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The Science Of Spacing Out

WUNC | By Laura Pellicer,
Frank Stasio
Published September 5, 2017 at 12:12 PM EDT
Excessive screen time may have a debilitating effect on our creativitiy.
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Excessive screen time may have a debilitating effect on our creativitiy.

Manoush Zomorodi, host of WNYC tech podcast “Note to Self,” has spent years thinking about how people interact with technology. Zomorodi led tens of thousands of listeners through an experiment to help them unplug from their devices. 

Manoush Zomorodi, host of WNYC tech podcast “Note to Self,” talks about the neuroscience and psychology of mind wandering.

She documents and expands upon the results in the new book “Bored and Brilliant: Rediscovering the Lost Art of Spacing Out” (St. Martin’s Press/2017). Host Frank Stasio talks with Zomorodi about the neuroscience and psychology of mind wandering.

Zomorodi will be speaking about her book on Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. at North Carolina State University’s James B. Hunt Library in Raleigh. 

Copyright 2017 North Carolina Public Radio
Laura Pellicer
Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.
See stories by Laura Pellicer
Frank Stasio
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
See stories by Frank Stasio