baby formula, 303–5
backgammon, 195–98
Badenhausen, Kurt, 74
Baltimore Sun, The, 233
bank robberies, 223–26
baseball, steroids, 152–53
baseballs, autographed, 80–81
Becker, Gary, 9–10, 92–94
behavioral economics, 120, 122, 308–9
Belichick, Bill, 149–50, 208–9
Berlin brothel, 173
Bertrand, Marianne, 347
Betjeman, John, 282
Bing, Stanley, 277
bin Laden, Osama, 57–59
bird-watching, 286–87
blackjack, 189–91
bling, 184
blogs, 1–4, 37
as kaleidoscopes, 271
“blood injuries,” 148–49
Bloomberg, Michael, 240
Blount, Roy Jr., 217
Bolt, Usain, 74
books, 14–16
about business, 283–87
bullshit in titles, 276–77, 285
diet, 117
fake memoirs, 146–48
God in titles, 285–87
on iPad, 124–25
bowling, 204–6
Boxer, Barbara, 51
boxing, 72–73
Boxwell Brothers, 46
Braga, Anthony, 246
Bratton, Bill, 163
Broderick, Matthew, 101–2
“broken windows” theory of crime, 163
Brooks, Arthur, 329–31
Brown, Philip H., 326
bullshit, in book titles, 276–77, 285
Bunning, Jim, 58
Burress, Plaxico, 216, 239, 240–41
bus, boarding, 143–46
Bush, George W., 51, 108, 136
Caesars Entertainment, 126–27
Caesar’s Palace, 189–91
“Captain Steve,” 82–86
Carnegie, Andrew, 16
carnivores, 179–84
cars:
child safety seats, 103–6
conspicuous consumption, 184–85
incivility in driving, 161–64
prices of, 54–57
Carson, Rachel, 181
Case, Justin, 46
Castro, Jesus “Manny” Jr., 248–49
chain letters, 141–42
Champagne, Dom Perignon, 40
charitable giving:
disasters, 324–28
street handouts, 328–37
cheating:
to be hot, 135–37
and “blood injuries,” 148–49
fake memoirs, 146–48
how not to cheat, 153–55
as human nature, 135
Mumbai train system, 140–41
at poker, 153–58
in self-reporting, 137–40
in sports, 148–50
on taxes, 11–14, 72–74, 122, 158–60
by teachers, 103–4, 160–61
chess, 196–98
Chicago Tribune, poll, 279
chicken, rancid, 307–11
chicken wings, prices of, 75–77
child abduction, 133
children, bribing, 337–40
child safety seats, 103–6
China:
crime in, 226–28
earthquake in, 324–28
infant formula in, 303–5
Clemens, Roger, 149, 150
climate change, 179–84
Clinton, Hillary, 51
Coca-Cola, formula of, 59–60
Cohn, Alain, 228–29
Coinstar, 64
Collins, Jim, 283–84
Congress, U.S.:
and bin Laden bounty, 57–59
and IRS, 12–14
tax code written by, 158–60
conspicuous consumption, 184–85
contests, 91
addictions, 92–94
motto for U.S., 96–99
rigged, 136
Twitter, 94–96
Cook, Phil, 246
Cope, Myron, 215, 216
corporate sponsorships, 81
cover-ups, 121, 157
Cowen, Tyler, 329, 331–33
Cowher, Bill, 218
Craig, Larry, 45
crime:
and abortion, 288
bank robberies, 223–26
“broken windows” theory of, 163
burglary, 242
child abduction, 133
in China, 226–28
gun deaths, 245–51
and gun laws, 243–45
intruders, 241–43
priming criminals, 228–29
prison sentences, 128, 224, 242, 245, 248, 260
street gangs, 229–36, 246–47, 248–49
and The Wire, 229–33
volatile rates of, 244
Cuban, Mark, 329, 333
cyclists, Tour de France, 151–53
Cyrus, Miley, 306
Daily Show, The, 273–74
Dal Bó, Ernesto, 33–34
Daly, John, 277
dangerous activities:
horseback riding, 101–3
obesity as result of, 116–19
