487. Is It Okay to Have a Party Yet?

The biggest sports league in history had a problem: While most of its players were Black, almost none of its head coaches were. So the N.F.L. launched a hiring policy called the Rooney Rule. In the first episode of a two-part series, we look at how the rule succeeded — until it failed.

• SOURCES:
  • N. Jeremi Duru, professor of law at American University.
  • Herm Edwards, former N.F.L. player and head coach.
  • Jim Rooney, author and co-partner of Rooney Consulting.

• RESOURCES:
  • A Different Way to Win: Dan Rooney's Story from the Super Bowl to the Rooney Rule, by Jim Rooney (2019).
  • "For ASU's Herm Edwards, Sports Bubble Helped to Overcome Racism Growing Up," by Jeff Metcalfe (The Arizona Republic, 2018).
  • Advancing the Ball: Race, Reformation, and the Quest for Equal Coaching Opportunity in the NFL, by N. Jeremi Duru (2010).
  • "Differences in the Success of NFL Coaches by Race, 1990-2002: Evidence of Last Hire, First Fire," by Janice Madden (Journal of Sports Economics, 2004).

• EXTRAS:
  • "When Is a Superstar Just Another Employee?" by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • "How Much Does Discrimination Hurt the Economy? (Replay)," by Freakonomics Radio (2023).

We revisit an episode from 2016 that asks: Has our culture’s obsession with innovation led us to neglect the fact that things also need to be taken care of? 

• SOURCES:
  • Martin Casado, general partner at Andreessen Horowitz.
  • Ruth Schwartz Cowan, professor emerita of history and sociology of science at University of Pennsylvania.
  • Edward Glaeser, professor of economics at Harvard University.
  • Chris Lacinak, founder and president of AVPreserve.
  • Andrew Russell, provost of SUNY Polytechnic Institute.
  • Lawrence Summers, professor and president emeritus of Harvard University; former Secretary of the Treasury and former director of the National Economic Council.
  • Lee Vinsel, professor of science, technology, and society at Virginia Tech.

• RESOURCES:
  • “Hail the Maintainers," by Andrew Russell and Lee Vinsel (Aeon, 2016).
  • “A Lesson on Infrastructure From the Anderson Bridge Fiasco,” by Lawrence Summers and Rachel Lipson (The Boston Globe, 2016).
  • Triumph of the City: How Our Greatest Invention Makes Us Richer, Smarter, Greener, Healthier, and Happier, by Edward Glaeser (2008).
  • More Work for Mother: The Ironies of Household Technology from the Open Hearth to the Microwave, by Ruth Schwartz Cowan (1983).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Freakonomics Radio Takes to the Skies," series by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • "Edward Glaeser Explains Why Some Cities Thrive While Others Fade Away," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2021).
  • "Why Larry Summers Is the Economist Everyone Hates to Love," by Freakonomics Radio (2017).

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?

• SOURCES:
  • David Blanchflower, professor of economics at Dartmouth College.
  • Lauren Oyler, novelist and cultural critic.
  • Andrew Przybylski, professor of human behavior and technology at the University of Oxford.

• RESOURCES:
  • "The Declining Mental Health Of The Young And The Global Disappearance Of The Hump Shape In Age In Unhappiness," by David G. Blanchflower, Alex Bryson, and Xiaowei Xu (NBER Working Paper, 2024).
  • "Further Evidence on the Global Decline in the Mental Health of the Young," by David G. Blanchflower, Alex Bryson, Anthony Lepinteur, and Alan Piper (NBER Working Paper, 2024).
  • No Judgment: Essays, by Lauren Oyler (2024).
  • "To What Extent are Trends in Teen Mental Health Driven by Changes in Reporting?" by Adriana Corredor-Waldron and Janet Currie (Journal of Human Resources, 2024).
  • The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, by Jonathan Haidt (2024).
  • "Global Well-Being and Mental Health in the Internet Age," by Matti Vuorre and Andrew K. Przybylski (Clinical Psychological Science, 2023).
  • "Are Mental Health Awareness Efforts Contributing to the Rise in Reported Mental Health Problems? A Call to Test the Prevalence Inflation Hypothesis," by Lucy Foulkes and Jack L. Andrews (New Ideas in Psychology, 2023).
  • "The Association Between Adolescent Well-Being and Digital Technology Use," by Amy Orben and Andrew K. Przybylski (Nature Human Behaviour, 2019).
  • iGen: Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy — and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood — and What That Means for the Rest of Us, by Jean M. Twenge (2017).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Are You Caught in a Social Media Trap?" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "Are We Getting Lonelier?" by No Stupid Questions (2023).
  • "Is Facebook Bad for Your Mental Health?" by Freakonomics, M.D. (2022).
  • "Why Is U.S. Media So Negative? (Replay)," by Freakonomics Radio (2022).

