In a capitalist, corporate economy that shames innovation and ridicules creativity, Gen Z struggles to find ways to balance fulfillment with career success. In this episode, we discuss the new film, "Marty Supreme," and how relevant it is to young adults in todays society. 

Bibliography:

Parker, Kim, et al. Key Milestones for Young Adults Today Versus 30 Years Ago. Pew Research Center, 25 Jan. 2024, www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2024/01/25/key-milestones-for-young-adults-today-versus-30-years-ago/.

Parker, Kim, et al. Financial Help and Independence in Young Adulthood. Pew Research Center, 25 Jan. 2024, www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2024/01/25/financial-help-and-independence-in-young-adulthood/.

U.S. Census Bureau. Milestones to Adulthood. United States Census Bureau, 2025, www.census.gov/library/stories/2025/08/milestones-to-adulthood.html.

Liu, Jennifer. “High Housing Costs Have Kept 31% of Gen Z Adults Living at Home.” CNBC, 11 Jan. 2024, www.cnbc.com/2024/01/11/high-housing-costs-have-kept-31percent-of-gen-z-adults-living-at-home.html.

sound effects used:

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by floraphonic from Pixabay

Sound Effect by DRAGON-STUDIO from Pixabay

Sound Effect by Finnegan Cramer from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by u_hpfpehdmfy from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by Ai_mee Universe from Pixabay

https://www.myinstants.com/en/instant/lil-jon-whaaat-74021/?utm_source=copy&utm_medium=share

Sound Effect by DRAGON-STUDIO from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Oh brother, this guy stinks: https://quicksounds.com/page/license-agreement

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by Universfield from Pixabay

Sound Effect by u_uy2kad5rlq from Pixabay

Sound Effect by Universfield from Pixabay

In this episode, we talk about how creativity under the control of economic gain has decreased the quality of Disney movie in recent years. 

Sound effects used:

11575 male group booing.wav by Robinhood76 -- https://freesound.org/s/687017/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0

Sound Effect by Bithuh from Pixabay

Sound Effect by aPebble from Pixabay

Sound Effect by LIECIO from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by Humor Dome from Pixabay

https://tuna.voicemod.net/sound/23963c68-6ebf-40e6-93e7-1a9008270e36

Sound Effect by LoLa Joy from Pixabay

Sound Effect by DRAGON-STUDIO from Pixabay

Sound Effect by Universfield from Pixabay

https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/som-matricula-464025/

Sound Effect by Universfield from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by u_uy2kad5rlq from Pixabay

Sound Effect by aPebble from Pixabay

https://www.myinstants.com/en/instant/oh-brother-this-guy-stinks/?utm_source=copy&utm_medium=share

In this episode of "More Than You Think!" we discuss how the economy determines whether a new Christmas song will stand the test of time.

Sound effects used:

https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/christmas-holidays-medium-266638/

Sound Effect by Alexander Jauk from Pixabay

Sound Effect by Otto from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by aPebble from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by Neo Theone from Pixabay 

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabaya

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sources:

1. Janata, Petr. “Music-Evoked Autobiographical Memories.” (2007).

2. Janata, Petr. “The Neural Architecture of Music-Evoked Autobiographical Memory.” Cerebral Cortex (2009).

3. Madison, Guy et al. “Repeated Listening Increases the Liking for Music Regardless of Complexity.” (2017).

4. Library of Congress. “All I Want for Christmas Is You Added to the National Recording Registry.” (2023).

5. Billboard. “Greatest of All Time Holiday 100 Songs.”

6. Billboard / Chart Data on Kelly Clarkson — Underneath the Tree annual chart performance and rise as a modern holiday standard.

7. Billboard / Chart Data on Ariana Grande — Santa Tell Me chart performance showing its growth as a recurring seasonal hit.

In the fifth episode of "More Than You Think!" we talk about how current cultural events show where America's youth is headed, both morally and intellectually.

Sound effects used in this podcast: Sound Effect by DRAGON-STUDIO from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by Martha Whitehouse from Pixabay

Sound Effect by Benjamin Adams from Pixabay

Sound Effect by Universfield from Pixabay

https://artlist.io/royalty-free-music/song/paris/89172

Sound Effect by Bithuh from Pixabay  

Sound Effect by Shiden Beats Music from Pixabay

Sound Effect by Scottish Guy from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/tr808-clap-241405/

Sound Effect by Benjamin Adams from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by vvqne from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by ido berg from Pixabay

Article Citations:

1. Di Battista, S., & Tajfel, E. (2025). Women’s participation in collective action for workplace gender equality: The role of perceived relative deprivation, resentment, and moral conviction. Sex Roles. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-025-01573-7
2. Barreto, M., Ellemers, N., & Tajfel, H. (2022). Men’s reactions to gender inequality in the workplace: From relative deprivation on behalf of women to collective action. Frontiers in Psychology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9712440/
3. Oregon State University. (2022, April 28). Men are more likely to respond negatively to gender threats in the workplace than women, research finds. Oregon State University Newsroom. https://news.oregonstate.edu/news/men-are-more-likely-respond-negatively-gender-threats-workplace-women-research-finds
4. Meringolo, P., & Di Benedetto, M. (2024). The impact of the need for cognitive closure on attitudes toward women as managers and the sequential mediating role of belief in a just world and gender essentialism. Behavioral Sciences, 14(3), 196. MDPI. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/14/3/196
5. De Cicco, G., & Passini, S. (2024). Threatened manhood and the backlash effect: Gender status threat and resistance to equality initiatives. Sex Roles. Springer. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11199-024-01443-8
6. Treynor, W., Gonzalez, R., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2013). Rumination reconsidered: A psychometric analysis. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 37(5), 866–880. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24089583/

In this episode, we discuss how the controversy surround Bad Bunny's upcoming half-time show performance has caused racism and languagism to peak throughout the nation.

Sound effects used in this episode:

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by Adhi Mahadi from Pixabay

Sound Effect by LoLa Joy from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by Universfield from Pixabay

Sound Effect by Samuel Copier from Pixabay

Sound Effect by leenn792 from Pixabay 

In this episode, we discuss how the hit show, "The Summer I Turned Pretty," perfectly coincides with the nation's declining birth rate and represent current cultural attitude surrounding women's rights.

Sound effects used: Sound Effect by Mykelu from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by Bithuh from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by Rotich Wilson from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by Alice_soundz from Pixabay

Sound Effect by vvqne from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

In this episode, we analyzed the political and social correlations between Sabrina Carpenter's new album, gender, and NC State. We also predict entertainment industry practices that will be condemned in the future. Most importantly, we added more sound effects.

Sound effect citations: 

Sound Effect by Driken Stan from Pixabay

Sound Effect by Bithuh from Pixabay

Sound Effect by ALEXIS_GAMING_CAM from Pixabay

https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/tr808-clap-241405/

Sound Effect by Universfield from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by aPebble from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

Sound Effect by freesound_community from Pixabay

More Than You Think is a podcast that explores the deeper layers of pop culture, uncovering how today’s trends connect with the political, economic, and social climate shaping our world. Each episode dives into the ways music, media, and cultural moments reflect — and influence — the society we live in. In this episode, our host, Valerie, discusses how the 2025 song of the summer reflects the rise of conservative art criticism and how Sydney Sweeney’s controversial ads reveal Hollywood’s attempt to cater to conservative audiences in the wake of Trump’s return to office.