Freakonomics Radio

Is it tradition … or protectionism? And what happens when the bourbon boom turns into a glut?

As one researcher told us: “We’ve engineered a world where the most distracting device ever made is also the one we use to listen to music in the car." A new study tries to measure the cost.

In blue cities across the country, unions and politicians want to ban self-driving cars. In this episode from the Search Engine podcast, PJ Vogt visits Boston to sort the facts from the propaganda. (Part two of a two-part series.)

How a secret project at Google led to driverless cars on American roads. Freakonomics Radio shares a story from our friends at Search Engine. (Part one of a two-part series.)

A ruthless (and ruthlessly efficient) industry is using digital tools to supercharge one of the world’s oldest behaviors. We look at how the industry works, and ask the scam-fighters what they’re doing about it.

Economists don’t usually talk about “culture.” But Joel Mokyr argues that it’s the engine of innovation — and the Nobel Prize committee agreed. Stephen Dubner sits down for a thousand-year conversation (including advice!) with the new Nobel laureate.

Just beneath the surface of the global economy, there is a hidden layer of dealmakers for whom war, chaos, and sanctions can be a great business opportunity. In this updated episode from 2025, journalists Javier Blas and Jack Farchy help us shine a light on the shadowy realm of commodity traders.

... of bad reviews, meager financing, or artificial intelligence. But he is worried that the world is full of sloppy thinkers who mistake facts for the truth.

Existing drugs can sometimes be repurposed to treat rare diseases. But making that match can be hard — and the financial incentives are weak. Guest host Steve Levitt tries to solve the puzzle.

When Richard Thaler first published Nudge, the world was just starting to believe in his brand of behavioral economics. In this 2021 episode, we ask: How has nudge theory held up in the face of a global financial meltdown, a pandemic, and other existential crises?

The science says no, at least not in the athletic sense. But the psychic benefits can be large — just ask former N.F.L. star Ricky Williams. He says athletes should consider cannabis a healing drug, not a party drug. Even the N.F.L. is starting to agree. (Part two of a two-part series.)

In sports, the rules are meant to be sacrosanct. But when it comes to performance-enhancing drugs, the slope is super-slippery. (Part one of a two-part series.)

They used to be the N.F.L.’s biggest stars, with paychecks to match. Now their salaries are near the bottom, and their careers are shorter than ever. In this updated episode from 2025, we speak with an analytics guru, an agent, an economist, and some former running backs to understand why.

For 50 years, the healthcare industry has been trying (and failing) to harness the power of artificial intelligence. It may finally be ready for prime time. What will this mean for human doctors — and the rest of us? (Part four of “The Freakonomics Radio Guide to Getting Better.”)

Zeke Emanuel (a physician, medical ethicist, and policy wonk) has some different ideas for how to lead a healthy and meaningful life. It starts with ice cream. (Part three of “The Freakonomics Radio Guide to Getting Better.”)

After five years, Levitt is ending People I (Mostly) Admire, and will start hosting the occasional Freakonomics Radio episode. We couldn’t be happier.

It regulates 20 percent of the U.S. economy, and its commissioner has an aggressive agenda — faster drug approvals, healthier food, cures for diabetes and cancer. How much can he deliver? (Part two of “The Freakonomics Radio Guide to Getting Better.”)

We all want to stay sharp, and forestall the cognitive effects of aging. But do brain supplements actually work? Are they safe? And why doesn’t the F.D.A. even know what’s in them? (Part one of “The Freakonomics Radio Guide to Getting Better.”)

One Yale economist certainly thinks so. But even if he’s right, are economists any better? We find out, in this update of a 2022 episode.

Behavioral scientists have been exploring whether a psychological reset can lead to lasting change. In this update of a 2021 episode, we survey evidence from the London Underground, Major League Baseball, and New Year’s resolutions to look at accidental fresh starts, forced fresh starts, fresh starts that backfire — and the ones that succeed.

A series of academic studies suggest that the wealthy are, to put it bluntly, selfish jerks. It’s an easy narrative to embrace — but is it true? As part of GiveDirectly’s “Pods Fight Poverty” campaign, we revisit a 2017 episode. SOURCES: Jim Andreoni , professor of economics at the University of California, San Diego. Nikos Nikiforakis , professor of economics at New York University in Abu Dhabi. Paul Piff , associate professor of psychology at the University of California, Irvine. Jan Stoop , associate professor of applied economics at the Erasmus School of Economics. RESOURCES: " Are the Rich More Selfish Than the Poor, or do They Just Have More Money? A Natural Field Experiment ," by James Andreoni, Nikos Nikiforakis, and Jan Stoop ( National Bureau of Economic Research, 2017). " Exploring the Psychology of Wealth, 'Pernicious' Effects of Economic Inequality ," ( PBS NewsHour, 2013). " Poverty Impedes Cognitive Function ," by Anandi Mani, Sendhil Mullainathan, Eldar Shafir, and Jiaying Zhao (Science, 2013). " Higher Social Class Predicts Increased Unethical Behavior ," by Paul Piff, Daniel Stancato, Stéphane Côté, Rodolfo Mendoza-Denton, and Dacher Keltner (PNAS, 2011). " Relative Earnings and Giving in a Real-Effort Experiment ," by Nisvan Erkal, Lata Gangadharan, and Nikos Nikiforakis (American Economic Review, 2011). " Experimenter Demand Effects in Economic Experiments ," by Daniel John Zizzo (Experimental Economics, 2009). " Impure Altruism and Donations to Public Goods: A Theory of Warm-Glow Giving ," by James Andreoni (The Economic Journal, 1990). " Privately Provided Public Goods in a Large Economy: The Limits of Altruism ," by James Andreoni (Journal of Public Economics, 1987). " A Positive Model of Private Charity and Public Transfers ," by Russell Roberts (Journal of Political Economy, 1984). Pods Fight Poverty Campaign on Give Directly . EXTRAS: “ How to Raise Money Without Killing a Kitten ,” by Freakonomics Radio (2013). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