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

• SOURCES:
  • Olivia Grace, senior product manager at Slack.
  • Gloria Mark, professor of computer science at the University of California, Irvine.
  • David Strayer, professor of cognition and neural science at the University of Utah.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Immersion in Nature Enhances Neural Indices of Executive Attention," by Amy S. McDonnell and David L. Strayer (Nature: Scientific Reports, 2024).
  • "Contribution to the Study on the ‘Right to Disconnect’ From Work. Are France and Spain Examples for Other Countries and E.U. Law?" by Loïc Lerouge and Francisco Trujillo Pons (European Labour Law Journal, 2022).
  • "Task Errors by Emergency Physicians Are Associated With Interruptions, Multitasking, Fatigue and Working Memory Capacity: A Prospective, Direct Observation Study," by Johanna I. Westbrook, Magdalena Z. Raban, Scott R. Walter, and Heather Douglas (BMJ Quality & Safety, 2018).
  • "Supertaskers: Profiles in Extraordinary Multitasking Ability," by Jason M. Watson and David L. Strayer (Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 2010).
  • "The Effects of Video Game Playing on Attention, Memory, and Executive Control," by Walter R. Boot, Arthur F. Kramer, Daniel J. Simons, Monica Fabiani, and Gabriele Gratton (Acta Psychologica, 2008).
  • "'Constant, Constant, Multi-Tasking Craziness': Managing Multiple Working Spheres," by Victor M. González and Gloria Mark (Proceedings of the 2004 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI, 2004).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Why Is the U.S. So Good at Killing Pedestrians?" by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • "Why Did You Marry That Person?" by Freakonomics Radio (2022).
  • "How Much Should We Be Able to Customize Our World?" by No Stupid Questions (2021).

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.”)

• SOURCES:
  • Zachary Bleemer, assistant professor of economics at Princeton University and faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research.
  • D'Wayne Edwards, founder and President of Pensole Lewis College.
  • Catharine Hill, former president of Vassar College; trustee at Yale University; and managing director at Ithaka S+R.
  • Pano Kanelos, founding president of the University of Austin.
  • Amalia Miller, professor of economics at the University of Virginia.
  • Donald Ruff, president and C.E.O. of the Eagle Academy Foundation.
  • Morton Schapiro, professor of economics and former president of Northwestern University.
  • Ruth Simmons, former president of Smith College, Brown University, and Prairie View A&M University.
  • Miguel Urquiola, professor of economics at Columbia University.

• RESOURCES:
  • "What Gay Men’s Stunning Success Might Teach Us About the Academic Gender Gap," by Joel Mittleman (The Washington Post, 2022).
  • "We Can't Wait for Universities to Fix Themselves. So We're Starting a New One," by Pano Kanelos (Common Sense, 2021).
  • "Academic Freedom in Crisis: Punishment, Political Discrimination, and Self-Censorship," by Eric Kaufmann (Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology, 2021).
  • “A Generation of American Men Give Up on College: ‘I Just Feel Lost’,” by Douglas Belkin (The Wall Street Journal, 2021).
  • "Community Colleges and Upward Mobility," by Jack Mountjoy (NBER Working Paper, 2021).
  • "Elite Schools and Opting In: Effects of College Selectivity on Career and Family Outcomes," by Suqin Ge, Elliott Isaac, and Amalia Miller (NBER Working Paper, 2019).
  • "Leaving Boys Behind: Gender Disparities in High Academic Achievement," by Nicole M. Fortin, Philip Oreopoulos, and Shelley Phipps (NBER Working Paper, 2013).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Freakonomics Radio Goes Back to School," series by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • “'If We’re All in It for Ourselves, Who Are We?'” by Freakonomics Radio (2024).

