【AI前沿】NPR’s Manoush Zomorodi talks about living with too much tech

ReportColumnInterviewNPR‚Äôs Manoush Zomorodi talks about living with too much techÔªøHer new book, Body Electric, examines how our constantly connected lives are hurting our physical health.ÔªøHer new book, Body Electric, examines how our constantly connected lives are hurting our physical health.byTerrence O’BrienMay 16, 2026, 3:00 PM UTCLinkShareGiftManoush Zomorodi tackled tech‚Äôs effect on our brains, now she‚Äôs looking at our bodies.Image: Tory WIlliamsTerrence O’Brienis the Verge‚Äôs weekend editor. He has over 18 years of experience, including 10 years as managing editor at Engadget.Manoush Zamorodi is an accomplished reporter, podcast host, and author. Her new book,Body Electric, takes a comprehensive look at how technology is impacting ourphysical health. It‚Äôs a collaboration between NPR and Columbia University Medical Center that picks up where her first title,Bored and Brilliant, left off. That book looked at how technology was hampering our mental health. Ihighly recommendit to anyone who feels like being constantly attached to a device is sapping their energy and creativity.Both books grew out of her extensive podcasting work. After heading up WNYC‚ÄôsNote To Self, Zamorodi went on to host NPR‚ÄôsTED Radio Hour, and even gave a TED Talk of her own in 2017 that has racked upover seven million views. So we wanted to know, how does Manoush stay productive, and what does her current relationship with tech look like?What is the first app you install on a new phone or computer?I was a devoted user of Pocket, the app that saves articles to read later, for over a decade, and was devastated when Mozilla shut it down. I‚Äôve been using Matter ever since, and it seems to do the job just as well, if not better (highlighting actually works!), but I‚Äôve noticed I use it more these days as a repository for research that I want to reference later.What is one thing you wish you could change about your phone?I realllllly wish that I didn‚Äôt have to contort my body to spend time on it. I have a constant low-grade literal pain in my neck that only goes away when I‚Äôm off my phone for a full day. That said, I‚Äôm so not ready to ‚Äúupgrade‚Äù to Meta glasses or anything on my face just yet.How many tabs do you have open right now?37. How embarrassing. They‚Äôre mostly Google Docs, Riverside, LinkedIn, email (opened multiple times), scientific articles, and the Amazon rankings for books. I notice that I get annoyed when I can‚Äôt find the right tab quickly, so I just open a new one. (Hence, Gmail is open in three places)What is your favorite gadget you‚Äôve ever owned?I truly love my AirPods because I can walk and talk unencumbered. Whenever possible, I ask people to do a phone call instead of Zoom. It‚Äôs such an easy way to get some movement into my day, and I pay better attention too.Which was the most disappointing?Oculus. Sits on a shelf.What creation are you most proud of?I am incredibly proud that theBody Electricstudy was accepted for publication in a scientific journal. I‚Äôve been doing interactive projects with tens of thousands of listeners for over a decade, but this is the first one to get the full peer-review treatment. It‚Äôs a real milestone for me as a journalist, wanna-be scientist!What do you do when you‚Äôre feeling stuck?I go for a long, boring walk, even if I don‚Äôt feel like it. Centuries of long walks have produced incredible literature, inventions, and amazing ideas for what to make for dinner. I remind myself of how the body and brain respond to movement, listen to the dull thud thud of my sneakers, and then, within 15 minutes or so, I usually come unstuck.When was the last time you went somewhere without your phone?Never. I have teens and elderly parents. Much as I don‚Äôt always want to be, I need to be reachable.What‚Äôs the last piece of physical media you bought?I buy books non-stop. Reading on paper is the only way I can process a long piece of writing.What do you think is worth splurging on?See above!What would the tagline for your biopic be?Manoush Zomorodi: The woman who never took an Uber if she could get there on foot.What‚Äôs the last GIF or meme you used?Follow topics and authorsfrom this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Terrence O’BrienColumnInterviewReportMost PopularMost PopularMicrosoft starts canceling Claude Code licensesChatbots at the drive-thru are just the beginningHere are 40 of our favorite deals from REI‚Äôs massive Anniversary SaleMicrosoft is retiring Teams‚Äô Together ModeThese are the laptops I recommend for pretty much anyoneThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to ourTermsandPrivacy Notice.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the GooglePrivacy PolicyandTerms of Serviceapply.Advertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native ad