SPEAKING

Available for Speaking Engagements

I study how technology shapes our happiness, attention, and relationships. As an Associate Professor of Psychology at Georgetown University and director of the Happy Tech Lab, I give talks that turn two decades of research into clear, practical guidance on living well with our digital technologies.

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WHAT I SPEAK ABOUT

  • How smartphones and social media affect well-being, attention, and mental health

  • When putting the phone down actually helps, and when it does not

  • Using technology in ways that support happiness instead of eroding it

  • The real costs and the real benefits of a life lived online

  • How AI is changing the way we create and connect

WHY INVITE ME TO SPEAK?

  • Research that makes news. My studies appear in the world's leading outlets and shape how people think about their screens. My research has been covered by The Washington Post, The New York Times, NPR, The Guardian, BBC, The Economist, TIME, WIRED, National Geographic, CNN, Scientific American, and Forbes. See More HERE.

  • Funded science. My work on social media and adolescent mental health is supported by a $1.5 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Health.

  • A clear presenter. I turn complex findings into talks that audiences remember and can act on.

  • Practical takeaways. Every talk ends with specific things people can try the next day..

Ideal for Events Focused On:

  • Technology and its effect on society

  • Mental health and well-being in a digital age

  • Work and life in an always-on world

  • The future of social media and smartphones

  • AI and its effect on how we think and create

  • Building technology with the user's well-being in mind

SAMPLE Speaking Topics:

  • The Digital Paradox: Why Smartphones Haven't Made Us Happier, and How to Reclaim Our Well-Being

  • Smartphones and Happiness: Finding the Sweet Spot

  • Social Media: Connecting or Disconnecting Us?

  • Does a Digital Detox Work? What the Science Actually Shows

  • Kids, Screens, and Parents: What the Research Says

  • What Makes Us Happy? Lessons from the Science of Well-Being

  • Will AI Make Us More Creative, or All Sound the Same?

  • Working With AI Without Losing Your Voice

  • AI and Well-Being: The Promise and the Peril of Mental Health Tech?

 

FEATURED TALKS

The Digital Paradox: Why Smartphones Haven't Made Us Happier and How to Reclaim Our Well-Being. Association for Behavior Analysis International Annual Convention, Washington, DC.

The art and science of happiness: Practical tools for helping kids and parents thrive emotionally. Champions for Children, Bethesda, MD.

What parents and practitioners need to know about smartphones: The psychological impact of digital media. Child Psychiatry Grand Rounds, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC.

Is your smartphone making you unhappy? Not exactly. American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.

All Talks