The Anxiety Encyclopedia

Lorien takes Katharine on a historical survey of examples of when beauty was literally pain. Sources: Fashion Victims: The Dangers of Dress Past and Present ( 2015). Alison Matthews David Killer Style: How Fashion Has Injured, Maimed, and Murdered Through History (2019) Alison Matthews David and Serah-Marie McMahon  https://london-overlooked.com/tyrrell/ https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hair-dye-reac...

Katharine dives into a classic eight-legged fear. Sources:   https://apple.news/ASt8Xq4NUSyKuTs5vKp6SjA https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/millions-of-joro-spiders-are-moving-up-the-east-coast-heres-what-to-expect/   https://www.livescience.com/animals/spiders/giant-invasive-joro-spiders-with-6-foot-webs-could-be-poised-to-take-over-us-cities-scientists-warn   https://animals.howstuffworks...

Lorien keeps buying cars that are supposedly easy to steals. She tells Katharine how bad her odds actually are. Sources: https://wjla.com/features/i-team/dc-maryland-virginia-car-theft-carjacking-crime-fraud-white-collar-auto-industry-thieves-stealing-vehicles-ftc-investigation-federal-trade-commission-bethesda-euro-motorcars https://finance.yahoo.com/news/car-theft-statistics-2024-004053127.html...

Katharine tells Lorien some chilling stories of familicide. Sources: -    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Familicide -      https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/drumoorhouse/family-annihilators-murdaugh-haight-watts -   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todt_family_murders -  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_List_(murderer) -  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_the_Haight_family -  https://en.wi...

Lorien and Katharine hope the future is more Batmobile and less Christine. Sources: https://www.faistgroup.com/news/autonomous-vehicles-levels/ https://mashable.com/article/mercedes-benz-level-3-autonomy# https://www.synopsys.com/automotive/autonomous-driving-levels.html#:~:text=Level 5 cars won't,available to the general public. https://www.extremetech.com/cars/the-5-levels-of-autonomous-driv...

Katharine tells Lorien about the original boogie fever. Sources:   https://www.history.com/news/what-was-the-dancing-plague-of-1518 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_plague_of_1518 https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20220512-the-people-who-danced-themselves-to-death   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hysteria   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_neuron   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_psyc...

Lorien tells Katharine about a concerning college drinking trend. To counter how out of touch this makes them feel, they also take a trip down memory lane to the 1940s and the 2010s. Sources:  https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/20/health/borg-blackout-rage-gallon-wellness/index.html https://punchdrink.com/articles/the-twisted-history-of-jungle-juice/ https://vinepair.com/articles/history-of-maximum-cockt...

In this electrifying episode Katharine answers all your burning questions, including: Does lightning strikes twice? Where should I go when I hear thunder roar? Is Fleetwood Mac lying to us? Sources:   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning   https://www.weather.gov/safety/lightning-safety    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Sullivan https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/lightning-strike-learn-...

A thrill ride of an episode reaching new heights. The laughs go from 0 to 158 mph in under 5 seconds. Sources: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-roller-coaster-in-america-opens https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switchback_Railway#cite_note-Rutherford-5 https://www.worldsoffun.com/blog/2020/science-of-roller-coasters https://www.npr.org/2017/04/13/523804466/200-years-ago-the-words-first...

Katharine tells Lorien about this scam? cult? extended commitment to the science fiction bit? We eagerly await our cease and desist from one of their many legal departments. Sources: -        Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief  documentary -        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientology -        https://www.cnn.com/2017/03/22/us/believer-what-is-scientology/index.html -        ht...

Wallendas are flying! Omelets are flipping! Swords are not being swallowed! Lorien straps Katharine to her back and walks a metaphorical tightrope. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tightrope_walking https://martywolner.medium.com/the-most-important-thing-to-remember-when-walking-a-tightrope-33a902707dde#:~:text=Practice balance: Balance is key,emotional and work-life balance. https://www.smi...

Katharine decries a trend(?) of her youth. Lorien surprises them both by being a proponent of skydiving. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bungee_jumping   https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/thailand-bungee-jump-snap-intl-hnk/index.html   https://www.businessinsider.com/bungee-jump-man-died-macau-tower-china-2023-12   https://www.insideedition.com/woman-falls-164-feet-to-her-death-in-freak-bu...

