The CBMS Podcast

Reading for pleasure has dramatically declined over the last few decades, mostly in favor of image and video based mediums. Learn why this matters for memory, social cognition and behavior, well-being and mental health. In this episode we explore how the medium of communication shapes how we think and how we pay attention, among other critical psychological processes. In turn, these actions and pr...

Modern society is fast paced, especially our information environments. From social media to our text exchanges, we interact in short bursts and increasingly spend a disproportionate amount of time consuming short form content. Short videos, articles, summaries have come to dominate our information diets. Spoiler - it's not all good. Leaning on research and our own work, we examine the implicat...

Is social media the scourge so many people think it is? Is it just like a drug, characterized by a clear and predictable dose-response relationship? Is there a consensus among researchers regarding the effects of screen time and social media on our well-being and mental health? We explore these questions and what we can do to improve our satisfaction with life. Generously supported by the APS Fund...

Uncertainty is a pervasive and inescapable feature of life that can cause anxiety, but also provides the experience required to build resilience. Are modern societies going too far in attempts to minimize uncertainty during childhood? Is the world more uncertain today? Is there a difference between online and offline experiences of uncertainty? We explore these questions and more. The CBMS is a Co...

Social norms evolve over time, but some phenomena appear to persist generation after generation. Despite the widespread belief that morality has been declining, data does not support this assertion. However, one aspect of how we relate to each other has changed, evidenced by shifting behavior and perceptions. This capacity has been cited as critical for functioning democracies, healthy social rela...

Childhood has dramatically changed over the course of centuries, but perhaps never more so than in the past few decades. We examine the implications of trends in how society views and treats children and adolescents, how parenting and growing up has changed alongside these trends, and how interfacing with digital technology affects our collective ability, children and adults alike, to satisfy psyc...

While humans increasingly spend time "inline" (indoors and online), it means we are also spending less time outdoors, and as urbanization continues, more and more outdoor time is spent among human creation. What are the consequences of spending less time outdoors? Are there benefits to mental health and well-being associated with spending time in nature? We examine these questions and mo...

Mental Health, especially for children and adolescents, has been on the decline for more than a decade. In A Landscape of Mental Health in America we explore and contextualize the trends, review some of the characteristics of modern society, such as digital technology and its effects, and changes in parenting, the workplace and education, among other factors, that may be contributing to the declin...

As society dives deeper into an ocean of technology, we reflect on the ways in which digital technology - the internet, devices, the proliferation of applications, the domination by large companies - has forever changed our relationship with information, the effects this evolution has had on our lives as individuals and on society, and the implications for psychology, mental health, and well-being...

As society dives deeper into an ocean of technology, we reflect on the ways in which digital technology - the internet, devices, the proliferation of applications, the domination by large companies - has forever changed our relationship with information, the effects this evolution has had on our lives as individuals and on society, and the implications for psychology, mental health, and well-being...

As the nation struggles with mental health, especially children and adolescents, there are a few low risk paths we can traverse to improve the likelihood that we can effectively cope with challenges, from those that directly impact us to perceived existential threats. In Enter Sandman we identify one such path: sleep. We describe the trends over the past 15-20 years and the effects of an every inc...