Overthinking About The World Burning

Magical Overthinkers

Amanda Montell & Studio71

Education, Science, Society & Culture

4.3 • 636 Ratings

🗓️ 19 March 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Climate anxiety is nothing new, but lately, it feels like the volume has been cranked all the way up. Between record-breaking heat waves, apocalyptic air quality, and the general sense that our leaders are doing basically nothing to stop it, it’s hard not to spiral about the future of our planet. Are we completely doomed? Should we all be prepping for societal collapse? And how do we balance staying informed with not losing our minds? To help us navigate these thought spirals, host Amanda Montell (@amanda_montell) is joined by Dharna Noor (@thispartysux), a climate journalist who has spent years reporting on environmental policy and corporate accountability. Together, they discuss the myths and realities of climate activism, how to stay engaged without succumbing to total nihilism, and whether it’s still okay to enjoy iced coffee and long showers while the world burns. - 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. Thanks to Our Sponsors: Indoor cats and indoor humans agree - Pretty Litter helps my house smell fresh and clean. Go tohttps://PrettyLitter.com/magical to save 20% on your FIRST order and get a free cat toy. Sign up for your one-dollar-per-month trial period at https://SHOPIFY.COM/magical Stop putting off those doctors appointments and go to https://Zocdoc.com/MAGICAL to find and instantly book a top-rated doctor today. If you like your money, Mint Mobile is for you. Shop plans at https://MINTMOBILE.com/magical Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	If you are listening to and even enjoying this episode of the podcast and want to go deeper,
0:05.5	I have a book recommendation for you. This is your host, Amanda, by the way, and the book is called
0:10.9	The Age of Magical O overthinking, and I wrote it. I poured my heart into this book, and I really
0:16.6	think you might like it. It's about delusion and obsession in the information age and how the ways
0:22.0	in which our minds naturally work are clashing with our current culture. Every chapter explores
0:27.2	some confounding irrationality from contemporary society, including extreme cycles of celebrity
0:32.9	worship and dethronement, mass embrace of Instagram manifestation gurus during times of crisis,
0:39.5	and why our bodies sometimes enter literal fight or flight in response to something
0:43.8	is objectively non-threatening as a curt email from a coworker. The book blends social science
0:48.9	with pop culture analysis and personal stories. And if you prefer audiobooks, I recorded mine myself. So it's kind of like
0:55.6	an extension of the podcast. Again, the book is called The Age of Magical Overtinking, Notes on
1:00.9	Modern Irrationality, and it's available wherever books are sold, your local indie bookstore,
1:05.9	bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, or even that one massive online book retailer run by a coal leader.
1:12.6	You know the one.
1:13.3	So if you enjoy this podcast, I really hope you'll consider checking out the book.
1:23.2	Welcome to The Magical Overtinkers podcast, a show for thought spirallers, exploring the subjects we can't stop overthinking about, from people pleasing to burnout.
1:33.8	If you identify as an overthinker, a ruminator, a dreamer, or sometimes kind of feel like the natural ways in which our brains work are clashing with this particular
1:45.7	information overloaded time in history, then you're in the right place. This podcast is here
1:51.4	to help dial the temperature in our minds down a little bit, to help us think less about the things
1:56.5	that don't matter, and more about the things that do. I'm your host, Amanda Montel.
2:01.6	Today, with the help of my friend Darnan Noor, climate reporter at The Guardian, we're going
2:05.9	to be unraveling some thought spirals about the climate crisis.
	...

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