve noticed that customers who have purchased Freakonomics : A Rogue…
Think you know how much parents matter? Think again. Economists crunch the numbers to learn the ROI on child-rearing.
…the auction per se were to fail as a commitment device, I would think Hurman’s very public announcement of his quitting smoking might do the trick. (Hat tip: James Barrington.)…
Think you know how much parents matter? Think again. Economists crunch the numbers to learn the ROI on child-rearing.
Is evolution stacked against healthy eating? What policies could increase demand for nutritious food? And does Popeyes count as a cultural icon?…
Why do we get overwhelmed when we have too many choices? Should we make our own decisions or copy other people’s? And how can Angela manage her sock inventory?…
Public bathrooms are noisy, poorly designed, and often nonexistent. What to do?
According to a new study, a statewide workplace smoking ban in Massachusetts may be responsible for a steep drop in heart-attack deaths since 2004. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health,…
