This week we're covering chapter eight, "Spiritual Elevation and Degradation" from The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. In this chapter, Haidt explores how the decline of spiritual and communal practices has impacted the mental health of young people in the digital age. He argues that humans have a natural inclination toward spiritual experiences, which historically provided meaning, connection, and transcendence through shared rituals and beliefs. However, the rise of technology, particularly smartphones and social media, has replaced these uplifting experiences with shallow, individualistic, and often degrading digital interactions. Haidt suggests that this shift has left Generation Z more disconnected, anxious, and spiritually unmoored, as virtual environments fail to fulfill the human need for awe, purpose, and community. He emphasizes the importance of fostering real-world spiritual practices, such as mindfulness, religious engagement, or nature-based experiences, to counteract the negative effects of digital overload. The chapter calls for a cultural reclamation of sacred, embodied experiences to restore mental and emotional well-being in young people. If you want to join the discussion, please click here to join our online book club community! Head to patreon.com/theslpbookclub/membership to become an SLP Book Club supporter! You'll get episodes early and ad-free and a resource from Laura's TPT store every month. You can check out Adrianne's new app, Say Hello, by going to sayhellospeech.com/say-hello-app . View the app in the Apple App Store here and on Google Play here . If you love what we're doing at the SLP Book Club, please consider leaving us a 5-star rating and review wherever you listen. This is the best way to support the podcast and help other SLPs and educators find us! Join the discussion on instagram @slp_bookclub . Find us on TikTok @theslpbookclub . A lot of the resources mentioned in the podcast are free to download in the Laura G SLP store on TPT, find them here! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