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.

• SOURCES:
  • David Duchovny, actor, director, writer, and musician.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Martin Seligman and the Rise of Positive Psychology," by Peter Gibbon (Humanities, 2020).
  • "Rick Reilly: ‘Donald Trump Will Cheat You on the Golf Course and Then Buy You Lunch,'" by Donald McRae (The Guardian, 2019).
  • "How The X-Files Invented Modern Television," by Emily St. James (Vox, 2018).
  • "Happiness & the Gorilla," by Scott Galloway (No Mercy/No Malice, 2018).

• EXTRAS:
  • Fail Better with David Duchovny, podcast by Lemonada Media (2024).
  • "How to Succeed at Failing," series by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • "Annie Duke Thinks You Should Quit," by People I (Mostly) Admire (2022).
  • "The Upside of Quitting," by Freakonomics Radio (2011).

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.”)

• SOURCES:
  • Peter Blair, professor of education at Harvard University and faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research.
  • Zachary Bleemer, assistant professor of economics at Princeton University and faculty research fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research.
  • Amalia Miller, professor of economics at the University of Virginia.
  • Morton Schapiro, professor of economics and former president of Northwestern University.
  • Miguel Urquiola, professor of economics at Columbia University.

• RESOURCES:
  • “Elite Schools and Opting In: Effects of College Selectivity on Career and Family Outcomes,” by Suqin Ge, Elliott Isaac, and Amalia Miller (Journal of Labor Economics, 2022).
  • “Why Don’t Elite Colleges Expand Supply?” by Peter Q. Blair & Kent Smetters (NBER Working Paper, 2021).
  • “Lori Loughlin Pleads Guilty via Zoom in College Admissions Case,” by Kate Taylor (The New York Times, 2020).
  • Markets, Minds, and Money: Why America Leads the World in University Research, by Miguel Urquiola (2020).
  • “To Cheat and Lie in L.A.: How the College-Admissions Scandal Ensnared the Richest Families in Southern California,” by Evgenia Peretz (Vanity Fair, 2019).
  • The Case Against Education: Why the Education System Is a Waste of Time and Money, by Bryan Caplan (2018).
  • “The World Might Be Better Off Without College for Everyone,” by Bryan Caplan (The Atlantic, 2018).
  • “Are Tenure Track Professors Better Teachers?” by David N. Figlio, Morton O. Schapiro, and Kevin B. Soter (NBER Working Paper, 2013).
  • “Estimating the Payoff to Attending a More Selective College: An Application of Selection on Observables and Unobservables,” by Stacy Berg Dale and Alan Krueger (NBER Working Paper, 1999).
  • "Report on the University’s Role in Political and Social Action," by the Kalven Committee (1967).

• EXTRAS:
  • "What Exactly Is College For? (Update)," by Freakonomics Radio (2024).

We 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 president of Northwestern University.
  • Ruth Simmons, former president of Smith College, Brown University, and Prairie View A&M University.
  • Miguel Urquiola, professor of economics at Columbia University.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Progressivity of Pricing at U.S. Public Universities," by Emily E. Cook and Sarah Turner (NBER Working Paper, 2022).
  • "Community Colleges and Upward Mobility," by Jack Mountjoy (NBER Working Paper, 2021).
  • "How HBCUs Can Accelerate Black Economic Mobility," (McKinsey & Company, 2021).
  • Markets, Minds, and Money: Why America Leads the World in University Research, by Miguel Urquiola (2021).
  • "Mobility Report Cards: The Role of Colleges in Intergenerational Mobility," by Raj Chetty, John N. Friedman, Emmanuel Saez, Nicholas Turner, and Danny Yagan (NBER Working Paper, 2017).

• EXTRAS:
  • "'If We’re All in It for Ourselves, Who Are We?'" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "'A Low Moment in Higher Education,'" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "The $1.5 Trillion Question: How to Fix Student-Loan Debt?" by Freakonomics Radio (2019).
  • "Why Larry Summers Is the Economist Everyone Hates to Love," by Freakonomics Radio (2017).

