Heart disease, stroke, cancer, type 2 diabetes and obesity are plaguing the country. Nearly half of all adults in the United States have one such health condition, while 25% have two or more of these chronic illnesses. And as of now, we are spending close to 20% of our nation’s GDP on disease management. But here’s the thing - chronic diseases are also among the most preventable of all health problems.

The 62-year-old comedy legend asserts 'Seinfeld' was never "a show about nothing" and was ripped off by 'Friends' ("our show with better-looking people"); Donald Trump would be welcome on his web series ("He is buffoonish enough"); he'd like to act in the next 'Star Wars' film (playing a character named "Areyouserious"); and much more.

The “Happy Economist” aka Ross Gittins joins us to share the secrets of not just a happy life, but a satisfying one. We discuss why GDP is such a poor measure of social progress and attempts to replace it.

Paul Rust, star of the Netflix comedy hit "Love," tells the story of a man who says 'no' to conversations about traffic and weather. Even on a first date.

HBO and The Ringer's Bill Simmons is joined by Will Ferrell to discuss the NBA Finals (4:00), the cable TV domination of 'Step Brothers' (13:00), the amount of denials before 'Anchorman' was made (19:00), working on 'Old School' while on 'SNL' (26:00), flubbing his first line on 'SNL' (34:00), his favorite 'SNL' sketch (40:00), the modern 'SNL' format with big-name actors (48:00), filming a Lifetime movie with Kristen Wiig (53:00), the way his kids act with Will Ferrell as their dad (1:01:00), Lonzo Ball on the Lakers (1:11:00), and the chance LeBron comes to L.A. (1:15:00).

Why do you work? Are you just in it for the money, or do you do it for a greater purpose? Popular wisdom says your answer depends on what your job is. But psychologist Amy Wrzesniewski at Yale University finds it may have more to do with how we think about our work. Across secretaries and custodians and computer programmers, she finds we're about equally split in whether we say we have a job, a career, or a calling. This week on Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam talks with Amy about how we find meaning and purpose at work.

Aziz’s life has been a story of chance – and choice. As Michael pieces together Aziz’s journey from Sudan to Manus, he realises Aziz has been searching for a safe place for about eight years. So what gives him the ability, and the energy, to speak out? How has Aziz fought for so long, and what makes him want to be ‘the messenger’?

Last night Jay Z became the first hip-hop artist to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. He spoke with Terry Gross in 2010 about growing up in a housing project in Brooklyn, finding his identity in the recording studio, and misogyny in rap lyrics. Also, film critic David Edelstein reviews 'The Mummy.'

I've wanted to speak with psychotherapist Esther Perel for years. In a cover story, The New York Times called her the most important game changer in sexuality and relational health since Dr. Ruth. Her TED talks on maintaining desire and rethinking infidelity have more than 17 million views, and she's tested and been exposed to everything imaginable in thirty-four years of running her private therapy practice in New York City.

We like to think of our own personalities - and those of our spouses, children and friends - as predictable and constant over time. But what if they aren't? In this episode, Alix Spiegel visits a prison to explore whether there is such a thing as a stable personality. And Lulu Miller asks whether scientists can point to a single thing about a person that doesn't change over time. The answer might surprise you.