Johann always blows me away with his stories and knowledge 🤯…. Could I ask you to do me a favour and hit the like and subscribe button, helps this podcast massively - thank you all x

My phone is always on silent, no vibrate no alerts. 3 people know if they were to call me my phone will ring. All other numbers are silent. I deleted Facebook 10 years ago and that was a game changer for my family and business. No TikTok, no Snapchat and no IG. I actually walk my dog and notice the new leaves on a tree growing in Spring. We now spend more time outside riding bikes and roller blading. Our cell phones go in the room and stay there till morning, we never look at them. What’s changed? I’m happy, we’re happy. 😁

Impressive how he can recall all the proffessors names locations e.g with so much ease - - just wow -- what a memory

i once forgot my phone at home...i thought uh oh, i felt a bit naked and lost...then I got on the train...looked around...went to work as normal and the whole day i wasn't checking for messages or answering phone calls seeing which agent had gotten me a job...utter peace. And I am not even addicted to my phone as much as others. I also remember going to Iceland with my sister marvelling at the geysers...we were taking photos of when the hot geothermic water would shoot into the sky...but because i had a camera stuck to my face....i didn't experience it...or i experienced it with a filter over the top. So we decided to put our camera down and when the water shot up again....it just felt amazing and I could share the euphoria and release with the crowd. I love listening to Mr.Hari's wisdom.

1hr and 40 minutes of two exceptional people talking about a wonderfully important (albeit potential unpopular) topic. Almost every day, both Johann Hari & Steven Bartlett add enormous value into my life. In a world where many mainstream journalists are emphatically adding to the fear and loathing of life across societies, Johann will always remind me that authentic, meaningful journalism does still exist, it’s just unfortunately less commonplace. Thank you Steven and Johann, this podcast is probably more important than 99% of people might realise.

I stopped watching @ 27:13 to walk to my local library to find a hard copy of this geniuses book and on my way I looked around me, at the world I lived in, looked at the use of technology replacing human interaction, and my heart sank. I felt lost and alone around a thousand people who wouldn’t look up unless to move around me. I don’t think any young persons perception of the future is clear, but as a 23 year old college student just starting out in the big “real” world in this day and age, I stood outside the library wondering, feeling my phone going off in my pocket, just wondering where I’ll be years from that moment. Where will our continuously advancing world take me? What would my children’s lives be like if this focus problem is only starting to be realized? Will there even be physical libraries or would the one I’m standing outside of right now be turned into an exhibit that only existed in virtual reality tours that showed what was, hasn’t been, and never will be again, so my great grand kids could look at the building standing still with next Gen XR Glasses in amazement for only seconds just as I would and did at my grandfathers first typewriter? Scary.

I just finished reading Stolen Focus and I am delighted to see Steven that you interviewed Johann. It is an amazing book. I love the amount of ground the book covers regarding the ways our attention and ability to think is being robbed from us on so many fronts. I originally was looking for a book on ADHD and with Johann’s book I found so much more. It is scary it is happening and that attention problems aren’t just those of us with ADHD. We are all being torn apart mentally in ways we don’t even understand and could never have been prepared for. His book is an urgent message to us all and one we all need to get together and do something about.

Raise your kids with the INTRO alone.... AN asset to our land, Bless him. PLUS THE HOST 😉

I began watching this while working on some 'easier' tasks at work. I am 15 mins in and have paused it as Johann has already made me realise that anything I want to fully understand requires my full attention. I'll continue when I'm less busy, I can already see where I need to apply that level of distraction less focus in other areas of life.

Between '82 and '97 , I was a 2nd grade teacher dealing with ADHD and Ritalin in my students. Born in 1955, I'm certain I had it before it was given a name. I'm certain thousands of abused children had it. I was brutally disciplined and learned to manage my behavior to avoid abuse. I still struggle with symptoms today. I have no doubt it's aggravated by emotional and environmental pollution

KZfaq suggested this channel to me. Is it because it’s proven to be ‘addictive’? Or is it because it’s proven to be good? Language is a powerful reframe. Optimising for what is good, entertaining, beautiful, delicious, moving...is a natural law simply mimicked by algorithms. Survival of the fittest. Can it be potentially harmful? Yes. Why? Because it leaves us at the mercy of our self discipline. And that’s tough. Incredibly tough. Maybe the most powerful thing is interviews like these, creating awareness around WHY we need to exercise discipline around social media. Just like creating awareness around why we need to exercise discipline around sugar...TV...sedentary modern lifestyles. We live in a world continually optimised for comfort and pleasure. Many of us enjoy incredible freedom and wealth. The most powerful lessons we need right now are around the value of discomfort and self discipline. Things that Jonathan and Steven have both embraced in order to build success in their respective fields.

