Freakonomics
@Freakonomics
Followers
603K
Following
765
Media
1K
Statuses
17K
Follow the Freakonomics Radio podcast for weekly episodes that explore the hidden side of everything — with host Stephen J. Dubner.
Joined April 2008
.@AndrewYang on why the U.S. needs a universal basic income: "We are the owners and shareholders of the most wealthy and advanced society in the history of the world. This is a dividend for us."
24
494
2K
.@AndrewYang on why he’s an atypical Democratic politician: “There's a mistrust of people in the Democratic Party that I frankly don't understand, because I feel like people are the point.”
36
427
2K
In this week’s episode, the head of the #YangGang tells us how he’s outlasted several U.S. Senators, governors, and Congresspeople.
19
344
2K
This week’s episode includes our Jan. 2019 interview with then-unknown presidential candidate @AndrewYang as well as a new interview with the leader of the #YangGang:
12
299
1K
"Theses" is the plural of "thesis," much like "snotty people" is the plural of "snotty person."
36
112
1K
As a candidate for president, @AndrewYang ran on a platform whose signature policy was a universal basic income ($1k/month for every adult). Covid-19, he says, has made U.B.I. a necessity, right now.
13
218
952
As a candidate for president, @AndrewYang ran on a platform whose signature policy was a universal basic income ($1k/month for every adult). Covid-19, he says, has made U.B.I. a necessity, right now.
12
208
877
Hey, just wondering, are there a lot of fans of Samin Nosrat ("Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat") out there among Freakonomics Radio Listeners?.
83
5
835
For 10+ years, we’ve been exploring the hidden side of everything, from the economics of sleep to the costs of noise, and everything in between. And starting tonight, every one of our nearly-450 episodes will be available on all podcast apps. Happy New Year!.
12
92
826
With a $21 trillion economy on the line, @AndrewYang says the biggest danger is not doing enough: “You’re looking at $4 or $5, $6 trillion over time to help dig us out of what could be another Great Depression.”
14
176
707
Starting tomorrow night, our archive of nearly 450 episodes will be available for free on all podcast apps. 10+ years of upending conventional wisdom on just about everything — sports, politics, science, art, medicine and more.
7
118
667
Mike Pence says: "Christianity now faces an exodus in the Middle East unrivaled since the days of Moses.". But: Christianity came into existence roughly 1,500 years AFTER "the days of Moses.". So: he's not technically wrong, quite. But a bit ahistorical, no?.
55
167
558
We're working on an episode about the $2 trillion coronavirus relief package: what do you most want to know about it?.
384
36
548
RIP David Bowie. Can we also RIP the "battle with cancer" cliche? Implies you've "lost" the battle, as if you didn't fight hard enough.
17
365
466
So no, Trader Joe's wouldn't talk to us for our episode ( but they did listen:
7
62
484
COVID-19 is spurring so much behavior change (in hygiene, work habits, public gathering, etc.) that it will likely launch a million academic studies that use the outbreak as a natural experiment. Any predictions about what kind of results we'll see?.
96
108
471
For 10+ years we’ve been exploring the hidden side of everything, from the economics of sleep to the costs of noise, and everything in between. And starting Sunday, Jan. 17th, every one of our nearly-450 episodes will be available on all podcast apps. Happy New Year!.
5
39
452
Gosh, so sorry. We shall cease all production immediately.
@Freakonomics your last podcast re: China and jobs. Didn't like it.
16
28
436
A listener just wrote to tell us that he's started a podcast club, just like a book club, but instead of coming together once a month to talk about a book they've all read, they discuss a specific podcast episode. Nice idea! Have you all heard of this practice?.
32
49
429
We are thinking about a new podcast devoted to just books + author interviews: what think? Also: book suggestions? Also: suggestions for the name of this podcast?.
118
17
415
Hey @GovGaryJohnson, Freakonomics Radio wants to interview you as Libertarian prez candidate. What do you say? Listeners, you interested?.
38
49
382
Millions are out of work, with some jobs never coming back. We speak with four economists — and one former presidential candidate — about the best policy options and the lessons (good and bad) from the past.
