56. Anxiety and Depression in Girls: The Neuroscience of Social Media with Donna Jackson Nakazawa

Find Donna's latest book, Girls on the Brink, here: https://donnajacksonnakazawa.com/books/ Our social media dominated world has created a unique challenge for both teen girls and their parents. How can they navigate a social media landscape that emphasizes comparison and breeds anxiety and depression? That is what we are discussing with today’s guest, Donna Jackson Nakazawa. Donna is an award-winning journalist and internationally-recognized speaker whose work explores the intersection of neuroscience, immunology, and human emotion. Her latest book, Girls on the Brink: Helping Our Daughters Thrive in an Era of Increased Anxiety, Depression, and Social Media (Random House/Harmony, 2022) is available for order wherever books are sold. In this book, Donna explores today’s growing adolescent female mental health crisis. Please enjoy this insightful conversation on the neuroscience of how social media impacts teenage girls and what parents can do to best support their daughters as they navigate this virtual landscape. Timestamps: 0:00 - Introduction 3:10 - What was the inspiration for the book? 6:30 - What is different about the biology of response to stress between boys and girls? 12:34 - Impact of social media on girl’s brains 15:22 - Neuroprotective strategies 23:36 - Cultivating resilience in our brains 31:26 - What to do when your daughter comes to you with hard things 38:00 - Do girls have more automatic negative thoughts? 44:48 - Challenges for girls during the pandemic 51:37 - Social safety theory 55:50 - What is one thing that everyone should know about raising daughters in social media era? 59: 46 - Where to learn more about Donna Jackson Nakazawa