I'm 80. A widow. Live alone in a big city, no friends or family here. I'm not depressed, but I AM unfocussed. Can't read books and have to listen to audiobooks (they're brilliant !). Can't learn anything because I can't focus. Fortunately, I'm bright and there's already quite a lot of my head. Johann is becoming a kind of hero, in spite of the irony of finding him through the Internet ... I've read about his earlier period, so am not falsely hero-worshipping - just amazed by his ability to say things that are entirely meaningful. I'm hoping that my next stage is going to be developing the ability to use them.

One of the best intros in the history of DOAC so far, imo...

Johan is a great person! I believe every single word he said! So much passion, hearth and soul in his speeches. Steve, thank you for such unbelievable guests!

This guy is brilliant. So little do I ever sit through and watch an entire podcast. But Johann has a way with telling stories in an incredibly captivating way. 10/10 podcast.

Mind blown……..again! Thanks Steven, what a gift to the world Johann is and what a huge sense of gratitude I feel to you for curating such an incredible group of guests on your world-class podcast, it’s changing my life one episode at a time ❤️

SUCH a valuable interview!! I feel like I just attended a university lecture. Was in a total FLOW when listening to him x

Steven's point on 'books not having comment sections' is fantastic. It's also fascinating to think that users just copy the narrative denounced by whoever is top comment. I've never thought about this but frankly I'm not surprised. It holds congruent to philosopher Rene Girard's Mimetic Theory. "“Man is the creature who does not know what to desire, and he turns to others in order to make up his mind. We desire what others desire because we imitate their desires.” - Rene Girard Mimetic theory shows how disturbingly heard like people become in many different contexts. Mimetic imitation drives social groups in ways that are seemingly insane. It's the reason people crowd the same market stall when there are other stalls with no customers. It's the reason that everybody wears the same North Face puffer jacket. It's the reason everybody 'likes' the same top of the charts substandard musician. In the case of what Steven is saying, it's the reason everybody follows the narrative of the top comment. It's because people don't know how to feel or what they desire to feel from his posts. They would rather imitate/support the consensus of the most upvoted top comments narrative. This is comment is obviously rambling, but I do really find this point fascinating.

"This is guaranteeing that you're missing out" - What a sudden and striking realisation. I'm guilty of it myself. I stand on my phone while my son plays and what Johann says here felt like a knife to the heart. I'm done with social media now.

Johann changed my life and many of my clients with his book 'Lost Connections' 💗

This is the best interview I have ever listened to in my entire (not that long yet) life. Clear, simple, touching, thought provoking.

I could listen to Johann talk all day, such a wealth of knowledge and great information.

Johann Hari is one of my heroes.

This episode deserves waaay more view! he is brilliant.thank you both I learned a lot ❤

Wow wow wow wow , I am stunned at this podcast, completely in awe at Johann’s knowledge and has truly changed my perspective on how I spend my time ✨

Whilst listening to this I've looked up cooking yorkshire pudding, cooked my lunch, washed the dishes, checked my phone 4 times, got my painting out, put it away. Doh! This is eye opening, pristine explanation of what is going on with me. A mere 5 generations ago we were in horse and carts. The flow state I get in when I paint is when I do my best work by far. I am switching my phone off more and more these days and feel better for it.

His books are my favorite from the last 10 years, his topics and the way he approach them is so powerful, he definitely changed the way I see things in life. Can`t wait to see him on the 2nd of June in Cluj-Napoca. Thank you so much for having him invited!

This has encouraged me to delete socials for a little while... long overdue but this has been the push I needed.

