Manoush Zomorodi and Melissa Painter: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age

Manoush Zomorodi and Melissa Painter: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age

Author: Commonwealth Club of California July 21, 2026 Duration: 1:06:57
Screens—all the time, everywhere, it seems. We sit at our desks facing screens, hold meetings over screens, answer email after email on them. You’ve heard about the mental health harms of screens, but what about the physical ones? Headaches, back pain, restless sleep, and rising rates of preventable disease. Manoush Zomorodi, host of the TED Radio Hour, says technology is breaking us down, and she comes to Commonwealth Club World Affairs to share her investigation into how our digital lives are changing the way we think, learn and feel. It’s a topic she explores in her new book Body Electric. From breath and eyesight to blood pressure, posture, and productivity, she says science has shown how small shifts—not “digital detoxes”—can make us healthier, and all we need is five minutes. Melissa Painter, founder and CEO of Breakthru, will be joining Manoush Zomorodi. Painter is a pioneer in human-embodied intelligence, spatial computing, and kinetic literacy, working to redefine how we interact with technology to protect human health and cognitive performance. Her work bridges the gap between emergent technology and the physical self, creating practical avenues for embodied practices in an increasingly sedentary, screen-saturated world.  This program contains EXPLICIT language. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For nearly a century, the Commonwealth Club of California Podcast has served as a vital platform for civic dialogue, directly from the nation's largest public affairs forum. Each episode captures live, thoughtful conversations with leading voices from across the political spectrum and various fields, all committed to exploring the most pressing issues of our time. As a nonpartisan and nonprofit operation, the Club’s priority is substance over soundbite, fostering a depth of discussion that is increasingly rare. You’ll hear authors, policymakers, scientists, and cultural figures engage in nuanced debates and detailed analyses, reflecting a genuine diversity of perspectives. This isn't just a recording of events; it's an ongoing, accessible chronicle of American and global thought. The audio you find in this podcast feed originates from the longest-running weekly radio broadcast of its kind in the United States, a tradition started in 1924, now shared with a modern audience. Updated frequently throughout the week, the feed ensures you have direct access to a forum where complex ideas about government, society, and current events are given the time and respect they deserve. Tune in for a consistently enlightening experience that challenges assumptions and provides context far beyond the daily headlines.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

Commonwealth Club of California Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Dusty Baker: A Memoir in Baseball and Life [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:17
Join us in-person or online as legendary baseball player and manager Dusty Baker explores his extraordinary career, one filled with invaluable lessons on perseverance, leadership, and how to live life meaningfully on the…
Joanna Stern: I Am Not a Robot [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:50
We keep being told that artificial intelligence is going to help us do just about everything. Make us healthy. Personally tutor each student. Run our businesses efficiently. Make our decisions. Even fold our laundry. As…
AI for Good: In Climate, Health and Investing [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:28:22
When should artificial intelligence supplant human intelligence? And when should human intelligence lead? For climate action, for impacts on health, for investing and portfolios, where can AI tools multiply productivity—…
Ben Rhodes: All We Say, The Battle for American Identity [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:51
What does it mean to be American? Who gets to decide? Americans have debated those questions for 250 years. The issue of what it means to be an American shaped the compromises in the Constitution and the arguments we’ve…