Richard Cytowic: Getting off our screens

Be honest, how much time do you spend looking at screens? It’s probably more than you’d care to admit. The bigger question is, what is all that screen time doing to your brain? In this episode I am joined by Richard Cytowic, author of Your Stone Age Brain in the Screen Age.

We discuss the impact of screen addiction on the brain and body. Astonishingly, Richard explains that our brains have not evolved since the Stone Age. They also have fixed energy bandwidths that make multitasking inefficient, which leads to overwhelm and a dulled ability to communicate. Richard emphasises the importance of self-awareness for overcoming our addiction to screens, and the power of silence to help our brains to regulate themselves.

You’ll hear about:

• What’s going on in our brains?
• How does energy relate to neuroplasticity?
• What does the screen do to the brain?
• The lack of screen regulations
• How to start a healthier relationship with screens
• The power of silence
• Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable
• The role and power of dream diaries
• Richard’s advice for CEOs
• What does Richard’s best day look like?
• The impact Richard wants to have on the world

More about Richard

Richard Cytowic, a pioneering researcher in synesthesia, is Professor of Neurology at George Washington University. He is the author of Synesthesia, The Man Who Tasted Shapes, The Neurological Side of Neuropsychology, and with David M. Eagleman the Montaigne Medal–winner, Wednesday is Indigo Blue: Discovering the Brain of Synesthesia, all published by the MIT Press.

• Richard’s profile
• Richard’s book Your Stone Age Brain in the Screen Age
• TED talk ‘What percentage of your brain do you use?’