Cultural Responses to Middle Age

If Barack Obama says there are aliens, then there are aliens. While the former President is busy clarifying that he didn't actually see any ETs in the Oval Office, Jessie Stephens has a theory: Is men’s obsession with outer space just a symptom of not having enough mental load?

Plus, the political "pub test" is officially dead, and the "algorithm test" has moved in and made itself comfortable. We’re looking at why the Internet is both the world’s best fact-checker and its most dangerous bias-confirmer. And Holly Wainwright is asking, what IS the actual pub test in 2026? 

And because we clearly haven't done enough critical thinking, we’re wading into the chaos of Married At First Sight. Jessie, of course, is an expert in the field, and she’s bringing several philosophical questions from the new season, starting with: Can you ever come back from a sexual chemistry deficit? 

In other business, apparently, humans "fall off a cliff" at age 44, which is sending Amelia Lester into a spiral. Happily, there’s a pick-me-up coming: Hollywood A-listers are signalling that side-parts are back. What’s next? Skinny jeans and ballet flats? Oh.

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What To Listen To Next: 

• Listen to our latest episode: All The Gossip From The Wuthering Heights Premiere (And Why Mia Walked Out)
• Listen: Wuthering Heights & the ‘Bad Man’ Controversy
• Listen: "Uh-Oh, I'm A Finger Princess"
• Listen: Jessie and Clare Stephens' Weird Twin Shit Just Got Weirder
• Listen: An Affair Confession Live On Air
• Listen: The Best (And Worst) Generations Of Parents. A Leaderboard!
• Listen: The Most Bizarre Celebrity Profile We’ve Ever Read
• Listen: Do I Matter? & The Bathroom Taboo
• Connect your subscription to Apple Podcasts 

Discover more Mamamia Podcasts here including the very latest episode of Parenting Out Loud, the parenting podcast for people who don't listen to... parenting podcasts.

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What to read: 

• Mamamia recaps MAFS: Two divas finally storm out.
• 'Everything I've ever wanted': MAFS' Brook Crompton is expecting a baby.
• Mamamia recaps MAFS: The commitment ceremony from hell.
• Millennials aren’t going to like this hairstyle making a comeback.

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