765 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
    • 4.5 • 29.2K 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

    Extra: Madeleine Albright’s Warning on Immigration

    Extra: Madeleine Albright’s Warning on Immigration

    She arrived in the U.S. as an 11-year-old refugee, then rose to become Secretary of State. Her views on immigration, nationalism, and borders, from this 2015 interview, are almost strangely appropriate to the present moment.

    • 29 min
    580. The True Story of America’s Supremely Messed-Up Immigration System

    580. The True Story of America’s Supremely Messed-Up Immigration System

    How did a nation of immigrants come to hate immigration? We start at the beginning, sort through the evidence, and explain why your grandfather was lying about Ellis Island. (Part one of a three-part series.)

    • 55 min
    579. Are You Caught in a Social Media Trap?

    579. Are You Caught in a Social Media Trap?

    Economists have discovered an odd phenomenon: many people who use social media (even you, maybe?) wish it didn’t exist. But that doesn’t mean they can escape.

    • 42 min
    Extra: What Is Sportswashing — and Does It Work? (Update)

    Extra: What Is Sportswashing — and Does It Work? (Update)

    In ancient Rome, it was bread and circuses. Today, it’s a World Cup, an Olympics, and a new Saudi-backed golf league that’s challenging the PGA Tour. Can a sporting event really repair a country’s reputation — or will it trigger the dreaded Streisand Effect? Also: why the major U.S. sports leagues are warming up to the idea of foreign investment.

    • 1 hr 5 min
    578. Water, Water Everywhere — But You Have to Stop and Think

    578. Water, Water Everywhere — But You Have to Stop and Think

    What surprises lurk in our sewage? How did racist city planners end up saving Black lives? Why does Arizona grow hay for cows in Saudi Arabia? Three strange stories about the most fundamental substance we all take for granted.

    • 52 min
    Is Google Getting Worse? (Update)

    Is Google Getting Worse? (Update)

    It used to feel like magic. Now it can feel like a set of cheap tricks. Is the problem with Google — or with us? And is Google Search finally facing a real rival, in the form of A.I.-powered “answer engines”?

    • 56 min

Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5
29.2K Ratings

29.2K Ratings

annashordd ,

Don’t know what I’d do without you

I absolutely love the new Americas Messed Up Immigration Series deep dive!! Please keep producing stuff like this and interesting conversations we are having!!! womp womp womp ❤️

goodenheart ,

Feynman series

Really enjoyed the Feynman series. As a fellow Jew who grew up in Queens, I didn’t realize what a rich and amazing life Richard Feynman had. Kudos to the Freakonomics team for bringing Feynman’s legacy to life! He sure lived life to the max! Will read about him with my kids during our family reading time! Thank you!

nodicenodice ,

Stop the whistling

The whistling audio is painful. No one enjoys whistling except the whistler.

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