Explain It to Me

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Drivers and passengers are right: Car headlights are brighter now. And the solutions aren't simple. If you have a question for us, please give a call at 1-800-618-8545 or send a note at vox.com/askvox. This episode was produced and sound designed by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Miranda Kennedy, fact checked by Melissa Hirsch, engineered by Patrick Boyd and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. Photo by zhen li for Getty Images. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gen X women are freeing themselves from the hangups of the '90s, and having the best sex of their lives. Media portrayals of middle-aged women are starting to catch up too. If you have a question for us, please call us at 1-800-618-8545 or send a note at vox.com/askvox. This episode was produced and sound designed by Victoria Chamberlin, edited by Miranda Kennedy, fact checked by Melissa Hirsch, engineered by Patrick Boyd and Andrea Kristinsdottir, and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. Actress Demi Moore at a press conference for the film "The Substance." Photo by ZOULERAH NORDDINE/AFP via Getty Images. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There's a backlash against corporate DEI efforts, and it’s not just from the right. It's everywhere. What does that mean for employees? This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Miranda Kennedy, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch, mixed by Patrick Boyd, and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. Photo credit: jeffbergen for Getty Images. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The rules of romance have changed, and many young men feel they can't keep up. We get some tips from a Texas men's relationship coach. This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh and Carla Javier, edited by Miranda Kennedy, fact checked by Melissa Hirsch, mixed by Patrick Boyd, and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. Shutterstock image by fstop Images. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Listener Tessa was at the airport and noticed that the REAL ID deadline had been extended — yet again — to May 2025. Why does it keep happening? Will REAL ID will ever become a thing? Team Explain It to Me goes on a reporting journey to bring her an answer nearly 20 years in the making. If you have a question, please give us a call at 1-800-618-8545, or you can fill out this form. This episode was produced by Carla Javier and Sofi LaLonde, edited by Jorge Just, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch, engineered by Andrea Kristinsdottir, and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. READ MORE: Real IDs, explained Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Starting this week, Explain It to Me is moving to Sundays. Check out our next episode here on March 2. You can also find us in the Today, Explained feed as of Sunday, March 9. If you have questions you'd like us to investigate, call our hotline: 1-800-618-8545. The Explain It to Me newsletter is publishing Sundays now too! Sign up here: https://www.vox.com/pages/explain-it-to-me-newsletter-sign-up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We spend about a third of our lives either sleeping or trying to fall asleep. Why are we so bad at it? We ask behavioral sleep specialist Jade Wu. This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh and Carla Javier, edited by Miranda Kennedy, fact checked by Melissa Hirsch, engineered by Patrick Boyd, and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. Have a question about relationships, the workplace, health or anything else that matters to you? Leave us a voicemail with your question at 1-800-618-8545. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Listener Elisa has heard egg freezing touted as “an easy, perfect solution” for women who want to have it all, but she’s skeptical. Writer MeiMei Fox tells the disastrous story of freezing her own eggs, and Vox senior correspondent Anna North explains why freezing your eggs is not really a girlboss panacea. Do you have a question about navigating family planning or reproductive health? Give us a call. We wanna make future episodes about the things that matter to you in your daily lives. Our number is 1-800-618-8545. You can also let us know via this form. Read more: The failed promise of egg freezing How safe is donating your eggs? This episode was produced by Victoria Chamberlin, Hady Mawajdeh and Carla Javier, edited by Amina Al-Sadi and Miranda Kennedy, fact checked by Laura Bullard and Hady Mawajdeh, engineered by Patrick Boyd and Andrea