Search the Site

Search Results for: think like a child

Episode image
Follow this show
Episode 65

What’s the Best Advice You’ve Ever Received? (Replay)

What risks are worth taking? When should you ignore feedback and go with your gut? And what did Stephen learn on a fishing trip with the town barber?…

Episode image
Follow this show
Episode 459

Let’s Be Blunt: Marijuana Is a Boon for Older Workers

The state-by-state rollout of legalized weed has given economists a perfect natural experiment to measure its effects. Here’s what we know so far — and don’t know — about the…

Episode image
Follow this show
Episode 118

Parking Is Hell

There ain’t no such thing as a free parking spot. Somebody has to pay for it — and that somebody is everybody.

Episode image
Follow this show
Episode 464

Will Work-from-Home Work Forever?

The pandemic may be winding down, but that doesn’t mean we’ll return to full-time commuting and packed office buildings. The greatest accidental experiment in the history of labor has lessons…

Episode image
Follow this show
Episode 21

How Can You Identify Hidden Talent? With Eric Schmidt

Also: Is there a downside to billionaire philanthropy?…

Episode image
Follow this show
EXTRA

Remembering Daniel Kahneman

Nobel laureate, bestselling author, and groundbreaking psychologist Daniel Kahneman died in March. In 2021 he talked with Steve Levitt — his friend and former business partner — about his book…

Episode image
Follow this show
Episode 215

Why Do We Really Follow the News? (Replay)

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…

Episode image
Follow this show
EXTRA

Remembering Daniel Kahneman

Nobel laureate, bestselling author, and groundbreaking psychologist Daniel Kahneman died in March. In 2021 he talked with Steve Levitt — his friend and former business partner — about his book…

Episode image
Follow this show
Episode 262

This Is Your Brain on Podcasts

Neuroscientists still have a great deal to learn about the human brain. One recent M.R.I. study sheds some light, finding that a certain kind of storytelling stimulates enormous activity across…

Episode image
Follow this show
Episode 258

Why Uber Is an Economist’s Dream

To you, it’s just a ride-sharing app that gets you where you’re going. But to an economist, Uber is a massive repository of moment-by-moment data that is helping answer some…

Episode image
Follow this show
Episode 57

Strippers

Performing at a strip club can be lucrative, but it requires financial and psychological savvy — and an eye for social trends. Zachary Crockett takes a look….

Episode image
Follow this show
Episode 243

How to Be More Productive (Replay)

In this busy time of year, we could all use some tips on how to get more done in less time. First, however, a warning: there’s a big difference between…

Episode image
Follow this show
Episode 85

What It Takes to Know Everything

Victoria Groce is one of the best trivia contestants on earth. She explains the structure of a good question, why she knits during competitions, and how to memorize 160,000 flashcards….

Episode image
Follow this show
Episode 496

Do Unions Still Work?

Organized labor hasn’t had this much public support in 50 years, and yet the percentage of Americans in a union is near a record low. A.F.L-C.I.O. president Liz Shuler tries…

Episode image
Follow this show
Episode 72

“Leaving Black People in the Lurch”

Linguist and social commentator John McWhorter explains how good intentions may be hurting Black America — and where the word “motherf*cker” comes from….

Episode image
Follow this show
Episode 118

Parking Is Hell (Replay)

There ain’t no such thing as a free parking spot. Somebody has to pay for it — and that somebody is everybody.

Episode image
Follow this show
Episode 78

Giving It Away

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.

Episode image
Follow this show
Episode 248

How to Be Tim Ferriss

…Tim Ferriss, creator of the Four-Hour universe, may at first glance look like a charlatan, but it seems more likely that he’s a wizard — and the kind of self-improvement…

Episode image
Follow this show
EXTRA

What Is Sportswashing — and Does It Work? (Update)

In ancient Rome, it was bread and circuses. Today, it’s a World Cup, an Olympics, and a new Saudi-backed golf league that’s challenging the PGA Tour. Can a sporting event…

Episode image
Follow this show
EXTRA

Using Data to Win Gold

Kate Douglass is a world-class swimmer and data scientist who’s used mathematical modeling to help make her stroke more efficient. She and Steve talk about why the Olympics were underwhelming,…

Episode image
Follow this show
Episode 16

What’s the Downside to Being Goal-Oriented?

Also: how does a cook become a chef? With Gabrielle Hamilton.

Episode image
Follow this show
Episode 97

Are Women Really Less Happy Than Men?

Why are women unhappier than men? What can we do to move the needle? And is it better to be happy or to be good?…

Episode image
Follow this show
Episode 367

The Future of Meat (Replay)

Global demand for beef, chicken, and pork continues to rise. So do concerns about environmental and other costs. Will reconciling these two forces be possible — or, even better, Impossible™?

Episode image
Follow this show
Episode 374

How Spotify Saved the Music Industry (But Not Necessarily Musicians)

Daniel Ek, a 23-year-old Swede who grew up on pirated music, made the record labels an offer they couldn’t refuse: a legal platform to stream all the world’s music. Spotify…

Episode image
Follow this show
Episode 418

What Will College Look Like in the Fall (and Beyond)?

Three university presidents try to answer our listeners’ questions. The result? Not much pomp and a whole lot of circumstance.


Episode image
Follow this show
Episode 553

The Suddenly Diplomatic Rahm Emanuel

The famously profane politician and operative is now U.S. ambassador to Japan, where he’s trying to rewrite the rules of diplomacy. But don’t worry: When it comes to China, he’s…

A letter the NY Times chose not to print

…rules). The analyses were being performed in the 1978-1980 time window (mostly 1979). One of the items for evaluation was child safety seats. We evaluated child seat performance based on…




Episode image
Follow this show
Episode 75

What Is Sugar Really Doing to You?

Americans eat a lot of sugar — and it’s hard to determine how it affects our health. Bapu explains how a new study uses data from the 1950s to help…