Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
500 episodes listed below
Stephen Dubner tests bourbon economics, Alzheimer's research, and money advice against hard data.
Freakonomics Radio treats economics as a field guide to how systems actually behave. Recent episodes move from Alzheimer’s research and honey fraud to bourbon, tax myths, driverless cars, traffic risk, and online scams.
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Freakonomics Radio is hosted by Stephen Dubner, who frames each episode around a specific empirical puzzle and brings in researchers, physicians, or officials to work through the evidence. The show mixes newly reported, sequentially numbered interview episodes (e.g. 'Why Is 95 Percent of the World's Bourbon Made in Kentucky?') with periodic 'Update' episodes that revisit past segments, such as a rebroadcast on New Year's resolutions featuring behavior scientist Katie Milkman. A recurring method is the natural experiment: comparing London Tube commuters before and after a strike, or traffic fatalities on days when major albums are released, to isolate cause from correlation. Health and medical policy comes up frequently, covering Alzheimer's drug research, FDA commissioner Marty Makary's reform agenda, and disputes over vaccine and food guidance. Personal finance is another recurring thread, with episodes testing whether mainstream money advice like the debt snowball method or fixed-rate mortgages holds up against economic research. Guests tend to be academic economists, behavioral scientists, and health researchers, alongside occasional public officials such as transit executive Andy Byford. Dubner acts as interviewer and narrator throughout, pressing guests to test their claims against data rather than simply presenting them. The show suits listeners interested in applied economics, evidence-based health policy, and data-driven takes on money and behavior. Episodes run roughly 45 to 60 minutes and are structured as single-topic deep dives rather than news roundups.
Made for: Listeners interested in applied economics, health policy, and data-driven explanations of everyday behavior and industries.
What sets it apart: Grounds each episode in a specific natural experiment or dataset — album-release traffic data, subway strike records — rather than general commentary on economics or business news.
Freakonomics co-author Stephen J. Dubner uncovers the hidden side of everything. Why is it safer to fly in an airplane than drive a car? How do we decide whom to marry? Why is the media so full of bad news? Also: things you never knew you wanted to know about wolves, bananas, pollution, search engines, and the quirks of human behavior. To get every show in the Freakonomics Radio Network without ads and a monthly bonus episode of Freakonomics Radio, start a free trial for SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Stephen Dubner connects economic incentives and human behavior through reported questions that make money, markets, regulation, and decision-making easier to see.
Freakonomics Radio follows Stephen Dubner as he turns broad questions into investigations of incentives, evidence, and human behavior. Personal finance advice becomes a dispute between economic models and emotional reality; bourbon becomes a study of capital tied up in aging…
Stephen Dubner turns a Taylor Swift release into a traffic-safety question before you blame the playlist.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A clear business look at bourbon as tied-up capital, Kentucky tradition, and production expertise aging in the barrel.
Bourbon makes a useful business case because it ties up capital after production: the product is made, but the return waits on years in a barrel.
A strange pop-music question becomes a disciplined look at traffic risk, public data, and everyday economic costs.
Freakonomics Radio turns a pop-culture provocation into a measured look at traffic risk, public cost, and the difficulty of testing distraction at national scale.
A grounded look at FDA speed, safety standards, and biotech promise under new political pressure.
Freakonomics Radio frames the FDA as a regulator under unusual political and commercial pressure. The episode starts with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s busy, controversial health agenda, then turns to Marty Makary's first government role running an agency already moving on rare…
A sharp personal finance reset about where economic models, panic, incentives, and spending pressure collide.
Freakonomics Radio uses a seasonal hook, New Year's money resolutions, to reopen a bigger question: why does so much personal finance advice fail to stick?
A smart, slightly wide-ranging look at fresh starts, from New Year's resolutions to a leadership exit shaped by politics and timing.
Freakonomics Radio turns New Year's resolutions into a practical question about behavior change, with Stephen Dubner using January 1 as more than a calendar reset.
