Culture Study Podcast

Anne Helen Petersen

A podcast about the culture that surrounds you — with Anne Helen Petersen and a bunch of very smart co-hosts.

  1. How Did Dating Get THIS Difficult?

    6D AGO

    How Did Dating Get THIS Difficult?

    This episode is the result of years of listener requests: how did dating get SO bad, and how can we possibly make it better? Melody and I have been out of the dating game for a hot minute, but we knew that the combination of your excellent questions + an excellent co-host [Jonquilyn Hill, host of Vox's Explain It All who is, importantly, currently dating] + sociological discussion of how dating has historically functioned (and why it no longer functions that way) could lead us to something that manages to be at once cathartic and hopeful (and educational for anyone who hasn't tried to date in the last decade). We answer your questions on "informational intimacy," how long is too long to chat (before setting an actual date), optimization culture, and whether or not it's weird for someone to run your Hinge account (I LOVE THIS QUESTION).....plus bonus content on how to actually meet people off the apps. You don't have to be dating to love this episode, but if you are — let's go after it in the comments. AND GREAT NEWS: WE HAVE VERY GOOD EPISODE TRANSCRIPTS NOW! They come out within 24 hours of the pod, so you just have to be a little patient and then come back and click here. We pay an actual human for help with these, so thank you for either being a paid subscriber or listening to the ads that make this model possible! If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to . And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here! Thanks to the Sponsors of Today's Episode!Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to Zocdoc.com/CULTURE to find and instantly book a doctor you love today If you're in the market for a new sofa, dining table, bed, or filing cabinet, peruse the beautiful and long-lasting offerings at Article.com Get 15% off your first order of Pre-Alcohol at zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY using code CULTURESTUDY at checkout Get 50% off your purchase of a new night guard at shopremi.com/CULTURE, using code CULTURE Show Notes:Follow Jonquilyn on Instagram here You can find all episodes of Explain It To Me here Listen to Jonquilyn's episode of Explain It To Me on Cuffing Season Melody found this super-interesting article: Men Are Just As Picky As Women About Who They’d Date—If They’re the Ones Being Pursued Jonquilyn mentions the Netflix show THE LATER DATERS I mention my interview with sociologist Corinne Low re: figuring out what you actually want in terms of a future life (before finding a partner) We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:New trends you've noticed in the world of MOMFLUENCERS How we think about the morality of money and taxes — who should pay taxes, who shouldn't, who "deserves" money, who doesn't, how we came to decide that religious organizations shouldn't pay taxes (and how that belief is changing), SO MUCH How to process all the STUFF accumulated from relatives (we have a really helpful organizer with a bunch of mental health training for this one!) The State of The CHAIN RESTAURANT — and chain restaurant supply chain!!! (I'm so excited for this one) Wedding culture!! For our next Culture Of Place: Puerto Rico! Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment As always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) here For this week’s discussion: Tell us your dating frustrations! What's changed, what annoys you, what strategies have worked?

    1h 8m
  2. What's So Great About a Freaking Hobby?

    12/31/2025

    What's So Great About a Freaking Hobby?

