We are all in a very toxic relationship right now. And nobody is talking about it. Could our phones be changing the chemistry of our brains, how we date, how we relate and how we connect? And are most of us too addicted to even notice? In this episode I sit down with my longtime friend Shannon Algeo, therapist and author of The Power In Your Hands, to have the conversation we all desperately need to be having. From dating apps and attachment styles to social media, AI and why an entire generation is having less sex than any before them, this is one of the most important episodes I have recorded in a long time. In this episode we explore: 📱 How smartphones qualify as a behavioral addiction for almost everyone who owns one 💔 Why dating apps create the same intermittent reward pattern as an abusive relationship 🧠 What social media is actually doing to our attention spans memory and empathy 👀 Why Gen Z is having the least sex of any generation and how phones are connected 🎭 The e-persona and why so many people on dating apps never actually want to meet 🌿 What 40 hours completely offline does to your brain and how to actually do it 📵 Practical tools to reclaim your attention and break free from phone addiction 💞 Why deeper relationships are the meaning of life and how our phones are blocking us This is a perfect episode to meet up with your friends, tune into the episode and put your phones down together. Follow Shannon on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannon.algeo/ Get Shannon’s book: https://www.shannonalgeo.com/book Shannon M. Algeo is a Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapist (AMFT 139516) and Registered Associate Professional Clinical Counselor (APCC 13859) in the state of California. He is employed by Ojai Marriage and Family Therapy Inc. and is supervised by a licensed clinician. Sign up this week and get 25% off with this code: 25SWS at checkout! Speak With Soul Course https://sahararosecourses.com/ Make this the year you finally start your podcast movement be personally mentored in a small group setting with me https://sahararosecourses.com/podcast-mentorship Want to dive deeper into your feminine energy? Join The Sacred Feminine Pathway for opening price of only $27 here: https://sahararosecourses.com/sacred-feminine-pathway Stream the Intro + Outro Music: Trust Flow by Sahara Rose ft. WillyNoir here https://open.spotify.com/track/5YJ6t9KWmkD8PK9oOyD4qB and watch the music video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKrYJye7B8k To receive a free womb meditation, email a screenshot of your review of the Highest Self Podcast to sahara@iamsahararose.com Follow me your spiritual bestie to active your fullest expression + laugh along the way: https://www.Instagram.com/iamsahararose https://www.tiktok.com/@iamsahararose https://www.Facebook.com/iamsahararose Order My Books: https://www.iamsahararose.com/books By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that the entire contents are the property of Sahara Rose, or used by Sahara Rose with permission, and are protected under U.S. and international copyright and trademark laws. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of this Podcast may save and use information contained in the Podcast only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission or editing, of this Podcast may be made without the prior written permission of the Sahara Rose, which may be requested by contacting pr@iamsahararose.com. This podcast is for educational purposes only. The host claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the information presented herein. 0:00 Why Our Phones Are the Most Toxic Relationship We Are In 4:00 How Shannon Started Researching Phone Addiction in Grad School 9:00 The Behavioral Addiction Test and Why Most of Us Would Qualify 14:00 What Smartphones Are Doing to Our Attention Spans Memory and Empathy 20:00 Why Social Media Decreases Empathy and Increases Negativity Bias 26:00 The Strange Experiment and What Happens When You Put a Phone Between a Parent and Baby 32:00 Attachment Theory and Why We Are in an Attachment Relationship With Our Phones 38:00 Dating Apps Intermittent Rewards and the Abusive Relationship Pattern 44:00 The E-Persona and Why So Many People on Dating Apps Never Want to Meet 50:00 Why Gen Z Is Having the Least Sex of Any Generation 56:00 Instagram Beauty Standards AI and the Death of Real Attraction 1:02:00 The Light Phone and What 45 Days Without a Smartphone Taught Shannon 1:08:00 How to Create Friction and Guardianship Over Your Own Psyche 1:14:00 Sacred Slow and What 40 Hours Offline Does to Your Brain 1:20:00 Practical Tools to Reclaim Your Attention Right Now 1:25:00 Where to Find Shannon and Get His Book The Power In Your Hands