Michael Jordan, the Bobcats, and Running the Lottery Treadmill
…arise from teams like the Bobcats in 2009-10. Very awful teams – like the Bobcats in 2011-12 – tend not to become good very quickly. What tends to happen to…
Also: how does a comedian cope with tragedy? With Eugene Mirman….
Can you quantify emotional intelligence? Who should you hire — someone smart, or someone good with people? And how did Angie do on an online emotional intelligence test?…
We tend to look down on artists who can’t match their breakthrough success. Should we be celebrating them instead?…
Is it more important to help society or to help yourself? Does the self-improvement movement do any good for the world? And which podcast episode does Stephen cling to as…
Also: Why is it smart to ignore what your podcast hosts look like?…
Stephen Dubner and Steve Levitt talk about their new book and field questions about prestige, university life, and (yum yum) bacon.
Also: Angela accidentally discovers the secret to a good night’s sleep….
A kid’s name can tell us something about his parents — their race, social standing, even their politics. But is your name really your destiny?
A kid’s name can tell us something about his parents — their race, social standing, even their politics. But is your name really your destiny?
How is “negative reinforcement” different from punishment? Could positive reinforcement encourage prosocial behavior on a national scale? And what’s the deal with Taiwan’s dog-poop lottery?…
It’s a remarkable ecosystem that allows each of us to exercise control over our lives. But how much control do we truly have? How many of our decisions are really…
…arise from teams like the Bobcats in 2009-10. Very awful teams – like the Bobcats in 2011-12 – tend not to become good very quickly. What tends to happen to…
…were impressively constant. That made the large drop in 2009 particularly impressive, both for its magnitude and its direction. That obviously got us all thinking about what happened in 2009…
What your disgust level says about your politics, how Napoleon influenced opera, why New York City’s subways may finally run on time, and more. Five compelling guests tell Stephen Dubner,…
There are a lot of upsides to urban density — but viral contagion is not one of them. Also: a nationwide lockdown will show if familiarity really breeds contempt. And:…
A conversation with former Major League Baseball player and current E.S.P.N. analyst Mark Teixeira, recorded for the Freakonomics Radio series “The Hidden Side of Sports.”…
Also: Which professions have the happiest people?…
What’s the difference between people who preserve special things and people who devour them right away? Why do we love to binge-watch? And did Adam really eat an apple?
What’s the difference between people who preserve special things and people who devour them right away? Why do we love to binge-watch? And did Adam really eat an apple?…
Also: What does your desired superpower say about you?…
What’s it like to try and police millions of pieces of abusive content every day? Sudhir takes us inside Facebook, as he and his former colleagues recall how hard it…
It’s an unnatural activity that has become normal. You’re stuck in a metal tube with hundreds of strangers (and strange smells), defying gravity and racing through the sky. But oh,…
The San Francisco 49ers, one of the most valuable sports franchises in the world, also used to be one of the best. But they’ve been losing lately — a lot…
How do kids learn about money? What’s the big problem with education? And who made Raiders of the Lost Ark?…
A single company, EssilorLuxottica, owns so much of the eyewear industry that it’s hard to escape their gravitational pull — or their “obscene” markups. Should regulators do something? Can Warby…
Five things you don’t know about the N.F.L. labor standoff….
