Freakonomics, M.D.

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55. This Vaccine Lottery Seemed Like a Great Idea. Why Didn’t it Work?

Behavioral economists say “regret lotteries” are powerful motivational tools. When Philadelphia tried one in 2021, the results were disappointing. Bapu looks at how incentives can backfire — and what we can learn from failures.

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  The Economics of Everyday Things: Animal Urine

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  Tom Brady, A.D.H.D., and a Really Bad Headache (Bonus)

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  78. Do Kids Cause Divorce?

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  77. They Make Minimum Wage. They Could Save Your Life.

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  76. Is a Spoonful of Sunlight the Best Medicine?

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  75. What Is Sugar Really Doing to You?

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  74. How Does Playing Football Affect Your Health?

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  73. Who Pays for Multimillion-Dollar Miracle Cures?

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  72. What’s Stopping Us From Curing Rare Diseases?

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  71. What Do COVID-19 and Cancer Have in Common?

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  70. Why Are There Still So Few Female Surgeons?

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  69. Home Sweet … Hospital?

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  68. The E.R. Doctor’s Dilemma

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  What Can We Do About the Hardest Patients? (Ep. 51 Replay)

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  67. Why Did This 60-Year-Old Man Collapse at the Supermarket?

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  66. Does Health Insurance Make You Healthier?