Optimism can feel elusive these days. During a time of deep unrest, with so much at stake for our nation, it can even feel irresponsible to try to “tap out” or seek some sort of mental salve from the current news cycle. But podcasts can prove an effective balm for jangled nerves, tired hearts, and spinning minds. The following shows provide respite without denying reality; instead they seek out light within the darkness of the human experience, and because of this, the uplifting stories they uncover feel all the more impactful.
If there’s any show that could restore one’s faith in humanity, it’s Kind World. Hosted by Andrea Asuaje and Yasmin Amer, Kind World is a radio series and podcast that traces the profound effect one simple act of kindness can have on someone’s existence. And in the time of COVID-19 and a surging civil rights movement, the stories behind these acts of kindness take on even greater weight. Recent episodes include the story of an 11-year-old girl who wrote a letter to her mail carrier, sparking an emotional response from his colleagues; a Connecticut man who started a donation challenge to feed local families during the pandemic; and a town that gathered a car caravan to visit the homes of all 266 high school seniors in the class of 2020. Like each “small” act of kindness, Kind World episodes are brief, but their impact is outsized—each installment has the power to leave you optimistic about the good that still exists in our world.
Listen: “Walk With Shawn,” about a Nashville resident who, after posting on social media that he felt increasingly unsafe walking around his own neighborhood as a Black man, received an outpouring of support from hundreds of neighbors.
It’s been suggested that both 2019 and 2020 were “the year of horny women”—but either way, Bim Adewunmi and Nichole Perkins have been well ahead of the curve as Black women proudly asserting their desires, and giving a big middle finger to the male gaze. As the obscenely funny hosts of Thirst Aid Kit, Adewunmi and Perkins extol the virtues of various Hollywood hunks, including but not limited to Mahershala Ali, Oscar Isaac, Mark Ruffalo, Keanu Reeves, and Taika Waititi. The hosts are gleeful proponents of the female gaze, playfully objectifying these well-known men in ways both relatable and absurd: for example, every show starts off with a somber reading of explicit fan fiction that has to be bleeped almost every other word. Listening to them banter and cackle at their own (very good) jokes is an instant serotonin boost. And although there was a brief hiatus as they moved from BuzzFeed to Slate, resident “Thirst Buckets” (aka fans) can rest assured that Adewunmi and Perkins still have their fingers on the pulse of pop culture—and their minds deep in the gutter.
Listen: ”The Adventure Known as John Boyega,” in which Adewunmi and Perkins discuss their “space boyfriend” in delicious and dirty detail.
Dr. Laurie Santos just wants you to be happy. As a psychology professor at Yale University, she taught a course called Psychology and the Good Life, which became the most popular course in Yale’s 318-year history. In The Happiness Lab, Santos builds on her course’s material, walking listeners through the latest scientific research on what makes humans happy—and uncovers touching and surprising stories along the way. From combatting “time famine” to kicking bad habits to embracing the power of made-up rituals, Santos helps listeners understand concrete changes they can make to their lives in order to feel more fulfilled and less stressed. She also launched a series of episodes specific to living through the COVID-19 pandemic. All of Santos’s episodes are bolstered by meticulous research and expert opinions—listeners certainly won’t find any reductive “power of positive thinking” type rhetoric here. And Santos’s impressive academic credentials (she holds a PhD from Harvard in addition to teaching at Yale) are matched by a distinct ability to make science feel urgent, accessible, and fun.