Re-Air: The Truth About Depression, GLP-1s and ADHD & Why Our Biology Is Not To Blame | Johann Hari

Mayim Bialik (0:04)

Hi, I'm Mayim Bialik.

Jonathan Cohen (0:05)

And I'm Jonathan Cohen.

Mayim Bialik (0:06)

And welcome to our breakdown. Today in honor of World Mental Health Day, we're going to revisit the second episode that we did with bestselling author, Johann Hari. He gave us a really, really powerful breakdown of causes of depression, anxiety, and also the global attention crisis. We thought this was perfect for World Mental Health Day.

Jonathan Cohen (0:28)

Johann reveals why only two of the nine causes of depression are biological, exposing how big pharma, social media addiction, and the modern lifestyle are traps that are fueling our mental health crisis.

Mayim Bialik (0:40)

We also do a deep dive into the rise of GLP-1s. He was really one of the first people I saw talking about this. And he talks about our toxic beauty obsession, the overlooked role of sleep, community, social connection, and how we heal, how we manage our resources surrounding what our bodies look like and how they function.

Johann's going to talk about his experience with antidepressants, the global journey he went on to learn more about them all over the world. And he also talks about his weight gain, his eating patterns, and how he believe Ozempic saved his life.

Jonathan Cohen (1:18)

We also explore why even pets are being diagnosed with ADHD and what Silicon Valley insiders confess about attention hacking technology that they know is impacting people.

Mayim Bialik (1:30)

This is really the perfect conversation to re-air, we think, in honor of World Mental Health Day. It's talking about essentially everything about what we can do to change our mental health and to point us in the right direction.

Jonathan Cohen (1:42)

If you haven't already, check us out on Substack, Mayim Bialik's Breakdown on Substack, where you can get exclusive content not available anywhere else as well as lives with Mayim and I breaking down our episodes.

Mayim Bialik (1:54)

And now we hope you enjoy this particular episode with Johann Hari.

SPEAKER_3 (1:58)

You're listening to a quick ad.

Mayim Bialik (2:00)

You know what else is quick?

Johann Hari (2:01)

Selling your car on Carvana.

Jonathan Cohen (2:03)

Just put in your vehicle information and we'll give you an offer.

SPEAKER_3 (2:07)

Done. No hassle, no negotiation, no guy from an online listing lowballing you. Which means by the time I'm done explaining this, you could have basically done it.

Still haven't started? Hey, better late than never.

Johann Hari (2:25)

Sell your car today on Carvana.

SPEAKER_3 (2:27)

Pickup fees may apply.

Jonathan Cohen (2:29)

Mayim Bialik's Breakdown is supported by Helix Sleep.

Mayim Bialik (2:31)

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Jonathan Cohen (3:29)

That's helixsleep.com/breakdown for 20% off site wide. helixsleep.com/breakdown.

Johann Hari (3:39)

I'm like ridiculously happy to be here.

Mayim Bialik (3:40)

We're so excited to have you in person. And if you didn't hear our first episode, we recommend that people listen to it.

Johann Hari (3:49)

Mainly because it was the peak moment of my life.

Mayim Bialik (3:51)

So tell us what was so special for you about your first time with us.

Johann Hari (3:55)

You know why. And I'll begin to cry if you say it because I'll cry.

Mayim Bialik (3:58)

Deep in left field, this one came out. Johann is a huge Beaches fan.

Johann Hari (4:04)

Deep cut.

Mayim Bialik (4:04)

It was very deep cut. When I was 12, I played the young Bette Midler in the movie Beaches. It was not my first role. But it was kind of the thing that led to really the entirety of my life and career. As we know it, it was after that that I did Blossom.