Top Society & Culture Podcasts

This American Life

1

This American Life

This American Life
Stuff You Should Know

2

Stuff You Should Know

iHeartPodcasts
The Ezra Klein Show

3

The Ezra Klein Show

New York Times Opinion
The Shawn Ryan Show

4

The Shawn Ryan Show

Shawn Ryan
Sword and Scale

5

Sword and Scale

Sword and Scale
The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant

6

The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant

Vox Media Podcast Network
If Books Could Kill

7

If Books Could Kill

Michael Hobbes & Peter Shamshiri

20h ago

1

There’s Something About Hail Mary

We spend an hour in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter, behind and desperate, with people trying any damn thing they can think of. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Five years after Ora first started experiencing mysterious and debilitating health problems, she decides to try a treatment that she knows very well might kill her. Host Ira Glass talks to her about the experience. (9 minutes)Act One: Two lawyers have just three months to stop their client's execution. In Texas, where this story takes place, these kinds of appeals to get people off death row fail 94% of the time. (38 minutes)Act Two: At the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, migrants figured out an ingenious way to communicate with the activists gathered outside of the detention center’s walls. (13 minutes)Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org This American Life privacy policy. Learn more about sponsor message choices.

20h ago

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1h 6m
3d ago

2

I Keep Telling People We’re Living in This Dystopian Novel

A hypervisual, looks-obsessed, wellness-crazed, postliterate society where we’re constantly staring at screens and evaluating one another based on metrics, as the country around us feels like it’s falling apart: That sounds like the world we live in. It’s also the world Gary Shteyngart created in his 2010 novel, “Super Sad True Love Story.” I’ve been thinking about the book a lot recently, especially with the rise of the “looksmaxxing” influencer Clavicular and the longevity guru Bryan Johnson, and this feeling that people are upset and agitated but grabbing at the wrong things to fix it. It feels uncannily like the experience of living inside Shteyngart’s novel. But Shteyngart isn’t just a dystopian prophet, he’s also an expert at living well amid the world’s darkness. His forthcoming book, “The Sensualist: Adventures in Pure Pleasure,” is an essay collection about his efforts to do exactly that. So I wanted to have Shteyngart on the show to understand how he predicted so many of the grimmer aspects of our present, but also how we might delight in the world’s “endless buffet of pleasure” in spite of them. This episode contains strong language. Note: We’re recording an "Ask Me Anything" episode soon. If you have a question, please email ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com using the subject like "AMA." We'd love to hear from you. Mentioned: “The End Point Of Viral Content” by Ryan Broderick “How Jokes Won the Election” by Emily Nussbaum “A Visit to Seoul Brings Our Writer Face-to-Face With the Future of Robots” by Gary Shteyngart The Intimate City by Michael Kimmelman “Don’t Just Take the Slow Road; Design It,” Commencement address at Wesleyan’s 194th Commencement Ceremony, Chris Murphy Book Recommendations: Men Like Ours by Bindu Bansinath A Tender Age by Chang-rae Lee Motherland by Julia Ioffe Thoughts? Guest suggestions? Email us at ezrakleinshow@nytimes.com. You can find transcripts (posted midday) and more episodes of “The Ezra Klein Show” at nytimes.com/ezra-klein-podcast, and you can find Ezra on Twitter @ezraklein. Book recommendations from all our guests are listed at https://www.nytimes.com/article/ezra-klein-show-book-recs. This episode of “The Ezra Klein Show” was produced by Annie Galvin. Fact-checking by Michelle Harris with Mary-Marge Locker. Our senior engineer is Jeff Geld, with additional mixing by Johnny Simon. Our recording engineer is Johnny Simon. Our executive producer is Claire Gordon. The show’s production team also includes Marie Cascione, Rollin Hu, Kristin Lin, Emma Kehlbeck, Jack McCordick, Marina King and Jan Kobal. Original music by Pat McCusker. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta. The director of New York Times Opinion Shows is Annie-Rose Strasser. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

3d ago

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1h 18m
2d ago

3

Selects: Birthmarks: Probably Not the Mark of the Devil

It’s a pretty safe assumption that people have been born with birthmarks since humanity began, and between then and now we’ve come up with some wacky, even dangerous, explanations for them – even a few that survive still today. Learn all about them in this classic episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2d ago

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50 min
4d ago

4

The Body Keeps The Score

You know that book your friend recommended? The one that rigorously describes the science of trauma, de-stigmatizes abuse and promotes effective treatments? Well here’s the thing: It doesn't actually do that. Thanks to Emi Nietfield, Keith Cox, Lisa Starr, Richard McNally, Kevin McGuire and everyone else who helped us research and fact-check this episode! Where to find us: Our PatreonOur merch!Peter's newsletterPeter's other podcast, 5-4Mike's other podcast, Maintenance PhaseSources: What the Most Famous Book About Trauma Gets WrongTrauma: A GenealogyRemembering TraumaAdvocates of Research-Supported Treatments for PTSD are Losing Tell Me Why It Hurts‘The Body Keeps the Score’ offers uncertain scienceYour Brain Is Not an Onion With a Tiny Reptile Inside PTSD and complex PTSD: a review of reviewsWhat Does It Mean When 38% Forget?Multiple Identity Enactments and Multiple Personality Disorder: A Sociocognitive PerspectiveThe Brain Is Adaptive Not TriuneThanks to Mindseye for our theme song! Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/IfBooksPod