Lorien tells Katharine non-duplicative stories about cloning (something that Katharine and Lorien are not, despite a classmate, ten years ago calling them interchangeable [never letting it go]). Sources: https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/cloning/# https://www.geneticsandsociety.org/internal-content/human-cloning-policies# https://news.gallup.com/poll/6028/cloning.aspx  https://www....

Katharine tells Lorien about permafrost and the viruses contained therein; they keep track of how many disaster-movie openings these sciences seem to be trying to stage. Sources : https://www.businessinsider.com/scientists-revived-frozen-zombie-virus-48000-years-infects-other-cells-2023-3 https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/08/world/permafrost-virus-risk-climate-scn/index.html https://www.theguardian.com/...

Lorien tells Katharine about counterfeit an adulterated supplements. If that sounds upsetting, well, it's not great. Sources: https://foodfraudadvisors.com/fake-counterfeit-health-supplements/ https://www.crnusa.org/resources/dietary-supplements-safe-beneficial-and-regulated https://www.chpa.org/public-policy-regulatory/regulation/regulation-dietary-supplements https://www.chpa.org/about-consu...

Katharine teaches Lorien about the cat of 1000 (40) names. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cougar   https://www.npr.org/2024/02/19/1232488622/cougar-attack-mountain-bikers-washington-state   https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/cyclists-recount-cougar-attack-washington-fighting-for-my-life/281-d75bd67c-f4e8-469b-8b9f-037dc16290b3   https://westernwildlife.org/cougar-felis-concolor/couga...

What do you say to taking chances...on this episode about a rare disease and also Celine Dion. Sources  https://www.today.com/health/celine-dion-health-rcna98154# https://people.com/grammys-2024-celine-dion-makes-first-public-appearance-in-three-months-to-present-final-award-8558617 https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cl5xJY1AjAO/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link https://people.com/celine-dion-cancels-conce...

Katharine tells Lorien about the troubling industry built around "helping" parents and teens at the ends of their ropes. Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primal_therapy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stress_position https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troubled_teen_industry https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/nov/14/us-wilderness-therapy-camps-troubled-teen-industry-abuse https://www...

Lorien tells Katharine about shared delusions, she proves she is bad at a French accent, and they self diagnose. Sources:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folie_à_deux#cite_note-JNMD1956-6 https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/conditions/delusional-disorder https://www.news-medical.net/health/Delusion-Types.aspx https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Lasègue#cite_note-14 https://www.psychologytoday.com/...

After Katharine's real life experience, is the jury still out on juries? Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jury#:~:text=Historical%20roots,-The%20Jury%2C%20an&text=The%20modern%20jury%20evolved%20out,Saxon%20England%2C%20juries%20investigated%20crimes . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jury_nullification https://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2007/06/juries.html https://www.wash...

Lorien takes Katharine to medieval times (but no dinner and no fun show). Sources https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/medicine/bubonic-plague-first-pandemic https://www.verywellhealth.com/epidemic-vs-pandemic https://www.britannica.com/science/pandemic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death#cite_note-lead_numbers-2 https://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages/black-death https://...

Katharine tells Lorien about a Bird almost as scary as owls. Sources: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-04-03/bird-scooter-paralyzed-man-accident-suit-legal-fees https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/lime-and-bird-sued-over-alleged-scooter-safety-failures-and-injuries-to-dozens/2020/08/21/15f960d6-e24a-11ea-b69b-64f7b0477ed4_story.html https://kyma.com/lifestyle/2023/10...

Lorien, feeling in need of a boost, talks about the bystander effect theory but then tells Katharine some stories of uncommon kindness. Sources: https://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/12/nyregion/20-years-after-the-murder-of-kitty-genovese-the-question-remains-why.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Kitty_Genovese#cite_note-krajicek-23 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bystander_effect https://psych...

Katharine and Lorien go through the things that make them nervous to fly (first time? no, we've been nervous lots of times). https://youtu.be/QM0ILL7wuxA?si=JX-5lqJH02L3smYo Sources: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucelee/2023/09/07/diarrhea-all-the-way-through-airplane-forces-delta-flight-to-do-u-turn/?sh=1193003d4a53 https://www.afar.com/magazine/is-it-possible-to-open-an-airplane-door-mid-fl...

Lorien buries Katharine in a wave of rapidly moving information. Sources: https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/avalanche/# https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-causes-avalanches-how-to-survive/# https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2024-01-11/deadly-avalanche-at-palisades-tahoe-was-rare-for-u-s-ski-resorts https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/18/dangerous-avalanches-linked-to-one-weir...