walking drunk, 101
Daschle, Tom, 158, 160
Dawkins, Richard, 286
decision making, 120–21, 208–9
democracy, alternative to, 29–31
Dennett, Daniel, 286
dental wisdom, 275–76
diapers, cloth vs. disposable, 167
diminishing marginal returns, 203
disasters, and charitable giving, 324–28
discrimination, statistical, 321–22
divorce, statistics on, 345
Dohmen, Thomas, 212
Doleac, Jennifer, 320–21
Donohue, John, 288
doomsday prophets, 109–10
doping, in Tour de France, 151–53
driving:
and the environment, 166–67
incivility in, 161–64
drugs, prescription, prices of, 51–54
Duke, Annie, 188
Duncan, Arne, 103–4
Duskiewicz, Bernie, 348–49
ecological invalidity, 335
economics:
behavioral, 120, 122, 206, 308–9
invisible hand in, 315
morality vs., 288
visible hand in, 319–22
writing about, 287–88
Edlin, Aaron, 88
Ehrenreich, Barbara, 329, 333–34
Ehrlich, Paul, 109, 114
Eikenberry (funeral director), 46
Endangered Species Act, 165–66
Engelberger, Perfect, 40
environment:
cloth vs. disposable diapers, 167
and conspicuous consumption, 184–85
and driving, 166–67
eating meat, 179–84
Endangered Species Act, 165–66
global warming, 87–89, 179–84
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, 171–72, 177, 180
locavores, 168–72
and packaging, 175–78
paper vs. plastic bags, 167
petroleum extraction, 109–16
Prius “green halo,” 185
and profitability, 172–74
saving the rain forest, 174–75
veganism, 179–84
Ericsson, Anders, 199, 201
escort (high-end call girl), 261–67
evaluation function (EV), 197
experts, ten thousand hours of practice, 199, 201–2
Fanning, Dakota, 305
fear of strangers, 130–33
Feinstein, Dianne, 53
Feldman, Paul, 69
feminist movement, 346–47
Ferraz, Claudio, 33
films, animated, 305–7
Finan, Frederico, 33
first-grade data hound, 219–20
fishing, 348–49
flight attendants, 19–20
food:
chicken wings, 75–7
7
decayed, 177
deliciousness of, 170
kiwifruits, 77–80
locavores, 168–72
nutritional value of, 170
and obesity, 116–18
packaging of, 175–78
poor service, 272–73
rancid chicken, 307–11
shrimp, 341–44
transportation inefficiencies of, 170–72
wasting, 177–78
football:
Immaculate Reception, 216
loss aversion, 206–9
Pittsburgh Steelers, 212–19
rookie symposium, 239–41
Fox, Kevin, 253
Frakes, Michael, 117
Frankfurt, Harry, 276
Freakonomics (Levitt & Dubner), 1–2, 37, 40, 54, 69, 101, 105, 135, 160, 223, 253–4, 261, 274, 277, 280, 297–98, 305, 322, 351
Freakonomics.com, 1–4, 8, 233
Freakonomics radio, 268–69
Frederick, Shane, 341–43
Freed, Pam, 342
Friedman, Milton, 23
Frost, Robert, 218
Fryar, Irving, 239–40
Fryer, Roland, 228, 288, 328–29, 337, 339
Fuller, Thomas, 194–95
Gacy, John Wayne Jr., 39
Gagné, Éric, 149
gambling:
on athletes, 73
backgammon, 195–98
blackjack, 189–91
on horse racing, 191, 220–22
how not to cheat, 153–55
Internet poker, 127–30, 157
on newspaper circulation, 233
one card away from final table, 192–95
Rochambeau (Rock, Paper, Scissors), 188–89
on teams, 125–26
unbreakable record, 192
World Series of Poker, 187–88, 192–95
GAME (Gang Awareness Through Mentoring and Education), 248–49
