State of the Human

A Stanford student researcher explores the concept of caretaking through her work with regenerative flatworms and promises to connect it to human experiences.

This episode features Sarah Lewis reading a personal story about love, body dysmorphia, and a rat ballet company in New York, exploring themes of invisibility and hidden human experiences.

This episode explores death and dying through storytelling to deepen understanding of this universal human experience and what it teaches about life.

This episode explores the theme of nakedness through personal stories about revealing oneself physically, mentally, and spiritually, focusing on transformation, shame, acceptance, and self-discovery.

This episode explores reclaiming curiosity through a personal story about navigating a disagreement over climate change with sustainable organic farmers in New Zealand.

This episode explores the theme of invisibility through a personal narrative about feeling dehumanized and unseen during medical visits, part of a series examining hidden human experiences.

This episode explores the theme of breaking rules through a story about Paul Calvo, a tattooed individual who faces judgment at the DMV and challenges societal perceptions.

A surreal story titled 'Mousetraps' explores themes of invisibility, masculinity, guilt, and morality through a disorienting hardware store encounter.

This episode explores how the novel 'The God of Small Things' by Arundhati Roy profoundly impacted a friend's perspective on life, focusing on themes of societal forces and personal tragedy.

A Stanford student shares her nervous first-day experience at an indigenous-themed dorm, exploring feelings of displacement and cultural identity as part of a series on reclaiming.

This episode explores the profound power of names in shaping identity, social connections, and our understanding of the world through personal stories and cultural analysis.

This episode explores how humans mythologize animals, using examples like rhinos and unicorns at a zoo to examine the impact of these myths on wildlife and our perception of nature.

This episode explores the theme of breaking rules through a story about a student named Lucy scaling Stanford's rooftops to redefine personal limits and experience unique achievements.

This bonus episode features a conversation with the creators of 'Keep Stanford Wrestling' discussing their storytelling craft and inspiration behind the story as part of a series on reclaiming what's been lost.

This episode explores the theme of reclaiming what's been lost through a personal story about starting Brazilian jiu-jitsu and connecting it to the fight to save Stanford wrestling.

This episode explores the concept of preservation through a thought experiment about saving possessions in a fire, featuring Professor Elaine Traharn's project at Stanford that collects ordinary artifacts to reclaim marginalized voices in cultural history.

This episode explores the theme of reclaiming lost connections through the intimate practice of letter writing, featuring personal stories about penpal friendships and their significance in modern communication.

This episode explores the causes and protocols of car crashes through a ride-along with a police officer, focusing on distracted driving and speeding as major factors.

This bonus episode features a conversation with Aru Nair about her audio storytelling project 'Journey Through Generations', exploring her creative process and the inspiration behind her work as part of the Stanford Storytelling Project's reclaiming series.

This episode explores the theme of invisibility through a personal childhood story about hiding under a kitchen sink and observing a grandmother dancing to Patsy Cline, revealing hidden truths in everyday moments.

A personal story about overcoming fear and embracing playfulness while skiing challenging terrain at Palisades Tahoe.

A personal story about reclaiming a childhood obsession with orcas after it became complicated by the documentary Blackfish, exploring themes of identity and transformation.

This episode explores a family tradition where a porcelain doll named Alice is passed down through five generations of women on their 12th birthdays, highlighting its sentimental and historical significance.

This episode explores the human experience of broadcasting through stories about radio communication and personal connection.

This episode explores the theme of play through a personal story about a woman recovering from a head injury and rediscovering herself.

This episode explores the theme of invisibility through a personal story about emotional disconnect during a gym session with a friend, highlighting hidden aspects of human interaction.

This bonus episode features an interview with producer Alex Strong discussing his storytelling style and the craft behind his audio story 'A Foot in Both Worlds' as part of the Breaking the Rules series.

This episode introduces a series on reclaiming lost aspects of life, starting with a historical anecdote about Potomkin villages in Crimea to explore themes of deception and returning to origins.