This has to be one of the best you’ve done 👏🏽 thank you Steven & Johann!

This video is just great. It's been like attending a class at university and leaving feeling that you actually learned something important about a subject we should all be studying or --at least-- be aware of.

I’ve watched this after I read the book and it’s been worth having the key messages reinforced in this interview. READ THE BOOK. The clarity with which Hari describes the symptoms I’ve been feeling creep and grow in myself and in society around me was reassuring but has also helped me see that the change required is systemic and needs cooperation. He doesn’t mention here but in the book he lists groups and movements which are fighting the good fight on a number of fronts. Worth joining in and supporting l. I don’t mean that in some kind of socialist worker style rally or fight the power bullshit way but conscious rebuttal is needed from folk otherwise we are sleepwalking into a horrible future. Well done Johann 👏🏽

This interview was so on time! Johann pointed out so many important and relevant points which I thought were just my own problems when in fact they're proven problems. Like the cost of switching between tasks. Such a relief to know it's not my own shortcoming in simply our brains not being wired for it!

I love all the metaphors Johan uses. Thank you both xx

Thanks for this, another book to order!! So much for me to ponder on, I really appreciate his inteligence, dry humour and honesty.

This is such a powerful discussion as it really gets to the crux of the question… what type of society do we want

19:17 WOW!!! This message stopped me in my tracks and made me realize I’m am on track to be like his godson if I don’t take action now… starting IMMEDIATELY I am making a change… I will be separating myself from this phone an hour at a time!!!! 🥳🥳🥳

Brilliant! Thank you guys for keeping us informed and educating us.

Very relatable conversation to the world we live in today. Thank you - Loved this and love him!! I want the book

I have been blessed with very kind, loving, disciplined, good natured, hard working 15 year old twin sons, but of late and probably with lockdowns not helping, they have been using social media way more than I would like! I have given them the whole speech about algorithms, data harvesting and social credit systems blah blah, blah! Anyway I asked them today to put their phone down and watch this episode with me. When they saw it was 1.38 one started bargaining to chop it down and watch it in bits, well I agreed 🤫 well we all put the phones down. They watched the lot 🤨 Then deleted tic Tok! Luckily FB is for old people and they only browse Insta, so with help of you guys, I hope I have reeled them back in just in time 🤞🏽They as with so many kids, have real potential but their focus is constantly being sabotaged. I wish more parents would take time to sit and watch this with their kids. So I am sending big love and a Thank you for this episode 🙏🏽 ……… justification that Mum ain’t always talking waz 🤣

This may be the best one on the channel

One of my favourite episodes to date. Johann is so captivating, a great guest and I can’t wait to read his new book!

you have no idea how I am grateful for this conversation .I wish everyone can see this

I just love love love Johann always learn so much from him and it’s mind blowing. Big fan!!

So glad I found this. Absolutely phenomenal podcast and VITAL information we all need

Love the way he so easily explains and conveys his message. I love it when people drop studies and quotes so easily into conversation shows how in depth they know what they are speaking about. Curating a positive social media feed is amazing, very conscious about shaping the way my son consumes media as a baby.

This conversation was so genuine, Johann is such a humble guy and thank you steven for this podcast, attention deficit is my main issue for so long, i hope i can help myself ❣

I'm sharing this on Tribel in hopes as many people watch it as possible. I want to sit the whole nation down to watch this podcast! That book sounds like a must-read. Thank you so much.

Just wow. Johann is pure gems and gold nuggets. I love his ability to be such a good story teller whilst incorporating facts and figures and still keeping me hooked! I recently purchased Lost Connections and I'll definitely be getting Stolen Focus. Incredible episode.

Attention is also needed to avoid accidents. Just thinking about a story i read today about a lorry driver ploughing into cars on a motorway killing 3 people because he was on the phone looking at dating sites. If we aren't focused on what we are doing, we aren't doing our jobs. just wanna say i can't understand why you haven't got 5million or more subscribers...feels like i stumbled onto something special.

