![What Exactly Is College For? (Update) Image](https://img.resized.co/shuffle/eyJkYXRhIjoie1widXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL2ltYWdlLnNpbXBsZWNhc3RjZG4uY29tXFxcL2ltYWdlc1xcXC8yYmU0ODQwNC1hNDNjLTRmYTgtYTMyYy03NjBhMzIxNjI3MmVcXFwvZmFiMTU4NGUtOGVhOS00ZWZhLTk2NTAtNWU1OTU4NjFiMmNkXFxcLzMwMDB4MzAwMFxcXC9pbWFnZS5qcGc_YWlkPXJzc19mZWVkXCIsXCJ3aWR0aFwiOjI4MCxcImhlaWdodFwiOjI4MCxcImRlZmF1bHRcIjpcImh0dHBzOlxcXC9cXFwvd3d3LmdvbG91ZG5vdy5jb21cXFwvaW1hZ2VzXFxcL2xvZ28uc3ZnXCIsXCJvcHRpb25zXCI6W119IiwiaGFzaCI6ImRkMDRiOWZkNDBiMzZlOWQ0M2FjZmM1OTNiYWVlN2UyYzg0YmNjMzcifQ==/what-exactly-is-college-for-update.jpg?aid=rss_feed)
What Exactly Is College For? (Update)
15 August - 50 minsWe think of them as intellectual enclaves and the surest route to a better life. But U.S. colleges also operate like firms, trying to differentiate their products to win market share and prestige points. In the first episode of a special series originally published in 2022, we ask what our chaotic system gets right — and wrong. (Part 1 of “Freakonomics Radio Goes Back to School.”)
SOURCES:Peter Blair, faculty research Fellow of the National Bureau of Economic Research and professor of education at Harvard University.Catharine Hill, former president of Vassar College; trustee at Yale University; and managing director at Ithaka S+R.Morton Schapiro, professor of economics and former preside...
![602. Is Screen Time as Poisonous as We Think?](https://img.resized.co/shuffle/eyJkYXRhIjoie1widXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL2ltYWdlLnNpbXBsZWNhc3RjZG4uY29tXFxcL2ltYWdlc1xcXC8yYmU0ODQwNC1hNDNjLTRmYTgtYTMyYy03NjBhMzIxNjI3MmVcXFwvZmFiMTU4NGUtOGVhOS00ZWZhLTk2NTAtNWU1OTU4NjFiMmNkXFxcLzMwMDB4MzAwMFxcXC9pbWFnZS5qcGc_YWlkPXJzc19mZWVkXCIsXCJ3aWR0aFwiOjgwLFwiaGVpZ2h0XCI6ODAsXCJkZWZhdWx0XCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL3d3dy5nb2xvdWRub3cuY29tXFxcL2ltYWdlc1xcXC9sb2dvLnN2Z1wiLFwib3B0aW9uc1wiOltdfSIsImhhc2giOiJhMGVmZGJmMjFlMDJkZmU5ZGZhMWYwMGY5ZTg4NjY0ODY3OWQ2YjA4In0=/602-is-screen-time-as-poisonous-as-we-think.jpg?aid=rss_feed)
602. Is Screen Time as Poisonous as We Think?
Young people have been reporting a sharp rise in anxiety and depression. This maps neatly onto the global rise of the smartphone. Some researchers are convinced that one is causing the other. But how strong is the evidence?
40 mins
12 September Finished
![601. Multitasking Doesn’t Work. So Why Do We Keep Trying?](https://img.resized.co/shuffle/eyJkYXRhIjoie1widXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL2ltYWdlLnNpbXBsZWNhc3RjZG4uY29tXFxcL2ltYWdlc1xcXC8yYmU0ODQwNC1hNDNjLTRmYTgtYTMyYy03NjBhMzIxNjI3MmVcXFwvZmFiMTU4NGUtOGVhOS00ZWZhLTk2NTAtNWU1OTU4NjFiMmNkXFxcLzMwMDB4MzAwMFxcXC9pbWFnZS5qcGc_YWlkPXJzc19mZWVkXCIsXCJ3aWR0aFwiOjgwLFwiaGVpZ2h0XCI6ODAsXCJkZWZhdWx0XCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL3d3dy5nb2xvdWRub3cuY29tXFxcL2ltYWdlc1xcXC9sb2dvLnN2Z1wiLFwib3B0aW9uc1wiOltdfSIsImhhc2giOiJhMGVmZGJmMjFlMDJkZmU5ZGZhMWYwMGY5ZTg4NjY0ODY3OWQ2YjA4In0=/601-multitasking-doesn-t-work-so-why-do-we-keep-trying.jpg?aid=rss_feed)
