About this episode
May 8
674. How Does a Composer Feel After the World Premiere?
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.) SOURCES: David Lang, composer and professo ... Show More
45m 23s
May 6
Was Adam Smith Really a Right-Winger? (Update)
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. SOURCES: Eamonn Butler, co-founder and director of the Adam Smith I ... Show More
1h 8m
May 1
673. What Is Money?
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.) SOURCES: Fle ... Show More
54m 11s
Nov 2024
220. Is Your Attention Span Shrinking?
37m 11s
Aug 2024
207. How Clearly Do You See Yourself?
36m 23s
Dec 2024
223. What About All the Questions We Haven’t Answered?
44m 6s
Dec 2024
222. What Makes an Idea Interesting?
34m 38s
Nov 2024
221. Why Are We So Pessimistic?
39m 8s
Jun 2025
160. How to Help Kids Succeed
1 h
Sep 2024
209. Why Do We Settle?
35m 2s
Nov 2020
106: Brain Wash by David & Austin Perlmutter
Today’s authors argue that our modern culture is rewiring our brains and damaging our health. But today’s book promises to give us the tools we need to think more clearly, make better decisions, strengthen bonds with others, and develop healthier habits. Join Joe & Mike as they a ... Show More
1h 45m
Sep 2025
How to Have Great Conversations (Update)
44m 24s
Aug 2025
MAHA Is a Bad Answer to a Good Question
<p>“Make America Healthy Again” is a great idea — somebody should try it.</p><p>A lot of the concerns animating the MAHA movement — chronic disease, the unhealthiness of the American diet, how profits warp our health care system — are serious issues. But Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has ... Show More
1h 22m
Only a tiny number of “supertaskers” are capable of doing two things at once. The rest of us are just making ourselves miserable, and less productive. How can we put the — hang on a second, I've just got to get this.
Come see Stephen Dubner live!
“A Questionable Evening: A strategic interrogation from two people who ask questions for a living,” featuring S ... Show More
<p>Does a surplus of information create a shortage of attention? Are today’s young people really unable to focus? And do goldfish need better PR? </p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://www.rosalindfranklin.edu/academics/faculty/neil-a-bradbury/">Nei ... Show More
<p>Do you see yourself the same way others see you? What’s the difference between self-perception and self-awareness? And why do Mike and Angela both hate fishing?</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-von-ahn-duolingo/">Lui ... Show More
<p>How can you learn to love uncertainty? Is it better to cultivate acceptance or strive for change? And, after 223 episodes, what is the meaning of life? </p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://www.depts.ttu.edu/psy/people/jalquist/">Jessica Alquist ... Show More
<p>What do Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, and Malcolm Gladwell have in common? Are interesting theories more significant than true ones? And what has been keeping Angela up at night? Plus: an important announcement about the show. </p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li>< ... Show More
<p>Are things really as bad as they seem? Has Gen Z given up hope for the world? And why was the father of positive psychology a lifelong pessimist?</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/29/science/albert-bandura-dead.html">A ... Show More
<p>Psychologist David Yeager thinks the conventional wisdom for how to motivate young people is all wrong. His model for helping kids cope with stress is required reading at Steve’s new high school.</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://liberalarts. ... Show More
<p>Why does the U.S. use Fahrenheit when Celsius is better? Would you quit your job if a coin flip told you to? And how do you get an entire country to drive on the other side of the road?</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://psychology.ku.edu/peop ... Show More
<p><i>The Power of Habit </i>author Charles Duhigg wrote his new book in an attempt to learn how to communicate better. Steve shares how the book helped him understand his own conversational weaknesses.</p><p> </p><ul><li><strong>SOURCES:</strong><ul><li><a href="https://www.char ... Show More
