If the algorithm knows what we want before we do… who’s really in charge? This week, host Amanda Montell(@amanda_montell) is joined by linguist, creator, and internet culture observer Adam Aleksic (@etymologynerd) to spiral deep into the invisible yet all powerful force shaping our attention, creativity, politics, and identities: The Algorithm. Why do we tal ... Show More
Jan 7
Overthinking About Horniness
Welcome to 2026, overthinkers! A question to start off the new year: Are you weirded out by your relationship to your own horniness? This week, Amanda is joined by sex educator, author, and cultural translator Shan Boodram to unpack how physical desire gets shaped by culture, soc ... Show More
54m 59s
Dec 10
Overthinking About Nostalgia
Why does looking back feel so sweet, so painful, and so irresistible this time of year? In this special short episode, Amanda takes a moment to reflect on the year of Magical Overthinkers from the fan favorite episodes to the conversations that changed us. Then she reads her Los ... Show More
22m 9s
Nov 26
Overthinking About Ragebait
Why does it feel like every time we open our phones, something is begging us to get angry? This week, just in time for Thanksgiving, host Amanda is joined by theologian, ethics professor, and No Small Endeavor host Lee C. Camp (@leeccamp) to overthink about ragebait; the outrage ... Show More
46m 9s
Jun 2025
How to transcend your normal habits and routines to have original ideas
Mental Constraints: How to change your thoughts and break invisible limits you can't see This episode is a ride through dimensions—space, time, and your own mind. It’s like stepping outside your body mid-coffee to ask, “Wait, what the hell am I doing?” From Zen bugs to aeroplane ... Show More
26m 49s
Dec 2024
Brian Keating on Fixing the Biggest Problems in Modern Science
What does it mean to go “into the impossible”? For Professor of Cosmology Dr. Brian Keating, it’s all about shattering the limiting beliefs around what a human being is capable of.
In his latest book, Into the Impossible: Think Like a Nobel Prize Winner, Dr. Keating explores this ... Show More
2h 3m
Sep 2025
161: Why You Overthink Love and Assume the Worst
Why do you spiral when a text takes too long, when someone says “okay” instead of “okay!” or when plans change? That’s your brain writing rejection stories to protect you. The problem? Those stories create anxiety, sabotage connection, and keep you stuck. In the 2nd episode of th ... Show More
34m 41s
Sep 2025
Part Two: The Rise of Cancel Culture, Distrust in Science & Misinformation: Dr. Steven Pinker Reveals The Hidden Psychology That Threatens Society.
The Rising Risks of Cancel Culture & The Psychology & Language That Built It! In this explosive episode of Mayim Bialik's Breakdown, Dr. Steven Pinker (renowned Harvard psychologist and author of When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows) joins Mayim Bialik and Jonathan Cohen for a ... Show More
54m 41s