Dr. Kay Tye: The Biology of Social Interactions and Emotions

Media Dynamics

Kay Tye and Andrew Huberman explore the complexities of social media interactions and their impact on emotional well-being. Kay explains that social media often lacks synchronous interaction, which is crucial for meaningful social contact. Andrew adds that social media platforms have crowdsourced social interactions, creating an arena for both positive and negative feedback, which can be overwhelming for the amygdala 1 2.

I basically don't check email or go on social media. I would say I'm on social media or email less than 1 hour per week, basically.

--- Kay Tye

Kay emphasizes the importance of controlling top-down inputs to maintain mental clarity and productivity 1.

   

Interaction Quality

The quality of social interactions significantly impacts mental health and social satisfaction. Kay discusses how real-life interactions involve interbrain synchrony, which is often missing in social media interactions. She notes that social media can create a sense of exclusion and anxiety, as it often involves observing activities one is not part of 3 4.

Social media is operating in a way that is not ethological and not designed to make us feel better. It's just designed to make us want to use it.

--- Kay Tye

Andrew agrees, suggesting that most social media interactions create more social hunger rather than satisfaction 4.

   

Email Management

Effective email management is crucial for productivity and mental health. Kay shares her strategy of limiting email interactions to maintain focus and creativity. She emphasizes the importance of setting boundaries to avoid overcommitment and mental clutter 5.

I can't be creative. I can't have epiphanies. If there's all this clutter of like, writing this person back and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, tweet, tweet.

--- Kay Tye

Andrew praises her approach, noting that it contributes to her high productivity and creativity in research 5.