Episode · The Mel Robbins Podcast · 2026-09-14
Books mentioned on NYU Professor: Do This for 2 Weeks to Get Your Focus, Motivation, & Life Back
This is one of the most eye-opening conversations Mel has had on the podcast. Today, Dr. Jonathan Haidt joins Mel to explain what constant quick dopamine is doing to attention, motivation, confidence, and mental health - and why the impact looks very different in boys than it does in girls.
Mel Robbins discussed The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. Jonathan Haidt discussed American girls by Nancy Jo Sales, Daring Young Men by Richard Reeves, and Of Boys and Men by Richard Reeves.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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The Anxious Generation
Discussed“the title of your blockbuster bestseller and all this research, the anxious generation is the right title because I know we have a sense that there is something deeply wrong.”
Where to get it
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American girls
Discussed“Also, there's a book called American Girls. It's horrifying. I forget the author, but she goes through how boys use nude pics of their female classmates as currency.”
Where to get it
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Daring Young Men
Discussed“That is as Richard Reeves has shown, he wrote the book of Boys and Men.”
Where to get it
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Of Boys and Men
Discussed“That is as Richard Reeves has shown, he wrote the book of Boys and Men.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (2) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
Plugged The Anxious Generation
“So that's why that's why my group says, we say very clearly in the book, no social media till 16.”
Plugged The Anxious Generation
“Um so that's why that's why my group says we say very clearly in the book, no social media till 16.”