How to Age Up

This episode explores the nature of propaganda, tracing its historical roots in wartime posters and advertising tactics while examining how emotional appeals and charged language make it effective across different platforms.

This episode explores the concept of wasting time as a counter to productivity-obsessed culture, featuring hosts Ian Bogost and Becca Rashid discussing personal experiences with anxiety and the pressure to use time efficiently.

This episode explores how to make small talk by discussing social anxiety and practical tips from experts and socially anxious individuals, using a haircut scenario as an example.

This episode explores how people define and experience old age through personal voicemail stories, revealing patterns of both positive reframing and anxieties about aging.

This episode explores how to identify what brings joy in life, featuring insights from a Harvard professor and psychotherapist on applying happiness science.

This episode explores how to identify and prioritize what truly matters in life to make better use of time and increase happiness.

The hosts discuss the transition from comforting to unsettling feelings about guardian angels and technology alerts, exploring themes of surveillance and judgment in modern life.

This episode explores how digital environments and urban infrastructure shape social interactions and cultural norms, comparing walkable cities to car-dominated ones and examining online versus offline relationships.

This episode explores how people preserve memories through time capsules and modern apps like BeReal, comparing historical practices with contemporary digital methods.

The hosts discuss how technology has changed our relationship with time, using a personal anecdote about waiting at a bus stop to explore anxiety and productivity in modern life.

This episode explores the common issue of flaking in friendships and how unspoken expectations can lead to conflicts, emphasizing the need for better communication.

This episode explores how people would use an extra hour in their day, contrasting personal desires with practical advice on aligning time with values for a happier life.

This episode explores the tension between using technology like dating apps to find love and the emotional complexity of human relationships, with insights from Harvard professor Arthur Brooks.

This episode explores the psychology of regret, how it can drive personal change, and strategies for self-forgiveness and moving forward in life.

This episode explores the concept of rest, its impact on creativity, and how understanding its benefits can help people rest better, drawing from historical and personal perspectives.

The hosts discuss personal experiences with time perception, including disorientation from naps and jet lag, and how factors like fatigue or caffeine affect their sense of time.

This episode explores modern perspectives on aging, contrasting historical attitudes with today's age-obsessed culture and discussing how people are redefining aging through community and lifestyle.

This episode explores how Ouija boards work through the idiometer effect and uses this as a metaphor for understanding reality and the internet.

The hosts discuss childhood games like Monopoly and Twister, reflecting on nostalgia, design evolution, and the timeless human desire for play.

A personal story about realizing childhood dreams of becoming a professional French horn player weren't working out and the difficult transition to finding a new path in life.

This episode explores the concept of rest beyond just sleep, examining its historical and cultural significance in Western civilization, particularly through the biblical Sabbath, and discusses modern challenges with achieving quality rest.

This episode explores how people develop and share false beliefs, using examples like the myth that picking Texas bluebonnets is illegal and the Mandela effect, to discuss trusting one's brain in an online world.

This episode uses the famous 'Gorillas in Our Midst' psychology experiment as a metaphor to explain how parents can become so focused on trivial tasks that they miss important aspects of their children's development.

The hosts discuss the challenge of mentally separating from work after hours, using a personal story about observing a colleague who effortlessly transitions to leisure time.

Two Atlantic staff members discuss how climate change and societal instability affect generational perspectives on aging, future planning, and dream jobs.

This episode explores the fear of death and the desire for a long, healthy life, featuring a discussion on aging and longevity from a science and culture perspective.

This episode explores the nature of reality through a personal story about an imaginary friend named Barfie, discussing false memories, childhood loneliness, and the human need for connection.

This episode introduces the podcast 'Holy Week', which explores the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

This trailer explores the challenges of building meaningful relationships and community in modern society, highlighting how social norms and individualism make it difficult to connect with others.

This episode explores the challenges of small talk and social interactions, featuring insights from experts on communication and relationships.

This episode explores how the COVID-19 pandemic led people to simplify social interactions and prioritize meaningful connections over complex activities.

The hosts explore why people claim to be excessively busy with non-work activities like shopping at Crate and Barrel, questioning modern busyness culture and introducing the concept of action addiction.

Two Atlantic staffers from different generations discuss their overlapping cultural identities and personal traits in a lighthearted exploration of generational differences.

Two Atlantic staffers discuss recent food trends like cottage cheese protein dips and seed oil fears, examining the hype versus scientific evidence.

The hosts reflect on societal expectations about having life figured out by certain ages and share personal experiences of realizing that everyone is constantly figuring things out regardless of age.

This episode explores how to transform everyday conversations into meaningful connections by moving beyond small talk to achieve deeper understanding of others.

This episode explores how people knowingly sacrifice happiness for addictive behaviors, using a personal story about an alcoholic roommate to examine broader patterns of self-sabotage.

This episode explores the challenges of getting to know neighbors in modern urban settings, featuring personal anecdotes and expert insights on overcoming social barriers to build community connections.

This episode explores why people's expectations for happiness, often tied to work or other singular pursuits, frequently clash with reality and how this impacts their well-being.

This episode explores the dynamics and misconceptions of two couples sharing a home through an interview with the residents.

This episode explores the challenges of making and maintaining friendships as an adult, featuring expert insights and scientific perspectives on overcoming common social hurdles.

Community needs more than good intentions.

Efficiency is the background problem here.

The memory is sweet, and a little suspicious.

Marriage gets examined close to home.

Singlehood gets treated like a warning sign.

Olga Hazan and producer Rebecca Rashid of The Atlantic's How to Start Over examine why adult family conflicts reach a stalemate, interviewing Dr.

Olga Hazan and producer Rebecca Rashid explore midlife career changes through two guests: Angie Kim, whose bestselling novel Miracle Creek was her fifth career after law, consulting, and a dot-com startup — a path she did not begin until her 40s.