Stress isn’t just biology—it’s culture, symbols, expectations, and the stories we tell ourselves. This week Dan and Michael are joined by UCLA’s Dr. Michelle Rensel to unpack why Americans are so stressed, why hunters get buck fever, why high-schoolers are spiraling, and why self-discipline has become a competitive sport.
We dig into social prescribing, predator-prey symbolism, the high-wire act of modern work, and whether our bodies are betraying us or sending a message we should finally listen to.
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Chapters
00:00 — Intro
02:30 — What Stress Actually Is
06:10 — Fresh Hell: Doctors Prescribing Parties
11:45 — Question 1: Buck Fever in the Deer Stand
19:30 — Predator vs Prey Symbol Systems
25:00 — Question 2: High-School Stress Spiral
34:10 — Fixing Shit: The Cult of Self-Discipline
47:00 — Question 3: Catastrophe Thinking for Adults
58:00 — Outro + Fake Sponsorship
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