Economist Emily Oster challenges parenting myths using data analysis, discusses topics like sleep training & breastfeeding, emphasizes data-driven decision making, debunks pregnancy myths, and explores cultural influences on parenting practices.

Join notable guests like Ezra Klein, a journalist whose insights on parenting reveal the unexpected joys of raising kids, and Emily Oster, an economist sharing data-driven advice for family life. Holden Karnofsky discusses the surprise fun of parenthood, while Bryan Caplan reflects on homeschooling. The conversation explores the complexities of parental happiness, the reality of balancing work and family, and the everyday joys of connecting with children. Dive into evidence-based insights and personal anecdotes for a richer understanding of modern parenting.

Emily Oster, a professor of economics at Brown University, dives into the murky waters of vaccine conspiracies and fluoride myths. She discusses the shifting trust from established institutions to figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Oster emphasizes the importance of clear, data-driven communication in combating misinformation. The conversation highlights the complexities of public health messaging, particularly around vaccines, and the urgent need to rebuild trust with skeptical audiences. The episode is an insightful look at today's public health challenges.

Emily Oster, expert on pregnancy and parenting, shares evidence-based insights on topics including pregnancy myths, antidepressants during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and childcare. The importance of making key childbirth decisions and having a trusted provider is discussed, along with practical tips for managing overwhelming parenting tasks. The impact of parenthood on careers, fertility decline at age 35, and the effects of children on relationships and happiness are also explored.

When my wife Nellie was pregnant last year, we became obsessed with Economist Emily Oster’s book, Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom Is Wrong–and What You Really Need to Know. Amidst a barrage of conflicting and confusing pregnancy advice, Oster laid out the data on everything we needed to know. Despite what doctors said, sushi, cheese, and the occasional glass of wine were all okay during those nine long months. It gave us the much needed calm we needed during a time of so much uncertainty. With her two subsequent books Cribsheet and The Family Firm, Oster popularized a new phenomenon that has defined our generation of parents: data-driven parenting. It ditches the long lists of paternalistic rules, and instead examines peer-reviewed evidence and lets parents make their own informed decisions about their kids based on risks and tradeoffs.Nowhere was the Oster mentality more front and center, and more divisive, than during Covid. She argued very early on in the pandemic for less draconian and more nuanced policies. She wrote pieces in the Atlantic like, Schools Aren’t Superspreaders and Your Unvaccinated Kids Is Like A Vaccinated Grandma, when those words were considered heresy. And while she made quite a few enemies on the left over the last few years, recently she wrote Let’s Declare A Pandemic Amnesty, and earned herself some enemies on the right as well.Today, my wife Nellie Bowles joins me to talk to Oster about why a Harvard-educated economist at Brown University decided to become a parenting guru, how she used her parenting framework to become a leading expert on pandemic policies, and the unwinnable position of… actually following the science. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emily Oster, a Brown University economics professor and author, questions modern parenting practices. She reminisces about her unsupervised childhood versus her children’s more sheltered experiences. The discussion tackles the decline of free play and its impact on kids' independence, happiness, and mental health. Oster highlights parental anxiety and the societal pressures contributing to overprotectiveness. She advocates for a balance between safety and independence, encouraging parents to foster resilience and explore alternative parenting strategies.

Emily Oster, co-author of 'The Unexpected', discusses navigating pregnancy complications, emotional challenges, and advocating for reproductive health care. The podcast covers the importance of support, understanding, self-care, and the evolving approaches to pregnancy and parenting through data-driven advice.

Economist Emily Oster and Dr. Nathan Fox discuss using data to navigate pregnancy complications, emphasizing patient-centered care. Topics include disparities in pregnancy outcomes, advocating for oneself in medical settings, V-back versus repeat cesarean choices, and the importance of proper care and support post-childbirth complications.

If you or a partner is expecting or planning for children, you won't want to miss this one! This week, I'm welcoming back Professor Emily Oster, the NYT Best-Selling author of Expecting Better. I LOVE her work. There's now a new edition of Expecting Better with updated and revised information which you can find here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/310896/expecting-better-by-emily-oster/Sponsored byZocDoc: You need ZocDoc! Download the FREE app at zocdoc.com/humansEveryplate: Get $1.49 per meal by going to EveryPlate .com/podcast and entering code 49humans.KiwiCo: Get 50% off your first month plus FREE shipping on ANY crate line at kiwico.com/RGHSeed: Visit seed.com/RAISING and use code RAISING to redeem 25% off your first month of Seed's DS-01® Daily Synbiotic.Produced by Dear MediaThis episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Economist Emily Oster and Tim Harford discuss data-driven parenting decisions in the podcast. They cover topics like pregnancy complications, breastfeeding's impact on IQ, navigating healthcare conversations, applying economic principles to family life, and the challenges of interdisciplinary collaboration in academia.