gas, moratorium on, 311–14
gas prices, 86–90
Gates, Bill, 16
Geiger, Bernice, 224
Geithner, Tim, 158
gender identity, 228
Gladstone, Bernard, 258, 259
global warming, 88–89, 179–84
Gly-Oxide, 275–76
God, in book titles, 285–87
Goeree, Jacob, 31
Goldstein, Dan, 335
golf, 198–206
Goodall, Chris, 167
Good to Great (Collins), 283–84, 285
Goolsbee, Austan, 160
Gordon, Phil, 187–89, 192, 193
Goss, Pat, 200–201
government:
and gambling income, 129
paying politicians, 32–36
voting mechanisms, 29–31
Greatest Good, 28, 300–301
Greene, Mean Joe, 216
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, 171–72, 177
Grossman, Michael, 116
Gruber, Jonathan, 117
Grzelak, Mandi, 268–69
guns:
anonymous tips about, 247
athletes carrying concealed weapons, 240–41
concealed weapons laws, 242
D.C. ban on, 243–45
deaths from, 245–51
illegal use of, 245
ownership of, 245
shooting intruders with, 241–43
Hagen, Ryan, 314–19
happiness, 122–23, 344–47
Harold’s Chicken Shack, 75–77
Harris, Franco, 216
Hatcher, Teri, 305
hate mail, cost of, 49–51
health care:
British National Health Service, 26–29
decisions in, 122
Hemenway, David, 249–50
Henderson, Kaya, 160
herd mentality, 143–46
Hitchens, Christopher, 286
hoaxes, 282–83
Holmes, Santonio, 214–16
home, building your own, 170
home field advantage, 209–12
homelessness, 330–31
horseback riding, 101–3
horse racing, 220–22
housing prices, 67–69
Hurricane Katrina, 42–43, 325–28
Hussein, Saddam, 58
identity, concept of, 162–63
Immaculate Reception, 216
impure altruism, 328
incentives, 17, 32–36, 65, 95–96, 110, 113, 122, 136, 166, 337–40
inefficiencies, transportation, 170–72
INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service), Form N-400, 237–38
In Search of Excellence (Peters and Waterman), 284
Internet poker, 127–30, 157
iPad, 124–25
Irfan, Atif, 130–32
irrational decisions, 120–21
IRS, 11–14, 159–60, 257
Jackson, Vincent, 215
Jacob, Brian, 160
Jagger, Mick, 74
Jarden Zinc, 63
J.F.K. airport, 21–22
Jines, Linda Levitt:
brother’s eulogy for, 297–301
father’s interventions, 289–97
and Freakonomics, 277, 297–98
Jingjing Zhang, 31
Johnson, Larry, 207
Johnston, David Cay, 11–12
Kaczynski, Ted (Unabomber), 287
Kahneman, Daniel, 3, 119–24, 206
Katrina (popular name), 42–43
Kennedy, Bobby, 279
Kentucky Derby, 220–22
Keyes, Alan, 279
KFC, 272–73
Killefer, Nancy, 158
kiwifruits, 77–80
Kormendy, Amy, 169
Kranton, Rachel, 162
Kulkarni, Ganesh, 140–41
Laffer curve, 72
LaGuardia Airport, 21–23
LaHood, Ray, 21, 103–6
Lake George, boat accident on, 118–19
Lancaster, Barbara, 219
Landsburg, Steven, 259
Lane, Mary MacPherson, 173
Las Vegas:
blackjack, 189–91
poker, 127–30, 153–58, 187–89, 192–95
risk aversion in, 126–27
Lee, Jennifer 8., 41
Lee Hsien Loong, 32
Leeson, Peter, 314–19
Levitt, Michael, “When a Daughter Dies,” 289–97
libraries, public, 14–16
lies of reputation, 137–40
Limberhand (masturbator), 45–46
List, John, 125, 165, 228, 327–28, 338
lobbyists, 62–63
locavores, 168–72
loss aversion, 206–9
Loveman, Gary, 127
ludicity (ludic fallacy), 335
Ludwig, Jens, 246–48
Maass, Peter, 109, 114
Madoff, Bernie, 133
Malthus, Rev. Thomas R., 109
Mandic, Pinar, 88
Manjoo, Farhad, 136
Maréchal, Michel André, 228–29
Margolis, Michael, 165
Martinelli, César, 138–40
Masters, Will, 77–88
Matthews, H. Scott, 171–72
McCain, John, 35–36
McDonald’s, workers in, 273
McKibben, Bill, 179–84
McLaughlin, Dan, 202–4
McWilliams, James, 175–78, 179–84
meat, eating, 179–84
media:
and charitable giving, 324–28
fears caused by, 113
medical care, limitations of, 297
medical system, interactions with, 289
medicine, and statistics, 280–82
memoirs, fake, 146–48
mental accounts, 68–69
Merton, Robert C., 336
Mickelson, Phil, 73–74
Miles, Tom, 130
military draft, 23–25
Minty, Jessica H., 326
Moonen, Scott, 47
morality vs. economics, 288
/>
Morgan, Yourhighness, 40
morphine, value of, 297
Moscowitz, Toby, 209–12
motorcycle accidents, 102–3
Mullainathan, Sendhil, 347
Mumbai train system, 140–41
Murphy, Kevin, 59
Myanmar, cyclone in, 324–28
Myers, Mike, 306
Nadal, Rafael, 74
names, 37
aptonyms, 43–47
first, 40, 41
heavenly, 41
middle, 38–40
unpredictability of, 42–43
National Health Service (U.K.), 26–29
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 249–50
National Violent Death Reporting System, 250
natural field experiment, 322
Neckermann, Susanne, 338
negative externality, 87
Newark-Liberty airport, 21–22
New York state senate, 233–36
New York Times, The, 3, 8, 11, 41, 96, 109–16, 167, 276
Nielsen ratings, TV viewing, 322–24
“No Gas Day,” 311–14
Noll, Chuck, 218
Noll, Thomas, 228–29
Nostradamus, 109
Obama, Barack, 33, 214, 278–80
obesity, 116–19
oil, “peak,” 109–16
Oliver, Eric, 118
online dating, 268–69
OPEC, 111–12
Oportunidades, 138–39
opportunity cost, 349–50
orange juice, 174–75
Osgood, Daniel, 165
packaging, 175–78
Pacquiao, Manny, 72–3
Pakistan earthquake, 325–27
panhandlers, 328–37
Pape, Robert, 10
paper vs. plastic bags, 167
Pardo, Bruce, 130–32
Pareto efficiency, 30
Pariah (TV show), 253–55
Parker, Susan W., 138–40
Pataki, George, 119
Paulos, John Allen, 286
Paulson, Henry, 236
Peltzman, Sam, 166
penny, 61–65
penny floor, 65
Pepsico, 59–60
perfect substitutes, 60
petroleum extraction, 109–16
Pettitte, Andy, 149–50
Pham, David “the Dragon,” 193
pilots, 83–86
pirates, 314–19
Pittsburgh Steelers, 212–19
Plack, Les, 47
Planned Parenthood, 65–67
Pledge-a-Picket, 66
poker:
cheating, 154–58
how not to cheat, 153–55
Internet, 127–30, 157
one card away from final table, 192–95
record that can never be broken, 192
shootout tournament, 193
World Series of Poker, 187–88, 192–95
Polamalu, Troy, 216
Poland Spring bottled water, 3–4
Pollan, Michael, 169
postage, exemption from, 141–43
practice, ten thousand hours, 199, 201–2
praise, 351
Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD), 280–82
prices:
anchoring, 309
of autographed baseballs, 80–81
bounty on bin Laden, 57–59
of cars, 54–57
of chicken wings, 75–77
and corporate sponsorships, 81
When to Rob a Bank: ...And 131 More Warped Suggestions and Well-Intended Rants Page 27