logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2023
1h 6m

Why Are We So Obsessed With Dogs? with D...

Sony Music Entertainment / Jonathan Van Ness
About this episode
Dogs. We snuggle up with them on the couch. We pamper them with treats and toys and songs. We even give them prime placement on our dating profiles! But how—and why—did we become BFFs with canines? And what does our love for dogs say about us? This week, anthrozoologist Dr. maythe han and her dog Frank join Jonathan to explore this special bond between human ... Show More
Up next
Oct 28
Rewind: The Internet Doesn't Have to Make You Miserable w/ Eric Sedeño
Better Babes, we’re bringing the levity back! JVN sits down with comedic genius Eric Sedeño (host of Wild Wild Web, star of Tan’s Honorable Gays) to talk all things internet. From the TikTok trends that live rent-free in our brains to the cringiest posts we wish we could delete. ... Show More
37m 36s
Oct 21
Rewind: Conversion Therapy Nearly Killed Me - with Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez
Conversion therapy is back in the headlines—and it may be closer to home than you think. Today, we’re unpacking the reality of conversion therapy: what it teaches, how it operates, and the lasting impact it can have on identity, spirituality, and healing. In light of the Supreme ... Show More
35m 30s
Oct 14
Rewind: Dopamine Dressing: How Clothes Can Boost Your Mood with Marie Claire’s Editor-in-Chief (Nikki Ogunnaike)
What if getting dressed could actually help you feel better? This week, JVN sits down with Marie Claire Editor-in-Chief Nikki Ogunnaike to talk about dopamine dressing, personal style, and why fashion is so much deeper than just clothes. Together, they get into how to figure out ... Show More
37m 40s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2023
Focus - When We Love Dogs
How do you know if your dog really loves you? What’s happening in a dog’s brain when they’re with their favourite human? And how can close human-dog bonds help people, and dogs, heal from trauma? In this episode of How We’re Wired, join producer Dr Eva Higginbotham as she uncover ... Show More
28m 14s
Feb 2025
The unique love between humans and dogs | Elias Weiss Friedman
What makes the bond between people and dogs so special? Elias Weiss Friedman, creator of The Dogist, has captured millions of hearts by documenting this unique connection through his journalistic style of dog portraits, which reveal each precious pup's unique personality. In this ... Show More
12m 17s
Sep 2021
Let Slip the Dogs of More Happiness
Companion pets - especially dogs - are credited with making our lives richer and more fun, but does the science back up this belief? Dr Laurie Santos breaks down what it is dogs can do to make us happier - and what behaviours we can adopt to experience the wellbeing boost of dog ... Show More
38m 13s
Sep 2019
208: Speedo Minotaur Guy (Live from Madison, WI!)
Why is my instinct to hug my dogs too hard? If you had to move to Sesame Street, who would you want to be your neighbor? How do you know when the story you've written is done? Why was Halley's Comet selected for The Anthropocene Reviewed? How does one properly celebrate the remov ... Show More
37m 35s
Jul 2024
Doggopocalypse
<p>The girlies discuss the rise of pet culture — how we managed to domesticate animals, why we love them so much, and how a pet-centric world may not be best for either of us. Digressions include a heavily edited intro to save us from placement on an FBI watchlist.</p> <p>This ep ... Show More
1h 25m
Oct 2023
Pets
PETS: Laurie Taylor talks to Jane Hamlett, Senior Lecturer in Modern British History at Royal Holloway, University of London, about her study of the British love affair with pets over the last two century. She found that the kinds of pets we keep, as well as how we relate to and ... Show More
28m 11s
Sep 2025
Can We Talk With Animals? Chapter One: Your Pets Know Way More Than You
Do you have a bond with a household pet? Do they understand what you say to them -- and, if so, how much? In the first part of this two-part series, Ben, Matt and Noel dive deep into a question that's mystified humanity since the dawn of history: Can we really talk to non-human a ... Show More
1h 2m
May 2025
Introducing What the Dogs?!
<p>A new series from What the Duck?! is coming soon.</p><p>Dr Ann Jones is exploring the connection between humans and dogs and asking how our destinies became intertwined.</p><p>How did we get pugs from wolves?</p><p>How did the howling creatures of our nightmares become floppy ... Show More
53s
Jan 2025
Ethnocynology (HUMANS & DOGS THROUGH TIME) with David Ian Howe
<p>Ancient dogs! Domestic wolves! Anthropology! Archaeology! It’s all Ethnocynology: when humans and dogs started living and working together. The wonderful and iconic David Ian Howe is an educator and professional archaeologist whose focus is canines and people. So let’s curl up ... Show More
1h 13m
Mar 2022
The Health Benefits of Pets
How do pets impact our bodies and brains? Are dogs really “man’s best friend”? And are we being mind-controlled by our cats? CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta hears from animal behaviorist Professor Monique Udell about the ways pets make us healthier and happier ... Show More
28m 24s