University of Virginia sociologist Brad Wilcox *01 delves into some of the popular wisdom surrounding marriage and tells us what the data has to say: is it better to marry young or wait? To move in with your partner before or after marriage? Does marriage hurt your career prospects or your ability to set aside time for your own happiness? What groups in Amer ... Show More
Yesterday
Mark Hlavacik, "Willing Warriors: A New History of the Education Culture Wars" (U Chicago Press, 2025)
How the rise of the culture wars afflicts the politics of education. On August 9, 2022, the Denton Independent School District held a meeting to address complaints about its libraries. Like so many districts in Texas and across the country, Denton had been responding to accusatio ... Show More
29m 17s
Yesterday
Thomas Hegghammer and Diego Gambetta eds., "Fight, Flight, Mimic: Identity Mimicry in Conflict" (Oxford UP, 2024)
Time spent and words spent—what does each signal? Deceptive mimicry—the manipulation of individual or group identity—includes passing off as a different individual, as a member of a group to which one does not belong, or, for a group, to ‘sign’ its action as another group. Mimicr ... Show More
1h 5m
Mar 25
Sarah Jaffe, "Work Won't Love You Back: How Devotion to Our Jobs Keeps Us Exploited, Exhausted, and Alone" (Bold Type Books, 2021)
In Work Won’t Love You Back: How Devotion to Our Jobs Keeps Us Exploited, Exhausted, and Alone (Bold Type Books, 2021), Sarah Jaffe argues that modern culture encourages workers to see their jobs as a “labor of love.” This idea tells people that passion and dedication should mot ... Show More
1h 8m
Sep 2023
What’s So Great About Marriage?
Since the 1970s, the General Social Survey has asked thousands of Americans the same question: “Taken all together, how would you say things are these days—would you say that you are very happy, pretty happy, or not too happy?” In the past few decades, our well-being seemed to ta ... Show More
51m 53s
Sep 2015
Graduate, Work, Marry, Procreate
<p>How essential is marriage for aspiring middle-class families? On The Gist, economist and Brookings fellow Isabel Sawhill explains her often-cited "success sequence" and declining marriage rates in the developed world. She's the author of Generation Unbound. For the Spiel, why ... Show More
26m 4s
Mar 2025
The Sunday Read: ‘How I Learned That the Problem in My Marriage Was Me’
<p>One thing I’ve learned from being married to my wife, Jess, who is a couples therapist, is how vast the distance is between the masks people show to the world and the messy realities that live behind them. Every couple knows its own drama, but we still fall prey to the illusio ... Show More
43m 20s
Apr 2025
Is Who You Marry The Biggest Decision You'll Ever Make? ft. Sahil Bloom
<p>Sahil Bloom is an inspirational writer, content creator and author who captivates millions of people every week through his popular newsletter the ‘Curiosity Chronicle’. Sahil and I discuss what relationship wealth looks like, having friends for different functions, if the per ... Show More
44m 36s