6
106
364
Just FYI, we did. That thingy at the end of our tweet is called a "link." If you "click" it, you will find out stuff. Good luck!
13
48
357
“Do we think that what's been happening has been working? If you think it's been working great, I might not be the candidate that you want. But if you think that we could genuinely use a change, I think I'm a great bet.” — @AndrewYang on this week’s ep:
11
73
325
Thought for the day:. Ignore things everyone else is obsessing over. Obsess over things everyone else is ignoring. #BeLessStupid.
5
224
316
In the American Dream sweepstakes, @AndrewYang was a pretty big winner. But for every winner there are thousands of losers — a “war on normal people,” he calls it. So he decided to run for president and do something about it.
5
105
287
Hey Freak Radio listeners: how interested would you be in hearing a series about the economics of the airline industry? What specifically would you like to learn? Thanks!.
103
4
295
Philip Thompson's sensitivity to vocal fry made it really difficult to read his tweet.
9
7
276
Professor @JoBoaler says math curriculum needs an update. She says math teachers used to joke that “you’re never going to be walking around with a calculator in your hand.” And now? “Turns out everybody’s walking around with a calculator in their hand.”
11
83
255
Students underestimated — by 64% — how long it would take to write their theses, according to a study. They're not alone. Stockbrokers, electrical engineers, doctors, holiday shoppers. we all fall prey to the “planning fallacy.”
9
130
270
"If you paid for an expensive dessert and after 1 bite you were full, but you remember how much you paid for it — then you are failing to follow the economist’s advice of ignoring that $, because eating it doesn’t get the $ back." —@R_Thaler on sunk costs.
5
70
254
Dear Freakonomics Radio listeners: how interested would you be in hearing from the CEO of YouTube, and what would you most like to learn?.
69
9
255
Economist @DarrickHamilton says the racial wealth gap may have begun with slavery but is the result of compounding historical factors: “There was the Homestead Act. There was the GI Bill. There was a system of sharecropping. There’s a system of Jim Crow.”
5
99
230
One of the best red flags ever: "I'm not much for conspiracy theories, but . ".
10
41
250
I happen to know three people who recently left their main careers (all of them long and successful careers) to teach high school math. Is this a story worth exploring on Freakonomics Radio or is it just a small, bland coincidence?.
46
5
242
The Future of New York City Is in Question. Could Andrew Yang Be the Answer? This week on Freakonomics Radio:
25
53
245
The U.S. had six Nobel winners this year. Guess what % of them are immigrants . 100%.
14
303
226
Well-educated people who consume a lot of information tend to hold disproportionately extreme views, apparently because they’re really good at seeking out information that confirms their position and ignoring information that might run counter.
7
101
238
Thinking about making a series on sports, esp. the biz of sports but not exclusively. Yes/no? And . ideas please! Thanks.
64
2
236
Most high-school math classes are still preparing students for the Sputnik era. Steve Levitt wants to get rid of the “geometry sandwich” and instead have kids learn what they really need in the modern era: data fluency.
11
86
221
This week’s episode includes our Jan. 2019 interview with then-unknown presidential candidate @AndrewYang as well as a new interview with the leader of the #YangGang:
4
66
214
How to fix U.S. politics? .1. Non-partisan, single-ballot primaries. 2. Ranked-choice voting. 3. Non-partisan redistricting (a.k.a.: no gerrymandering).
26
91
206
After 8 years and more than 300 episodes, it was time to either 1) quit, or 2) make the show bigger and better. We voted for number 2. Here’s a peek behind the curtain and a preview of what you’ll be hearing next.
10
30
214
~70% of Americans are financially illiterate. The important stuff fits on 1 index card, so be a financial superhero!
5
94
212
Our latest episode: “Trevor Noah Has a Lot to Say.” A conversation with @TheDailyShow host. @Trevornoah.
5
48
195
Turns out we don't love women's voices. Even girls start "gendered listening" by age 4.
6
108
195
Can't believe Obama and Trump never met 'til today. Much easier to vilify someone if you've never sat knee to knee.
