Overthinking About Nostalgia

Magical Overthinkers

Amanda Montell & Studio71

Education, Science, Society & Culture

4.3 • 636 Ratings

🗓️ 10 December 2025

⏱️ 25 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Why does looking back feel so sweet, so painful, and so irresistible this time of year? In this special short episode, Amanda takes a moment to reflect on the year of Magical Overthinkers from the fan favorite episodes to the conversations that changed us. Then she reads her Los Angeles Times essay on nostalgia, exploring why we cling to the past, how memory both comforts and distorts us, and what it means to long for a version of life that never quite existed the way we remember it. A gentle closing spiral for the year, filled with gratitude, bittersweetness, and a little hint of what’s coming next season. - Join the "Magical Overthinkers Club" by following the pod on Instagram @magicaloverthinkers. - To access early, ad-free episodes and more, subscribe to the Magical Overthinkers Substack. - Pick up a hard copy of Amanda's book The Age of Magical Overthinking: Notes on Modern Irrationality, or listen to the audiobook. Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to https://Zocdoc.com/MAGICAL Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at https://SHOPIFY.COM/magical Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You don't need me to tell you that the spread of misinformation has fueled our cultural divide
0:05.4	and increased our collective anxiety about the future.
0:08.4	Tackling misinformation isn't a simple task, but it's important.
0:11.9	And that's why I'm so excited to tell you about conspiruality, a podcast that's dismantling New Age cults, wellness grifters, and conspiracy mad yogis.
0:20.9	On the show, a journalist, a cult researcher, and a philosophical skeptic dive deep into current events like Project 2025,
0:28.3	the right-wing drift of former leftists, and RFK Jr.'s involvement in mainstreaming dangerous anti-vax rhetoric.
0:35.2	I highly recommend that you check out Conspiruality's fascinating episodes,
0:39.0	including one titled Speaking Truth to Goop with Dr. Jen Gunter. I also was lucky enough to get
0:44.3	to guest on an episode a few years ago to talk about my book cultish. From exploring cults
0:49.1	to analyzing our cultural and political landscape, the Conspiruality Podcast will help you
0:53.4	stay informed against misinformation and resist fear tactics. the Conspiratuality Podcast will help you stay informed against
0:54.5	misinformation and resist fear tactics. Find Conspiruality on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your
1:01.3	podcasts.
1:07.0	Welcome to The Magical Overthinkers Podcast, a show for thought spirallers, exploring the subjects we can't stop overthinking about.
1:16.1	From burnout to revenge.
1:18.8	If you ever get the feeling that despite living in the information age, the world only seems to be making less sense, or that for some mysterious reason, it just feels especially hard to exist as a human being in the world right now.
1:33.8	Then you're in the right place.
1:35.4	This podcast is here to soften the clash between our innately irrational human brains and the overwhelm of this time.
1:43.6	It's here to help us think less about the things that don't matter and more about the things that do.
1:49.0	I'm your host, Amanda Montel.
1:51.0	Today we're overthinking about nostalgia.
1:59.0	Today's episode is going to be a super cozy one.
	...

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