logo
episode-header-image
Dec 2018
57m 57s

People Aren’t Dumb. The World Is Hard. (...

Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
About this episode

You wouldn’t think you could win a Nobel Prize for showing that humans tend to make irrational decisions. But that’s what Richard Thaler has done. The founder of behavioral economics describes his unlikely route to success; his reputation for being lazy; and his efforts to fix the world — one nudge at a time.

Up next
Aug 22
What Can Whales Teach Us About Clean Energy, Workplace Harmony, and Living the Good Life? (Update)
In the final episode of our whale series, we learn about fecal plumes, shipping noise, and why Moby-Dick is still worth reading. (Part 3 of "Everything You Never Knew About Whaling.") SOURCES:Michele Baggio, professor of economics at the University of Connecticut.Mary K. Bercaw-E ... Show More
48m 8s
Aug 15
Why Do People Still Hunt Whales? (Update)
For years, whale oil was used as lighting fuel, industrial lubricant, and the main ingredient in (yum!) margarine. Whale meat was also on a few menus. But today, demand for whale products is at a historic low. And yet some countries still have a whaling industry. We find out why. ... Show More
37m 32s
Aug 8
The First Great American Industry (Update)
Whaling was, in the words of one scholar, “early capitalism unleashed on the high seas.” How did the U.S. come to dominate the whale market? Why did whale hunting die out here — and continue to grow elsewhere? And is that whale vomit in your perfume? (Part 1 of “Everything You Ne ... Show More
45m 2s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2022
854 - Your idea of success is wrong
Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and billionaires like them are treated in society as geniuses deserving of their massive wealth. After all, they created it by their own ability to identify an opportunity, gather resources, and bend reality itself through sheer willpower and an unwillingnes ... Show More
12m 13s
Oct 2023
Leadership is a Lonely Sport
The highest impact leaders all have one trait in common: they are extreme contrarians. They were seen by the majority as radicals, misfits and eccentrics. They saw what most see and thought what few think. They rejected the mass hypnosis and schooled brainwashing of society. That ... Show More
2m 2s
Dec 2022
The Mentality of Industry Titans for World-Class Results
The discomfort of growth is always less than the heartbreak of regret. The highest impact leaders all have one trait in common: they are extreme contrarians. They were seen by the majority as radicals, misfits and eccentrics. They saw what most see and thought what few think. The ... Show More
3m 27s
Oct 2017
Misbehaving with Richard Thaler
We don't always do what we're supposed to do. We don't save enough for retirement. We order dessert — even when we're supposed to be dieting. In other words, we misbehave. That's the title of Richard Thaler's most recent book: Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics. If y ... Show More
23m 32s
Feb 2023
The Highest Impact Leaders Are All Contrarians [6-Minute Episode]
The highest impact leaders all have one trait in common: they are extreme contrarians. They were seen by the majority as radicals, misfits and eccentrics. They saw what most see and thought what few think. They rejected the mass hypnosis and schooled brainwashing of society. That ... Show More
6m 51s
Sep 2023
The Right Kind of Wrong with Amy Edmondson
Amy Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School. Renowned for her world-leading research into the concept of psychological safety, Edmondson has been named by Thinkers50 as the most influential management thinker in the world. In he ... Show More
49m 3s
Aug 2023
Introducing... Good Bad Billionaire
Coming Tuesday 29th August... The podcast that finds out how the richest people on the planet made their billions, and then they judges them for it. Are they good, bad, or just another billionaire? Each episode BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist and podcaster Zing Tsje ... Show More
2m 4s
Jan 2023
Critics Are Degenerated Dreamers
The highest impact leaders all have one trait in common: they are extreme contrarians. They were seen by the majority as radicals, misfits and eccentrics. They saw what most see and thought what few think. They rejected the mass hypnosis and schooled brainwashing of society. That ... Show More
3m 5s
Aug 2020
The tyranny of merit | Michael Sandel
What accounts for our polarized public life, and how can we begin to heal it? Political philosopher Michael Sandel offers a surprising answer: those who have flourished need to look in the mirror. He explores how “meritocratic hubris” leads many to believe their success is their ... Show More
9m 8s
Oct 2017
Albert Einstein
It wasn’t always obvious that Albert Einstein was destined for greatness. Long before he won the Nobel Prize, he was a rebellious, lovesick young man and a music lover who infuriated his professors and struggled to find a job. It would take years of struggle, but eventually Einst ... Show More
56m 29s