774 episodes

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.

Join the Freakonomics Radio Plus membership program for weekly member-only episodes of Freakonomics Radio. You’ll also get every show in our network without ads. To sign up, visit our show page on Apple Podcasts or go to freakonomics.com/plus.

Freakonomics Radio Freakonomics Radio

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.7 • 176 Ratings

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

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.

Join the Freakonomics Radio Plus membership program for weekly member-only episodes of Freakonomics Radio. You’ll also get every show in our network without ads. To sign up, visit our show page on Apple Podcasts or go to freakonomics.com/plus.

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

    585. A Social Activist in Prime Minister’s Clothing

    585. A Social Activist in Prime Minister’s Clothing

    Justin Trudeau, facing record-low approval numbers, is doubling down on his progressive agenda. But he is so upbeat (and Canada-polite) that it’s easy to miss just how radical his vision is. Can he make it work?

    • 52 min
    584. How to Pave the Road to Hell

    584. How to Pave the Road to Hell

    So you want to help people? That’s great — but beware the law of unintended consequences. Three stories from the modern workplace.

    • 43 min
    Extra: The Men Who Started a Thinking Revolution (Update)

    Extra: The Men Who Started a Thinking Revolution (Update)

    The psychologist Daniel Kahneman — a Nobel laureate and the author of “Thinking, Fast and Slow” — recently died at age 90. Along with his collaborator Amos Tversky, he changed how we all think about decision-making. The journalist Michael Lewis told the Kahneman-Tversky story in a 2016 book called "The Undoing Project." In this episode, Lewis explains why they had such a profound influence.

    • 34 min
    Extra: The Men Who Started a Thinking Revolution (Update)

    Extra: The Men Who Started a Thinking Revolution (Update)

    The psychologist Daniel Kahneman — a Nobel laureate and the author of “Thinking, Fast and Slow” — recently died at age 90. Along with his collaborator Amos Tversky, he changed how we all think about decision-making. The journalist Michael Lewis told the Kahneman-Tversky story in a 2016 book called "The Undoing Project." In this episode, Lewis explains why they had such a profound influence.

    Why Are There So Many Bad Bosses? (Update)

    Why Are There So Many Bad Bosses? (Update)

    People who are good at their jobs routinely get promoted into bigger jobs they’re bad at. We explain why firms keep producing incompetent managers — and why that’s unlikely to change.

    • 49 min
    583. Are We Living Through the Most Revolutionary Period in History?

    583. Are We Living Through the Most Revolutionary Period in History?

    Fareed Zakaria says yes. But it’s not just political revolution — it’s economic, technological, even emotional. He doesn’t offer easy solutions but he does offer some hope.

    • 1 hr 2 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
176 Ratings

176 Ratings

Ssoctopus ,

Life changing

Congrats on reaching 500 episodes! I’ve been listening to this show for almost a decade now and it has given me so much insight into things I didn’t even know could be interesting. Sports, well-being, education, environment - you name it, this podcast always uncovers a delightful, economic side of things.

Stephen is a master at asking the interesting, thought provoking questions, and does it in a way that disarms the interviewee even when the question could be taken as challenging or confrontational.

It’s also incredible how prepared he is for every single interview. I’m sure there is a whole team dedicated to research but the way Stephen presents it and guides the conversations (maybe it’s simply editing magic) is simply superb.

WilliamCh3n ,

Fantastic!

First of all, thank you so much for presenting a brilliant podcast like this!
I am an English learner meanwhile have some sleeping issues because of the job.
But I have to say listening to this podcast at bed is really relaxing and helpful for me.
You speak clearly and wittily, and also the selected topic every time is very interesting!
Last but not least, hope this podcast could keep ROCKING in the future!

Tokyo George ,

Always a good show

Thank you for all the research you do on topics and guests.

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