Episodes
Dec. 8, 2025
Dan and Michael Are a Little Stressed (With Michelle Rensel): Stress, Snacks, and Mild Emotional Collapse.
Stress is biological, cultural, symbolic—and everywhere. Dan, Michael, and guest scientist Michelle Rensel tackle hunting anxiety, high-school panic patterns, the cult of self-discipline, and why everyone feels one layoff away from catastrophe. Smart, funny, and a little too real.
Dec. 1, 2025
Dan and Michael Talk Sports (with John Florio): Sports, Scandals & the Gods of the Game
Dan and Michael sit down with author and sports historian John Florio to dig into the strange, brilliant, and often chaotic world where sports, culture, and business collide. From the myths we tell about athletes to the politics that shape games on and off the field, this episode cuts through the n…
Nov. 24, 2025
Dan and Michael Ruin the Economy (feat. Steve Black): Car-price delusion, medieval rec letters, and the AI rat with the huge penis.
This week, Dan and Michael accidentally dismantle the U.S. economy with the help of linguistic anthropologist Steve Black. We talk about why everyone thinks a new car should cost $30k (it shouldn’t), why letters of recommendation are medieval hazing rituals, and why quitting your job feels like a m…
Nov. 17, 2025
Dan and Michael Take a Punch (with Scott Freeman): Violence, Horses, Billionaires, and Swords
“Why are the horses allowed to hit us?”
Nov. 10, 2025
Dan and Michael Are Not Your Type: Corporate astrology, MBTI madness, and the myth of the measurable self
Anthropologists Dan and Michael take on workplace personality tests, IQ tracking, and pop psychology’s obsession with turning people into types.
Nov. 3, 2025
Dan and Michael Eat Too Much (feat. Saanchi Shah) — Paleo Panic, Raw Meat Bros & The Golden Toilet Heist
Dan and Michael welcome genetic counselor and professional vegetarian Saanchi Shah to explore why humans attach so much identity to food — from paleo diet mythologies to prepper gardening obsessions to the gym bro who thinks raw meat makes you a better person. Also: a stolen 18-karat gold toilet, f…
Oct. 27, 2025
Dan and Michael Are Definitely Out of Place: Why Some Places Feel Wrong, Why Seats Matter, and Why the Dead Deserve Space
This week on People Stuff, anthropologists Dan and Michael get very, very lost — in Carmel-by-the-Sea, at the dinner table, and even among the dead.
Oct. 20, 2025
Do Allowances Teach the Right Lessons About Money?
Takeaways Cleanliness is culturally specific and varies widely. The concept of the Rapture has been a recurring theme in religious discussions. Zen practices can lead to conflicts in communal living situations. Allowance for ...
Oct. 13, 2025
Dan and Michael Raise Someone Else’s Kid
In this episode of People Stuff, Dan and Michael explore various themes surrounding parenting, cultural differences in child-rearing practices, the rise of TikTok detectives, privacy in the digital age, and the complexities of gender identity. They discuss the nuances of disciplining other people's…
Oct. 6, 2025
Dan and Michael go to Therapy
In this episode, Dan and Michael explore the limits of psychology, the decline of social gatherings among young Americans, and the role of alcohol as a social lubricant. They discuss the rise of chatbot therapy and its implications for self-reflection, as well as the complexities of fandom and the …
Oct. 1, 2025
[ENCORE] Dan and Michael Get Abducted
In this encore episode of People Stuff, Dan and Michael check to see whether the truth is out there by boosting a UFO conspiracy, endorsing the use of body doubles as a high school teaching technique, and offering relationship advice to help you avoid serial killers in the Pacific Northwest. It rem…
Sept. 29, 2025
[ENCORE] Dan and Michael Get Spooked
In this encore episode of People Stuff, Dan and Michael venture into the wicked and unknown by riffing on the admirable traits of vampires, parsing the stupidity of Nazi stans, and sending a love letter to the Jersey Devil. If your heart lives in the Pine Barrens, this episode is for you.
Sept. 25, 2025
Dan and Michael Ponder The Human Condition
In this episode of People Stuff, hosts Dan and Michael explore profound questions about the human condition, individuality versus societal influence, the role of family in human development, and future anthropological perspectives. They engage with questions from a class at Georgia State University…
Sept. 22, 2025
[ENCORE] Dan and Michael Go To Ikea
As we are in between seasons, we present this encore presentation of Dan and Michael Go To Ikea. People Stuff is a write-in anthropology podcast. In this episode, Dan and Michael go to Ikea and give advice on furniture shopping and relationships, whether you should make your bed, and how best to br…
Sept. 16, 2025
Dan and Michael Are Not Into Instagramming Their Food
Dan and Michael demand to know why everyone is taking pictures of themselves standing in line these days. If you pine to be seen being seen, this episode is for you.
Sept. 15, 2025
Dan Has a Programming Note
Dan gives an update on the end of Season 1 and previews what to expect in Season 2 of People Stuff. A big thanks to those of you who submitted questions! Expected to hear your questions and our answers in the upcoming season....
Sept. 8, 2025
Dan and Michael Park a Car
In this episode of People Stuff, Dan and Michael let the road rage take them as they discuss the finer points of parking etiquette, the morality of self-driving taxis, and various hyperloop taboos. We’re starting to think America might have a problem with its billionaires. Anyway, if you’re still c…
Sept. 1, 2025
Dan and Michael Heard it through the Grapevine
In this episode of People Stuff, Dan and Michael get deep into gossip by interpreting rumours about poisoned Halloween candy, fact checking political speech, and figuring out where the best deer stand is in the suburbs. This episode gives some truth to the old aphorism that there are lies, damn lie…
Aug. 25, 2025
Dan and Michael Destroy Democracy
In this episode of People Stuff, Dan and Michael inquire into the health democracy by complaining about techno-fascists, advising a parent to go full ratf!ck on a high school election, and consoling activists about their endless meetings. I’m not sure we would vote for us. But, if you think the peo…
Aug. 18, 2025
Dan and Michael Get Abducted
In this episode of People Stuff, Dan and Michael check to see whether the truth is out there by boosting a UFO conspiracy, endorsing the use of body doubles as a high school teaching technique, and offering relationship advice to help you avoid serial killers in the Pacific Northwest. It remains to…
Aug. 11, 2025
Dan and Michael are not That Into Labels
In this episode of People Stuff, Dan and Michael drop names by advising against cringe bar branding, pondering what truth may be in gun club advertising, and wonder whether changing your name is enough to recover one’s youth. It’s not. But if you’re trying to figure out what to call something, this…
Aug. 4, 2025
Dan and Michael Learn a Trade
In this episode of People Stuff, Dan and Michael imagine what it’s like to work for a living by giving some advice to a graduating high school student, reflecting on robots and boredom on the factory line, and speculating on just how true a job advertisement on an oil field can be. Why anyone would…
July 28, 2025
Dan and Michael Touch Grass
In this episode of People Stuff, Dan and Michael chart the far reaches of our human capacity for delusion by pondering a politician’s social media presence, considering one chef’s ruinous obsession with crypto-currency, and parsing the inter-dimensional potential of some ill-conceived home renovati…
July 22, 2025
Dan and Michael Refuse
In this episode of People Stuff, Dan and Michael discover what “no” really means by examining a disinclination to talk stupid politics, the idiotic cruelty of skipping childhood vaccines, and the misguided fear of Mexican food. If your name is Bartleby, if your condition is humanity’s, or if you wo…