When Willpower Isn’t Enough (Rebroadcast...

Like tens of millions of people, Stephen Dubner thought he had a penicillin allergy. Like the vast majority, he didn’t. This misdiagnosis costs billions of dollars and causes serious health problems, so why hasn’t it been fixed? We find out in this update of a 2025 episode. SOURC ... Show More

Is the oxymoron really “the secret sauce to everything”? That’s the case Ingels makes in this debut episode of our new video show Better in Person, filmed in Stephen Dubner’s living room. If you'd like to see the video version of Better in Person, watch it on YouTube or Apple Pod ... Show More

Stephen Dubner had an idea for a new project. So he drove to Connecticut and knocked on the door of the master. Dubner’s new TV talk show Better in Person launches July 14 on the Freakonomics YouTube channel. SOURCES: Dick Cavett, writer, former talk show host. RESOURCES: Eye on ... Show More

Sometimes you do everything right, go far and beyond, do more than what is necessary, and things still won’t work out. Or they do, but then they just crumble. Life happens or you are hit by malevolence. 

There are many things in life we think we want, and often because we feel like they'll be good for us. But sometimes we get the things we thought we wanted only to realize that it wasn't that good for us after all. Today's episode is about that. Learn more about your ad choices. ... Show More

Sometimes, we want something so desperately that it colors everything we do. Sometimes we even get it. When you get down to it, getting what we want and keeping it probably drives most of us, makes us endure circumstances we otherwise might not and accept consequences we never co ... Show More

Every day we are faced with choices. Sometimes we make bad ones, and sometimes we make the right choice. There is one factor that is affecting your decision-making that shouldn't be. Darren talks about it in this episode and gives you questions to start asking to avoid this decis ... Show More

<p>We all face tough decisions in life, whether we're juggling the demands of work and family or deciding whether to take a new job. These situations often feel like either/or choices.  But psychologist <a href="https://lerner.udel.edu/faculty-staff-directory/wendy-smith/">Wendy ... Show More

We’ve all heard the saying: if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. But isn’t that a terrible way to look at life? Because if you go into everything with negativity, you might miss the best thing that could ever happen.But, dear listener, the saying is a saying for a rea ... Show More

A satisfying career requires that we make thoughtful decisions, through self-reflection and strategic planning. But sometimes (like in 2021) plowing through our jobs day after day is the only thing that feels manageable. A reunion with three guests starts a conversation about the ... Show More

A Monday acknowledgment that sometimes our effort becomes the obstacle to what we want. 

Everything you do or not do has consequences. How do you handle the weight of your actions? And how do you handle self-doubt as someone who seeks to improve and become better?