Etiquette and Social Norms

41 episodes · Page 2 of 2

Jul 20

#4386: How to Become a Medieval Flute Wizard for Three Weeks

Build a three-week persona around medieval flute, striped tunics, and the elusive fourth mode.

relationshipspodcastingcultural-differencesetiquette-and-social-norms

Jul 17

#4370: Why Airport Bars Let You Drink Alone

Airport bars are the only place where drinking alone feels normal. Here’s the psychology behind the permission.

relationshipshabits-and-behavior-changecultural-differencesetiquette-and-social-norms

Jul 11

#4254: How to Vanish at a Picnic

A playbook for revealing nothing about yourself over four hours of casual conversation — without seeming weird.

relationshipscognitive-biasesetiquette-and-social-normspodcasting

Jul 1

#4026: How to Be the Perfect Coffee Shop Worker (No Laptop Required)

The complete guide to working from coffee shops without becoming the backpack person everyone resents.

etiquette-and-social-normsworkplace-culturecultural-differences

Jun 28

#3969: Socotra: Can You Actually Visit Yemen's Alien Island?

Dragon blood trees, war zone sovereignty, and an Israeli passport — the real questions about visiting Socotra in 2026.

taxonomy-and-classificationceasefires-and-peace-dealsisraelsustainabilityetiquette-and-social-norms

Jun 27

#3941: Imp, Goblin, Gremlin: What's the Difference?

Three small creatures, three completely different origins, functions, and fears. Untangling the folklore.

etiquette-and-social-normshistory-of-technologytwentieth-centurybooks-and-literature

Jun 27

#3917: Reviving Lost Words: Opprobrium & the Lexical Attic

Why great words like opprobrium rot in the lexical attic while flimsier ones thrive—and how to revive them.

language-learningwriting-systemsetiquette-and-social-norms

Jun 23

#3851: When "Let's Discuss" Means Very Different Things

How the same email gets decoded three different ways in Berlin, Tokyo, and São Paulo.

relationshipscultural-differencesetiquette-and-social-normsworkplace-culture

Jun 18

#3677: The Last Poppleberrys: A Surname on the Brink

How a marsh, a poplar tree, and one 19th-century laborer created the world's rarest surname.

etiquette-and-social-normshistory-of-technologymiddle-east-historylanguage-learningtwentieth-century

Jun 18

#3676: Socialites: From Mrs. Astor to Paris Hilton

From Gilded Age ballrooms to fragrance empires — what socialites actually do and why their power endures.

history-of-technologyetiquette-and-social-normscultural-differences

Jun 17

#3666: Sorry, Not Sorry: The Hidden Rules of Apology Across Cultures

Why the Irish say "sorry" constantly, Israelis rarely do, and both are being perfectly reasonable.

cultural-differencesetiquette-and-social-normstranslation

Jun 16

#3617: Takeshi's Castle and the Art of Absurd Japanese Game Shows

Why Takeshi's Castle, Gaki no Tsukai, and Ninja Warrior became global comedy phenomena.

film-and-televisionetiquette-and-social-normscultural-differences

Mar 30

#1775: Why Some Cultures Guard Privacy and Others Share Everything

We explore why privacy feels like a human right to some cultures but a modern luxury to others.

cultural-differencesethicsfree-speechhuman-rightsetiquette-and-social-norms

Mar 16

#1305: The Victorian Flex: A Masterclass in Social Engineering

Discover how 19th-century dinner rules were used to exclude outsiders and how to use these ancient "bluffs" to signal social pedigree today.

history-of-technologycultural-differencesetiquette-and-social-normstwentieth-century

Mar 8

#1047: If I Were You: The Zombie Rule of English Grammar

Is the subjunctive mood dying, or is it a "zombie" rule? Discover the history and social signaling behind this grammatical ghost story.

language-learningetiquette-and-social-normscultural-differences

Mar 6

#977: The High-Wire Act of Slowness

Discover why the sloth’s slow pace isn’t laziness, but a high-stakes survival strategy in a world that treats them like a digital mascot.

slothsanimalsetiquette-and-social-normsrelationships

Feb 25

#845: Why Your Words Feel Different to Me

Why do some words feel like an insult while others make our skin crawl? Explore the hidden psychology and history behind our daily vocabulary.

translationcultural-differencesetiquette-and-social-normslanguage-learning