Freakonomics co-author Stephen J. Dubner uncovers the hidden side of everything. Why is it safer to fly in an airplane than drive a car? How do we decide whom to marry? Why is the media so full of bad news? Also: things you never knew you wanted to know about wolves, bananas, pollution, search engines, and the quirks of human behavior.
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What “Sleep No More” and the Stanford Prison Experiment tell us about who we really are.
Dubner and Levitt talk about fixing the post office, putting cameras in the classroom, and wearing hats.
Most people blame lack of time for being out of shape. So maybe the solution is to exercise more efficiently.
A commitment device forces you to be the person you really want to be. What could possibly go wrong?
This week’s episode of Freakonomics Radio takes a look at Pope Francis’s critique of the free-market system in “Evangelii Gaudium” (“The Joy of the Gospel”), his first apostolic exhortation.
It’s easy to get that idea. But is the stereotype true?
More than 1 million people die worldwide each year from traffic accidents. But there’s never been a safer time to drive.
It’s time to do away with feel-good stories, gut hunches, and magical thinking.
Spontaneous order is everywhere if you know where to look for it.
The online universe doesn’t have nearly as many rules, or rulemakers, as the real world. Discuss.
College tends to make people happier, healthier, and wealthier. But how?
What’s a college degree really worth these days?
Being green is rarely a black-and-white issue — but that doesn’t stop marketers and politicians from pretending it is.
We spend billions on our pets, and one of the fastest-growing costs is pet “aftercare.” But are those cremated remains you got back really from your pet?
The science of what works — and doesn’t work — in fundraising.
Dubner and Levitt field your queries in this latest installment of our FREAK-quently Asked Questions.
A 19th-century Georgia land lottery may have something to teach us about today’s income inequality.
Think you know how much parents matter? Think again. Economists crunch the numbers to learn the ROI on child-rearing.
Once upon a time, office workers across America lived in fear of a dreaded infirmity. Was the computer keyboard really the villain — and did carpal tunnel syndrome really go away?
There are more than twice as many suicides as murders in the U.S., but suicide attracts far less scrutiny. Freakonomics Radio digs through the numbers and finds all kinds of surprises.
It’s impossible to say for sure, but the Lebanese do remarkably well. Why?
Human beings love to predict the future, but we’re quite terrible at it. So how about punishing all those bad predictions?
Chicago has given the world more than sausage, crooked politics, and Da Bears.
We worship the tradition of handing off a family business to the next generation. But is that really such a good idea?
Even American parents have a strong “son preference” — which means that a newborn daughter can be bad news for a marriage.
You know the saying: a winner never quits and a quitter never wins. To which Freakonomics Radio says … Are you sure?
The Encyclopedia of Ethical Failures catalogs the fiscal, sexual, and mental lapses of federal workers — all with an eye toward preventing the next big mistake.
What does “Pride and Prejudice” have to do with nuclear deterrence?
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