Dr. Judy Ho joins Tim to talk about something that could affect all of us: social media and mental health. You may have seen her on the TV show called The Doctors, or on the CBS TV network’s Face the Truth. Or, you may have listened to her podcast called Supercharged Life. Judy is a licensed and triple-board certified Clinical and Forensic Neuropsychologist, she’s an author, and she’s a professor at Pepperdine University.
Did you ever notice when you’re on the Internet, your computer seems to know about what you’re looking for even before you type it into the search box? Or when you’re on social media, how some subjects or people you know tend to pop up in your feed more than others?
The algorithms that are built into the online platforms you use are sophisticated, and that’s an understatement. The whole purpose of social media is to get you to log on and stay on for as long as possible. In the process, the platforms watch you. They collect your data and sell it. They use your patterns to help advertisers sell to you. Some critics say they even use your data to manipulate you.
That’s why it costs you nothing to join most social media platforms. You aren’t the customer. You are the product.
So, to keep you engaged on social media, and coming back for more, the platforms employ some complex psychological techniques to give social media a certain addictive quality. You find yourself checking in on your Facebook, Twitter or Instagram accounts anytime you have a spare moment. And sometimes, when you really should be paying attention to the people or things that are right around you.
This leads to some questions. Is social media good for you? Is it helping or hurting? Are you better off with it, or would you be better off without it? Just how does social media affect your mental health?
Links
- Dr. Judy Ho (Website)
- The Doctors, Syndicated TV Show
- Supercharged Life Podcast, Apple Podcasts
- The Pomodoro Technique Explained, Forbes
- Here’s How Social Media Affects Your Mental Health, McLean Hospital
About this Episode’s Guest Dr. Judy Ho
Judy Ho, Ph. D., ABPP, ABPdN, CFMHE is a licensed and triple board-certified Clinical and Forensic Neuropsychologist, a tenured Associate Professor at Pepperdine University, television and podcast host and published author.
She conducts neuropsychological assessments and serves as an expert witness in her private practice, hosts an active research lab, provides expert commentary to media, and is a sought after public speaker.
Judy is the author of Stop Self-Sabotage, published by HarperCollins; a book detailing a scientifically driven six-step program which has been translated into 7 additional languages around the world. She maintains a private practice in Manhattan Beach, CA where she specializes in comprehensive neuropsychological assessments and expert witness work.
She is a co-host on the Emmy Award winning syndicated daytime television talk show The Doctors, and co-host of CBS’s Face the Truth. Her podcast, Supercharged Life, produced by Stage 29 Productions, gives listeners tangible, scientific tools so that everyone can “supercharge” their lives.
Dr. Judy became a board certified specialist (ABPP) through the prestigious American Board of Professional Psychology in 2011 and currently serves as one of the chairs of the ABPP Examination Committee. In 2015 she became a board-certified specialist (CFMHE) through the National Board of Forensic Evaluators. In 2019, she became board certified through the American Academy of Pediatric Neuropsychology, where she serves as the chair of the Membership Committee and as a member of the Finance Committee.
