The Measure of Everyday Life
WNCU public radio
Interested in human behavior and how people think? The Measure of Everyday Life explores ideas about how we live and why people act as they do. Independent Weekly has called the show "unexpected" and "diverse" and says the show "brings big questions to radio." Join host Dr. Brian Southwell (@BrianSouthwell) as he explores the human condition.
Episodes air each Sunday night at 6:30 PM in the Raleigh-Durham broadcast market and a podcast of each show is available online the Wednesday following. The show is made possible by RTI International.
Episodes air each Sunday night at 6:30 PM in the Raleigh-Durham broadcast market and a podcast of each show is available online the Wednesday following. The show is made possible by RTI International.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 8, 2023 • 30min
A History of Patriarchy
Authors sometimes can illuminate aspects of our everyday lives which we sometimes take for granted. Angela Saini does that with her new book, The Patriarchs: How Men Came to Rule. On this episode, she joins to discuss her historical analysis and assessment of our present condition.
Mar 1, 2023 • 29min
Saving Snakes
We often hear about snakes as a symbol of ill intention in popular culture and yet that characterization is at odds with what conservation scientists understand to be the nature of the animals. On this episode, we talk with Nicolette Cagle of the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University. She is author of a new book called "Saving Snakes."
Feb 22, 2023 • 30min
Bullying of Public Health Workers
Public health workers have faced serious challenges recently, including not only emergent infectious diseases but also human behavior and harassment and complaints. On this episode, we talk with Timothy McCall and Aaron Alford of the National Association of County and City Health Officials about their recent national survey of public health professionals.
Feb 1, 2023 • 30min
Conserving Hawaii
Many animals live on this same Earth as human beings and often can tell us about environmental changes or dangers if we only know how to listen and observe. On this episode, we talk with filmmaker and researcher Chris Johns of RTI International about why we should care about land snails in Hawaii.
Jan 25, 2023 • 30min
War and Interpersonal Violence
War has been in our headlines again recently. What do we know about the effects of war on subsequent violence between family members and neighbors? On this episode, we talk with Jocelyn Kelly, Director of the Program on Gender, Rights, and Resilience at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative.
Jan 18, 2023 • 30min
Student Perspectives on Health Policy
On this episode, we hear from students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who worked with Professor Carmen Gutierrez to produce stories exploring current health policy issues. Content has been edited for time. Opinions expressed do not represent the views of WNCU or underwriters.
Jan 11, 2023 • 30min
Measuring Stress
The arrival of a new year can be a stressful time both in terms of opportunities and challenges. What is stress and how do social scientists measure it? On this episode, we talk with anthropologist Achsah Dorsey of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, about stress and everyday life.
Dec 14, 2022 • 30min
Boys, Men, and Inequalities
JAMA Psychiatry recently reported that in the United States we have seen an increase in deaths of despair, instances in which people die from suicide or alcoholism or substance use. Boys and men are particularly likely to suffer in that way. On this episode, we talk with Richard Reeves of the Brookings Institution about his new book, Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male is Struggling, Why it Matters, and What to Do about It.
Dec 7, 2022 • 30min
Emotion and Communication about Science
Every day government officials and researchers and journalists attempt to explain new developments in science or to share insights based on science. Even though that work often involves empirical facts, we sometimes overlook the roles of human emotion. On this episode, we talk with Faith Kearns, environmental science expert and author of Getting to the Heart of Science Communication: A Guide to Engagement. [Technical note: episode includes minor audio inconsistencies.]
Nov 23, 2022 • 30min
Near-death Experiences
A force that animates all of our lives in some way is the concept of death. What if we had more certainty about what happens when we die? What if a preview of death could inform our life? On this episode, we talk with Marieta Pehlivanova of the University of Virginia about her research on near-death experiences.
