
Zombified: Real-World Lessons from Fictional Apocalypses
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Narrated by:
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Athena Aktipis
About this listen
You watch a horror movie or TV series and think, “Zombies don’t really exist.” But when you consider the broader definition of zombification—the control of one entity by another—then zombies are definitely among us. And, it turns out, they have much to teach us about the world.
Athena Aktipis of Arizona State University is a self-professed apocalypse enthusiast, and as the host of the podcast Zombified, she knows the undead inside and out. With Zombified: Real-World Lessons from Fictional Apocalypses, she’s compiled her research and insights into a fascinating Audible Original that will have you thinking deeper about all those shambling, brain-hungry corpses in pop culture—not to mention our everyday lives.
Drawing on years of research on zombies and zombification, these six lessons offer a fun way to explore and understand the many forces that influence us. You’ll discover how organisms in the natural world, like the jewel wasp, hijack one another for their own ends. You’ll examine cases of social and psychological zombification involving family members and romantic partners. And, of course, you’ll spend plenty of time with fictional zombies—why they fascinate us, how they map onto topics like infectious diseases and disaster preparedness, and what they reveal about our hopes and fears for the future of humanity.
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Energy medicine. Acupuncture. Superfoods. Healing magnets. What does the scientific evidence really say about these and other eclectic treatments for personal wellness that fall under the popular term “alternative medicine”? How can we know if a treatment is safe and effective? How can you become your own best skeptical consumer of health news in the media? Join neurologist and science educator Dr. Steven Novella for a fascinating exploration of these and other important questions about the truths - and myths - behind alternative medicine.
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An interesting look at one mans bias
- By C. Walker on 04-13-21
By: Steven Novella MD, and others
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The Psychology of Online Behavior
- By: Nicola Fox Hamilton, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Nicola Fox Hamilton
- Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins
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The proliferation of social media platforms and our increasing reliance on the internet for connection and communication has caused the line between the “real” world and the online world to blur. So much of our lives can be impacted by online interactions—and not all those interactions are positive. Why does the internet seem to encourage bad behavior from some users? Why do we feel we need to share so much of our private lives with the online world? Is screen time really as addictive as the headlines say?
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Good content but very Liberal Biased
- By ZingerGGG on 05-30-22
By: Nicola Fox Hamilton, and others
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Powerful Women Who Ruled the Ancient World
- By: Kara Cooney, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Kara Cooney
- Length: 5 hrs and 45 mins
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What is power and who is allowed to wield it? Why is female power so rare and, often, so feared? What can the women who gained power in the ancient world teach us about the contemporary world and our modern ideas of gender, authority, and equality? Listeners will explore these and other questions as you travel back to the ancient world and uncover the stories of remarkable women who overcame a host of barriers to wield power in a male-dominated world.
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Informative
- By Red-Haired Ash on 05-02-20
By: Kara Cooney, and others
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Mindful Eating
- By: Carrie Dennett, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Carrie Dennett
- Length: 3 hrs
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Carrie Dennett, a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN), shares the evidence behind mindful eating and, more important, the tools you need for incorporating this practice into your life. Over six lessons, Carrie will introduce you to the concept of mindfulness, while helping you tune into your internal cues for hunger and satiety. She also will help you to establish a mindful eating practice, identify challenges to mindful eating, and examine how eating mindfully can also help you eat more nutritiously.
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Just meh
- By Alexandra Marshack on 07-10-23
By: Carrie Dennett, and others
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Sleep and Folklore in Popular Culture
- By: Dr. Franziska Kohlt, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Dr. Franziska Kohlt
- Length: 3 hrs and 11 mins
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In this eye-opening six-part series, Dr. Franziska Kohlt looks at the concept of dreams through the lens of the stories that feature them. You’ll visit the enchanted slumbering land of Sleeping Beauty and the dark and mysterious realm of The Sandman. You’ll explore the ironic dreaming devices of Slaughterhouse-Five; the trippy, fantastical world of Alice in Wonderland; and many more on the quest to deconstruct the symbolism and intent of the dreams that are part of the narrative—or even, in some cases, that are characters in the narrative.
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Lots of information, but...
- By Mariam on 10-12-22
By: Dr. Franziska Kohlt, and others
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The History of the Superhero
- By: Lan Dong, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Lan Dong
- Length: 3 hrs and 58 mins
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In Lan Dong’s Audible Original, The History of the Superhero, examine the roots of the superhero dynamic that’s overtaking popular culture. Encompassing both Marvel Comics’ and DC Comics’ pantheon of extraordinary heroes, these eight lectures explore how superhero comics came to be, how famous characters (and their exploits) evolved in response to social and cultural changes, how superhero cinematic universes have become an integral (and highly lucrative) part of film history, and why superheroes of all types are likely here to stay.
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Bland
- By Amazon Customer on 12-22-22
By: Lan Dong, and others
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The Hidden History of the Boston Tea Party
- By: Adam Jortner, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Adam Jortner
- Length: 2 hrs and 56 mins
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The history of the Boston Tea Party is a hidden one. Why? Since it was a clandestine operation, all sorts of rumors and legends grew up around the event—many collected decades after the American Revolution had ended. At its core, however, the night of December 16, 1773, when colonials dumped tea from British ships into Boston Harbor, was more than a fight over tea and taxes. It was a struggle over the very nature of democracy and self-governance.
