Forget Everything You Know About Your Dog (Ep. 436)

As beloved and familiar as they are, we rarely stop to consider life from the dog’s point of view. That stops now. In this latest installment of the Freakonomics Radio Book Club, we discuss Inside of a Dog with the cognitive scientist (and dog devotee) Alexandra Horowitz. Listen and subscribe to our podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or elsewhere....

1d

Is It Wrong to Crave Praise? (NSQ Ep. 23)

Also: should everyone have their own trauma score? *      *      * Relevant Research & References Here’s where you can learn more about the people and ideas in this episode: SOURCES Carol Dweck, professor of psychology at Stanford University. Bruce McEwen, former neuroscientist at the Rockefeller University. George Bonanno, professor...

5d

“Hey, Let’s Go Buy YouTube!” | People I (Mostly) Admire Ep. 5: Susan Wojcicki

She was the sixteenth employee at Google — a company once based in her garage — and now she’s the C.E.O. of its best-known subsidiary, YouTube. But despite being one of the most powerful people in the tech industry, few outside of Silicon Valley know the name Susan Wojcicki. Levitt talks with her about the early days of Google, how her background in...

6d

Why Are Cities (Still) So Expensive? (Ep. 435)

It isn’t just supply and demand. We look at the complicated history and skewed incentives that make “affordable housing” more punch line than reality in cities from New York and San Francisco to Flint, Michigan (!). Listen and subscribe to our podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or elsewhere. Below is a transcript of the episode, edited for readability....

2w

Why Do We Buy Things We’ll Never Use? (NSQ Ep. 22)

Also: how is social media like a knife? *      *      * Relevant Research & References Here’s where you can learn more about the people and ideas in this episode: SOURCES Marie Kondo bestselling author, star of the Netflix show “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo,” and founder of KonMari Media, Inc. James March, former professor of business...

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“I’m Not as Childlike as I’d Like to Be” | People I Mostly Admire Bonus Episode: Steve Levitt

Steve Levitt has so far occupied the interviewer chair on his new show, but in a special live event — recorded over Zoom and presented by WNYC and the Greene Space — the microphone is turned toward him. His Freakonomics friend and co-author Stephen Dubner checks in on the wisdom Levitt has extracted from his interviews, finds out why Levitt is happiest...

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Is New York City Over? (Ep. 434)

The pandemic has hit America’s biggest city particularly hard. Amidst a deep fiscal hole, rising homicides, and a flight to the suburbs, some people think the city is heading back to the bad old 1970s. We look at the history — and the data — to see why that’s probably not the case. Listen and subscribe to our podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or elsewhere....

3w

How Can You Identify Hidden Talent? With Eric Schmidt (NSQ Ep. 21)

Also: is there a downside to billionaire philanthropy?  *      *      * Relevant Research & References Here’s where you can learn more about the people and ideas in this episode: EXPERTS Eric Schmidt, former C.E.O. of Google. Dick Nisbett, social psychologist at University of Michigan. RESOURCES “Team Players: How Social...

3w

“Don’t Neglect the Thing That Makes You Weird” | People I (Mostly) Admire Ep. 4: Ken Jennings

It was only in his late twenties that America’s favorite brainiac began to seriously embrace his love of trivia. Now he holds the “Greatest of All Time” title on Jeopardy! Steve Levitt digs into how he trained for the show, what it means to have a “geographic memory,” and why we lie to our children. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Radio...

3w

How Are Psychedelics and Other Party Drugs Changing Psychiatry? (Ep. 433)

Three leading researchers from the Mount Sinai Health System discuss how ketamine, cannabis, and ecstasy are being used (or studied) to treat everything from severe depression to addiction to PTSD. We discuss the upsides, downsides, and regulatory puzzles. Listen and subscribe to our podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or elsewhere. Below is a transcript...

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