Freakonomics Radio Plus

Introducing the Freakonomics Radio Plus membership program! Sign up to get member-only episodes from Freakonomics Radio. Plus, you'll get every Freakonomics Radio Network show without ads.

Learn More

More Episodes

EXTRA

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

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. In an interview from 2018, 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.

Episode 55

Direct-to-Consumer Mattresses

Online companies promised to bring transparency to the mattress-buying experience. Did that work out? Zachary Crockett takes a look under the sheets.

Episode 161

How Effective Are Ultimatums? (Replay)

How final is a final offer, really? Does anonymity turn nice people into jerks? And should you tell your crush that you dreamed about marrying them?

Episode 595

Why Don’t We Have Better Candidates for President?

American politics is trapped in a duopoly, with two all-powerful parties colluding to stifle competition. We revisit a 2018 episode to explain how the political industry works, and talk to a reformer (and former presidential candidate) who is pushing for change.

The Freakonomics Radio Network

Freakonomics Radio Follow this show 802 Episodes
No Stupid Questions Follow this show 218 Episodes
People I (Mostly) Admire Follow this show 148 Episodes
The Economics of Everyday Things Follow this show 62 Episodes
The Freakonomics Radio Book Club Follow this show 23 Episodes

More From Our Network

How to Listen

You want to listen to Freakonomics Radio? That’s great! Most people use a podcast app on their smartphone. It’s free (with the purchase of a phone, of course). Looking for more guidance? We’ve got you covered.

Learn more about how to listen

Freakonomics Radio Network Newsletter

Stay up-to-date on all our shows. We promise no spam.

The Books

Freakonomics SuperFreakonomics Think Like a Freak When to Rob a Bank