Comparison is the thief of joy, as Teddy Roosevelt once said, but deep down, we're all a little curious. How do we match up with those around us? And that curiosity even extends to how many partners we've had compared to those our age, or just overall. Turns out, those statistics are fuzzier and have more leeway than you might think, so Alex and Ellie bring some math and psychology to the "body count" question while dissecting and correcting the clickbait filling social media.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.talkingkinkpodcast.com

Most of us have been taught that humans evolved somewhere in Africa and migrated throughout the world. That's a drastic oversimplification. Our species evolved in North Africa roughly 300,000 years ago and was one of at least 23 other hominids across the planet. And the same goes for most of the theories you heard about the differences between male and female brains, the evolution of gender norms, penis size, the role breasts play in sexual selection, and a great deal of evolutionary psychology. Join Alex and Ellie in exploring the many questions about how we evolved and why we look, love, think, and reproduce the way we do.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.talkingkinkpodcast.com

Commonly referred to as sodomy for many centuries, and used to prosecute consenting kinksters, queer people, and gay couples all the way until the first years of this millennium, anal sex has become a common topic of conversation when it comes to sex, and one of the most accepted and least objected to taboos today. How did that happen? What's the allure? And what are the risks, rewards, do's, and don'ts? Sex, wellness, and kink educator, and one of Reddit's most popular anal performers, Dolly, a.k.a. NiceThings, helps Alex and Ellie get to the bottom of the subject matter.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.talkingkinkpodcast.com

According to survey after survey, a threesome is the number one sexual fantasy around the world, and more and more people are using them as a springboard into non-monogamy. While it can be a blast to add one more person to the bed, or couch, or hot tub, things can also go spectacularly wrong if you don't communicate and set ground rules. Erotica author and threesome connoisseur Agent Ranch Hand joins Alex and Ellie to cover the pros and cons of a ménage à trois, and come up with tips and tricks for a successful one, whether it's real life or literary.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.talkingkinkpodcast.com

Finding a spark is easy. Keeping that spark alive can be difficult as life, kids, work, and stress take their toll. Without intentional effort, good boundaries, and dedication, even the most loving and passionate relationships can be strained, transforming beds into dead zones for lovers-turned-roommates. We tackle this thorny problem with Ralph from Dad Starting Over, investigate how efforts to fix sexlessness and loneliness can go horribly wrong, and review some of the resources intended to help get a little life back into a chaste crypt of a bedroom.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.talkingkinkpodcast.com

Computers and AI have already been incorporated into almost every part of our lives. Now, techies and machines have their sights set on what they see as the final frontier: our minds and bodies, genitals included. From designs for robotic implants and neural interfaces, to virtual reality, digital companions, smart sex toys, and the real world arrival of the neon, electronica, and corporate dystopian cyberpunk aesthetic, the future of sex is nothing short of wild and mind-bending. Thankfully, Alex is an expert in most things tech and is happy to help you navigate through all the weirdness and jargon.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.talkingkinkpodcast.com

Alex and Ellie take a tour through the history of erotica from cave paintings and the first recorded myths and religious texts, to the Sexual Revolution and a certain famous and infamous global bestseller, interview erotica author Logan Black on the ins and outs of the craft, and tackle the tricky topic of how and when people discover written smut. And just for good measure, we take a brief tour through book porn behind the aggressively prudish Iron Curtain and look at the graphic, visceral work of Eduard Topol.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.talkingkinkpodcast.com

Alex and Ellie explore the logic, the good, and the bad behind having friends with benefits, pay tribute to a certain, very relevant movie, talk to Ellie's former playmate, revisit the fraught subject of cemetery quickies, and Alex wades into some tricky gray areas of friends with benefits and non-monogamy etiquette with his story about a very busy, unexpected, and slightly embarrassing night. Plus, a quick look back at some relevant smutty literature and a teaser for an upcoming guest.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.talkingkinkpodcast.com

From a sex-positive joke on Reddit and the dystopian, yet sexually unhinged future envisioned during the sexual revolution, to conspiracy theories and the history of swinging in North America, Alex and Ellie explore the worlds of free use and breeding, and the strange places to which they can, and have led.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.talkingkinkpodcast.com

Various sages of science like Stephen Hawking and Carl Sagan said that humans have to learn how to live on more than one planet, and experts agree. We'd be a lot safer if what is an apocalyptic, extinction level disaster today is just an unfortunate accident thousands of years from now, and our species keeps going as if nothing happened. But there's a slight snag with that idea. Believe it or not, the future of humanity depends on whether we can have great sex in the alien environments beyond our cozy little home world.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.talkingkinkpodcast.com