I agree completely that focus is one of the most powerful tools that if someone manage to acquire, they become unstoppable. Because when you are present at the moment nearly 💯 percent, you can grab any concepts really faster, learn faster, do better and effect more profoundly. In my opinion internet is incredible and is really useful, but we have to learn how to spend our time in it and don't allow unimportant and irrelevant contents in internet spoil our life and take our time from our control. ❤️🤓

My son is 33 and introduced me to you! Wow, you truely cover everything that all human beings could use to heal and grow. Thankyou Johann. Humanity needs your methods in true life education to grow and continue to exist. 🙏 Namaste

Wow, just wow, this topic is fascinating to me and definitely, one of the most pertinent topics to be addressed in our current days. From everything I've learned with this 1 interview, it's made me a better mum to my 2 young children. I can only say a massive THANK YOU to both of you, and can't wait for the book!

Absolutely love these podcasts!

one of my favourites, this one. Ive been aware of my own urge to express passion and and the voice in my head is abit apologetic about it, but most people i talk with support it. This helped me to see that the passion or the emotion is the medium and our power/choice is in being curious about our own health rather than status. Thank you for sharing these videos, they make me more optimistic and definately makes clraning more fun :)

Haven’t heard/seen Johann before on your show, he is a guy you could listen too all day/ night long, really addictive. Fantastic guest really relatable. Defo going to buy his book 😊

Honestly my favorite episode so far and just discovering it a year after posting. I have been dealing with decay for a few years now and this discussion has opened my eyes. Great guest and discussion.

When Johann was telling the Jungle room story I literally screamed out of frustration

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this podcast. It's given me a lot to think about in regards to how I can bring back my ability to pay attention. The book is on its way and I'm looking forward to reading it.

This was one of the most interesting of these podcasts, out of so many. I'm going to watch this one again definitely.

The talk on sleep brought me back to my younger years. The abuse I put my mind and body through with lack of sleep, poor sleep consistency, and poor nutrition is shocking. I used to work third shift, then go to university courses, then take care of the children after childcare, then back to work third shift again, then finally sleep around 8am to around 2-3 in the afternoon to pick up the kids. The long stretches were awake for 36+ hours straight. Thank goodness it was only a temporary schedule for a year. Took a toll nonetheless

So good. Thank you both for a real dialog about todays relevant topics. 😊

These are such amazing conversations Steven. Johann is just so interesting. As a parent this information is just so important for developing mindful approaches to managing tech as a family. I'm a recent viewer but absolutely hooked!

I've just relistened to this powerful podcast. It's so uplifting and raises such important issues which need attention in our current times. I know I'll be back here again soon to relisten.

Thoroughly enjoyed this masterpiece. Huge food for thought and so eloquently delivered. Thank you. My 17yr old son will greatly benefit from me showing him.....let’s just hope his attention span is longer than a minute!

Hey Steven, c'mon man. I keep searching for people I find in other places and constantly you're popping up at the top. It's incredible. Do you have everyone on your podcast? I just can't keep the pace. I want to listen to everything, but you're on a roll. Congrats on the work!

This is perfect timing for me spent the past week watching everything I can find on KZfaq with Johann. In the middle of watching Steves podcast with True Geordie on the True Geordie KZfaq channel and I look up Steve Bartlet on KZfaq and I come across this video and the Jordan B Peterson video really excited to watch these!

Johann is amazing!! Thank you for having him on again ❤

Steven.. I have been listening to a podcast everyday. And just simply. Thank you. Honestly. That's it just thank you

Whenever my attention starts going more and more to my phone/social media I get to a point where I think "right, enough is enough, I need to stop this, I need to be stronger, I need to effectively beat the system" and it is always something I seem to put back on myself with "I'm too weak, or my attention span is too short" this is the first thing I've heard that has taken it away and put it back on these screens/devices and apps that are designed knowingly to invade our attention. I really really needed to hear this

OMG, this is exactly what I needed to hear!! I have been saying for years that students have a huge lack-of-focus problem. I really didn't know what to do about it and I was sure that it was a societal thing. This has really been refreshing to hear because it is never spoken about and me voicing these things in meetings felt like I was an outcast. And much just like you guys, I feel that shortened, shallow focus being something that is also happening to me. So thanks a million to both of you for this podcast. Suscribed!!

