Sunday Nice Things: Magical Overthinkers with Amanda Montell

Under the Influence with Jo Piazza

Is it just us, or does American culture have narcissismfever? Between 2004 and 2016, the volume of Google searches for the word “narcissist” grew exponentially. Thanks to factors like the rise of therapyspeak, TikTok mental health diagnoses, and badly behaving reality stars-turned-world leaders, discourse about this buzzy, yet poorly understood phenomenon has exploded. Are we as a society becoming more narcissistic? Or are we now over-using and misusing this term to the point of meaninglessness? Wait, is obsessing about other people's narcissism its own kind of narcissism?? In an effort to soothe these thought spirals, host Amanda (@amanda_montell) settled in for an illuminating chat with her debut guest, psychologist Dr. Ramani Durvasula (@doctorramani), author of the New York Times bestseller "It's Not You" and one of the world's foremost narcissism experts.

Tune in for a relatable, brain-tingling, and clarifying discussion about this confounding topic, complete with questions submitted by the "Magical Overthinkers Club" and bits of wisdom to help us overthinkers get out of our own heads.

- 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.
- Sources:
What Is Narcissism? Science Confronts a Widely Misunderstood Phenomenon
Time grows on trees: The effect of nature settings on time perception
Therapist Aisha's Instagram