When my daughter was born, my wife and I agreed that we wouldn’t drive ourselves crazy reading every book of parenting advice on the shelf. So much of it seems designed only to cause anxiety – and, of course, to sell more books. But I do find myself referring over and over to this one… Continue reading The Data-Driven Guide to Sane Parenting
Tag: freakonomics
How Spotify Saved the Music Industry (But Not Necessarily Musicians)
Spotify founder and CEO Daniel Ek gave a rare interview to Freakonomics Radio for an episode I produced. We tell the story of how Ek (who grew up in Sweden listening to pirated music) managed to sell the record labels on his plan to make online listening legit. And, remarkably, it has worked: after years… Continue reading How Spotify Saved the Music Industry (But Not Necessarily Musicians)
How to Be Creative
Creativity has become a buzzword, universally desirable but uniformly misunderstood. What is it, really? Is there a definition large enough to capture all the various activities that fall under its umbrella? And what can social scientists tell us about where it comes from and (more importantly) how to get more of it? I’m producing an… Continue reading How to Be Creative
How to Catch World Cup Fever
For soccer fans, it’s easy. For the rest of us? Not so much, especially since the U.S. team didn’t qualify. I produced and scripted this episode of Freakonomics Radio that breaks down the reasons for the rest of us to get excited about the 2018 World Cup.
The Invisible Paw
We’ve always assumed that humans are the only animal to engage in economic activity. We even have a name for ourselves, Homo economicus, that enshrines the idea of ourselves as rational economic actors. But what if we have that completely turned around? A theory gaining currency in biology suggests that non-human animals are much more… Continue reading The Invisible Paw
After the Glass Ceiling, a Glass Cliff?
A bunch of research shows that women are more likely to be put in charge of things (companies, schools, running for office) when the risk of failure is high. It’s another hidden obstacle to women’s success. There’s even a term for it: the glass cliff. But why is it so persistent? I produced an episode… Continue reading After the Glass Ceiling, a Glass Cliff?