    Is there something in your life that you do — with some sort of regularity, and without direct compensation — that you find tremendously satisfying? Something you do just because you like it? CONGRATS, YOU HAVE A HOBBY. And here at Culture Study, we love to talk about hobbies — how to find them, how to keep them, and how to deal with the seemingly ceaseless push to monetize them. Listeners have been asking for a hobby episode for years, so for the New Year, we asked two great hobbyists — Doree Shafrir and Elise Hu, of the beloved podcast Forever35 — to come on and answer all your hobby questions, including: How do I find time to hobby when I'm a parent? How do I figure out my hobbies now that I finally have time to myself? How do I keep myself from BUYING ALL THE STUFF every time I find a new hobby? How do I keep a hobby from becoming a chore? We can't wait to hear your own thoughts on these questions in the comments. ALSO GUESS WHAT, WE HAVE VERY GOOD EPISODES TRANSCRIPTS NOW! They come out within 24 hours of the pod, so you just have to be a little patient and then come back and click here. We pay an actual human for help with these, so thank you for either being a paid subscriber or listening to the ads that make this model possible! If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to. And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here! Thanks to the Sponsors of Today's Episode!If you’re in the market for a beautiful new sofa, dining table or bed, head over to Article.com and explore the options Go to wildalaskan.com/CULTURE for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood Save 20% on comfortable, supportive undergarments at honeylove.com/CULTURE Give the gift of softness this holiday season with Lola Blankets. For a limited time, our listeners are getting a huge 40% OFF their entire order at LolaBlankets.com by using code CULTURE at checkout Show Notes:Go listen to Forever35!! And follow Doree on Instagram and Elise on Instagram Read Doree's tennis newsletter, Courtdate I love Doree's celebration post from nationals: Listen to Elise's previous appearance on the podcast talking all about "Sephora Teens" Read my post about The Unexpected Benefits of Starting a Small-Scale Dahlia Farm with Your Friends Doree's IVF podcast We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:'90s Movie Soundtracks How incel culture and slang pops up in the mainstream How we think about the morality of money and taxes — who should pay taxes, who shouldn't, who "deserves" money, who doesn't, how we came to decide that religious organizations shouldn't pay taxes (and how that belief is changing), SO MUCH How to process all the STUFF accumulated from relatives (we have a really helpful organizer with a bunch of mental health training for this one!) The State of The CHAIN RESTAURANT — and chain restaurant supply chain!!! (I'm so excited for this one) Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment As always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) here For this week’s discussion: TELL US ABOUT YOUR HOBBY! Or tell us how you've made your hobby a joyful part of your life.

    57 min
  3. Bonus Episode: AHP + Melody's Super Weird Best of 2026 [PREVIEW]

    12/24/2025 · BONUS

    Bonus Episode: AHP + Melody's Super Weird Best of 2026 [PREVIEW]

    It's BONUS EPISODE TIME! While everyone else is listing their favorite movies and albums and television shows in their end-of-year wrap-ups, Melody and I opted to make up random (but wonderful) categories and force the other person to come up answers. Favorite Internet Dog! TikTok that made you cry! Best Practical Thing You Bought Yourself + Best Extravagant Thing! There's a lot more but I won't spoil them for you other than to say if you need a little very low stakes delight in your life right now, this episode is for you. And free subscribers — I realize sending this to you is a total tease, but maybe also incentive to become a paid subscriber and join in the deeper levels of weirdness. You get ad-free episodes, the bonus advice-time segment every week, and these bonus episodes, which come out every 2-3 months. Just click here to become a paid subscriber. And a reminder, we're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:'90s Movie Soundtracks How we think about the morality of money and taxes — who should pay taxes, who shouldn't, who "deserves" money, who doesn't, how we came to decide that religious organizations shouldn't pay taxes (and how that belief is changing), SO MUCH How to process all the STUFF accumulated from relatives (we have a really helpful organizer with a bunch of mental health training for this one!) The State of The CHAIN RESTAURANT — and chain restaurant supply chain!!! (I'm so excited for this one) Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment As always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) here

    2 min
  4. What's With All This Eldest Daughter Discourse?

    12/17/2025

    What's With All This Eldest Daughter Discourse?

    I don't remember when I first noticed Eldest Daughter content popping up in my various social media feeds, but like so many millennials, I loved a meme that seemed to REALLY SEE ME. Why yes, I am a consummate planner who somehow holds at least six people's yearly calendars in my head at once! Why yes, I am a perfectionist! WHY YES, I AM AN ELDEST DAUGHTER! Does Eldest Daughter discourse give Eldest Daughters a means to communicate their (sometimes contradictory) feelings about their familial and societal roles? Or is it a way for Eldest Daughters to lean into their own martyrdom complexes? And how does being the immigrant eldest daughter compound your Eldest Daughter-ness? We got Eldest Daughter Ifeoma Ozoma to come on the show and help me (Eldest Daughter) and Melody (also Eldest Daughter, duh) answer all your questions — and work through our own changing relationship to the Eldest Daughter Discourse. (And yes, there's a reason this one's coming out during the holidays, the best/worst time to be an Eldest Daughter) ALSO GUESS WHAT, WE HAVE VERY GOOD EPISODES TRANSCRIPTS NOW! They come out within 24 hours of the pod, so you just have to be a little patient and then come back and click here. We pay an actual human for help with these, so thank you for either being a paid subscriber or listening to the ads that make this model possible! If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to . And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here! Thanks to the Sponsors of Today's Episode! Get 15% off OneSkin with the code CULTURE at https://www.oneskin.co/CULTURE Get 15% off your first order of cleaning products by going to Blueland.com/CULTURE Try Beam's Dream Powder for up to 40% off at shopbeam.com/CULTURE and use code CULTURE Head to Zbiotics.com/CULTURESTUDY and use the code CULTURESTUDY at checkout for 15% off Show Notes:Ifeoma Ozoma is an eldest daughter and also A TOTAL BOSS (TRULY) At the end of the episode we talk about her advocacy with Niños and Neighbors — you can read more about it here and join their mailing list/donate here The Eldest Daughter Club on IG (218k followers!) The study I referenced re: stress during pregnancy and hormones in eldest daughters comes out of UCLA — you can find more about it here We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:'90s Movie Soundtracks How we think about the morality of money and taxes — who should pay taxes, who shouldn't, who "deserves" money, who doesn't, how we came to decide that religious organizations shouldn't pay taxes (and how that belief is changing), SO MUCH How to process all the STUFF accumulated from relatives (we have a really helpful organizer with a bunch of mental health training for this one!) The State of The CHAIN RESTAURANT — and chain restaurant supply chain!!! (I'm so excited for this one) Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment As always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) here For this week’s discussion: Do you have eldest daughter energy? If you do, how has it changed over time? And if you don't: how do you relate to eldest daughters?

    52 min
  5. What's Behind All The BIG KOREAN POP CULTURE ENERGY

    12/10/2025

    What's Behind All The BIG KOREAN POP CULTURE ENERGY

    Sometimes I wish I could just have the intro paragraph to an episode be GAAHHHHHHH THIS ONE WAS SO FUN! So this is my version of that: telling you that I wish it could be that, and then also telling you that we go deep on so many components of the global spread (and embrace) of Korean pop culture. We go into the calculated political elements, the uncanny elision of North Korean stories, and why so many of the Korean narratives resonating with American audiences are ones crafted by Korean-Americans. This is a really effusive and loving episode that also manages to have some very real talk about why kids dressing up as characters from K-Pop Demon Hunters is not yellow face. IT'S SO GOOD, and I know we're gonna have a great discussion about it. ALSO GUESS WHAT, WE HAVE VERY GOOD EPISODES TRANSCRIPTS NOW! They come out within 24 hours of the pod, so you just have to be a little patient and then come back and click here. We pay an actual human for help with these, so thank you for either being a paid subscriber or listening to the ads that make this model possible! If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to . And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here! Thanks to the Sponsors of Today's Episode! Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to Zocdoc.com/CULTURE to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today. Head to Graza.co/CULTURESTUDY and use code CULTURESTUDY to get 10% off your order and get cooking this holiday season with some fresh, delicious olive oil! Visit moshlife.com/CULTURE to save 20% off plus FREE shipping on the best sellers trial pack or the new plant-based trial pack. Go to shopremi.com/CULTURE and use code CULTURE to receive 55% off  your new nightguard PLUS a free foam gift. Show Notes:GO LISTEN TO BIG KOREAN ENERGY!!! And then go find out a lot more about The Mash-Up Americans Subscribe to The Mash-Up Americans newsletter for updates Really cannot recommend Episode 1 highly enough — it puzzle pieces so well with what we talk about for each of these questions A good secondary listen: our episode with Elise Hu about the Sephora Teen Freakout and my interview with Elise re: her book on K-Beauty We also reference this episode on The Irishification of Pop Culture with Caroline O'Donoghue REP SWEATS THE KOREAN VEGAN! R.O. Kwon's appearance on Big Korean Energy Susan Choi's Flashlight, Min Jin Lee's Pachinko, Lisa See's Island of Sea Women I try to remember the name of Kim Ji-Young, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:Questions About How to Respond When People Ask/React To the Knowledge That You're Not Having Kids '90s Movie Soundtracks How we think about the morality of money and taxes — who should pay taxes, who shouldn't, who "deserves" money, who doesn't, how we came to decide that religious organizations shouldn't pay taxes (and how that belief is changing), SO MUCH How to process all the STUFF accumulated from relatives (we have a really helpful organizer with a bunch of mental health training for this one!) The State of The CHAIN RESTAURANT — and chain restaurant supply chain!!! (I'm so excited for this one) Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment As always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) here For this week’s discussion: What's your favorite manifestation of BIG KOREAN ENERGY right now?

    1h 13m
  6. How to Fall in Love with Birding

    12/03/2025

    How to Fall in Love with Birding

    Do you need an episode that's the equivalent of a big, deep, inhale and exhale? GREAT NEWS, TEAM, WE HAVE THE EPISODE FOR YOU. Journalist and urban birder Ryan Goldberg joins me to talk about the recent spike of interest in birding (particularly amongst young people), but we go a lot deeper than "wow seems like millennials are taking up old people hobbies." We talk about the intergenerational magic of birding clubs, bird list gamificiation (and how to avoid it), and how apps like Merlin have changed birding culture. But the real heart of this episode is what makes people fall in love — and stay in love — with a hobby that's really, at heart, about listening. I'm not a birder, so this episode will be accessible to anyone in my shoes (or who's birding-curious) — and if you are a birder, get ready to nerd out. I hope your blood pressure drops a few points while listening, because my mine sure did while recording. If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to . And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here! We're experimenting with producing our own (moderately polished) transcripts. They'll be uploaded here within 24 hours of publishing. Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Take the guesswork out of your dog's well-being. Go to ollie.com/culture and use code culture to get 60% off your first box! Upgrade your sleep with Miracle Made! Go to https://trymiracle.com/CULTURE and use the code CULTURE to claim your free 3-piece towel set and save over 40% OFF. Get better sleep, hair and skin with Blissy and use CULTUREPOD to get an additional 30% off at blissy.com/CULTUREPOD  Get an exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at https://on.auraframes.com/CULTURE, promo Code CULTURE Show Notes:Buy Bird City here! Learn more about Ryan's work here — also noting two upcoming events (learn more on his website) An Eastern Towee in action (with its call!) A lovely birding guide to Central Park Join the Brooklyn Bird Club! All about the Merlin app Black Birders Week! Feminist Bird Club The Macaulay Library of Bird Songs The hungover birdwatcher We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about:WEIRD ENGLISH WORDS (where do they come from!) with Colin Gorrie, who writes explainers like this one on the word DOG Questions About How to Respond When People Ask/React To the Knowledge That You're Not Having Kids The Wild Largely Unregulated World of IVF (and IVF Bureaucracy) Audiobooks!!! (with MVP audiobook narrator Julia Whelan) '90s Movie Soundtracks How we think about the morality of money and taxes — who should pay taxes, who shouldn't, who "deserves" money, who doesn't, how we came to decide that religious organizations shouldn't pay taxes (and how that belief is changing), SO MUCH PEOPLE'S NAMES and what they signify (and how it changes with time) Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment As always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) here For this week’s discussion: Tell me about your experience with birding culture — or something about this episode that made you want to get into it! (I bet it was me laughing like a 5 year old about birds named tits)

    1h 5m
  7. What It's Actually Like to Run a Small (Creative) Business

    11/26/2025

    What It's Actually Like to Run a Small (Creative) Business

    When I went freelance full-time to write Culture Study, I had no idea what I was doing. NONE. It took me several years — and encouragement from my accountant and other writers — to begin thinking of what I was doing as a small business. And it took me several years after that to understand how small businesses, especially small creative businesses, have to figure out strategies to fend off burnout in order to, well, stay in it for the long haul. We have to make our creative work and our business practices sustainable. Printmaker and textile artist Jen Hewett was one of the first people I saw talking frankly about what it's like to run a creative small business — the stuff that takes way too much time, the stuff that's super annoying, how she budgets and takes time off and deals with eldercare and divides her days and weeks and years. We loved answering all your questions about SMALL BUSINESS LYFE — balancing the 'business' with the 'creative,' how to think about social media promotion, how to protect a hobby from becoming a business — and I can't wait to talk more in the comments. If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to . And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here! Side Note: We're experimenting with producing our own (very imperfect) transcripts. You can find it here. If there's enough demand, we might consider putting in the not insignificant labor to make these super readable — but for now, they're a backup to the podcast, not a replacement for it. Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Visit AuraFrames.com and get $45 off Aura's best-selling Carver mat frames by using promo code CULTURE at checkout Support local bookstores and get 10% off your next purchase at Bookshop.org with code CULTURE If you're in the market for a beautiful new sofa, dining table, or bed, check out the beautiful, long-lasting options at Article.com Go to WildAlaskan.com/CULTURE for $35 off your first box of premium, wild-caught seafood Show Notes:Follow Jen Hewett on Instagram (she is SUCH a good follow) Jen's Reimagined Landscape Fabric Collection just came out AND IT IS EXQUISITE Learn more about Jen's work here We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about: WEIRD ENGLISH WORDS (where do they come from!) with Colin Gorrie, who writes explainers like this one on the word DOG Questions About How to Respond When People Ask/React To the Knowledge That You're Not Having Kids How Did Everyone Low-Key Become an Influencer? AKA How do you see influencer posting logic creeping into non-influencer accounts The Wild Largely Unregulated World of IVF Audiobooks!!! (with MVP audiobook narrator Julia Whelan) Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment As always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) here For this week’s discussion: I'd love to hear about your own experiences (and challenges) running a small business!

    1h 2m
  8. Tracing Cultural Panics with Sarah Marshall (!!!)

    11/19/2025

    Tracing Cultural Panics with Sarah Marshall (!!!)

    What is it about a particular cultural object — or trend, or perceived trend — that makes people FREAK THE F OUT? Anyone who's looked at historical freakouts knows: it's never really about the thing itself, but more about ideologies that are under threat and in flux. If you challenge the status quo, in other words, there's a high likelihood that you could get swept up in a panic about something that has nothing to do with the way in which you're actually challenging the status quo. The best person to talk about these sort of freak-outs is Sarah Marshall, beloved host of You're Wrong About and current host of a new CBC limited series on the satanic panic called The Devil You Know. In this episode, Sarah brings her trademark empathy to your smart questions about freak-outs old and new (yes, we talk about kids & screens, but not for the entire episode). This episode was an utter delight to record and I can only hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did. If you're a paid subscriber and haven't yet set up your subscriber RSS feed in your podcast player, here's the EXTREMELY easy how-to . And if you're having any other issues with your Patreon subscription — please get in touch! Email me at annehelenpetersen @ gmail OR submit a request to Patreon Support. Thank you for making the switch with us — the podcast in particular is much more at home here! Side Note: We're experimenting with producing our own (very imperfect) transcripts. You can find it here. If there's enough demand, we might consider putting in the not insignificant labor to make these super readable — but for now, they're a backup to the podcast, not a replacement for it. Thanks to the sponsors of today’s episode!Upgrade your sleep with Miracle Made! Go to https://trymiracle.com/CULTURE and use the code CULTURE to claim your free 3-piece towel set and save over 40% OFF. Get 15% off OneSkin with the code CULTURE at https://www.oneskin.co/CULTURE  Go to shopbeam.com/CULTURE, use code CULTURE, and get up to 50% off during Beam’s Cyber Sale Visit AuraFrames.com and get $45 off Aura’s best-selling Carver Mat frames - named #1 by Wirecutter -  by using promo code CULTURE at checkout Show Notes:Listen to THE DEVIL YOU KNOW on CBC or wherever you get your podcasts! More about Sarah's work here Listen to You're Wrong About here If you missed the episode we did on conspiracy theories last year, it's a great companion to this one We're currently looking for your questions for future episodes about: WEIRD ENGLISH WORDS (where do they come from!) with Colin Gorrie, who writes explainers like this one on the word DOG Questions About How to Respond When People Ask/React To the Knowledge That You're Not Having Kids How Did Everyone Low-Key Become an Influencer? AKA How do you see influencer posting logic creeping into non-influencer accounts The Wild Largely Unregulated World of IVF Audiobooks!!! (with MVP audiobook narrator Julia Whelan) Anything you need advice or want musings on for the AAA segment. You can ask about anything, it’s literally the name of the segment As always, you can submit your questions (and ideas for future eps) here For this week’s discussion: I'd love to hear your alternate reads on what caused any of the cultural panics we discussed in the show.

    1 hr
4.6
out of 5
690 Ratings

About

A podcast about the culture that surrounds you — with Anne Helen Petersen and a bunch of very smart co-hosts.

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