591. Signs of Progress, One Year at a Ti...

<p>A Trump executive order is giving retail investors more access to private markets. Is that a golden opportunity — or fool’s gold?</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://law.duke.edu/fac/defontenay/">Elisabeth de Fontenay,</a> professor of law at D ... Show More

<p>Thoroughbred auction prices keep setting records. But tracks are closing, gambling revenues are falling, and the sport is increasingly reliant on subsidies. Is that the kind of long shot anybody wants? (Part three of a series, “<a href="https://freakonomics.com/the-horse-is-us ... Show More

<p>The world has changed a good bit since <i>Freakonomics</i> was first published. In this live anniversary episode, Stephen Dubner tells Geoff Bennett of <i>PBS NewsHour </i>everything he has learned since then. Happy birthday, <i>Freakonomics.</i></p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOU ... Show More

<p>Is there any scientific basis for the law of attraction? Are people who believe in “cosmic collaboration” more successful? And what happens when you write yourself a check for $10 million?</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://www.rhondabyrne.com ... Show More

Nobel laureate, bestselling author, and groundbreaking psychologist Daniel Kahneman died in March. In 2021 he talked with Steve Levitt — his friend and former business partner — about his book Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment (cowritten with Olivier Sibony and Cass Sunstein) and m ... Show More

<p>Nobel laureate, bestselling author, and groundbreaking psychologist Daniel Kahneman died in March. In 2021 he talked with Steve Levitt — his friend and former business partner — about his book <i>Noise: A Flaw in Human Judgment </i>(cowritten with Olivier Sibony and Cass Sunst ... Show More

<p>Do you get grittier as you age? What's worse for mental health: video games or social media? And do baby boomers make the best D.J.s? </p><p> </p><p>RESOURCES:</p><ul><li><a href="https://amzn.to/3RBMjZs"><i>Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, ... Show More

Roger Scruton was one of the outstanding British philosophers of the post-war years. Why then was he at best ignored and at worst reviled? In Roger Scruton: The Philosopher on Dover Beach (Bloomsbury, 2024), Mark Dooley brilliantly illuminates Scruton's life and offers careful an ... Show More

<p>How can you strive for excellence without overworking yourself? Why is perfectionism on the rise? And is Angela part of the problem?</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-andrus-426734223/">Kristin Andrus</a>, philanth ... Show More

<p>Is it really that important to make your bed? What’s the benefit of hiring a lazy person? And how many cups of spinach can Mike fit in a red Solo cup?  </p><p>Take the Big Five inventory: <a href="http://freakonomics.com/bigfive" target="_blank">freakonomics.com/bigfive</a></p ... Show More

<p>People have kept diaries and recorded notes since writing was invented. But planners as we think of them today have their roots in almanacs. </p> <p><strong>Research:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Atkins, Samuel. “Kalendarium Pennsilvaniense.” W. Bradford. 1685. https://books.google.c ... Show More

A fascinating exploration of George Orwell--and his body of work--by an award-winning Orwellian biographer and scholar, presenting the author anew to twenty-first-century readers. We find ourselves in an era when the moment is ripe for a reevaluation of the life and the works of ... Show More

<p>Economist Daron Acemoglu likes to tackle big questions. He tells Steve how colonialism still affects us today, who benefits from new technology, and why democracy wasn’t always a sure thing.</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCE:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://economics.mit.edu/ ... Show More