Ep. 393: Can Movies Save Us From Our Phones?

Deep Questions with Cal Newport

Cal Newport

Education, Self-improvement, Technology

4.8 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 23 February 2026

⏱️ 69 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Last month, the Atlantic reported that film students are now struggling to sit through entire films. In this episode, Cal argues that this is both an issue and an opportunity. The fact we can’t watch full movies indicates the impact of digital tools on our brains is worse than we assumed. But in this problem, we also find a solution: maybe teaching ourselves to become better movie watchers can be the first step to reclaiming our own minds. Cal then dissects a viral AI essay that seems to have everyone worried (spoiler: Cal’s not impressed), reads a reader note about social media and the Olympics, and gives an update on his next book project. Below are the questions covered in today's episode (with their timestamps). Get your questions answered by Cal! Here’s the link: bit.ly/3U3sTvo Video from today’s episode: youtube.com/calnewportmedia IDEAS SEGMENT: Can Movies Save Us From Our Phones? [2:36] NEWS AND NOTES SEGMENT: Something Big is Happening [31:23] Digital Minimalism and the Olympics [49:31] WHAT CAL’S READING: Cal gives his weekly reading update [56:03] Attensity The Lost Island (Eilis Dillon) Links: Buy Cal’s latest book, “Slow Productivity” at calnewport.com/slow Get a signed copy of Cal’s “Slow Productivity” at peoplesbooktakoma.com/event/cal-newport/ Cal’s monthly book directory: bramses.notion.site/059db2641def4a88988b4d2cee4657ba? theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/01/college-students-movies-attention-span/685812/ fortune.com/2026/02/11/something-big-is-happening-ai-february-2020-moment-matt-shumer/ Thanks to our Sponsors: pipedrive.com/deep drinkag1.com/deep butcherbox.com/deep grammarly.com Thanks to Jesse Miller for production, Jay Kerstens for the intro music, and Mark Miles for mastering. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Late last month, the Atlantic ran an article titled The Film Students Who Can No Longer Sit Through Films.
0:08.6	I wanted to read you an excerpt from early in the article.
0:11.6	This excerpt starts with a quote from a film professor.
0:14.5	I used to think if homework is watching a movie, that is the best homework ever.
0:19.5	Craig Epperling, a film professor at the
0:21.3	University of Wisconsin at Madsen told me, but students will not do it. I heard similar
0:26.1	observations from 20 film studies professors around the country. They told me that over the past
0:30.5	decade and particularly since the pandemic, students have struggled to pay attention
0:35.5	to feature length films.
0:38.5	All right?
0:38.7	So, yeah, that's not great.
0:40.0	But here's the thing.
0:41.5	I think there is both bad news and good news here.
0:45.2	The bad news is, as I'll argue, this phenomenon reveals the impact of digital technology on our basic human ability to pay attention and think is perhaps worse than we originally imagine.
0:56.0	But the good news is that in this problem, we can find its own solution.
1:03.4	So as I'm going to go on to argue, getting better at watching movies might just be the right first step toward reclaiming your brain.
1:13.4	So here's the plan.
1:14.7	I'm going to elaborate on those two arguments, right?
1:17.1	That our struggles to watch movie is a side effect of digital technology and that practicing
1:21.3	watching movies can help us reverse that damage.
1:23.4	And then assuming that you buy those arguments, I'm going to get practical.
1:28.1	I'm going to give you specific advice for how to become a better movie watcher, including a list of classic movies that you should start with.
	...

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