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Episode 122

Is Family Overrated?

If you’re frustrated with your family, should you cut ties with them? Who’s more likely to break with relatives over politics, liberals or conservatives? And what would it take for…

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Episode 216

Why Do We Make Excuses?

Is it better to explain a mistake or just accept responsibility? What’s the difference between an excuse and a justification? And why is it important to remember that you’re not…

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Episode 2

Mayim Bialik on the Surprising Risks of Academia and Stability of Show Biz (Replay)

This new Jeopardy! host is best known for playing neurobiologist Amy Farrah Fowler on The Big Bang Theory, but she has a rich life outside of her acting career too,…

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Episode 558

The Facts Are In: Two Parents Are Better Than One

In her new book The Two-Parent Privilege, the economist Melissa Kearney says it’s time for liberals to face the facts: U.S. marriage rates have plummeted but the babies keep coming,…

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Episode 19

The Facts Are In: Two Parents Are Better Than One

In her new book The Two-Parent Privilege, the economist Melissa Kearney says it’s time for liberals to face the facts: U.S. marriage rates have plummeted but the babies keep coming,…

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Episode 17

Emily Oster: “I Am a Woman Who Is Prominently Discussing Vaginas.”

In addition to publishing best-selling books about pregnancy and child-rearing, Emily Oster is a respected economist at Brown University. Over the course of the pandemic, she’s become the primary collector…

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Episode 75

How Do You Deal With Intrusive Thoughts?

Also: how much does confidence really matter?…

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Episode 150

Why Do People Get Scammed? (Replay)

What makes a con succeed? Does snake oil actually work? And just how gullible is Angela?…

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Episode 156

How Do You Connect With Someone You Just Met?

How vulnerable should you get with your coworkers? What’s the benefit of telling strangers about your relationship with your mother? And why did Mike’s childhood home burn down — twice?

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Episode 196

What’s Wrong With Being a Little Neurotic?

Is there any upside to negative emotions? What can comedians teach us about dealing with pain? And why did Angela eat off of a stranger’s plate at a sushi bar?…

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Episode 214

What Does It Take to Survive a Scandal?

How do you come back from being “canceled”? Are we more likely to forgive someone if they cry? And what makes a successful public apology?…

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Episode 63

How Contagious Is Behavior? With Laurie Santos of “The Happiness Lab.” (Replay)

Why do we mirror other people’s accents? Does DJ Khaled get tired of winning? And also: life is good — so why aren’t you happy?…

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Episode 140

Is Envy Healthy?

What does social media do to our self-esteem? How is envy affecting our politics? And should you go to your high school reunion? Take the Seven Deadly Sins survey: freakonomics.com/nsq-sins/…

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Episode 143

How Sinful Are “No Stupid Questions” Listeners?

What does the Seven Deadly Sins survey tell us about the people who listen to this podcast? Are we more afflicted by sloth or by lust? And what does Angela…

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Episode 46

Amanda & Lily Levitt Share What It’s Like to be Steve’s Daughters

Steve shows a different side of himself in very personal interviews with his two oldest daughters. Amanda talks about growing up with social anxiety and her decision to not go…

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Episode 181

What’s So Great About Meritocracy?

Do you really deserve the credit for your accomplishments? Should college admissions be determined by lottery? And how did Mike’s contribution to a charity auction change his life?…

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Episode 159

How Much Personal Space Do You Need?

How do you deal with a close talker? Is Angela drinking too much water? And why can’t Mike keep his phone out of his bedroom?

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Episode 186

Why Do People Keep Having Children?

Even a brutal natural disaster doesn’t diminish our appetite for procreating. This surely means we’re heading toward massive overpopulation, right? Probably not.

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Episode 169

Can We Disagree Better?

Do you suffer from the sin of certainty? How did Angela react when a grad student challenged her research? And can a Heineken commercial strengthen our democracy?…

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Episode 177

What Does Success Look Like?

What matters more: meeting our own ambitions, or winning fame and glory? What’s it like to earn a gold medal at the Olympics? And why didn’t Mike’s grandfather get a…

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EXTRA

UPDATE: John Green’s Reluctant Rocket Ship Ride

Author and YouTuber John Green thought his breakout bestseller wouldn’t be a commercial success, wrote 40,000 words for one sentence, and brought Steve to tears….

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Episode 127

How Can You Be a Better Communicator?

How do you express yourself when you’re not sure what you want to say? What’s the number one way to get people to listen to you? And why are letters…

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Episode 186

Why Do People Keep Having Children? (Replay)

Even a brutal natural disaster doesn’t diminish our appetite for procreating. This surely means we’re heading toward massive overpopulation, right? Probably not.

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Episode 436

Forget Everything You Know About Your Dog

As beloved and familiar as they are, we rarely stop to consider life from the dog’s point of view. That stops now. In this latest installment of the Freakonomics Radio…

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Episode 137

Richard Dawkins on God, Genes, and Murderous Baby Cuckoos

The author of the classic The Selfish Gene is still changing the way we think about evolution….

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Episode 193

Are You as Conscientious as You Think You Are?

Is it really that important to make your bed? What’s the benefit of hiring a lazy person? And how many cups of spinach can Mike fit in a red Solo…

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Episode 18

How Do You Raise a “Likable” Kid?

Also: what’s so great about friendship?…

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Episode 37

How Do You Know if People Don’t Like You?

Also: do self-help books really help?…

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Episode 190

What’s the Point of Nostalgia?

Is it dangerous to live in the past? Why is Disney remaking all of its classic movies? And why does Angela get sentimental over a cup of soup and a…

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Episode 8

Wouldn’t It Be Better to Hear Your Eulogy Before You’re Dead?

Also: how does a comedian cope with tragedy? With Eugene Mirman….