The Downside of Disgust (Ep. 448)
January 20, 2021 @ 11:00pm Listen now:
It’s a powerful biological response that has preserved our species for millennia. But now it may be keeping us from pursuing strategies that would improve the environment, the economy, even our own health. So is it time to dial down our disgust reflex? You can help fix things as Stephen Dubner does in this episode by chowing down on some delicious insects.
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We have just made the entire
Freakonomics Radio archive available, free, on every podcast app. That’s more than 10 years’ and 400 episodes’ worth. Hopefully you’ll enjoy poking around the archive. And tell your friends! You listeners often write in to ask how you can help our show. One thing you can do is spread the word. Or: leave a review or a rating on your favorite podcast app. That’s a great way to help other people discover
Trust Me (Ep. 266 Rebroadcast)
December 30, 2020 @ 11:00pm Listen now:
Societies where people trust one another are healthier and wealthier. In the U.S. (and the U.K. and elsewhere), social trust has been falling for decades in part because our populations are more diverse. What can we do to fix it?
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First of all, Happy New Year! I think we can all agree that 2020 is the kind of year that belongs in the rear-view mirror. I’d like to take a minute to thank some people. Let’s start with you, our listeners: you are, objectively speaking, the best. You are loyal; you are receptive to new ideas and formats; you are enthusiastic and clever, even kind. So: thank you. I’d also like to thank the people who every week help create this show. There’s our core staff Alison Craiglow, Greg Rippin, Zack Lapinski, Daphne Chen, Mary Diduch, Matt Hickey, and Emma Tyrrell; and the latest addition, Mark McClusky. They�
Why Do We Seek Comfort in the Familiar? (Ep. 445)
December 23, 2020 @ 11:00pm
In this episode of
No Stupid Questions a Freakonomics Radio Network show launched earlier this year Stephen Dubner and Angela Duckworth debate why we watch, read, and eat familiar things during a crisis, and if it might in fact be better to try new things instead. Also: is a little knowledge truly as dangerous as they say?
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at
It was nearly one year ago on Christmas Day, 2019 that we released a pilot episode of a show we thought might be a lot of fun to make. This was before we had any inkling that a pandemic was about to shake us all down to our foundations. After a Covid-related delay, we did launch the show, in May; we called it
How Do You Cure a Compassion Crisis? (Ep. 444)
December 16, 2020 @ 11:00pm Listen now:
Patients in the U.S. healthcare system often feel they’re treated with a lack of empathy. Doctors and nurses have tragically high levels of burnout. Could fixing the first problem solve the second? And does the rest of society need more compassion too?
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Today’s episode is really interesting. There are two ways we could start it, but I can’t decide which is better. One way is nasty and vulgar, like this:
Tiffany INGHAM: Well, why are you looking then, retard?