Freakonomics Radio
Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
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.
To get every show in the Freakonomics Radio Network without ads and a monthly bonus episode of Freakonomics Radio, start a free trial for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.
To get every show in the Freakonomics Radio Network without ads and a monthly bonus episode of Freakonomics Radio, start a free trial for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 23, 2017 • 33min
How Safe Is Your Job? (Rebroadcast)
Economists preach the gospel of "creative destruction," whereby new industries -- and jobs -- replace the old ones. But has creative destruction become too destructive?
6 snips
Mar 16, 2017 • 31min
279. Why Is My Life So Hard?
This podcast explores why people feel their lives are harder and the tendency to undervalue the advantages they have. It discusses the phenomenon of perceiving obstacles in one's own life while assuming others have it easier, and explores the importance of recognizing the role of luck and external factors in achieving success.
Mar 9, 2017 • 31min
278. Chuck E. Cheese’s: Where a Kid Can Learn Price Theory
The pizza-and-gaming emporium prides itself on affordability, which means its arcade games are really cheap to play. Does that lead to kids hogging the best games — and parents starting those infamous YouTube brawls?
Mar 2, 2017 • 32min
277. The Taboo Trifecta
The serial entrepreneur Miki Agrawal loves to talk about the bodily functions that make most people flinch. That's why she's building a business around the three P's: periods, pee, and poop.
Feb 23, 2017 • 56min
276. No Hollywood Ending for the Visual-Effects Industry
In their chase for a global audience, American movie studios spend billions to make their films look amazing. But almost none of those dollars stay in America. What would it take to bring those jobs back -- and would it be worth it?
Feb 16, 2017 • 37min
275. Professor Hendryx vs. Big Coal
What happens when a public-health researcher deep in coal country argues that mountaintop mining endangers the entire community? Hint: it doesn't go very well.
12 snips
Feb 9, 2017 • 42min
How to Get More Grit in Your Life
The psychologist Angela Duckworth argues that a person's level of stick-to-itiveness is directly related to their level of success. No big surprise there. But grit, she says, isn't something you're born with — it can be learned. Here's how.
Feb 2, 2017 • 28min
274. An Egghead’s Guide to the Super Bowl
We assembled a panel of smart dudes -- a two-time Super Bowl champ; a couple of NFL linemen, including one who's getting a math Ph.D. at MIT; and our resident economist -- to tell you what to watch for, whether you're a football fanatic or a total newbie.
Jan 26, 2017 • 38min
273. Did China Eat America’s Jobs?
For years, economists promised that global free trade would be mostly win-win. Now they admit the pace of change has been "traumatic." This has already led to a political insurrection -- so what's next?
Jan 19, 2017 • 39min
Is the American Dream Really Dead?
Just a few decades ago, more than 90 percent of 30-year-olds earned more than their parents had earned at the same age. Now it's only about 50 percent. What happened -- and what can be done about it?