601. Multitasking Doesn’t Work. So Why Do We Keep Trying?
Only a tiny number of “supertaskers” are capable of doing two things at once. The rest of us are just making ourselves miserable, and less productive. How can we put the — hang on a second, I've just got to get this. Come see Stephen Dubner live! “A Questionable Evening: A strategic interrogation from two people who ask questions for a living,” featuring Stephen Dubner and PJ Vogt from Search Engine. Thursday, Sept. 26th, at the Bell House in Brooklyn, NY. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-questionable-evening-evening-with-stephen-dubner-and-pj-vogt-tickets-1002544747327
58 mins
5 September Finished
![What Is the Future of College — and Does It Have Room for Men? (Update)](https://img.resized.co/shuffle/eyJkYXRhIjoie1widXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL2ltYWdlLnNpbXBsZWNhc3RjZG4uY29tXFxcL2ltYWdlc1xcXC8yYmU0ODQwNC1hNDNjLTRmYTgtYTMyYy03NjBhMzIxNjI3MmVcXFwvZmFiMTU4NGUtOGVhOS00ZWZhLTk2NTAtNWU1OTU4NjFiMmNkXFxcLzMwMDB4MzAwMFxcXC9pbWFnZS5qcGc_YWlkPXJzc19mZWVkXCIsXCJ3aWR0aFwiOjgwLFwiaGVpZ2h0XCI6ODAsXCJkZWZhdWx0XCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL3d3dy5nb2xvdWRub3cuY29tXFxcL2ltYWdlc1xcXC9sb2dvLnN2Z1wiLFwib3B0aW9uc1wiOltdfSIsImhhc2giOiJhMGVmZGJmMjFlMDJkZmU5ZGZhMWYwMGY5ZTg4NjY0ODY3OWQ2YjA4In0=/what-is-the-future-of-college-and-does-it-have-room-for-men-update.jpg?aid=rss_feed)
What Is the Future of College — and Does It Have Room for Men? (Update)
Educators and economists tell us all the reasons college enrollment has been dropping, especially for men, and how to stop the bleeding. (Part 3 of our series from 2022, “Freakonomics Radio Goes Back to School.”)
49 mins
29 August Finished
![EXTRA: Why Quitting Is Usually Worth It](https://img.resized.co/shuffle/eyJkYXRhIjoie1widXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL2ltYWdlLnNpbXBsZWNhc3RjZG4uY29tXFxcL2ltYWdlc1xcXC8yYmU0ODQwNC1hNDNjLTRmYTgtYTMyYy03NjBhMzIxNjI3MmVcXFwvZmFiMTU4NGUtOGVhOS00ZWZhLTk2NTAtNWU1OTU4NjFiMmNkXFxcLzMwMDB4MzAwMFxcXC9pbWFnZS5qcGc_YWlkPXJzc19mZWVkXCIsXCJ3aWR0aFwiOjgwLFwiaGVpZ2h0XCI6ODAsXCJkZWZhdWx0XCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL3d3dy5nb2xvdWRub3cuY29tXFxcL2ltYWdlc1xcXC9sb2dvLnN2Z1wiLFwib3B0aW9uc1wiOltdfSIsImhhc2giOiJhMGVmZGJmMjFlMDJkZmU5ZGZhMWYwMGY5ZTg4NjY0ODY3OWQ2YjA4In0=/extra-why-quitting-is-usually-worth-it.jpg?aid=rss_feed)
EXTRA: Why Quitting Is Usually Worth It
Stephen Dubner appears as a guest on "Fail Better," a new podcast hosted by David Duchovny. The two of them trade stories about failure, and ponder the lessons that success could never teach.
40 mins
26 August Finished
![The University of Impossible-to-Get-Into (Update)](https://img.resized.co/shuffle/eyJkYXRhIjoie1widXJsXCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL2ltYWdlLnNpbXBsZWNhc3RjZG4uY29tXFxcL2ltYWdlc1xcXC8yYmU0ODQwNC1hNDNjLTRmYTgtYTMyYy03NjBhMzIxNjI3MmVcXFwvZmFiMTU4NGUtOGVhOS00ZWZhLTk2NTAtNWU1OTU4NjFiMmNkXFxcLzMwMDB4MzAwMFxcXC9pbWFnZS5qcGc_YWlkPXJzc19mZWVkXCIsXCJ3aWR0aFwiOjgwLFwiaGVpZ2h0XCI6ODAsXCJkZWZhdWx0XCI6XCJodHRwczpcXFwvXFxcL3d3dy5nb2xvdWRub3cuY29tXFxcL2ltYWdlc1xcXC9sb2dvLnN2Z1wiLFwib3B0aW9uc1wiOltdfSIsImhhc2giOiJhMGVmZGJmMjFlMDJkZmU5ZGZhMWYwMGY5ZTg4NjY0ODY3OWQ2YjA4In0=/the-university-of-impossible-to-get-into-update.jpg?aid=rss_feed)
The University of Impossible-to-Get-Into (Update)
America’s top colleges are facing record demand. So why don’t they increase supply? (Part 2 of our series from 2022, “Freakonomics Radio Goes Back to School.”)
1 hour 11 mins
22 August Finished