How Do We Fix It?

We love our smartphones, tablets, and laptops. But what is the explosion in mobile technology doing to our brains?Our guest, Professor Abigail Baird,is a developmental psychologist,expert on the teenage brain and mother of two young children. She says technology has great benefits, but also could have a negative impact on our conversations, memory and social life. The brain's craving for novelty - for constant stimulation and instant gratification - makes our tech toys seem irresistible. So how do we put balance in our lives?Abigail's fixes include time-out zones and no-screen places and events. Parents, she says, "should consider what is best for their families. For instance, I love the idea of 'no phone in the car.'"Another tip for parents is to beware of tethering - when college students sometimes call home at least several times a day."Hard as it is for parents, once kids head off to college, they really need to rely on their interpersonal networks at school, not calling home." Another fix: "As adults we have to set good examples to our children and not get too attached to our own screens."

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From angry scenes over Halloween costumes at Yale to protests against racism at the University of Missouri, student activism is back.  More than at any time since the late 1960's, America is in the middle of a wave of college unrest. 

To what extent do students today have genuine grievances? Are at least some of them rebels without a cause - angry because their feelings have been hurt? 

“Step by step colleges are being transformed into something more akin to mental health wards rather than citadels of learning,” says our guest, Hara Marano, Editor at Large of Psychology Today and author of the book, "A Nation of Wimps".  

While calls for greater diversity among college professors are an important cause, Marano tells us of fundamental changes in the student population. 

"Rising numbers of students are breaking down with anxiety and depression, self-mutilation, burning, cutting, binge drinking to obliterate all of their anxiety," says Marano. "Even the slightest disappointment pitches them into crisis mode."

"The American College Mental Health Association has been documented rises in all of these conditions." Many students "get so distressed so readily."

Are many young people over-protected and even narcissistic, demanding protection from ideas and concepts they find too uncomfortable to listen to?  This episode digs into these questions, suggesting fixes for colleges and parents.

 

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From Paris to San Bernardino, terrorist attacks have sparked an outcry from many politicians in Europe and the U.S. - including calls for new controls on immigration, refugees and the free movement of labor across national borders.The leading Republican Presidential candidate, Donald Trump, called for a total and complete ban on Muslims entering the United States.Our guest in episode 29, Peter Coy, Economics Editor for Bloomberg Businessweek, makes a strong case for more - not less - immigration, as well as a greater exchange of ideas across the boundaries that divide us."One of the treasures of democracy is freedom of thought, freedom of action, freedom of movement," says Peter. "In putting up walls we actually lose what we treasure the most." The 28-state European Union has been a triumph for economic growth and a peaceful transition from the wreckage of World War 2."You can drive from France into Switzerland without even pumping the brakes at the border," Peter told us. "This has been hugely beneficial to Europe, creating a single Europe with more trade, wealth and commerce than we would have." Europe is the top destination for U.S. exports, but many economists see a big cost to the economy and to our culture from erecting new barriers in the name of safety.

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How can we get more sleep? If you have at least seven hours of interrupted sleep each night, consider yourself very lucky indeed. Problems with sleep are remarkably widespread. Many millions of adults and children either don't spend enough time in bed or suffer from sleep disorders, resulting in illness, obesity, depression, mood swings and loss of creativity.Our guest is Jeff Koyen, Editor-in-Chief of Van Winkle's, a new website "obsessed with sleeping, waking and everything in between. He shares the stories of scientists, artists, travel writers, child-care experts and many others who have a great deal to tell us about how we do - and don't - sleep."Sleep is a very complicated issue that touches probably everyone you know. It's not just adults," says Jeff. "We're talking about teenagers have sleep issues, even children."Smartphones, tablets and other devices have made the problem even worse. "Ten years ago, five years ago you were not taking your phone with you to bed."We look at fixes and what science tells us about how to get a better night's sleep.

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The holiday shopping season is underway and finding the right toy or game for his or her kids is the goal of every parent. A vast range of new toys has been introduced in recent months.

Joining us in this episode to look at the recent changes is consultant and branding expert, Richard Gottlieb, of Global Toy Experts.

"The toy industry is a nineteenth century industry that's trying hard to break into the twenty first," says Richard. "It's had a lot of difficulty dealing with the digital aspect of play that's become so popular."

On this show we ask whether today's technologically sophisticated toys are scripting the way kids play.  Do they force children into a pre-written narrative when they should be allowing for open-ended play? 

Toy stores have many traditional toys, such as blocks, construction sets and craft kits, but kids also have fun with "video games, apps and even social networking," says Richard. These new trends have "confronted the industry with a sort of existential crisis: Who are we, what is a toy and how do we play?"

Richard has many positive, playful and out-of-the-box ideas on how to view toys and the nature of play in a digital society. 

