El Podcast

E31: How Smartphones Hijack Your Brain—Explained by a Psychologist

Episode Summary

Psychologist Dr. Larry Rosen explains how smartphones and social media are rewiring our brains, increasing stress, anxiety, and sleep disruption—especially in young people. He argues we need personal boundaries, parental responsibility, and a cultural wake-up call before the damage becomes irreversible.

Episode Notes

Psychologist Dr. Larry Rosen joins us to discuss the psychological toll of smartphones, social media, and digital distraction—and what we can do about it.

Guest Bio: Dr. Larry Rosen is a retired psychology professor and former department chair at California State University, an expert on the psychology of technology, and author of The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World and six other books examining how tech reshapes behavior, cognition, parenting, and mental health.

Topics Discussed:

• The rise of digital anxiety and “phantom pocket” syndrome
• How smartphones rewire attention, memory, and social behavior
• Task switching vs. true multitasking and its effects on cognition
• Tech addiction in children and parenting digital boundaries
• The historical analogies to smoking, seatbelts, and drug campaigns
• Why technology is both brilliant and dangerous—and what needs to change

Top 3 Quotes:

• “People who think they’re good at multitasking are usually the worst at it.”
• “Smartphones are magnificent tools—but we haven’t learned how to handle them yet.”
• “Half of your distractions come from inside your own head—that’s your brain addicted to checking.”