Chasing Life How To Use Technology and Not Lose Our Minds
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Sep 26, 2025 Baroness Susan Greenfield, an Oxford neuroscientist and author of "Mind Change," digs into how digital technology impacts our brains and social skills. She argues that while technology can benefit isolated individuals, it may also diminish empathy and resilience in the young. Greenfield shares three ways to regain control over our digital lives: exercise, reading, and family time. She emphasizes the importance of real-world interactions to enhance cognitive reserve and encourages proactive thinking about AI's role in society.
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Balanced Skepticism About Tech
- Susan Greenfield says she is neither a technophile nor technophobe and approaches tech with scientific curiosity.
- She values in-person, multi-sensory communication and worries screens can weaken face-to-face skills.
Neuroscience Explains Big Questions
- Greenfield explains neuroscience attracts big questions like free will and love because the brain links to human experience.
- She argues scientific inquiry reveals more complexity as you learn, prompting deep questions rather than fixed answers.
Brain Plasticity Is Neutral But Powerful
- Greenfield uses brain plasticity research, like taxi drivers' hippocampi, to show environment reshapes the brain.
- She stresses change isn't inherently good or bad but does alter attention and cognitive patterns.
