Aug 30

90. If America Is a Train Wreck, Why Am I Doing Fine?

Why do so many Americans say they’re satisfied with their own lives but upset about the way the country is going? Why don’t other countries experience the same gap? And what do horror movies have in common with Coca-Cola enemas? This episode originally aired on March 13th, 2022. ... Show More

30m 16s

Aug 23

89. How Valuable Is Enthusiasm?

What’s the difference between willpower and eagerness? Is there a lifehack that can make you zestier? And could it help Stephen improve his golf game? This episode originally aired on March 6th, 2022. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information a ... Show More

28m 34s

Aug 16

88. Is Self-Improvement Too Selfish?

Is it more important to help society or to help yourself? Does the self-improvement movement do any good for the world? And which podcast episode does Stephen cling to as proof that he’s doing something valuable? This episode originally aired on February 27th, 2022. Hosted by Sim ... Show More

34m 17s

Jun 2025

What Do Medieval Nuns and Bo Jackson Have in Common? (Update)

In this episode from 2013, we look at whether spite pays — and if it even exists. <ul><li>SOURCES:<ul><li><a href="https://cepr.org/about/people/benedikt-herrmann">Benedikt Herrmann</a>, research officer at the European Commission.</li><li><a href=" ... Show More

36m 13s

Dec 2020

445. Why Do We Seek Comfort in the Familiar?

In this episode of No Stupid Questions — a Freakonomics Radio Network show launched earlier this year — Stephen Dubner and Angela Duckworth debate why we watch, read, and eat familiar things during a crisis, and if it might in fact be better to try new things instead. ... Show More

36m 56s

Oct 2025

A Question-Asker Becomes a Question-Answerer

For the 20th anniversary of Freakonomics, Debbie Millman of Design Matters interviews Stephen Dubner about his upbringing, his writing career, and why it's important to “swing your swing.” Plus: a sneak peek at a new project. <ul><li>SOURCES:</ ... Show More

1h 14m

Dec 2023

569. Do You Need Closure?

In a special episode of No Stupid Questions, Angela Duckworth and Mike Maughan talk about unfinished tasks, recurring arguments, and Irish goodbyes. <ul><li>SOURCES:<ul><li><a href="https://roybaumeister.com/">Roy Baumeister</a>, social psychologist ... Show More

39m 34s

Dec 2024

Your Brain Doesn’t Work the Way You Think

David Eagleman upends myths and describes the vast possibilities of a brainscape that even neuroscientists are only beginning to understand. Steve Levitt interviews him in this special episode of People I (Mostly) Admire. <ul><li>SOURCES:<ul> ... Show More

47m 53s

Aug 2024

Sendhil Mullainathan Thinks Messing Around Is the Best Use of Your Time (Update)

Revisiting Steve’s 2021 conversation with the economist and MacArthur “genius” about how to make memories stickier, why change is undervalued, and how to find something new to say on the subject of scarcity. <ul><li>SOURCE:<ul><li><a href="https://s ... Show More

46m 54s

Jul 2020

Introducing “People I (Mostly) Admire”

Steve Levitt has spent decades as an academic economist, “studying strange phenomena and human behavior in weird circumstances.” Now he’s turning his curiosity to something new: interviewing some of the most interesting, unorthodox people around — from actresses to athletes, a ... Show More

4m 46s

Aug 2024

EXTRA: Why Quitting Is Usually Worth It

Stephen Dubner appears as a guest on Fail Better, a new podcast hosted by David Duchovny. The two of them trade stories about failure, and ponder the lessons that success could never teach. <ul><li>SOURCES:<ul><li><a href="https://www.imdb.co ... Show More

40m 4s

Jan 2021

446. “We Get All Our Great Stuff from Europe — Including Witch Hunting.”

We’ve collected some of our favorite moments from People I (Mostly) Admire, the latest show from the Freakonomics Radio Network. Host Steve Levitt seeks advice from scientists and inventors, memory wizards and basketball champions — even his fellow economists. He also ... Show More

40m 20s

Why Are Stories Stickier Than Statistics...