All sorts of people have put their mark on Messiah , and it has been a hit for nearly 300 years. How can a single piece of music thrive in so many settings? You could say it’s because Handel really knew how to write a banger. (Part three of “ Making Messiah . ”) SOURCES: Charles King , political scientist at Georgetown University. Jane Glover , classical music scholar, conductor. Katharine Hogg , musicologist, head librarian at the Foundling Museum. Susannah Heschel , religion professor, chair of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College. Mark Risinger , teacher at St. Bernard’s School. Michael Marissen , professor emeritus of music at Swarthmore College, author of Tainted Glory in Handel’s Messiah: The Unsettling History of the World’s Most Beloved Choral Work. RESOURCES: Every Valley: The Desperate Lives and Troubled Times That Made Handel’s Messiah , by Charles King (2024). " Why These Christmas Songs Could Only Be Written in America ," by Eli Lake (The Free Press, 2024). " Reflections on Bernstein’s 1956 “Messiah ,”" by Mark Risinger (Leonard Bernstein Office, 2022). Handel in London: The Making of a Genius , by Jane Glover (2018). Tainted Glory in Handel's Messiah: The Unsettling History of the World's Most Beloved Choral Work , by Michael Marissen (2014). “ Handel’s Messiah ,” performed by The London Symphony Orchestra (2007). EXTRAS: " Making Messiah ," series by Freakonomics Radio (2025). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the 18th century, Handel relied on royal patronage. Today, it’s donors like Gary Parr who keep the music playing. In this bonus episode of our “Making Messiah ” series , Parr breaks down the economics of the New York Philharmonic. SOURCES: Gary Parr , senior managing director and on the management committee at Apollo, philanthropist. RESOURCES: " A Notoriously Jinxed Concert Hall Is Reborn, Again ," by Michael Kimmelman (New York Times, 2022). " Apollo’s New Guy Is a Legend in Banking, a Novice in Buyouts ," by Sonali Basak (Bloomberg, 2017). “ Handel’s Messiah ,” performed by The London Symphony Orchestra (2007). " Racial/Ethnic and Gender Diversity in the Orchestra Field ," by James Doeser (League of American Orchestras ). Parr Prize for Excellence in Teaching Shakespeare . EXTRAS: " Making Messiah, " series by Freakonomics Radio (2025). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

When he wrote Messiah (in 24 days), Handel was past his prime and nearly broke. One night in Dublin changed all that. (Part two of “ Making Messiah . ”) SOURCES: Charles King , political scientist at Georgetown University. Chris Scobie, curator of music, manuscripts, and archives at the British Library. Ellen Harris , musicologist and professor emeritus at MIT. Mark Risinger , teacher at St. Bernard's School. Philip Rushforth , organist and master of the choristers at the Chester Cathedral. Proinnsías Ó Duinn , conductor and music director of Our Lady's Choral Society. RESOURCES: Every Valley: The Desperate Lives and Troubled Times That Made Handel's Messiah , by Charles King (2024). " Arnaud du Sarrat and the international music trade in Halle and Leipzig c.1700 ," by Tomasz Górny (Early Music, 2023). George Frideric Handel: A Life with Friends , by Ellen Harris (2014). Handel (Composers Across Cultures) , by Donald Burrows (2012). " Georg Händel (1622–97): The Barber-Surgeon Father of George Frideric Handel (1685–1759) ," by Aileen Adams and B. Hofestädt (Journal Of Medical Biography, 2005). Handel's Messiah: A Celebration: A Richly Illustrated History of the Music and Its Eighteenth-Century Background , by Richard Luckett (1995). Handel's Messiah The Advent Calendar , podcast series . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Why does an 18th-century Christian oratorio lend such comfort to our own turbulent times? Stephen Dubner sets out for Dublin to tell the story of George Frideric Handel’s Messiah. (Part one of “ Making Messiah .”) SOURCES: Charles King , political scientist at Georgetown University. Katrine Nyland Sørensen , Danish broadcaster, host of Handel's Messiah - The Advent Calendar. Mark Risinger , teacher at St. Bernard's School. Michael and Aileen Casey, Dublin conservationists. Proinnsías Ó Duinn , conductor and music director of Our Lady's Choral Society. Stuart Kinsella , tenor soloist and consort singer. RESOURCES: Every Valley: The Desperate Lives and Troubled Times That Made Handel's Messiah , by Charles King (2024). " Two Men Wrote ‘Messiah.’ You Know One of Them. " by Charles King (New York Times, 2024). " On Fishamble Street, family lives among four centuries of relatives’ keepsakes ," by Zuzia Whelan (Dublin Inquirer, 2018). Hallelujah: The Story of a Musical Genius & the City That Brought His Masterpiece , by Jonathan Bardon (2016). George Frideric Handel: A Life with Friends , by Ellen Harris (2014). Handel: The Man & His Music , by Jonathan Keates (2010). " Handel's Messiah ," performed by The London Symphony Orchestra (2007). Handel's Messiah The Advent Calendar , podcast series . Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.