The Science Behind Why Social Media Makes Us Miserable

Andrew Yang Podcast

Humanity Forward Productions

Society & Culture

4.8 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 20 October 2025

⏱️ 50 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week on the Andrew Yang Podcast: We dive deep into the dark side of social media and how it’s reshaping democracy, fueling polarization, and harming mental health, especially for kids. Andrew is joined by Jay Van Bavel and Steven Rathje, two leading researchers uncovering what really drives virality, outrage, and division online. From Facebook’s algorithms to TikTok fame, this episode exposes how attention has become the new addiction, and what we can do to reclaim our minds. Watch the full episode here Have a question for Andrew? Drop it in the comments section below or send us a text or voice memo to [email protected]! Follow Andrew Yang: ⁠Website⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Twitter⁠ ⁠Follow Steve Rathje: ⁠Instagram⁠ | TikTok Follow Jay Van Bavel: Twitter | Instagram ---- Get 50% off Factor at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Factor Meals⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get an extra 3 months free at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Express VPN⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Get 20% off + 2 free pillows at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Helix Sleep⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | Use code: helixpartner20 Get $30 off your first two (2) orders at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wonder ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠| Use code: ANDREW104 ---- Subscribe to the Andrew Yang Podcast: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This week on the Andrew Yang podcast.
0:04.0	This affects all of us.
0:05.4	If this affects our democracy, our kids, mental health, yeah.
0:10.1	Then it's something that we all have us taken from a political perspective, right?
0:13.0	And it's kind of like we went through this years ago with all these lawsuits against big tobacco.
0:17.4	And if these companies are profiting from like causing a bunch of people lung cancer
0:21.2	that are all taxpayers have to pay for because we have to pay for the medical fees, then those
0:26.2	companies have to actually cover that cost. We're going to have to come to some solution like
0:30.5	that where we realize we have a voice in this.
0:47.3	It is my pleasure to welcome to the podcast, some very, very smart, incisive guys, Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at NYU, J. Van Bavel, an incoming assistant
0:53.8	professor of human computer
0:56.6	interaction at Carnegie Mellon University Steve Rath-J they work together
1:02.6	they've done a ton of work on stuff we'll get into social media why our
1:07.7	brains might not love it well Well, welcome to you both.
1:12.6	Thanks for having us, yeah.
1:13.6	So first, you guys are both academics.
1:16.6	You've been doing research for a number of years into social media and polarization.
1:22.6	So Jay, I think you've been at this a little longer.
1:25.6	What got you interested in this particular topic?
1:29.2	Yeah, I mean, I've been studying identities, how people identify with groups and how that makes
1:33.8	us treat other people, you know, that we trust and like members of our own group and dislike
1:38.2	and don't cooperate with members of out groups. And then about 10 years ago, I was starting to use
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