Kristinsdottir, and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What’s going on with all those layoffs in the gaming industry? What does being “middle class” actually mean? What’s up with this weird thing that happens when I sleep? Life is full of questions: simple ones with complicated answers and complicated ones with simple answers hiding in plain sight. Explain It to Me is here to answer the ones that matter most to you. We’re your go-to hotline for all the questions you can’t quite answer on your own. Call 1-800-618-8545 or send a voice memo to askvox@vox.com. And tell us: what are the questions that keep you up at night – literally? Credits: Jonquilyn Hill, host Hady Mawajdeh, producer Andrea Kristinsdottir, engineer Carla Javier, supervising producer Miranda Kennedy, editor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Should I give up flying for the environment’s sake? Is it ethical to stay on Twitter and Facebook if I don’t like the owners’ politics? If a DNA test shows that my dad isn't my biological dad, should I tell him? There are no bad questions. But there are some that are really hard to answer. Those are the ones Vox senior reporter Sigal Samuel likes to tackle. This week on Explain It to Me, she tells host Jonquilyn Hill how she goes about answering your ethical and philosophical questions in her column, Your Mileage May Vary. Have questions you can’t answer? Call Explain It to Me at 1-800-618-8545, or submit them here. Read more: Sigal’s column, Your Mileage May Vary You can’t optimize your way to being a good person The Future Perfect newsletter Share your quandaries with Sigal here Credits: Jonquilyn Hill, host Cristian Ayala, engineer Caitlin PenzeyMoog, fact checker Carla Javier, supervising producer Jorge Just, editor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After seeing someone make an illegal left turn, Mike joked to his daughter that they should do a citizen’s arrest. She had no idea what he was talking about, and now Mike wants to know: wait, are citizen’s arrests actually a real-life thing, or just something he saw on TV? And if they are real, how do they work? And what do they say about crime and policing in our country? This week on Explain It to Me, host Jonquilyn Hill talks to Stanford Law School professor David Sklansky to find out. He’s the author of the new book Criminal Justice in Divided America. We want to know what’s on your mind! Call us at 1-800-618-8545 and leave us a voicemail with your name and your question — we may answer it in a future episode. Credits: Jonquilyn Hill, host Patrick Boyd, engineer Kim Eggleston, fact checker Carla Javier, supervising producer Jorge Just, editor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When it gets cold outside, we get colds inside. We also get the flu. And RSV. And — lately — norovirus. We all know that washing our hands helps defend against illness. But with what? There’s too many kinds of soap, and not all of them will keep you healthy in every situation. Should you up the ante with antibacterial or does bar soap set the bar? This week on Explain It to Me, host Jonquilyn Hill breaks down the suds and bubbles with Vox senior reporter Keren Landman, MD. Read more: Wait, should I bother using antibacterial soap? You’ve never heard of the Covid booster with the fewest side effects Put down that cough medicine We want to answer your questions in future episodes. Call us at 1-800-618-8545, fill out this form, or send us an email at askvox@vox.com. We love to hear from you. Credits: Jonquilyn Hill, host Sofi LaLonde, producer Andrea Kristinsdottir, engineer Caitlin PenzeyMoog, fact-checker Carla Javier, supervising producer Jorge Just, editor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: Cuffing season. Or is it? That’s the question Antares asked this week. She told her lovelorn friend he’ll have better luck on dating apps once the temperatures drop, but then she wondered… is that actually true? This week on Explain It to Me, host Jonquilyn Hill goes on a journey to find out if Cuffing Season is real. She speaks with artist Musa Murchison, Alison Gemmill of the Hopkins Population Center, Michael Kaye of OKCupid, and Devyn Simone of Tinder to find out. We’re working on some great episodes, and want to answer more of your questions in the new year! Leave us a voicemail at 1-800-618-8545, fill out this form, or send us a voice memo at askvox@vox.com. We love to hear from you. Credits: Jonquilyn Hill, host and producer Sofi LaLonde, producer Cristian Ayala, engineer Caitlin PenzeyMoog and Kim Eggleston, fact-checkers Carla Javier, supervising producer Jorge Just, editor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are hush puppies racist? Why do we celebrate weddings with a multi-tiered, super fancy, sometimes not particularly tasty, very expensive cake? Can a dairy-intolerant person actually drink a glass of A2 milk? These three questions came from listeners. Just not our listeners. They came to Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley, hosts of Gastropod, a show that investigates the history and science behind the foods we eat. Our host Jonquilyn Hill called them up to ask about the show, and play an episode from their Ask Gastropod series. Check out Gastropod. Let us know what questions you want us to look into for future episodes of Explain It to Me: Call 1-800-618-8545, email us at askvox@vox.com, or fill out this form. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Adulthood comes with a lot of perks: You can set your own bedtime or eat candy for breakfast. But there is at least one thing that’s easier to do as a kid: making friends. That’s why Claire called us this week — she’s moved to a new city and wants to know: How do adults make new friends? Jonquilyn Hill chats with Vox senior reporters Allie Volpe and Keren Landman, MD, who share some tools to break the ice and find friends who align with where you are in life right now. And now it’s your turn. After listening to the episode, call us up and help answer this week’s question: What is your advice for making a new friend? Give us a call and tell us your story: 1-800-618-8545. Read more: Is making friends as an adult really hard, or is it just me? These apps promise to help you make new friends. Could it work for me? Bumble for Friends Hey! VINA Timeleft Credits: Jonquilyn Hill, host Sofi LaLonde, producer Cristian Ayala, engineer Caitlin PenzeyMoog, fact-checker Carla Javier, supervising producer Jorge Just, editor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Earlier this month, millions of voters got to pick a president: Kamala Harris or Donald Trump. But what if we had a totally different kind of election system, one where you could rank a bunch of people you’d like as president, instead of being forced to choose between just two viable options? Listener William wants to know: Why hasn’t ranked-choice voting taken off? And could it be the fix for our super polarized politics? Jonquilyn Hill goes to Vox senior correspondent Dylan Matthews for some lunch ordering strategy, Hollywood trash talk, and, most importantly, answers. Is there something you’re dying to figure out? Send us your questions! Call 1-800-618-8545. Read More: Can ranking candidates fix elections? Credits: Jonquilyn Hill, host Sofi LaLonde, producer Cristian Ayala, engineer Caitlin PenzeyMoog, fact checker Carla Javier, supervising producer Jorge Just and Natalie Jennings, editors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Listener Piper called us up with this question, “Why do some people have a harder time than others distinguishing their left and right?” When our friends at the Vox podcast Unexplainable heard it they were so intrigued that they created a whole game show around it and invited our very own Explain It to Me host Jonquilyn Hill to play along. Why do some people struggle to tell their left from their right? What makes someone a lefty? And why does life have this weird rule about only having either left- or right-handed molecules? Check out Unexplainable wherever you get your podcasts. If you have a question — something you’d like us to explain to you — give us a call at 1-800-618-8545. You can also send us your question here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Wow, what a week. The country has a new president-elect, and our listeners have a ton of questions about what comes next. Why did Latino voters swing right? How will Democrats respond? What’s going to happen to Donald Trump’s court cases? Will Trump really do all the things he said he would during the campaign? Host Jonquilyn Hill sits down with Vox correspondents Christian Paz, Ian Millhiser, and Zack Beauchamp to answer all that and more. Submit your questions — about politics, or, if you need a break, about anything else — by calling 1-800-618-8545. You can also submit them here. Credits: Jonquilyn Hill, host Sofi LaLonde and Gabrielle Berbey, producers Cristian Ayala, engineer Carla Javier, supervising producer Caity PenzeyMoog, Anouck Dussaud, and Sarah Schweppe, fact checkers Jorge Just, Julia Longoria, and Natalie Jennings, editors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The US elections are officially upon us. And we have the Vox newsroom standing by to answer your questions and reflect on your experiences. All you have to do is ask! Leave a voicemail at 1-800-618-8545 or send a voice memo to askvox@vox.com and check back here Friday morning for our election special. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices