Freakonomics Radio

Epizódy

• Why Cooking is Caregiving, with Chef Hillary Sterling | Better in Person 22.07.2026 42min

  Hillary Sterling was a Brooklyn kid raised on cream cheese sandwiches and canned potatoes. So how did she become one of New York City's best chefs? The Ci Siamo executive chef explains on the second episode of Better in Person.
• Are You Really Allergic to Penicillin? (Update) 17.07.2026 1h 5min

  Like tens of millions of people, Stephen Dubner thought he had a penicillin allergy. Like the vast majority, he didn’t. This misdiagnosis costs billions of dollars and causes serious health problems, so why hasn’t it been fixed? We find out in this update of a 2025 episode.
• How a Great Architect Thinks, with Bjarke Ingels | Better in Person 14.07.2026 43min

  Is the oxymoron really “the secret sauce to everything”? That’s the case Ingels makes in this debut episode of our new video show Better in Person, filmed in Stephen Dubner’s living room. If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, watch it on YouTube or Apple Podcasts.
• 681. How to Host a Talk Show, with Dick Cavett 09.07.2026 43min

  Stephen Dubner had an idea for a new project. So he drove to Connecticut and knocked on the door of the master. Dubner’s new TV talk show Better in Person launches July 14 on the Freakonomics YouTube channel.
• 680. Can Universities Win Back Our Trust? 03.07.2026 49min

  Dartmouth president Sian Beilock, a psychologist by training, made her name studying why people choke. Now she’s applying those insights to one of the most scrutinized jobs in America. No pressure!
• 679. Why Does Vanderbilt Keep Winning? 26.06.2026 1h 4min

  It’s a hard time to run a university: public trust is low, political pressure is high, and finances are fragile. But Daniel Diermeier, who trained as a political scientist, has Vanderbilt humming. How? He says the key is choosing magnets over wedges.
• The World Is (Still) Drowning in Sludge 24.06.2026 54min

  Insurance forms that make no sense. Subscriptions that can’t be cancelled. A never-ending blizzard of automated notifications. In this update of a 2025 episode, Stephen Dubner discovers where all this sludge comes from — and how much it’s costing us.
• 678. Who Gets to Choose a “Good Death”? 19.06.2026 50min

  New York is the latest state to legalize medical aid in dying. Stephen Dubner speaks with the governor who signed the law, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, a death doula — and an ethicist who thinks the very idea is wrong.
• 677. Can Backgammon Save Us from Ourselves? 12.06.2026 59min

  It brings strangers together. It teaches probability, strategy, and emotional control. It has even helped N.F.L. teams win the Super Bowl. Stephen Dubner explores why this ancient game is having a renaissance. (Part two of a series, “We Are All Gamers Now.”)
• This Is Your Brain on Pollution (Update) 10.06.2026 47min

  As the Trump administration rolls back environmental regulations, we revisit a 2022 episode that explored the hidden cost of an invisible threat: air pollution.
• 676. Has America Lost the Plot? 05.06.2026 1h 5min

  Another war in the Middle East. A retreat from the international order. A presidency built on self-dealing and arbitrary power. It’s enough to make you think the U.S. is in a steep decline — but Fareed Zakaria thinks otherwise.
• The Vanishing Mr. Feynman (Update) 29.05.2026 1h

  In his final years, Richard Feynman's curiosity took him to some surprising places. We hear from his companions on the trips he took — and one he wasn’t able to. (Part three of a three-part series originally published in 2024.)
• The Brilliant Mr. Feynman (Update) 27.05.2026 52min

  What happens when an existentially depressed and recently widowed young physicist from Queens gets a fresh start in California? We follow Richard Feynman out west, to explore his long and extremely fruitful second act. (Part two of a three-part series originally published in 2024.)
• The Curious Mr. Feynman (Update) 22.05.2026 1h 3min

  From the Manhattan Project to the Challenger investigation, the physicist Richard Feynman loved to shoot down what he called “lousy ideas.” Today, the world is awash in lousy ideas — so maybe it’s time to get some more Feynman in our lives? (Part one of a three-part series originally published in 2024.)
• 675. Has the New York Times Become a Games Company? 15.05.2026 57min

  Not exactly. But their runaway success with games like Wordle says something bigger about the way we live now. (Part one of a series, “We Are All Gamers Now.”)
• 674. How Does a Composer Feel After the World Premiere? 08.05.2026 45min

  Great. Then depressed. Then great again. Stephen Dubner gets the full story from David Lang; we also hear from some fans, and the New York Philharmonic’s president. The math and the aftermath of “wealth of nations.” (Part two of a series.)
• Was Adam Smith Really a Right-Winger? (Update) 06.05.2026 1h 8min

  Economists and politicians have turned him into a mascot for free-market ideology. Some on the left say the right has badly misread him. In this updated replay of a 2022 episode, we hold a very Smithy tug of war.
• 673. What Is Money? 01.05.2026 54min

  That’s what the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang wanted to learn. So he turned Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations into an oratorio. We tag along as Lang’s piece heads toward its world premiere with the New York Philharmonic. (Part one of a two-part series.)
• 672. What Makes Judy Faulkner Run? 24.04.2026 1h

  Epic Systems manages the electronic health records for hundreds of millions of people. This makes Faulkner a healthcare heavyweight and one of the most successful female entrepreneurs in history. So why haven’t we ever heard much from her? Stephen Dubner travels to Verona, Wisc., to explore the Faulknerverse.
• Why Does Everyone Hate Rats? (Update) 22.04.2026 40min

  New York City’s mayor called them “public enemy number one.” History books say they caused the Black Death — although recent scientific evidence disputes that claim. In an updated episode from 2025, we ask: Is the rat a scapegoat? And what does our rat hatred say about us?