Freakonomics Radio

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!
 

• SOURCES:
  • Sian Beilock, president of Dartmouth College.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Growing share of Americans say the U.S. higher education system is headed in the wrong direction," by Kim...

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, chancellor of Vanderbilt University.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Higher Ed’s New Crisis Managers," by ...

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, professor of economics at UC Berkeley.
  • Neale Mahoney, professor of economics at Stanford University.
  • Richard Thaler, ...

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'Brien, death doula, founder of Doulagivers Institute.
  • Al Roth, economist at Stanford University.
  • Daniel Sulmasy, p...

It brings strangers together. It teaches probability, strategy, and emotional control. It has even helped N.F.L. teams win the Super Bowl. Stephen Dubner explores why this ancient game is having a renaissance. (Part two of a series, “We Are All Gamers Now.”)
 

• SOURCES: 
  • Remington Davenport, founder of NYC Backgammon Club.
  • Frank Frigo, game strategy expert & two-time world backgammon...

As the Trump administration rolls back environmental regulations, we revisit a 2022 episode that explored the hidden cost of an invisible threat: air pollution.

• SOURCES:
  • Angela Duckworth, psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania.
  • Michael Greenstone, economist at the University of Chicago, director of the Energy Policy Institute, co-director of the Climate Impact Lab.
  • Stephan Heblich, economist at the Un...

Another war in the Middle East. A retreat from the international order. A presidency built on self-dealing and arbitrary power. It’s enough to make you think the U.S. is in a steep decline — but Fareed Zakaria thinks otherwise.
 

• SOURCES:
  • Fareed Zakaria, journalist and author.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Iran is an imperial trap. America walked right in." by Fareed Zakaria (The W...

In his final years, Richard Feynman's curiosity took him to some surprising places. We hear from his companions on the trips he took — and one he wasn’t able to. (Part three of a three-part series originally published in 2024.) 

• SOURCES: 
  • Alan Alda, actor and screenwriter.
  • Barbara Berg, friend of Richard Feynman.
  • Helen Czerski, physicist and oceanographer at University College London.
  ...

What happens when an existentially depressed and recently widowed young physicist from Queens gets a fresh start in California? We follow Richard Feynman out west, to explore his long and extremely fruitful second act. (Part two of a three-part series originally published in 2024.)

• SOURCES:
  • Seamus Blackley, video game designer and creator of the Xbox.
  • Carl Feynman, computer scientist and son of Richard Feynman.
  ...

From the Manhattan Project to the Challenger investigation, the physicist Richard Feynman loved to shoot down what he called “lousy ideas.” Today, the world is awash in lousy ideas — so maybe it’s time to get some more Feynman in our lives? (Part one of a three-part series originally published in 2024.)

• SOURCES:
  • Helen Czerski, physicist and oceanographer at University College London.
  ...

Not exactly. But their runaway success with games like Wordle says something bigger about the way we live now. (Part one of a series, “We Are All Gamers Now.”)
 

• SOURCES:
  • Alex Hardiman, chief product officer at The New York Times.
  • Jonathan Knight, S.V.P. and general manager for New York Times Games.
  • Eric Zimmerman, game designer, professor of game design at the N.Y.U. Game Center.
...

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 professor at the Yale School of Music.
  • Matías Tarnopolsky, president and C.E.O. of the New York Philharmonic.

• RESOUR...

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 Institute.
  • Glory Liu, a political scientist and Adam Smith scholar at Georgetown University.
  • Mariana Mazzucato, professor in the econ...

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:
  • Fleur Barron, opera singer and mezzo-soprano.
  • David Lang, composer and professor at the Yale School of Music.

Epic Systems manages the electronic health records for hundreds of millions of people. This makes Faulkner a healthcare heavyweight and one of the most successful female entrepreneurs in history. So why haven’t we ever heard much from her? Stephen Dubner travels to Verona, Wisc., to explore the Faulknerverse.

• SOURCES:
  • Judy Faulkner, C.E.O. and founder of Epic Systems.
  • Seth Howard, executive vice president ...

New York City’s mayor called them “public enemy number one.” History books say they caused the Black Death — although recent scientific evidence disputes that claim. In an updated episode from 2025, we ask: Is the rat a scapegoat? And what does our rat hatred say about us?

• SOURCES:
  • Bethany Brookshire, author of Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains.
  • Kathy Corradi, senior vice president...

One possibility: a leading hypothesis pursued by researchers (and funders) was built on science that now appears to be fraudulent. Stephen Dubner speaks with the scientist and the journalist who blew the whistle.

• SOURCES:
  • Charles Piller, investigative journalist for Science, author of Doctored.
  • Matthew Schrag, associate professor of neurology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

• RESOURCE...

How do beekeepers make a living? Why is there so much honey fraud? And why did billions of bees suddenly disappear? To find out, guest host Steve Levitt activates his hive mind.

• SOURCES:
  • Alex Sapoznik, historian, reader in late medieval history at King’s College London.
  • Chris Hiatt, past president of the American Honey Producers Association, owner of Hiatt Honey Company.
  • Michael Roberts, founding execut...

Nearly everything that politicians say about taxes is at least half a lie. They are also dishonest when it comes to the national debt. In this update of an episode from 2025, Stephen Dubner finds one of the few people in Washington who is willing to tell the truth — and it’s even worse than you think.

• SOURCES:
  • Jessica Riedl, budget and tax fellow at the Brookings Institution.

• RESOUR...