Escaping the Matrix

Hidden Brain

Hidden Brain Media

Arts, Science, Performing Arts, Social Sciences

4.6 • 40.4K Ratings

🗓️ 11 March 2024

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

A little more than a decade ago, researchers began tracking an alarming trend: a dramatic uptick in anxiety and depression among young Americans. Psychologist Jonathan Haidt, like many other researchers, says the increase is related to our use of social media and devices. But he believes it’s also deeper than that — connected to our deepest moral beliefs and how they shape the way we view the world. He says there are simple steps we can take to improve the mental health of kids growing up in the smartphone era.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	This is Hidden Brain. I'm Shankar Vedanta. If I asked you what it means to be a good person,
0:05.8	I'm guessing you would quickly rattle off a list of virtues. Good people are truthful.
0:11.4	They are kind to others. Helpful to those in need. They are kind to others, helpful to those in need. They are loyal
0:15.3	friends, generous, brave. They put the needs of others before their own needs. But if I were
0:22.0	to ask you where those beliefs come from or why you think kindness and bravery and generosity are virtues, you might have to pause for a moment to think.
0:33.6	Let's say I make it even more complicated.
0:35.8	I give you a scenario about two brothers who love each other dearly.
0:40.4	One does something wrong and the other has to decide whether to turn him in.
0:45.0	The second brother must choose between honesty and loyalty.
0:50.0	Which virtue is more important?
0:52.0	If you pick one, do you know why you choose? which virtue is more important.
0:52.8	If you picked one, do you know why you chose it?
0:58.5	TV shows and movies are filled with these kinds of moral dilemmas because they provide dramatic
1:03.7	tension. When you have to choose between competing values you might find yourself
1:08.6	unsure if kindness matters more than courage or if loyalty should outweigh honesty.
1:15.0	Playwrights and poets have grappled with these themes for centuries because our moral choices define us.
1:21.0	They help us distinguish friend from foe. They inform whom we love
1:25.3	and whom we hate. Today we examine the roots of our moral intuitions. We also tell the story of a man who asked himself a question few of us do.
1:37.4	Why do I believe what I believe?
1:42.4	Understanding the origins of our moral beliefs and the implications of this
1:47.2	quest on young minds, this week on Hidden Brain. Jonathan Hight grew up identifying as a Democrat. It wasn't something he thought about a lot.
2:07.0	His friends and family all identified with the left.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in -303 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Hidden Brain Media, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Hidden Brain Media and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.