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How nuanced this event actually was
- By Cody T. on 12-17-23
By: Adam Jortner, and others
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Conspiracies & Conspiracy Theories
- What We Should and Shouldn't Believe - and Why
- By: Michael Shermer, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Michael Shermer
- Length: 6 hrs and 30 mins
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The stuff of conspiracy theories makes for great, entertaining stories in movies, books, and television. And there is no shortage of subjects: from who really killed JFK to the truth behind 9/11. And then, there are subjects from alien invasions to the Moon landing was simulated - theories that are truly out of this world, which according to some, is flat. Many of these crazy concepts have jumped off the pages or screens to become so pervasive in our culture that thousands - even millions - subscribe to them as reality.
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No chapter titles!!???
- By Nomad of the World on 09-21-19
By: Michael Shermer, and others
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Powerful Listening: How to Harness Your Most Essential Skill
- By: Kwame Christian, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Kwame Christian
- Length: 2 hrs and 48 mins
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Often in difficult conversations, be it a negotiation at work or an important talk with a family member, we’re eager to find the right words to change someone’s thoughts, emotions, or behaviors. But the most successful conversations and negotiations don’t come from how well you speak. They come from how well you listen. Listening is the most essential skill of any conversation, and it’s fast becoming a lost art. But Kwame Christian, recognized as one of the world’s top negotiation experts, believes that anyone with an interest in learning can master the power of effective listening.
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I'm Writing This Review To Shout Out My Team!
- By Kwame Christian on 01-04-24
By: Kwame Christian, and others
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Rise and Fall of the Borgias
- By: William Landon, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: William Landon
- Length: 4 hrs and 58 mins
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Since its rise to the highest ranks of power in Renaissance Europe, the Borgia family has developed a scandalous reputation. While they were indeed ostentatious, calculating, worldly, cruel - and even, occasionally, murderous - you may be surprised to find that the Borgias were not terribly different from other powerful and ambitious families of their day. So why has history set them apart as one of the most corrupt and reviled families in history?
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A remarkable history of a maligned family
- By Happy Customer on 12-03-19
By: William Landon, and others
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Avoiding Burnout
- By: Serena Wadhwa, Lisa Page, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Serena Wadhwa, Lisa Page
- Length: 3 hrs and 52 mins
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With your presenters, Serena Wadhwa and Lisa Page, you will examine the nature of burnout, from symptoms that trigger it to personal factors that contribute to burnout, such as personality and unhealthy coping strategies. You are also invited to answer questions that will help you assess your own level of coping in different areas that can help you get through challenging situations. You will learn the crucial steps that allow you to catch yourself from falling into burnout, build greater resilience, and manage life’s everyday stressors.
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Can Feel Condescending
- By Michael Beyer on 02-13-23
By: Serena Wadhwa, and others
What listeners say about Zombified: Real-World Lessons from Fictional Apocalypses
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Mart
- 11-08-23
Academia can be fun!
This is my kind of fun. I absolutely love learning new scientific information and it’s even better when mixed with silly topics.
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- Ron Basham
- 12-11-23
Scientific and Entertaining.
I thought it was just written for enjoyment, but the science behind it was thought provoking and clearly shows cooperation far out weighs going it alone in survival situations.
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- Anonymous User
- 02-11-24
A smart approach to understanding why we like zombie stories so much!
This is a recollection of thoughts and reflexions on the zombie stories. You will not find a “survival guide” of any kind here, but you will understand better why we like so much the zombie stories and how some of the things we can learn from them actually help us in real scenarios.
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- bryan w.
- 01-05-24
Fun and interesting
Interesting perspective definitely gives you something to think about an enjoyable read two thumbs up
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- El Man
- 02-23-24
It’s a good simil, but it’s soon out of perspective and overused
By the second chapter any relationship you have is a zombie relationship.
I think she misses the point soon in the development of being overpowered by some external force and being moved by acceptable desires to live and harmonize with other.
Love and friendship, the definition of the book, is a zombification. When exactly are the things they make us feel and look alive.
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- Ari@The Bookish Coven
- 12-10-23
Interesting
The series of lectures were short but interesting with a lot of material discussed drawn from pop culture. The prof had a very enjoyable voice!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Jill Brim
- 11-01-23
So-so
Definitely a research based, classroom lecture type of recording. I would have enjoyed more entertainment worked into the presentations.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Paige Timmons
- 12-28-23
Good info
Good info, I just want it to get stars but the system won’t let you just do stars. They will then just use an AI bot to smoosh all the reviews that are alike together at the top. Why write something at all when only the robots entries will read?
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- April
- 07-02-24
Great listen
while seeming lighthearted, the book is filled with a multitude of facts with a bit of opinion throughout. Enjoyed thoroughly and definitely recommend
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- Anonymous User
- 10-13-24
Very insightful
I really never knew about zombification and how it is integral in our normal day to day life very interesting indeed. I love the Great Courses I feel like I always learn something new :D
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