We all want to stay sharp, and forestall the cognitive effects of aging. But do brain supplements actually work? Are they safe? And why doesn’t the F.D.A. even know what’s in them? (Part one of “The Freakonomics Radio Guide to Getting Better.”)

• SOURCES:
  • Marty Makary, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.
  • Peter Attia, physician, author, and host of The Peter Attia Drive.
  • Pieter Cohen, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, physician at the Cambridge Health Alliance.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Protein Powders and Shakes Contain High Levels of Lead," by Paris Martineau (Consumer Reports, 2025).
  • "Accuracy of Labeling of Galantamine Generic Drugs and Dietary Supplements," by Pieter Cohen, Bram Jacobs, Koenraad Van Hoorde, and Céline Vanhee (JAMA, 2024).
  • Blind Spots: When Medicine Gets It Wrong, and What It Means for Our Health, by Marty Makary (2024).
  • Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, by Petter Attia (2023).
  • "Revealing the hidden dangers of dietary supplements," by Jennifer Couzin-Frankel (Science, 2015).

• EXTRAS:
  • "China Is Run by Engineers. America Is Run by Lawyers." by Freakonomics Radio (2025).
  • "How to Fix the Hot Mess of U.S. Healthcare," by Freakonomics Radio (2021).

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One Yale economist certainly thinks so. But even if he’s right, are economists any better? We find out, in this update of a 2022 episode.

• SOURCES:
  • James Choi, professor of finance at the Yale School of Management.
  • Morgan Housel, personal finance author and partner at the Collaborative Fund.

• RESOURCES:
  • The Art of Spending Money: Simple Choices for a Richer Life, by Morgan Housel (2025).
  • “Popular Personal Financial Advice versus the Professors,” by James J. Choi (Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2022).
  • “Media Persuasion and Consumption: Evidence from the Dave Ramsey Show,” by Felix Chopra (SSRN, 2021).
  • The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness, by Morgan Housel (2020).
  • “In Bogle Family, It’s Either Passive or Aggressive,” by Liam Pleven (Wall Street Journal, 2013).

• EXTRAS:
  • “Harold Pollack on Why Managing Your Money Is as Easy as Taking Out the Garbage,” by People I (Mostly) Admire (2021).
  • “People Aren’t Dumb. The World Is Hard,” by Freakonomics Radio (2018).
  • “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Money (But Were Afraid to Ask),” by Freakonomics Radio (2017).
  • “The Stupidest Thing You Can Do With Your Money,” by Freakonomics Radio (2017).

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Behavioral scientists have been exploring whether a psychological reset can lead to lasting change. In this update of a 2021 episode, we survey evidence from the London Underground, Major League Baseball, and New Year’s resolutions to look at accidental fresh starts, forced fresh starts, fresh starts that backfire — and the ones that succeed.

• SOURCES:
  • Katy Milkman, professor at the Wharton School.
  • Andy Byford, former commissioner of Transport for London.
  • Ferdinand Rauch, economist at the University of St. Gallen.
  • Hengchen Dai, professor at U.C.L.A.’s Anderson School of Management.
  • Bob Tewksbury, former big-league pitcher.

• RESOURCES:
  • “A Large-Scale Experiment on New Year’s Resolutions: Approach-Oriented Goals are More Successful than Avoidance-Oriented Goals,” by Martin Oscarsson, Per Carlbring, Gerhard Andersson, and Alexander Rozental (PLOS ONE, 2020).
  • “A Double-Edged Sword: How and Why Resetting Performance Metrics Affects Motivation and Performance,” by Hengchen Dai (Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 2018).
  • “The Benefits of Forced Experimentation: Striking Evidence from the London Underground Network,” by Shaun Larcom, Ferdinand Rauch, and Tim Willems (2017).
  • “Framing the Future: The Risks of Pre-Commitment Nudges and Potential of Fresh Start Messaging,” by John Beshears, Hengchen Dai, Katherine L. Milkman, and Shlomo Benartzi (NBER, 2016).
  • “The Fresh Start Effect: Temporal Landmarks Motivate Aspirational Behavior,” by Hengchen Dai, Katherine L. Milkman, and Jason Riis (Management Science, 2014).
  • “Holding the Hunger Games Hostage at the Gym: An Evaluation of Temptation Bundling,” by Katherine L. Milkman, Julia A. Minson, and Kevin G. M. Volpp (Management Science, 2013).
  • “The Resolution Solution: Longitudinal Examination of New Year’s Change Attempts,” by John C. Norcross and Dominic J.Vangarelli (Journal of Substance Abuse, 1989).

• EXTRAS:
  • How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, by Katy Milkman (2021).

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