logo
episode-header-image
Jul 3
49m 55s

680. Can Universities Win Back Our Trust...

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
About this episode
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! 
Up next
Jun 26
679. Why Does Vanderbilt Keep Winning?
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. SOURCES: Daniel Diermeier, ch ... Show More
1h 4m
Jun 24
The World Is (Still) Drowning in Sludge
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. SOURCES: Benjamin Handel, pro ... Show More
54m 46s
Jun 19
678. Who Gets to Choose a “Good Death”?
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. SOURCES: Kathy Hochul, governor of New York. Suzanne O'Br ... Show More
50m 25s
Recommended Episodes
May 2020
Season 1, Ep 1 - Creative Destruction
COVID-19 exposed the flaws in our society and the human species. Do we leave old ways behind and build our defenses for the pandemics to come and what will our economic fortunes look like? Does human behaviour really change in the long run? Hear from Dr Mei Ling Doery, Global Aff ... Show More
33m 21s
Mar 2021
The Snowball Effect
<p>Why do some companies become household names, while others flame out? How do certain memes go viral? And why do some social movements take off and spread, while others fizzle? Today on the show, we talk with sociologist <a href="https://www.asc.upenn.edu/people/faculty/damon-c ... Show More
54m 35s
Apr 2023
The Snowball Effect
<p>Why do some companies become household names, while others flame out? How do certain memes go viral? And why do some social movements take off and spread, while others fizzle? Today on the show, we revisit a favorite 2021 conversation with sociologist <a href="https://www.asc. ... Show More
48m 58s
Apr 2025
privilege blindness: a reality check? in this economy?
podmothers sephy & wing enter the chat: spiralling on privilege, class, nepo babies, and the myth of 'raw talent'. ✷see more ✷ youtube@sephyandwing ✷ instagram @sephyandwing ✷ tiktok @sephyandwingshop ✷ www.sephyandwing.co.uk 
53m 36s
May 2023
145. Do You Have a Scarcity Mindset or an Abundance Mindset?
<p>Are highly effective people quicker to share credit? What does poverty do to your brain? And how did Stephen's mother teach him about opportunity costs? Plus: an announcement about the future of the show.</p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https ... Show More
49m 19s
Apr 2023
Heroes
This week: We discuss the recent move by certain members of City Council regarding implementing a right-to-counsel office to help with the wild rent increases and how it affects residents. Some tin foil hat time regarding the recent murder of the founder of Cash App and speculate ... Show More
1h 36m
Jun 2023
S8E4: Whose Turn Is It?
A story about partnership and compromise, told in two acts. Two working spouses — writer Kara Baskin and psychologist Sadé Soares — talk about how they and their partners have navigated money, ambition, career, and sacrifice. How do people combine finances and lives and prioritie ... Show More
38m 23s
Nov 2019
Do Lucky Charms Really Work? (Plus, other ways to get the upper hand)
<p>Why do short people dominate soccer? Is owning a library more important than actually reading the books? And is being handsome important to being taken seriously as a scientist? Will and Mango delve into some super weird ways people wield advantage.</p><p> </p> Learn more abou ... Show More
32m 28s
Mar 2024
WWWOA 107: Adrenaline Dump
<p>What’s Wrong with someone else’s dirty socks in your hotel room? And flying backwards? And What’s Wrong with corporations and their lack of common sense? Wait til you hear the Bic Lighter story (It won’t surprise you!) Orny discusses the Teen Wolf con he just attended in Chica ... Show More
53m 46s