There are a lot of factors that go into greatness, many of which are not obvious. As the Olympics come to a close, we revisit a 2018 episode in which top athletes from a variety of sports tell us how they made it, and what they sacrificed.

• SOURCES:
  • Lance Armstrong, former professional cyclist.
  • David Canton, director of African American studies and professor of history at the University of Florida.
  • David Epstein, science journalist and author.
  • Domonique Foxworth, former professional football player.
  • Justin Humphries, former professional baseball player.
  • Andre Ingram, professional basketball player.
  • Shawn Johnson, former professional gymnast and Olympian.
  • Steve Levitt, professor of economics at the University of Chicago.
  • Simone Manuel, professional swimmer and Olympian.
  • Brandon McCarthy, former professional baseball player.
  • Mike McGlinchey, offensive tackle for the Denver Broncos.
  • Daryl Morey, president of basketball operations of the Philadelphia 76ers.
  • Lauren Murphy, professional mixed martial artist.
  • Kim Ng, advisor with Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball, former general manager of the Miami Marlins.
  • JJ Redick, head coach for the Los Angeles Lakers.
  • Mikaela Shiffrin, professional alpine ski racer and Olympian.
  • Mark Teixeira, former professional baseball player.
  • Sudhir Venkatesh, professor of sociology at Columbia University.
  • Kerri Walsh-Jennings, professional beach volleyball player and Olympian.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Compromising Talent: Issues in Identifying and Selecting Talent in Sport," by Joseph Baker, Jörg Schorer, and Nick Wattie (Quest, 2017).
  • "Practice and Play in the Development of German Top-Level Professional Football Players," by Manuel Hornig, Friedhelm Aust, and Arne Güllich (European Journal of Sport Science, 2016).
  • The Sports Gene, by David Epstein (2013).
  • "The Effect of Deliberate Play on Tactical Performance in Basketball," by Pablo Greco, Daniel Memmert, and Juan Carlos Pérez Morales (Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2010).

• EXTRAS:
  • "The Hidden Side of Sports," series by Freakonomics Radio (2018).
  • “How to Become Great at Just About Anything” Freakonomics Radio (2016).

Tania Tetlow, a former federal prosecutor and now the president of Fordham University, thinks the modern campus could use a dose of old-fashioned values.

• SOURCE:
  • Tania Tetlow, president of Fordham University.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Not a Priest, Not a Man, but Ready to Run Fordham," by David Waldstein (The New York Times, 2024).
  • "Tech Glitch Upends Financial Aid for About a Million Students," by Oyin Adedoyin and Melissa Korn (The Wall Street Journal, 2024).
  • "Where Protesters on U.S. Campuses Have Been Arrested or Detained," by The New York Times (The New York Times, 2024).
  • "15 Arrested as NYPD Clears Protester Encampment at Fordham's Lincoln Center Campus," (NBC News, 2024).
  • "Inside the Week That Shook Columbia University," by Nicholas Fandos and Sharon Otterman (The New York Times, 2024).
  • "Address of his Holiness Pope Francis to the Members of the Blanquerna — Universitat Ramón Llull Foundation, Barcelona," by Pope Francis (The Holy See Press Office Bulletin, 2024).
  • "Why Don’t Elite Colleges Expand Supply?" by Peter Q. Blair and Kent Smetters (NBER Working Paper, 2021).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Freakonomics Radio Goes Back to School," series by Freakonomics Radio (2022).

Our wellbeing depends on the health of animals, plants and our environment. What affects one affects all the others, and increasingly so.

A One Health perspective is about joining forces to find integrated solutions to common challenges such as climate change and antibiotic resistance.

Join us to hear from experts at five EU scientific agencies about how we can put One Health into practice. Whether it's safeguarding access to life-saving medicines or combating the next pandemics, a One Health approach will be essential to how our society navigates the future. 

This is the first of our two part episode with speakers from five EU agencies.

