Natural experiments reveal hidden risks

As one researcher told us: “We’ve engineered a world where the most distracting device ever made is also the one we use to listen to music in the car." A new study tries to measure the cost.

• SOURCES:
  • Bapu Jena, economist, physician, and professor at Harvard Medical School.
  • Chris Worsham, pulmonary and critical-care physician at Mass General Hospital, health-policy and public-health researcher at Harvard Medical School.
  • Vishal Patel, surgery resident at Brigham and Women's Hospital, researcher at Harvard Medical School.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Smartphones, Online Music Streaming, and Traffic Fatalities," by Vishal Patel, Christopher Worsham, Michael Liu, and Bapu Jena (NBER, 2026).
  • Random Acts of Medicine: The Hidden Forces That Sway Doctors, Impact Patients, and Shape Our Health, by Anupam Jena and Christopher Worsham (2023).
  • "Mortality and treatment patterns among patients hospitalized with acute cardiovascular conditions during dates of national cardiology meetings," by Bapu Jena, Vinay Prasad, Dana Goldman, and John Romley (JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015).
  • "Road Crash Fatalities on US Income Tax Days," by Donald Redelmeier and Christopher Yarnell (JAMA, 2012).
  • "Memories of colonoscopy: a randomized trial," by Donald Redelmeier, Joel Katz, and Daniel Kahneman (PAIN, 2003).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Why Is There So Much Fraud in Academia?" by Freakonomics Radio (2024).
  • "Why Is Flying Safer Than Driving?" by Freakonomics Radio (2023).
  • "Why Is the U.S. So Good at Killing Pedestrians?" by Freakonomics Radio (2023).

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