In 2024, the Oxford English Dictionary announced its word of the year was ‘brain rot’. The term relates to the supposedly negative effects of consuming social media content, but it struck a chord more widely with many who feel they don’t have the mental capacity they once had. Gloria Mark, a professor of informatics at the University of California, Irvine, h ... Show More
Jul 7
‘A break from scrolling’: how Gen Z fell in love with birding
In the last 50 years, Britain has lost an astonishing 73 million wild birds from its landscape, according to the British Trust for Ornithology. Habitat loss, pesticides, disease, cats and the climate crisis mean there are fewer birds than ever before. For children and young peopl ... Show More
16m 43s
Jul 2
‘Beautiful blobs’: can scientists build life from scratch?
Researchers claim they are closer to creating life from nothing after building tiny, quivering blobs that use lab-made DNA to feed, grow and multiply in a dish. To find out how significant this step is, and where scientists hope it will lead, Madeleine Finlay hears from co-host I ... Show More
16m 53s
Feb 2023
Why our attention spans are shrinking, with Gloria Mark, PhD
These days, most of us live our lives tethered to our computers and smartphones, which are unending sources of distraction. Research has shown that over the past couple of decades people’s attention spans have shrunk in measurable ways. Gloria Mark, PhD, of the University of Cali ... Show More
37m 38s
Feb 2024
Addicted to distraction: How our world is robbing our ability to pay attention
According to psychologist Gloria Mark, the average attention span is just 47 seconds. Mark, a two-decade veteran in researching attention, says our ability to focus is declining at an alarming rate and is impacting our health. Much of this increase is due to our modern, fast-pace ... Show More
51m 59s
Dec 2023
Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity with Gloria Mark
In this week’s episode of the Growth Guide podcast, we have the honor of having a conversation with Gloria Mark, Chancellor’s Professor Emerita of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine. She studies the impact of digital media on people’s work and personal lives, exa ... Show More
1h 20m