America, the home of rugged individualist. Or not. Each of us is connected to each other, relies on one another, gives and takes, consciously or unconsciously weaving the web of support that it takes to make a society. Let’s face it: we need ea

Haunted

May 12th, 2017 29m 8s

In this episode we look at how we manufacture fear in the mind with a trip back in history to a psyops mission, a visit to to a haunted attraction, and a peek into the political house of horror, “Doomocracy.” Learn more about your ad-choices a

Studies in Desperation

May 5th, 2017 25m 32s

1963 was a year of chaos and social upheaval. Sound familiar? Time, it would seem, is circular, something the American Survey of Fears proves out. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/liste

The Nostalgia Factory

Apr 28th, 2017 29m 21s

Ah, the “good ol days.” If America had its own brochure it would depict rocking chairs on front porches, pristine farms and tidy downtowns. But did this America ever exist? And is thinking it did doing us some serious psychological harm? Learn

Teen Dream

Apr 21st, 2017 33m 41s

Adolescence: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Special Announcement: It's All Odin's Fault

Apr 19th, 2017 45s

The Stuff of Life is packing up its bags and moving to Fridays. Find out why. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Men Dancing

Apr 12th, 2017 28m 59s

Some men dance, many don’t. What are the unspoken rules that govern the ways we move our body, and what does it say about our society and how we treat each other? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omny

The Empathy Wall

Apr 5th, 2017 30m 31s

The antidote to being a jerk is empathy. And thankfully it appears to be hard-wired in the human brain. And yet … we’re increasingly casting off the ability to walk a mile in another person's shoes. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://

The Great Escape

Mar 29th, 2017 31m 22s

We all want to hit the eject button on reality and look for a different way to live our lives at one point or another. How about through transforming yourself into another species, meditating on your existence, or just laughing your ass off? L

The Big Hurt: Hate & Anger

Mar 22nd, 2017 35m 38s

‘Anger in its time and place,’ wrote the essayist Charles Lamb, ‘May assume a kind of grace.’ We look at how anger can be clarifying, even helpful, and we find out how it can morph into its more dangerous and corrupting form, hate. Learn more

Broken

Mar 15th, 2017 18m 10s

No matter where you fall on the political spectrum we can all agree that more than ever, the world feels broken. In this episode, we take a trip to Washington DC on the day of the inauguration and the eve of the Women’s March. And we look to Ki

Life the Game

Mar 30th, 2016 27m 15s

In this episode we look at the idea that life is just a game. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The First Songs

Mar 23rd, 2016 19m 16s

Nature gave us the first songs -- the patterns and melodies that we replicate in instruments, and our own voices. We take a visit to the exhibit, "Wild Music," to look at our deep connection to nature and music. Learn more about your ad-choice

Under the Weather

Mar 16th, 2016 25m 57s

The Earth is wrapped in an atmosphere that weighs 5.5 quadrillion tons. And inside this atmosphere the weather creates a crazy quilt of conditions. To say that the weather is unpredictable is to sum up our entire existence. And to personify wea

Map of Self

Mar 9th, 2016 20m 42s

Finding our way in the world is one of the most fundamental things we humans do, and maps map it possible. But on some level, these maps are a thing of fiction. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnyst

Mourner for Hire

Mar 2nd, 2016 19m 49s

In this episode we’ll look at how, as the bereaved, we find solace in ritual – everything from providing comfort food to hiring professional mourners. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/l

Life at the Death Café

Feb 25th, 2016 31m 45s

In this episode we put out a pot of tea, a plate of cucumber sandwiches, and we take a seat with death. What is a “good death,” how do we achieve it and how might our dreams help? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastne

An Object Lesson

Feb 17th, 2016 17m 30s

In some ways our stuff is ourselves – it tells a story about who we are. But why do some of us develop pathological attachments to objects? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for

Building Eternity

Feb 10th, 2016 29m 50s

In one way or another we’re all trying to transcend death, whether it’s through an “I was here” graffiti scrawl or an e-epic-length autobiography. In this episode we look at our attempts to achieve immortality – through objects that we store in

Glossophobia: The Fear of Public Speaking

Feb 3rd, 2016 15m 48s

One of the top American fears, alongside walking alone at night and personal injury, is public speaking. Find out why it can be so terrifying to step into the spotlight. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comS

The Power of Fear

Jan 27th, 2016 30m 7s

Cat’s out the bag: We’re not making it out alive. So how do we deal with the ultimate fear – that death is right around the corner? And when the survival chips are down, how can we increase our chances? Join Julie Douglas and colleagues from Ho

Trailer

The Stuff of Life: Episode Zero

Jan 25th, 2016 2m 53s

Eavesdrop on experts and researchers as they ponder what makes our world so maddening, so strange and so achingly beautiful. Not to mention ridiculous. Join Julie Douglas for The Stuff of Life, a new immersive podcast by HowStuffWorks.com. Lea

Trailer

The Stuff of Life: Trailer

Jan 14th, 2016 1m 32s

The Stuff of Life podcast teases apart the tales we tell — because when we crack open a story and look inside, we see the seeds of what make our world so maddening, so strange and so achingly beautiful. Learn more about your ad-choices at http