4d ago

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1h 50m
Jun 14

5

Mistakes Were Made

It’s the late 1960s, and a California TV repairman named Bob sees an opportunity to help people cheat death with the new science of cryonics. But freezing dead people isn’t easy. And apologizing for the mistakes you make along the way? Even harder. Visit thisamericanlife.org/lifepartners to sign up for our premium subscription. Prologue: Host Ira Glass talks about the way most political apologies go, and chats with a man named Derek Jones about similar sorts of apologies among preteen girls and King David, in the Old Testament. (7 minutes)Act One: In the late 1960s, a California TV repairman named Bob Nelson joined a group of enthusiasts who believed they could cheat death with a new technology called cryonics. But freezing dead people so scientists can reanimate them in the future is a lot harder than it sounds. Harder still was admitting to the family members of people Bob had frozen that he'd screwed up. Sam Shaw reports. (42 minutes)Act Two: There's a famous William Carlos Williams poem called "This is Just to Say." It's about, among other things, causing a loved one inconvenience and offering a non-apologizing apology. Producer Sean Cole explains that this is possibly the most spoofed poem around. We asked some of our regular contributors to get into the act. Sarah Vowell, David Rakoff, Starlee Kine, Jonathan Goldstein, Shalom Auslander, and Heather O'Neill all came up with their own variations of Williams's classic lines. (7 minutes)Transcripts are available at thisamericanlife.org This American Life privacy policy. Learn more about sponsor message choices.

Jun 14

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1h 1m
3d ago

6

678. Who Gets to Choose a “Good Death”?

New York is the latest state to legalize medical aid in dying. Stephen Dubner speaks with the governor who signed the law, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, a death doula — and an ethicist who thinks the very idea is wrong. SOURCES: Kathy Hochul, governor of New York. Suzanne O'Brien, death doula, founder of Doulagivers Institute. Al Roth, economist at Stanford University. Daniel Sulmasy, physician, philosopher, director of the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University. RESOURCES: Moral Economics: From Prostitution to Organ Sales, What Controversial Transactions Reveal About How Markets Work, by Al Roth (2026). "New York Moves to Allow Terminally Ill People to Die on Their Own Terms," by Grace Ashford (New York Times, 2025). The Good Death: A Guide for Supporting Your Loved One through the End of Life, by Suzanne O'Brien (2025). The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia, by Neil Gorsuch (2009). EXTRAS: "Make Me a Match (Update)," by Freakonomics Radio (2023). Sign up here to pre-screen our new video show. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

3d ago

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50 min
4d ago

7

#314 Jen Lilley - The Dark Truth About the American Foster Care System

Jen Lilley is an actress, singer, author, and foster care advocate best known for her roles on Days of Our Lives, General Hospital, and numerous Hallmark Channel films. Alongside her husband, Jen has dedicated much of her life to serving vulnerable children through foster care and adoption, fostering multiple children and adopting through the foster system. Drawing from her firsthand experience, she has become a passionate advocate for foster care awareness, family support, and child welfare reform. In 2026, she co-authored Called to Foster?: An Honest Guide to Getting Started, a practical resource designed to help families navigate the foster care journey and better understand the needs of children in care. Shawn Ryan Show Sponsors: New customers can save 35% on your first month of Dose for Cholesterol by going to https://dosedaily.co/SRS or entering SRS at checkout. Go right now to https://sundaysfordogs.com/SRS50 and get 50% off your first order. Or, you can use code SRS50 at checkout. Ready to upgrade your eyewear? Check them out at https://roka.com and use code SRS for 20% off sitewide. Sign up for your $1 per month trial today at https://shopify.com/srs Jen Lilley Links: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jen_lilley Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jenlilleyofficial Website - https://www.jenlilley.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

4d ago

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3h 5m
3d ago

8

Episode 111

Welcome to Radio Rental, a mysterious video rental shop with an exclusive collection of VHS tapes. On these tapes are TRUE scary stories, narrated by the people who experienced them...On today's tapes:>> Crash Landing >> This storyteller experiences a horrible car crash... Or did he?>> Calling My Name >> This storyteller believes his family may be cursed with mimics.>> Tent Camping >> Two campers hear voices at night, but something's not right...Meanwhile, at the store:School's out for summer. That's right. Vince (Tony Cavalero) packs up the store. But never fear, Radio Rental will be back in October... So actually, I guess you should fear... just a little bit. Want more Radio Rental? For early access and ad-free listening, subscribe to Tenderfoot+ at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://tenderfoot.tv/plus/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.Follow the show at @radiorentalVisit the website at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠radiorentalusa.com

3d ago

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36 min
5d ago

9

Episode 355

When Virgil and Shirley Best were found dead in their home, investigators expected a familiar explanation. What followed instead was an investigation defined by uncertainty and a motive that challenged the idea that violence always comes from clear intent. Get instant access to all episodes, including premium unreleased episodes, commercial-free at swordandscale.com

5d ago

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58 min
3d ago

10

The Stuff You Should Know Doin’ Science Playlist: How Chaos Theory Changed the Universe

Since the age of Descartes, science has put all of its eggs in the basket of determinism, the idea that with accurate enough measurements any aspect of the universe could be predicted. But the universe, it turns out, is not so tidy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3d ago

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55 min

Top Society & Culture Podcasts

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