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Episode 89

How Valuable Is Enthusiasm?

What’s the difference between willpower and eagerness? Is there a lifehack that can make you zestier? And could it help Stephen improve his golf game?…

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Episode 2

What Is the Optimal Way to Be Angry?

Also: why do we treat pets better than people?

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Episode 481

Is the U.S. Really Less Corrupt Than China?

A new book by an unorthodox political scientist argues that the two rivals have more in common than we’d like to admit. It’s just that most American corruption is essentially…

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Episode 78

Why Do We Put Things Off Until the Very Last Minute?

Also: what does your name say about who you are?…

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Episode 152

What’s the Worst Kind of Regret?

Is it worse to regret something you’ve done, or something you haven’t done? What’s the upside of rejection? And which great American short-story writer convinced Angela to quit driving?…

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Episode 15

How Much of Your Life Do You Actually Control?

Also: why do we procrastinate?…

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Episode 51

What Separates Humans From Other Animals?

Also: why do people pace while talking on the phone?…

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Episode 12

Where Do All the Bad Ideas Go?

Ideas are currency. This couldn’t be more true in academia, where it’s the job of researchers to think of questions and, hopefully, find answers. Bapu talks with economists Steve Levitt…

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Episode 72

Lottery Loopholes and Deadly Doctors

What do you do when smart people keep making stupid mistakes? And: are we a nation of financial illiterates? This is a “mashupdate” of “Is America Ready for a “No-Lose…

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Episode 481

Is the U.S. Really Less Corrupt Than China — and How About Russia? (Update)

The political scientist Yuen Yuen Ang argues that different forms of government create different styles of corruption. The U.S. and China have more in common than we’d like to admit…

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Episode 405

Policymaking Is Not a Science (Yet)

Why do so many promising solutions — in education, medicine, criminal justice, etc. — fail to scale up into great policy? And can a new breed of “implementation scientists” crack…

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EXTRA

Policymaking Is Not a Science — Yet (Update)

Why do so many promising solutions in education, medicine, and criminal justice fail to scale up into great policy? And can a new breed of “implementation scientists” crack the code?…

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Episode 122

How Much Does Your Name Matter? (Replay)

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?

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Episode 479

The Economist’s Guide to Parenting: 10 Years Later (Replay)

In one of the earliest Freakonomics Radio episodes, we asked a bunch of economists with young kids how they approached child-rearing. Now the kids are old enough to talk —…

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Episode 28

Why Do We Hoard?

Also: Do you spend more time thinking about the past, the present, or the future?

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Episode 591

Signs of Progress, One Year at a Time

Every December, a British man named Tom Whitwell publishes a list of 52 things he’s learned that year. These fascinating facts reveal the spectrum of human behavior, from fraud and…

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Episode 28

Why Aren’t All Drugs Legal? (Replay)

The Columbia neuroscientist and psychology professor Carl Hart believes that recreational drug use, even heroin, methamphetamines, and cocaine, is an inalienable right. Can he convince Steve?…

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Episode 126

Why Do People Love Horror Movies?

When are negative emotions enjoyable? Are we all a little masochistic? And do pigs like hot sauce?

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Episode 530

What’s Wrong with Being a One-Hit Wonder?

We tend to look down on artists who can’t match their breakthrough success. Should we be celebrating them instead?…

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EXTRA

Here’s Why You’re Not an Elite Athlete (Update)

There are a lot of factors that go into greatness, many of which are not obvious. As the Olympics come to a close, we revisit a 2018 episode in which…

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Episode 122

How Much Does Your Name Matter?

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?

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Episode 122

How Much Does Your Name Matter? (Replay)

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?

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Episode 518

Are Personal Finance Gurus Giving You Bad Advice?

One Yale economist certainly thinks so. But even if he’s right, are economists any better?…

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Episode 15

How Much of Your Life Do You Actually Control? (Replay)

Also: why do we procrastinate?

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Episode 87

How Much Are the Right Friends Worth?

Harvard economist Raj Chetty uses tax data to study inequality, kid success, and social mobility. He explains why you should be careful when choosing your grade school teachers — and…

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Episode 22

Sal Khan: “If It Works for 15 Cousins, It Could Work for a Billion People.”

Khan Academy grew out of Sal Khan’s online math tutorials for his extended family. It’s now a platform used by more than 115 million people in 190 countries. So what…

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Episode 42

How Does When You Are Born Affect Who You Are?

Also: how did Angela do with her no-sugar challenge?…

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Episode 528

Yuval Noah Harari Thinks Life is Meaningless and Amazing

In this special episode of People I (Mostly) Admire, Steve Levitt talks to the best-selling author of Sapiens and Homo Deus about finding the profound in the obvious….

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Episode 7

How Do You Handle Criticism?

Also: is it better to send a congratulatory note to someone who deserves it or a condolence note to someone who needs it?

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Episode 153

Should You Spend More Time in Nature?

Is a walk through the city as good as a walk through the woods? Who’s most likely to die while taking a selfie? And how does Angela protect herself from…