"I think it's wonderful that children has all these choices," he tells us. "I wish we had all these choices."

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The demand for energy around the world continues to grow each year. And so does the amount of carbon dioxide that's pumped into the earth's atmosphere. What happens if the world fails to bring down CO2 emissions in the coming decades? What if all the treaties and negotiations over climate change don't succeed in reducing the threat of global warming?Our guest is Peter Kelemen, Chair of Columbia University's Earth and Environmental Sciences Department and Arthur B. Storke Professor of Geochemistry. Last year, Peter was inducted into the National Academy of Sciences. His research on carbon capture and storage may offer one exciting solution to a global crisis. Our show looks at a tool that could fight climate change by taking carbon dioxide and literally locking it up in the earth's crust, right under our feet. Geology research could be used to find new ways to suck up carbon and keep it out of the atmosphere, harnessing a natural process and using some of the fracking techniques now common in oil and gas drilling. We look at the costs as well as the potential offered by this form of breakthrough scientific research.

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The Federal Reserve plays a fundamental role in our economy. But many Americans loathe The Federal Reserve - furious that The Fed bailed out banks and other huge financial firms during the 2008 financial crisis.Our guest, Roger Lowenstein, is the author of "America's Bank - The Epic Struggle to Create The Federal Reserve." His book is a dramatic account of the chaotic years before The United States became the last major industrialized nation to form a central bank.Our podcast features a lively discussion about American history as well as the present day, with Roger giving us insights that demystify the work of The Fed.Its job is to ensure the smooth operation of the money supply, while keeping inflation and unemployment low. But there are many who are suspicious of the Fed's independence and want to bring it under the tight control of Congress. According to opinion polls, only The IRS is a more unpopular government agency than the Federal Reserve. "You've got two candidates running for President - Rand Paul and Ted Cruz - who want to basically abolish The Fed," says Roger."Had the Fed failed to come in and be the lender of last resort and save the system (in 2008) I think the anger would be very understandable," Roger tells us. But in this case there was the equivalent of a big fire that nearly burned down the financial system, taking the economy with it. "The fireman comes. He puts out the fire and people want to do away with the fire department." Roger Lowenstein explains the need for The Federal Reserve and suggests how it could be less controversial in the future.

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More than ever America is divided into political tribes. One person's truth is somebody else's lie. This show is about confirmation bias and filter bubbles: How our brains play tricks on us as we try to make sense of the world.David McRaney, host of the entertaining and popular podcast, "You Are Not So Smart", is our guest. His show is "a celebration of self-delusion." David, who calls himself a psychology nerd, is passionate about the need for all of us to have some understanding of how our brains work. He is the author of two recent books: "You Are Not So Smart" and "You Are Now Less Dumb.Confirmation bias helps us separate into rival political and cultural camps. "This is the thing almost from which everything else springs, because it is the natural default way that human beings tend to make sense of the world," says David.With the growth of Google and social media site, such as Facebook and Twitter, it's easier for us to deny the truth of anything that challenges our preconceived view of the world. We can retreat into our own personal corner of the internet.Behaviorial economics, neuroscience and modern psychology challenge our sense that we make logical, sensible decisions. Our show looks at what confirmation bias means to our democracy.

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Women in the workplace face huge challenges, including discrimination and low pay. The Pew Research Center says women's hourly wages are 84% those of men. The White House says the true number is lower. Many firms insist on rigid working hours, making it hard for many employees to balance work and family life. How Do We Fix It? Enter time management and productivity expert Laura Vanderkam, author of "I Know How She Does It: How Successful Women Make the Most of Their Time" and "What The Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast. "Laura shares practical ideas for women and men to make the most of their free time and boost work productivity. She has innovative fixes for working mothers, companies and government policy. Flextime, paid parental leave and family-friendly reforms to Social Security should all be considered," she says. Gender discrimination is "definitely a problem in the workplace," says Laura. "But there is also a personal side to it as well."

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If you had a 10% of facing a flood or getting into a fatal car accident, you'd make sure you bought first-rate insurance coverage. That's what our guest Gernot Wagner says we should do about climate change. Science tells us that if we do nothing, there is the risk of a global catastrophe. We hear the argument for climate insurance. Gernot is the co-author of "Climate Shock - The Economic Consequences of a Hotter Planet," and lead senior scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund.Even if climate skeptics are right and the risk of global warming is small, that does not eliminate the need to plan for an extreme emergency. Gernot Wagner makes the case for pricing carbon as a way of boosting the incentives for energy efficiency. "Unless we act, we will experience major disruptions. We already are experiencing them," says Gernot. Our interview also looks the revolution in solar energy and ocean damage caused by rising levels of carbon dioxide.Ready to take action? https://www.edf.org/action

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