#cultural-bias
153 episodes
#5475: Why Salad Is Breakfast in Israel and Punishment in America
Same chopped tomatoes and cucumbers — a morning staple in Israel and Turkey, a symbol of joyless dieting in America. How did one dish mean two oppo...
#5427: Why Atheists Still Knock on Wood
Religion and superstition aren't the same thing — and the data says they might even pull in opposite directions.
#5421: Why Secular Israelis Still Fast on Yom Kippur
A majority of secular Israeli Jews fast on Yom Kippur. What the data say about how faith gets handed down — and how observance becomes a weapon.
#5358: Ivy League Is a Sports Conference
The Ivy League is an athletic conference, not an academic body — and that tells you everything about how university rankings actually work.
#5354: Ten Beer Festivals, Ancient to Modern
From Hathor's temple to a Denver convention hall — ten drinking festivals and what actually changed over 3,000 years.
#5349: Why Israel Feels Like a Country at War With Quiet
Balagan, matkot, and tailgating in the Negev: what explains Israel's loud, urgent tempo — and why "security" isn't the answer.
#5337: The World's Weirdest Museums: Poop, Parasites, and Broken Hearts
From a Poozeum in Arizona to Tokyo's parasite museum, we explore the world's most oddly specific collections and the obsession behind them.
#5295: North Korean Banquets: What's Actually Served
North Korea's state banquets are elaborate, plentiful — and often described as bland. What's really on the table?
#5187: Translation Is Not a Pipe: What Machines Miss
Rubrics rate machine translation above human work — until readers pick side-by-side. What translators know that metrics can't see.
#5161: How Statistics Get Misread: A Field Guide
Averages, rates, correlations — the ten categories of statistics most likely to fool a general audience, and why the number is usually right.
#5141: Teletubbies vs. Sesame Street: What Kids' TV Is Really For
Didactic or creative? The philosophy baked into every kids' show—from Sesame Street to Teletubbies to Bluey.
#5135: When Reluctant Travelers Make the Best TV
What An Idiot Abroad gets right about comedy, travel, and authenticity — and the rare shows that pull off the same trick.
#5134: Why Japanese TV Commits So Hard to Absurdity
Ten comedians who can't laugh, exploding rings, and a man who won a contest for 15 months — why Japan goes all in.
#5100: Why Daycare Drop-Off Hits So Hard: A WEIRD Problem
Is the daycare drop-off misery universal or a product of Western culture? We explore attachment, alloparenting, and what non-WEIRD societies do dif...
#5086: How to Make Death Reflection Work Without the Terror
Spontaneous death reminders fade fast. Structured reflection changes how you live. Here's the science and the traditions that got it right.
#5083: The Shared Work of Teshuvah: Why Your Failures Aren't Unique
Why the Jewish New Year's framework for self-improvement mirrors psychology's most common regrets—and why shared struggle dissolves shame.
#5020: Korean-Chinese Food: The Real Story Behind K-Drama Delivery
Jajangmyeon, jjamppong, and the diaspora cuisine Korea loves but China doesn't recognize.
#5019: Designing a Kosher Korean BBQ Restaurant
What happens when K-drama food culture meets kashrut? We design a restaurant that bridges both worlds.
#4974: When a Culture You've Never Lived In Feels Like Home
Why K-dramas, Japanese aesthetics, or Kazakhstan can feel more like home than your own culture.
#4960: How Clickbait Hijacks Your Brain
The 1835 moon bison hoax, 1920s piano ads, and why you still click on pillow articles.
#4955: Why Trials Still Happen When Precedent Seems Clear
Precedent doesn't eliminate trials — it creates the arena where strategy, incentives, and novel facts collide.
#4777: The Circassians: Israel's 5,000-Person Muslim Minority
Who are the Circassians? A 5,000-person Muslim community in Israel that isn't Arab, serves in the IDF, and speaks a language with 60 consonants.
#4769: How to Engineer an Infinite Goodbye
What if a goodbye could last three hours? The mechanics of stretching farewells by exploiting politeness norms.
#4762: Grinders vs Subs: What Actually Makes Them Different
Is a grinder really different from a sub? We dig into the bread, the heat, and what makes Connecticut's signature sandwich unique.