Host

James Ramsay, Head of Communications - European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)

Guests

• Carlos das Neves, Chief Scientist - European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)

• Wim De Coen, Head of Hazard Assessment at the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)

• Mike Catchpole, Chief Scientist at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)

• Dario Piselli, Expert in environment and health at the European Environment Agency (EEA)

• Steffen Thirstrup, Chief Medical Officer at the European Medicines Agency (EMA)

Check our website and stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter.

Useful links 

• EFSA, Science on the Menu podcast

• ECDC On Air podcast

• Episode transcript 

• Give us feedback 

**************

• Subscribe to our YouTube channel

• Subscribe to our Safer Chemicals Podcast

• Subscribe to our news

Follow us on:

• Twitter

• Facebook

• LinkedIn

Visit our website 

Disclaimer: Views expressed by interviewees do not necessarily represent the official position of the European Chemicals Agency. All content is up to date at the time of publication.  

Our wellbeing depends on the health of animals, plants and our environment. What affects one affects all the others, and increasingly so.

A One Health perspective is about joining forces to find integrated solutions to common challenges such as climate change and antibiotic resistance.

Join us to hear from experts at five EU scientific agencies about how we can put One Health into practice. Whether it's safeguarding access to life-saving medicines or combating the next pandemics, a One Health approach will be essential to how our society navigates the future. 

This is the second of our two part episode with speakers from five EU agencies. Listen to the first episode here.

Host

James Ramsay, Head of Communications - European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)

Guests

• Carlos das Neves, Chief Scientist - European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)

• Wim De Coen, Head of Hazard Assessment at the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)

• Mike Catchpole, Chief Scientist at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)

• Dario Piselli, Expert in environment and health at the European Environment Agency (EEA)

• Steffen Thirstrup, Chief Medical Officer at the European Medicines Agency (EMA)

Check our website and stay updated by subscribing to our newsletter.

Useful links 

• EFSA, Science on the Menu podcast

• ECDC On Air podcast

• Episode transcript 

• Give us feedback 

**************

• Subscribe to our YouTube channel

• Subscribe to our Safer Chemicals Podcast

• Subscribe to our news

Follow us on:

• Twitter

• Facebook

• LinkedIn

Visit our website 

Disclaimer: Views expressed by interviewees do not necessarily represent the official position of the European Chemicals Agency. All content is up to date at the time of publication.  

Julie Alvin is the SVP of content at TheSkimm & a trusted digital media executive, content strategist, and editor with expertise in women’s health & lifestyle media. She’s previously held roles at Bustle Digital Group, Time, Inc., and Refinery29, overseeing coverage of everything from news and politics to health, career, money, style, and entertainment. She is a former adjunct professor at NYU’s Master’s in Publishing program and a founding member of Chief Executive Women’s network. Julie’s appeared on Fox News, CBS, ABC, Cheddar, and other networks discussing topics like the #MeToo movement, the cost of fertility treatments, and the gender wage gap.

On today’s episode of The Business of Wellness, we discuss: 

• Data & highlights from The Skimm’s State of Women survey– what are women concerned about when it comes to health & wellbeing in a post-pandemic world? What are the chief concerns among women of all ages as it relates to their health? 

• Discerning myth vs. fact on social media & across digital content: What does it mean to be an “expert” in 2023? What are TheSkimm’s editorial standards that help champion appropriate subject-matter experts for specific topics, content platforms & distribution channels? 

• The past decade’s media  evolution/revolution: What’s different about media today? Post-pandemic? What are readers looking for from content platforms & channels, and from health professionals? How can media help women feel more empowered when it comes to their personal health, advocating for themselves & their families, and having the right information that helps arm them for any/every interaction with our current healthcare system? 

🎙️Follow The Business of Wellness on Apple Podcasts & leave a 5-star rating & review 

🎙️Hire me to consult before you invest in or get to work on that “better-for-you” product  

🎙️Follow me @jaclynlondonrd

**Advice provided on this podcast should not replace medical advice provided by your physician. 

In this episode, we discuss what led Usama to pursue a PhD in epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University, how his doctoral training prepared him for a career in academia, and the role of activism in his past, present, and future professional journey.

Hosted by Brooklyn Arroyo

To connect with Usama and to learn more about his story, visit his page on the PHutures #100AlumniVoices Project website.