8
67
197
Dear @GovGaryJohnson: can we interview you for Freakonomics Radio? Hey Freak fans, you like this idea?.
19
25
194
~70% of Americans are financially illiterate. The important stuff fits on 1 index card, so be a financial superhero!
2
92
204
Passed along by a (German) reader who enjoyed our "Upside of Quitting" chapter in "Think Like a Freak":. "Ein Ende mit Schrecken ist besser als Schrecken ohne Ende.". Translation: . "A dreadful end is better than endless dread.".
1
56
187
If regulators want to outlaw fantasy sports because it’s gambling, don’t they also need to outlaw stock markets?.
28
276
185
"Empathy is only developed through your life's experience. It is going to make you a more effective parent, a more effective colleague, and a more effective partner." — @satyanadella on the importance of empathy.
3
60
181
A “rogue IT person” at @PennMedicine changed the default on electronic prescriptions to generic drugs, saving $32 million. That inspired the hospital to create @PennNudgeUnit, the world’s first behavioral-design team embedded in a healthcare institution.
5
62
189
.@AndrewYang wants America to “think harder” and has parlayed his quixotic presidential campaign into front-runner status in New York’s mayoral election. And he has some big plans.
11
39
188
“London is a city that can vote for the son of an immigrant, with working-class parents, who is not just an ethnic minority but a Muslim, at a time of the greatest amount of Islamophobia the Western world has seen.” — Mayor @SadiqKhan
19
40
175
Nice to see that our first book, "Freakonomics" (now 10 years old) is still one of top books read by world's "most successful leaders."
These are the books the most successful leaders in the world read last year
5
61
186
"If you paid for an expensive dessert and after 1 bite you were full, but you remember how much you paid for it — then you are failing to follow the economist’s advice of ignoring that $, because eating it doesn’t get the $ back." —@R_Thaler on sunk costs.
9
71
185
@AndrewYangVFA on why the U.S. needs a universal basic income of $1,000/month to each and every American adult 18–64: "We are the owners and shareholders of the most wealthy and advanced society in the history of the world. This is a dividend for us."
7
75
167
In the spirit of our recent series on the economics of whaling, a listener has suggested we do a series on the economic history of beer. Thumbs up or down? If up, what would you be most excited to learn, and who would you want to hear from? All story ideas welcome. Thanks!.
52
3
180
An estimated 12 people die each day in the U.S. waiting for a life-saving kidney transplant. But there’s an abundant supply of spare kidneys. Find out how a Nobel Prize-winning economist has improved patients’ chances of getting one.
1
86
179
If 90% of all the world's data was created in the past two years, then why aren't we teaching data literacy in schools? . Take a look at this video narrated by @StevenDLevitt about why America's math curriculum needs to change. and what it can look like.
8
54
180
Chit-chat at start of a meeting adds to productivity b/c it creates “psychological safety.”
3
182
176
Study: Sleeping 1 extra hour per night on average increases wages by 16% — more boost than an added yr of education.
9
183
166
Are we living in a kakistocracy? From Peggy Noonan's "Trump has really lost it" column in the WSJ:
10
112
161
Sometimes someone recognizes you by your voice in an elevator, and say hello, and then we take a pic, and it's fun!
2
11
167
Happy 2021! In 2020, Freakonomics Radio had 100 million downloads. If you listened to one (or more), thank you! This will be an even bigger year for the Freakonomics Radio Network.
9
7
173
~70% of Americans are financially illiterate. The important stuff fits on one index card, so be a financial superhero!
1
55
167
By age 4, poor kids have heard 30 million fewer words than affluent peers. It’s a huge setback.
5
124
167
“People start out with an emotional commitment to a certain idea,” says @FukuyamaFrancis, “and then they use their formidable cognitive powers to organize facts to support what they want to believe anyhow.”
5
66
172
80% of #TraderJoes products are private-label (store brands), but but they often look and taste nearly identical to brand-name foods. Why? Because many are, in fact, made by the very same name brands.
8
48
167
That should keep him busy for a while.
