NPR correspondent Elise Hu discusses K-beauty – which prioritizes perfection – its reach across the globe, and the consumerism that has crept into our very skin.
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Loathe small talk? You’re not alone
Julie Beck, senior editor at The Atlantic, discusses how we can regain our pre-pandemic confidence in social situations.
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Art was easy to steal. Why’s it so hard to give back?
Fulbright scholar and editor Elizabeth Kadetsky discusses the theft of revered stone deities in India and what they say about the ways the art world traffics prized items.
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A conversation with U.S. poet laureate Joy Harjo
The member of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation joins us to discuss how she reckons with the loss of ancestral homelands, her personal story, and the rituals that provide her with inspiration.
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How to have police reform and lower crime rates, too
Sociology professor Neil Gross joins us to discuss how three police departments have taken on reform efforts, trying to change police culture from the inside.
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Why emotions don’t translate across cultures
Social psychologist Batja Mesquita talks about why feelings differ from culture to culture — and why shame can be good.
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What it’s like being a Black mom in a white community
Senior culture writer at The Washington Post Helena Andrews-Dyer talks about raising a Black child in a predominately white, upper-middle-class world, where her concerns about race led her to consider larger themes of belonging.
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The Bachelor and Real Housewives say more about us than we think
Sociology professor Danielle J. Lindemann discusses all the ways reality TV addresses race, gender, sexuality, and why everything from Cops to Below Deck shines a light on what America continues to hold dear.
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Who we build monuments to and why it matters
Paul M. Farber of the National Monument Audit joins us to discuss a recent study of 50,000 monuments across the U.S. and what the research shows about who we memorialize and who we leave out.
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Why People Obsess Over Pakistani Mangoes
Food writer Ahmed Ali Akbar joins us to discuss the backchannels of importing fruit, the lengths people will go to, and the customs bureaucracy that keeps foods from reaching American shores.
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Why we can’t stand humiliation
Essayist and author Vivian Gornick joins us to discuss why humiliation sticks with us long after the incident that brought it on.
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The search for a soul mate is a path to loneliness
Arthur C. Brooks joins us to discuss the realities of love at first sight, why that can be a recipe for unhappiness, and what to look for instead.
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