Why America Feels So Unhappy — with Derek Thompson
Feb 05, 2026•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 382
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Episode description
Journalist Derek Thompson joins Scott Galloway to examine why Americans feel increasingly unhappy — even as many measures of health, safety, and quality of life improve.
They discuss how media incentives and negativity bias distort our perception of reality, why outrage dominates online discourse, and how social comparison and screen-based life erode well-being. Derek also explores the impact of AI on inequality, the promise and limits of GLP-1 drugs, and why progress in technology and health hasn’t translated into greater happiness or connection.
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