A live storytelling episode explores the emotional nakedness of revealing one's true self through a personal narrative about discovering and accepting one's sexuality.

This episode explores the theme of invisibility through personal stories, focusing on how unnoticed changes in familiar places like Austin, Texas reveal deeper truths about human experience and identity.

A personal story about a high school student's experience with dress code enforcement, exploring themes of shame, acceptance, and inequality.

This episode explores how California's history of gold rush speculation has evolved into modern tech entrepreneurship, drawing parallels between past miners and current Stanford innovators.

This episode explores the theme of reclaiming lost aspects of life through a personal story about moving into a cooperative dorm at Stanford and finding community through music and shared living.

This episode explores the cultural phenomenon of mukbang, South Korean YouTube eating performances, through a personal lens as the Korean-American host interviews his father about why people watch strangers eat elaborate meals.

This episode explores the theme of reclaiming through a story about a man's journey and the role of oral tradition in preserving culture, as part of a Stanford Storytelling Project series.

This episode explores the personal and universal experience of solitude through storytelling, examining why some people avoid it while others crave it.

This episode explores the theme of breaking the rules through a personal story about Paul Calvo, who challenges stereotypes based on his tattoos during a DMV encounter and reflects on ambition and judgment.

This bonus episode features a conversation with producer Langston Buddenhagen about his audio story 'New Flowers' in the invisibility series, exploring his storytelling style and creative process.

The hosts investigate a mysterious plaque at Stanford University, uncovering clues to an unsolved mystery as part of a series on breaking rules and exploring human experiences.

This episode features a live story from a Stanford storytelling event about attending a nudist retreat to explore themes of vulnerability and personal transformation.

This episode features Richard Neville describing his experience witnessing the massive annual gathering of Snow and Ross's geese at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge during their migration.

This episode explores immigration through three personal stories, beginning with Oscar's family moving from Mexico to the U.S.

This episode explores the common yet often overlooked human experience of breathing through stories from diverse individuals like dancers, divers, and beatboxers, starting with a detailed explanation of the physiological process.

A Holocaust survivor recounts how being part of a concentration camp orchestra provided a means of survival by making musicians indispensable compared to other prisoners.

A personal story about a grandmother's misdiagnosed vision problem in the ER highlights systemic issues in patient-provider communication and empathy in healthcare.

This episode features a conversation between two students from different backgrounds exchanging letters to explore the theme of emigrating as an ongoing dialogue across divides.

This episode explores the fascinating behavior of army ants, focusing on how they form living colonies called biovacs and navigate their environment as a coordinated group.

This episode of State of the Human explores teaching through a personal story, as host Andrew Nelson interviews his parents about the day he and his twin brother learned to ride bikes.

This episode explores the human experience of imagination, using a narrative about sound effects in a car to illustrate how we constantly envision and live in our minds.

This episode explores the human experience of burying through diverse stories, from 19th-century body snatching at Yale to sky burials in Mongolia, pet cemeteries, cryonics, and political erasure in Iran.

A short story reading about a child's experience with a historical simulation game, exploring themes of play and identity.

Host Jackson Roach introduces an episode about losing, using a Swedish folk song to explore themes of loss and redemption through shared stories.

A psychology professor's research reveals a strong link between early sexual trauma and later health problems, highlighting the role of secrecy.

A Sikh woman shares her struggle with facial hair and how her faith helps her find wholeness.

This episode explores how belief in love and meaning helped Holocaust survivor Victor Frankl endure Auschwitz, drawing on his book Man's Search for Meaning.

A personal story about living with a lazy eye and the unique perspective it provides on seeing the world.

A personal narrative about a transformative travel experience at Hadrian's Wall that sparked a deeper understanding of life.

This episode examines the prevalence and nature of lying in everyday life through personal anecdotes and philosophical questions.

A storytelling podcast exploring the complexities of giving through a personal narrative about volunteering at a charity event.

A personal essay reflecting on a childhood photo and the meaning of Halloween, exploring themes of memory, loss, and the desire to return to a simpler time.