4
5
170
8.8 million people work in retail in the U.S., making ~$12/hour. This week, @AndrewYangVFA asks, when 30% of malls close in the next 4 years, what is their next opportunity going to be?
10
75
166
Why schools don’t produce creative thinkers: “What we need to do is to focus more on trying to assess the things we value, rather than valuing the things that are most easily assessed.” — @mres.
4
59
168
A million thanks (actually, 37 million) to everyone who listens to and helps create Freakonomics Radio. Our last quarter was our best ever, by a long shot:
8
8
162
Ideas to fix U.S. politics? .1. Non-partisan, single-ballot primaries. 2. Ranked-choice voting. 3. Non-partisan redistricting (a.k.a.: no gerrymandering).
20
40
162
Tell us three things you've done during the lockdown that you've never done before (or at least not in a long time).
268
25
160
What would you most like to know about blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and NFTs? (Also, would you like to learn all this in one episode, two, or even three?).
121
7
165
The stock market lately feels like San Diego weather: another morning, another sunny day. There will, of course, be a storm at some point.
7
50
152
In the American Dream sweepstakes, @AndrewYangVFA was a pretty big winner. But for every winner there are thousands upon thousands of losers — a “war on normal people,” he calls it. So he decided to do something about it.
4
61
150
To a Brazilian cattle rancher, clearing a hectare of Amazon forest boosts its value — to about $1k. But preserving that land is worth $28k to the global economy, for the carbon it holds. And that’s not even putting a value on biodiversity or tourism.
7
70
151
A study found that storytelling stimulates massive brain activity. So? You should listen to more #podcasts. Listen:
4
68
142
We are about to start producing a big new batch of Freakonomics Radio episodes and would love to hear your ideas. Anything goes. Thanks!.
184
36
157
Engineer James @Dyson made 5,127 prototypes of his vacuum before it was ready for market. That meant 5,126 failures. “It's almost slightly disappointing when it does work, because then you've got to get on to something else.”
3
52
150
How to Become Great at Just About Anything. Sure, practice makes perfect, but HOW you practice matters a lot.
5
62
155
The book "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion," by Robert Cialdini, is one of the most — well, influential, books of the modern era. A revised edition is about to be released. Whether you've read it or not, what's the one question you'd like to hear Cialdini answer?.
22
15
154
How to fix U.S. politics? .1. Non-partisan, single-ballot primaries. 2. Ranked-choice voting. 3. Non-partisan redistricting (a.k.a.: no gerrymandering).
10
73
141
Robert Cialdini, pioneer in the science of persuasion, just published an expanded edition of his classic 1984 book “Influence”. This week, he gives a master class in the 7 psychological levers that lead us to buy, behave, or believe without a 2nd thought.
2
25
159
Please help us give away some money!. In the spirit of the season, we're giving away five $100 charity gift cards. Retweet this message between now and 2pm ET. We'll randomly pick 5 people to send a card, which can be applied to nearly any charity. Wishing you peaceful holidays!.
8
651
127
Students underestimated — by 64% — how long it would take to write their theses, according to a study. They're not alone. Stockbrokers, electrical engineers, doctors, holiday shoppers. we all fall prey to the “planning fallacy.”
4
40
142
The author of #Moneyball wrote a book on the fathers of #BehavioralEconomics, so of course we interviewed him.
2
45
148
Replacing a mediocre teacher with a great one will increase future earnings of the class by $1.5M.
9
201
153
Study: Sleeping 1 extra hour per night on average increases wages by 16% — more boost than an added yr of education.
2
149
141
Well-educated people who consume a lot of information tend to hold disproportionately extreme views, apparently because they’re really good at seeking out information that confirms their position and ignoring information that might run counter.
2
67
142
#MBA students tend to “get over-excited about the big-picture, sexy stuff of long-term strategy and skip over the small details [of operations], which turn out to be critically important."
6
48
145
The U.S. lost 5mil manufacturing jobs since 2000. Germany kept — maybe even added — mfg. jobs. What's their secret?
21
78
136
A great pleasure, and privilege, to interview @wyntonmarsalis for our upcoming Freakonomics Radio series on Creativity.
3
26
137