This week, Sara and Danny host writer, language scholar, and podcast host Amanda Montell, for a fascinating conversation about about cults and what makes them so effective at garnering our attention. They cover cult-ish groups and organizations from Scientology to SoulCycle and everything in between. They also discuss some ways to approach people who might be engaging in cults to a worrying degree, and why telling them that they’re in a cult might be counter-productive. Be sure to check out Amanda’s book ‘Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism,’ and check out her podcast ‘Sounds Like A Cult’ wherever you get your podcasts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices