Episodes

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.

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 noise with sharp analysis, deadpan humor, and a healthy dose of skepticism.

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 moral test instead of a labor decision. Plus: sorority-rush consultants, academic-publishing slop, and a brief cameo from an AI-generated rat with an alarming anatomy. People Stuff: because the economy is just vibes in a spreadsheet.

“Why are the horses allowed to hit us?”

Anthropologists Dan and Michael take on workplace personality tests, IQ tracking, and pop psychology’s obsession with turning people into types.

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, fixing public restrooms, and whether one can literally become pizza.

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.

In this episode of People Stuff, anthropologists Dan and Michael tackle the order of things — from Zen monks who don’t clean corners to kids demanding cash for chores to dads who can’t let go of their stuff. They explore how cleanliness, clutter, and money all reveal what we value (and what we avoid). Along the way, Michael “fixes” Congress, Dan questions enlightenment, and both get a little dusty. Smart, funny, and deeply human — it’s anthropology for everyone who’s ever swept something under the rug.

When is it okay to discipline someone else’s kid? Are gender roles actually “natural,” or are we just swimming in Disney IP? And what do you do when your child’s imaginary friend starts sounding less… imaginary? This week on People Stuff, anthropologists Dan Souleles and Michael Powell take on communal parenting, playground ethics, gender development, TikTok surveillance culture, immigration panic, and the unsettling anthropology of imaginary friends. Drawing on cross-cultural child-rearing, gender theory, and just enough totemism to keep things weird, they offer advice that is empathetic, skeptical, and occasionally alarming. Remember: we’re anthropologists, and we know stuff about people.

This week on People Stuff, Dan and Michael grab their metaphorical couch and ask: Why does psychology have such a hold on how we think about ourselves? From men outsourcing their mental health to chatbots, to the moral contradictions of being a baseball fan, to the question of what people did before “therapy” was even invented — it’s an episode about the strange modern faith in psychology, and whether it’s helping us or just keeping us company.