I think there's a really interesting conversation to be had about not just the medium or the device, but the activity. In some cases, it can be more dangerous for children to be deprived of that social connection. The internet has allowed people to stay more connected despite geographic dislocation. But I think what is not working is people consuming in isolation for many hours each day at the exclusion of connecting with real people.
In “Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence,” Dr. Anna Lembke says today’s superabundance of pleasurable stimuli makes us all vulnerable to overindulgence. But don’t lose hope. Anna, the medical director of addiction medicine at Stanford, says that by understanding how modern stimulants — from Instagram to masturbation machines — prey on our primitive brains, we can find ways to overcome the unhealthy dependencies that prevent us from leading balanced lives.
(This episode originally aired in December 2021.)
Host: Rufus Griscom
Guest: Anna Lembke
Executive Producer: Caleb Bissinger
The Next Big Idea is produced in partnership with LinkedIn Presents