Podcast · 140 episodes
Freakonomics Radio, page 2
by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher · English
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.
All episodes, page 2
The World Is (Still) Drowning in SludgeThe episode argues that “sludge” (bureaucratic or design choices that make actions harder) is widespread and often strategic, especially in healthcare and subscriptions.24 Jun 2026 · 55 min · 24 chapters
678. Who Gets to Choose a “Good Death”?“Who gets to choose a ‘good death’?”—how assisted dying/MAID laws, moral objections, and end-of-life care practices shape autonomy, dignity, and risk.19 Jun 2026 · 50 min · 21 chapters
677. Can Backgammon Save Us from Ourselves?Backgammon’s resurgence as a “game of economics/life,” blending probability, decision-making, and community-building; plus how modern AI and online platforms changed play and money games.12 Jun 2026 · 59 min · 31 chapters
This Is Your Brain on Pollution (Update)Whether short-term and long-term air pollution (especially PM2.5 particulate matter) impairs human cognition, education, and productivity, and how policy can reduce these harms.10 Jun 2026 · 47 min · 18 chapters
676. Has America Lost the Plot?Fareed Zakaria discusses whether America has “lost the plot,” using the Iran conflict and U.S. politics as case studies. He argues the U.S.5 Jun 2026 · 1 h 5 min · 26 chapters
The Vanishing Mr. Feynman (Update)A three-part replay’s final episode on Richard Feynman, focusing on his “edge” experiences at the Esalen Institute, his psychedelic experiments there, his role in the Challenger investigation, and…29 May 2026 · 1 h 1 min · 28 chapters
The Brilliant Mr. Feynman (Update)This episode (part two of a replay) focuses on Richard Feynman’s wartime experience, postwar depression, and later life as a Caltech scientist and professor, plus personal relationships that shaped…27 May 2026 · 53 min · 23 chapters
The Curious Mr. Feynman (Update)A replay of Freakonomics Radio’s “The Curious Mr. Feynman” (part one) tracing Richard Feynman’s life through his role on the 1986 Challenger investigation and his broader philosophy of honest inquiry.22 May 2026 · 1 h 3 min · 23 chapters
675. Has the New York Times Become a Games Company?The episode argues that play and game design benefit people, then examines whether The New York Times is becoming a “games company.” It concludes the Times is not becoming one; games are a major…15 May 2026 · 57 min · 20 chapters
674. How Does a Composer Feel After the World Premiere?David Lang’s modern oratorio Wealth of Nations, set to Adam Smith’s 250-year-old text, and what it feels like after its world premiere with the New York Philharmonic—plus the piece’s message about…8 May 2026 · 45 min · 25 chapters
Was Adam Smith Really a Right-Winger? (Update)Whether Adam Smith was truly a “right-wing” free-market patron saint, and how later economists and politicians reshaped his ideas into a conservative/libertarian icon.6 May 2026 · 1 h 8 min · 21 chapters
673. What Is Money?Freakonomics Radio explores money through a world-premiere oratorio, David Lang’s The Wealth of Nations, based on Adam Smith’s 1776 book.1 May 2026 · 54 min · 30 chapters
672. What Makes Judy Faulkner Run?Judy Faulkner’s leadership at Epic Systems—how the company built electronic health records and related tools (e.g., MyChart, Care Everywhere) by prioritizing integrated software, customer success,…24 Apr 2026 · 1 h 1 min · 35 chapters
Why Does Everyone Hate Rats? (Update)Updated Freakonomics Radio episode on why people hate rats, focusing on New York City’s “rat mitigation” efforts, rat behavior, and whether rats truly caused the Black Death; includes cultural blame…22 Apr 2026 · 41 min · 19 chapters
671. Why Has There Been So Little Progress on Alzheimer’s Disease?The episode asks why Alzheimer’s disease has seen little progress despite billions in research and new FDA blood tests.17 Apr 2026 · 1 h 1 min · 22 chapters
670. Beeconomics 101Episode 670, “Beeconomics 101,” explains honeybee economics through positive externalities, honey fraud, and market failure.10 Apr 2026 · 56 min · 26 chapters
Ten Myths About the U.S. Tax System (Update)An update of Freakonomics Radio’s episode on “Ten Myths About the U.S.8 Apr 2026 · 1 h 4 min · 22 chapters
669. Why Is 95 Percent of the World’s Bourbon Made in Kentucky?Why bourbon production is concentrated in Kentucky (especially near Lexington/bluegrass), how time/aging drives bourbon economics and pricing, and why the industry is facing oversupply as demand…3 Apr 2026 · 46 min · 20 chapters
668. Do Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny Have Blood on Their Hands?A new NBER working paper tests whether smartphone distraction from streaming popular music is associated with higher traffic fatalities on major album release days.27 Mar 2026 · 54 min · 31 chapters
In a Driverless World, Who Loses and Who Wins?Part two of a two-part series on driverless cars—who benefits and who loses—told through Uber’s disruption of taxi medallions, then Boston’s political fight over Waymo’s planned autonomous…25 Mar 2026 · 1 h 6 min · 21 chapters
Are Human Drivers Finally Obsolete?Whether human drivers are becoming obsolete, framed through the history and engineering of driverless cars—starting from 1800s fears of automobiles, then DARPA’s Grand Challenges, and culminating in…20 Mar 2026 · 1 h 11 min · 31 chapters
667. Here’s Why You Are Constantly Fighting Off ScammersThe episode explains why scams persist and spread like an “industry,” how they target people (especially via data, emotional manipulation, and AI), and what the U.S. and platforms can do.13 Mar 2026 · 47 min · 23 chapters
666. This Is How Progress HappensHow technological progress happens, arguing it depends on culture and institutions, not just inventions; why GDP can miss welfare gains; and what to do about future risks like climate change, AI, and…6 Mar 2026 · 53 min · 17 chapters
The Most Powerful People You’ve Never Heard Of (Update)Updated look at how “hidden” commodity traders (firms like Glencore, Trafigura, Vitol, Gunvor, Mercuria, Cargill) influence geopolitics and prices by moving physical oil, metals, and agricultural…4 Mar 2026 · 1 h 6 min · 26 chapters