Season 2
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 …