Episode #105
The Upside of Quitting
Airs Friday, July 1 at 3PM on 93.9 FM and 8PM on AM 820
Friday, July 01, 2011
You know the bromide: winners never quit and quitters never win. To which Freakonomics Radio says … Are you sure? Sometimes quitting is strategic, and sometimes it’s the best thing you can do. It’s all about opportunity cost: when you’re doing one thing, you can’t be doing another. So when do you quit the one and start the other? We’ll take a look at broad survey of quitting data, and talk everyone from aspiring baseball players to prostitutes about quitting after years of hard work, preparation, and chasing big earnings. We’ll find people from each group on the verge of quitting – and some who couldn’t be happier they already have.
About Freakonomics Radio
Just like the books Freakonomics and SuperFreakonomics, Freakonomics Radio will explore “the hidden side of everything.” It will tell you things you always thought you knew but didn’t, and things you never thought you wanted to know, but do.
Hosted by Stephen J. Dubner
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Comments [4]
In a segment which linked longevity of life to certain rewards (Nobel, Oscar) or acts, you said people who buy annuities live longer than the average. To this observation Homer Simpson would say a resounding "duh" because the only appropriate client for an annuity is someone in excellent health who has the expectation of living a longer than average lifespan. An annuity protects against the financial consequences of living too long, the exact opposite of Life Insurance, which, in most cases, is used to protect against the financial consequences of premature death.
http://ragecomics.memebase.com/2011/11/16/rage-comics-programming-is-for-nerds/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+memebase%2Fragecomics+%28Rage+Comics%29
I saw this rage comic and had to come back to this Freakonomics episode, hahahaha.
Really, using the example of a woman who quits her job as a computer programmer to become a prostitute? Why not encourage young men to quit their jobs to become drug dealers? Supply and demand right? Hey, there's big money in human trafficking, right? Maybe, I should quit my 'legit' or aka 'legal' job to scurry people accross the border. Like your show. But, including that example, well, I thought you guys were a bit more classy and responsible.
Dear Stephen: I liked today's program & wondered before it started whether you were the same Stephen Dubner whose memoir I read & enjoyed a number of years ago. I was fascinated with the story of your family & their religious conversions. And then you revealed you were one and the same!
Joan Rubenstein
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