This was a great talk and I learned so much about focus. I don’t think the title does it much justice though. It is about so much more than procrastination. There are so many important takeaways. Thank you both

So powerful, so true. The most present people are who inspire me. We must retain presence. It's my biggest worry for future generations and for my family and my children when I become a dad.

Loved this. listening while training with my Kettlebells . Will be implementing some of the ideas discussed in your talk within my lifestyle 😊

Great content, great conversation. Really important subject. Thanks and congrats from Spain!

I am not great at focusing , but watched all of this , loved it , got so much out of this episode x

The way Johann articulates his views, I could listen to him over and over again. Such a great guest. Steve, you did well on this one.

Just 20 minutes into the video and I am wishing I knew this before. Just related to this 100%, so glad to be learning about this. Thank you both.

Thank you, Johann Hari. I just turned off recommendations off in my KZfaq settings. This is a positive start.

no exaggeration this episode has changed my life, the way I see the world can never be the same. great guest didn't miss one second.

This topic was a revelation and yet so obvious at the same time! 😊

Inspired everytime Johann. Thank You. Really fantastic work.

This was a fantastic watch. Thank you so much, Steven for another extremely valuable conversation, and having Johann back again and again. I’ve been struggling with the focus deficit issues from a bigger picture in my relationship, and I’m excited to see how reading Stolen Focus will help me with shifting or helping my perspective. I want so deeply to know how to help this situation, and it will always start with myself. ✨🖤

Excellent discussion!!!!! 👏👏👏 Thank you!

One of the best episodes. Thanks Steve.

I hope Johann Hari goes down in history for this. Sad that Steven Bartlett doesn't believe in change of the business model of attention theft, but glad that Johann was ready with an example of how things really can change. They have changed before and they will change again. Years ago nobody could believe that the next generation would drastically reduce drinking and smoking, or that smoking would be banned indoors. Plenty things have happened.

Ah this was great! You two are great together, I really enjoyed you challenging Johann, it created such a deep and thought provoking conversation. Awesome, as always Steven 👏 x

What an amazing episode, thank you all.

This particular interview was just awesome, helped me a lot! Thank you!

My goodness when he brought up that HP study, that was very eye opening. Imagine how much could be produced if we all had a singular focus for a time blocked segment of the day.

As a parent with 3 young adults this message is so important , another amazing guest

I enjoyed this conversation very much. Gratitude 🙏

Johann is my favourite of all guests. The depth and passion he puts into his work is just amazing. Can't wait to read this book!

Great episode….from a nearly 66 woman trying to keep up. Thank you. 😀

Bartlett again provides me with the exact episode I desperately needed!! Thanks brother 👌💚

This came right when i needed it, im getting off this shitty drug. No more wasting my life on the internet. Got to get my life back💯

Thank you very much for this brilliant and insightful guest and interview! Together with your other podcast's episode with Jay Shetty, Mo Gawdat, Kevin Hartl and Tracey Cox, was this one with Johann Hari one of my most favourite and meaningful ones! Thank you for the opportunity to "meet" this great and inspiring people including you! All the best to everyone :)

Great podcast, really insightful content. Smart watches are the new scourge on our attention in my opinion - constant inescapable interruptions until you take it off and turn it off, yet users often forget to reply to messages or act on notifications. I choose to stick to an old fashioned analogue watch for this reason.

Wow.. yet another fantastic interview and conversation, I see these as conversations rather than interviews really, even though they're Steven's guests, I always learn from Steven just as much and this conversation in particular sparked my interest as it's an area I was struggling with from 2016 to 2020. Since then I've discovered many ways, for me, to improve my focus, which starts with nutrition and brain health. What I found truly fascinating though, is Johann's perspective on how Social Media companies engineer their products to literally steel our focus and we, as the people, have the power to change this... I see the problem being, convincing so many people, who are likely unaware that Social Media companies are doing this, to adopt this stance as they're most likely enjoying their current usage, oblivious that their focus is being affected. I hope that bringing awareness to this issue, as Johann has so expertly done through this conversation, helps put pressure on this much needed change.

This was great. I loved the discussion about "flow state"

Awesome podcast with a lot of insightful knowledge. It was in line with a book i was already reading about focus.