Daily business news with Kai Ryssdal, tracking Fed policy, oil shocks, and private credit.
Galloway rotates Office Hours Q&A, Raging Moderates politics, and China Decode geopolitics weekly.
Joel and Matt answer listener money questions weekly in the show's Ask HTM segments.
Brené Brown's long-form conversations linking grief, caregiving, politics, and nonviolence to her vulnerability research.
Economist Tyler Cowen cross-examines one scholar's book per episode, claim by claim.
Freakonomics Radio frames Alzheimer’s disease around two new FDA-approved blood tests, the fact that symptoms can take root for 20 years, and the scale of the problem for more than 7 million people in the U.S.
Bourbon makes time expensive.
One distraction can be enough.
This episode explores the human and economic impacts of driverless cars through the story of a long-time driver facing technological disruption.
This episode features an interview with PJ Vogt about his two-part series on driverless cars, exploring their current state and future impact.
This episode investigates the pig butchering crypto scam run by Chinese-born entrepreneur Chen Xi, who was arrested and extradited to China after U.S.
Nobel laureate Joel Mokir discusses how technological progress is driven by a small percentage of the population and how culture shapes innovation.
An update on a previous episode exploring the world of commodity traders and their influence on global events like oil markets and trade wars.
Stephen Dubner interviews filmmaker Werner Herzog about his worldview and new book on truth.
Heather Stone discusses the rare brain-eating amoeba balamuthia and the use of an unapproved European drug to treat it.
This episode revisits an interview with Nobel laureate Richard Thaler about behavioral economics and nudge theory, exploring how human psychology influences decision-making in areas like taxes, healthcare, and finance.
This episode explores the ethics and science of doping in sports, featuring perspectives from a disgraced cyclist and a pro-enhancement competition founder.
Stephen Dubner explores how broken rules contribute to political chaos, using Alice in Wonderland as a metaphor.
This episode explores why running backs in the NFL are no longer highly paid compared to quarterbacks and wide receivers, examining the league's shift toward the passing game.
This episode explores how artificial intelligence could revolutionize healthcare by addressing inefficiencies in the system while leveraging advanced medical technologies.
This episode critiques the $7 trillion wellness industry's often misguided advice and features Ezekiel Emanuel discussing his book 'Eat Your Ice Cream,' which argues for a simpler, more sustainable approach to wellness.
Stephen Dubner announces that Steve Levitt is ending his podcast 'People I Mostly Admire' and will join Freakonomics Radio occasionally, while republishing the archive and sharing the final episode as an exit interview.
Public health is moving fast.
This episode explores the booming brain supplement industry, examining why people take them and the science behind their claims.
Happy New Year, money anxiety.
January 1 gets a job.
This episode explores how wealth affects people's behavior and the effectiveness of direct cash transfers to fight poverty.
Conductor Jane Glover discusses her lifelong love for Handel's Messiah and its emotional power.
Stephen Dubner explores the history and tradition of Handel's Messiah through a conversation with patron Gary Parr.
This episode explores the unlikely circumstances of Handel's journey to Dublin for the first performance of Messiah.
Stephen Dubner reflects on falling in love with Handel's Messiah during the pandemic, exploring how fear of the future shapes human behavior and historical outcomes.
Stephen Dubner explores the optimal timing for candid conversations with former political leaders, using an interview with ex-Secretary of State Antony Blinken as a case study.
This episode explores why Delaware has been the dominant state for corporate incorporation and why companies are now leaving.
This episode explores the journey of playwright David Adjmi and his play Stereophonic, which delves into the struggles of artistic creation.
This episode explores the fascinating and ever-changing world of global trade, touching on economics, politics, and cultural identity.
Stephen Dubner interviews writer Maria Konnikova about her journey to becoming a professional poker player and the lessons on luck and skill.
Senator Cory Booker discusses his bipartisan legislative achievements and a personal encounter that highlights political division.
This episode explores the demographic shift towards an older population, driven by lower fertility and longer lifespans, and its implications.