Podcast · 140 episodes
Freakonomics Radio, page 3
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 3
665. Werner Herzog Isn’t Afraid ...Conversation with filmmaker Werner Herzog about his worldview, “incessant striving” toward truth, why he rejects “accountant’s truth” and cinema verité fact-claims, and how he handles criticism, AI,…27 Feb 2026 · 49 min · 16 chapters
664. Are Thousands of Medical Cures Hiding in Plain Sight?Repurposing existing drugs to treat diseases without approved therapies, and the economics/policy barriers to doing so.20 Feb 2026 · 52 min · 25 chapters
All You Need Is Nudge (Update)Richard Thaler (University of Chicago) discusses his book Nudge (updated “Final Edition”) with Stephen Dubner: choice architecture, what counts as a nudge vs taxes/bans, why nudging can’t solve…18 Feb 2026 · 57 min · 23 chapters
663. Is Weed a Performance-Enhancing Drug?Whether cannabis (especially THC) is a performance-enhancing drug for athletes, and how it may improve performance indirectly via mood, motivation, recovery, and anxiety relief; includes a second…13 Feb 2026 · 51 min · 21 chapters
662. If You’re Not Cheating, You’re Not TryingRules, cheating, and performance enhancement—using sport as a “practice” for society’s shifting standards, then examining how doping rules work in practice and how “cheating” is defined.6 Feb 2026 · 53 min · 24 chapters
Why Don’t Running Backs Get Paid Anymore? (Update)Why NFL running backs’ salaries and importance have declined despite the league’s continued need for rushing, and what changed in economics, analytics, rules, and labor contracts.4 Feb 2026 · 58 min · 18 chapters
661. Can A.I. Save Your Life?How AI could “save your life” by transforming healthcare delivery, moving beyond slow, sloppy digital adoption toward a “suddenly” leap.30 Jan 2026 · 1 h · 27 chapters
660. The Wellness Industry Is Gigantic — and Mostly WrongThe wellness industry’s $7T scale and why much of its advice is either needlessly complicated or overly simplistic.23 Jan 2026 · 1 h 5 min · 30 chapters
Steve Levitt Quits His Podcast, Joins OursSteve Levitt ends his podcast People I Mostly Admire (PIMA) and joins Freakonomics Radio as an occasional guest host.21 Jan 2026 · 46 min · 18 chapters
659. Can Marty Makary Fix the F.D.A.?Marty Makary, FDA Commissioner, discusses how the FDA should modernize drug/food regulation, speed approvals, reduce regulatory “dogma,” lower drug prices, and communicate evidence-based guidance…16 Jan 2026 · 55 min · 24 chapters
658. This Is Your Brain on SupplementsThe episode examines the U.S. brain-supplement industry—how supplements are marketed, how little they’re regulated compared with drugs, and what evidence exists for cognitive benefits.9 Jan 2026 · 53 min · 21 chapters
Are Personal Finance Gurus Giving You Bad Advice? (Update)Whether popular personal finance “gurus” give bad advice compared with what economists recommend, focusing on differences in assumptions about human behavior, incentives, and risk.2 Jan 2026 · 1 h 1 min · 28 chapters
Are You Ready for a Fresh Start? (Update)The “fresh start effect” and when disruptions (New Year’s, birthdays, new jobs, moves, even forced changes) help people change behavior—and when they backfire.30 Dec 2025 · 43 min · 17 chapters
Are the Rich Really Less Generous Than the Poor? (Update)Whether richer people are less generous/selfish than poorer people, and how to separate “preferences” from “incentives” created by poverty.26 Dec 2025 · 44 min · 23 chapters
657. Whose “Messiah” Is It Anyway?This episode is the final installment of Freakonomics Radio’s “Making Messiah” series, asking “Whose Messiah is it anyway?” It traces how Handel’s Messiah became a long-lived public phenomenon, then…19 Dec 2025 · 48 min · 18 chapters
Who Pays for “Messiah”?Whether the New York Philharmonic should keep performing Handel’s Messiah, and who pays for it—linking arts funding to ticket economics, philanthropy, and patronage; plus Gary Parr’s personal and…17 Dec 2025 · 42 min · 22 chapters
656. How Handel Got His Mojo BackHow George Frideric Handel’s 1741 trip to Dublin and the rapid composition/premiere of Messiah helped revive his career, finances, and health, and how the work evolved from a Dublin charity premiere…12 Dec 2025 · 57 min · 20 chapters
655. “The Greatest Piece of Participatory Art Ever Created”Why Handel’s Messiah endures as “the greatest piece of participatory art,” focusing on hope, audience involvement, and Messiah’s 1742 Dublin premiere and charitable origins.5 Dec 2025 · 57 min · 17 chapters
Dying Is Easy. Retail Is Hard. (Update)Part 2 of Freakonomics Radio’s updated series on the economics of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, using it to discuss whether Macy’s can survive as a department-store business.28 Nov 2025 · 1 h 2 min · 31 chapters
Is Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade Its Most Valuable Asset? (Update)The economics and value of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade—how it’s produced, who pays for what (helium, city services, security, sanitation), and whether the parade is Macy’s most valuable asset…27 Nov 2025 · 53 min · 29 chapters
654. Is the Public Ready for Private Equity?In this episode of Freakonomics Radio, host Stephen J. Dubner explores the implications of a new executive order signed by President Trump, which aims to give retail investors increased access to…21 Nov 2025 · 1 h 3 min
653. Does Horse Racing Have a Future?In the third part of the series titled "The Horse Is Us," this episode explores the current state and future prospects of horse racing.14 Nov 2025 · 1 h 2 min
What Happens When You Turn 20Geoff Bennett, co-anchor of PBS NewsHour12 Nov 2025 · 1 h 3 min
652. Inside the Horse-Industrial ComplexThis episode explores the economics of the thoroughbred industry in Kentucky, focusing on breeding, jockeys, and the factors that maintain the state's dominance in the thoroughbred economy.7 Nov 2025 · 1 h 1 min