Best Culture & Society Podcasts - Pop Culture, Society & Relationships

Not exactly. But their runaway success with games like Wordle says something bigger about the way we live now. (Part one of a series, “We Are All Gamers Now.”)

Some people are good at putting themselves in another person's shoes. Others may struggle to relate. But psychologist Jamil Zaki argues that empathy isn't a fixed trait. This week, we revisit a favorite episode about how to exercise our empathy muscles. Then, Leslie John answers listener questions about the benefits of opening up to others, in our latest installment of Your Questions Answered.

This week Ilana Glazer joins Matt and Bowen to discuss Tayla Swiff's new album, Long Island as the prototypical suburb, entering the Dunstaissance, when Ilana met RuPaul, her sisterhood with Abbi Jacobson, and Susie Essman as her comedy mother.

If you’re a fan of the movie Heat, then you might be into Netflix’s new action-packed heist series Nemesis. Co-created by Courtney A. Kemp (Power), it’s about the blurry lines between criminality and the law, and follows an LAPD detective (Matthew Law) chasing an elusive crew of robbers and its ringleader (Y’lan Noel). The show has a lot going on – stylized set pieces, double-crosses, relationship issues, daddy issues – but it all goes down smoothly enough.Subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour Plus at plus.npr.org/happyhour See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

For most of human history, people went about their daily lives with a worm or two (or fifty) in their guts. Only in the past century, with pharmaceuticals and sanitation practices, have we made significant strides towards deworming the whole of humanity. And that’s typically been thought of as a good thing, because having too many worms in your body can–quite literally–suck the life out of you. But is it possible to have… too few worms? Science wonders if deworming ourselves has actually led to an increase in certain chronic diseases. On this episode, we dive into Necator americanus, a.k.a. the American Hookworm, and its mysterious relationship with each of us. We trace the hookworm’s 118-year journey from a demonized economic depressant, to its use as a desperate D.I.Y. immunosuppressant, to its potential as a medical treatment for a number of chronic diseases, everything from asthma to MS. We’re bringing back two stories from our 2009 episode Parasites plus new research on hookworms and autoimmune diseases, reported by Molly Webster Special thanks to Ethan Hein for the use of his remix of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21. Plus, Doris Pierce, and Dan and Alice Hadley. EPISODE CREDITS: Reported by - Pat Walters and Molly Websterwith help from - {{wREPORTERS}} Produced by - Matt Kielty with help from - Rebecca Rand Fact-checking by - Diane A. Kelly and Edited by - Arianne Wack EPISODE CITATIONS: Articles - Effect of experimental hookworm infection on insulin resistance in people at risk of type 2 diabetes (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37495576/) by Giacomin PR et al. Nat Commun. 2023 Jul 26 Signup for our newsletter!! It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Sign up (https://radiolab.org/newsletter)! Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab (https://members.radiolab.org/) today. Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing radiolab@wnyc.org. Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Simons Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

For years, globe-trotting con artist Marianne Smyth used her charm to manipulate the people closest to her – including her own daughters. Her scam was a classic: she told people she was an Irish heiress with millions on the way, and all she needed was to borrow a little cash to unlock her fortune. People believed her – over and over again. But when she targets reality TV producer Jonathan Walton, she picks the wrong mark. Once he realizes he’s been played, Jonathan doesn’t just walk away – he launches an obsessive crusade to bring Marianne down and get justice for every victim she left in her wake. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Punk rock really needs about 10 episodes to do it justice, but we'll try and tackle anyway. Learn all about this movement right now in this classic episode.

One family faces the Trump administration’s ban on trans people serving in the military, and responds with a surprising secret weapon. Prologue: Geirid and Chrissy are extreme planners. But about a year ago, they were confronted with a situation that even they had no idea how to plan for. (4 minutes) Act One: Geirid and Chrissy make an “in case of emergency, break glass” spreadsheet and get some big news. (14 minutes) Act Two: Geirid and Chrissy have less than a month to make a life-changing decision. The government gives them two options, and they try to find a third. (21 minutes) Act Three: A short story from Rachel Khong: Two people have a very consequential choice to make, given to them by God. (15 minutes)

Today we’re talking about the thing underneath everything: our feelings—and how hard we work to avoid them. Why is it easier to get mad than admit we’re scared? Why can a feeling that lasts 90 seconds keep us stuck for hours (or years)? And why does it so often feel like everyone else is doing life better than we are? We get into anger as a mask, anxiety spirals, the “loser” feeling no one wants to admit, and the relationship dynamics—hello, chooser vs. follower—that shape how we show up with the people we love. This one is about stopping the spin… and coming back to yourself. - Why anger is often covering something deeper - The “90-second feeling” and how to let it pass - How overthinking keeps you stuck in anxiety - Why comparison makes you feel like you’re failing - Relationship patterns that quietly take over Also listen to: The 90 Second Rule: Feel Your Feelings. Follow We Can Do Hard Things on: Instagram — ⁠https://www.instagram.com/wecandohardthings⁠

My civil war prediction was RIGHT—both sides now openly discuss violence, leftists advocate murdering opponents, and every historic indicator points to collapse. But we haven't erupted because something VASTLY WORSE is happening: Mouse Utopia. Screen addiction, complete authority failure, and total societal atomization mean people are too drugged and disconnected to organize conflict. We've entered the behavioral sink's final phase—right before mass violence begins. The missing variable makes everything infinitely more terrifying. -- LINKS: Link to my second podcast on world history and interviews: / @history102-qg5oj Link to my Twitter-https://twitter.com/whatifalthist?ref... Link to my Instagram- / rudyardwlynch -- Bibliography: Universe 25 by Calhoun The Unabomber's Manifesto by Ted Kaczynksi The Crowd by Gustave Le Bon The Psychology of Socialism by Gustave le Bon Secular Cycles by Peter Turchin Ages of Discord by Peter Turchin War, Peace and War by Peter Turchin The Economics of Discontent by Jean Michel Paul The Revolt of the Masses by Ortega The Anxious Generation by John Haidt Thus Spake Zarathustra by Niestzche Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell Beautiful Losers by Sam Francis The Present Time by Carlyle On Heroes by Carlyle The Transformations of Man by Lewis Mumford Warriors and Worriers by Joyce Benneson The Great Wave by David Hackett Fischer The Old Regime and the French Revolution by De Tocqueville Modern Times by Paul Johnson The Culture of Narcissism by Lasch The Art of Being by Erich Fromm The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm Escape from Freedom by Erich Fromm The Instincts of the Herd in Peace and War by Trotter Amusing Ourselves to Death by Postman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices