Nov. 25, 2024
Conversation to focus on ‘The Anxious Generation’
CONWAY, Ark. (Arkansas PBS) — As part of its Arkansas Live initiative, Arkansas PBS will livestream Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art’s sold-out event “An Evening With Author Jonathan Haidt and Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders” Thursday, Dec. 5, at 6 p.m. at myarpbs.org/arkansasliveplaylist.
This conversation will feature Jonathan Haidt, author of the acclaimed book “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness,” and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, education advocate, champion of phone-free schools and mother of three. The talk will be moderated by Crystal Bridges Board Chair Olivia Walton.
A social psychologist at New York University’s Stern School of Business, Haidt’s research examines the intuitive foundations of morality and how morality varies across cultures. The author’s goal is to help people understand each other, live and work near each other, and even learn from each other despite their moral differences.
Since 2018, Haidt has been studying the contributions of social media to the decline of teen mental health. His most recent book, “The Anxious Generation,” explores how in the early 2010s there were two major interlocking changes to childhood: the loss of the play-based childhood and rise of the phone-based childhood.
In May 2024, Gov. Sanders sent a copy of “The Anxious Generation” to every Arkansas legislator and U.S. governor to ignite a conversation and spur action to combat the youth mental health crisis. In July, she launched a phone-free schools initiative inspired by Haidt’s research.
This talk will outline what happened, what’s at risk with this anxious generation, and, most importantly, how to reverse these trends.
Haidt received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992 and taught for 16 years in the department of psychology at the University of Virginia. He has co-founded a variety of organizations and collaborations that apply moral and social psychology, including HeterodoxAcademy.org, The Constructive Dialogue Institute and EthicalSystems.org.
Haidt is the author of “The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom” and of The New York Times bestsellers “The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion” and “The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up a Generation for Failure” (co-authored with Greg Lukianoff). He has written more than 100 academic articles, which have been cited nearly 100,000 times. In 2019 he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and was chosen by Prospect magazine as one of the world’s “Top 50 Thinkers.” He has given four TED talks.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders is the 47th Governor of Arkansas. Inaugurated on Jan. 10, 2023, she is the first woman to serve as governor of the state and currently is the youngest governor in the country.
Since taking office, Sarah has enacted meaningful reforms to Arkansas’ education system. Those include Arkansas LEARNS, legislation that includes higher teacher pay and universal school choice. In July 2024, she launched a statewide phone-free schools and mental health pilot program.
Sarah served as White House Press Secretary from 2017 to 2019, only the third woman – and the very first mom – to ever hold the job of White House Press Secretary. She has previously worked in leadership roles for U.S. Senators, governors and presidential campaigns, including in the Department of Education during President George W. Bush’s administration.
Sarah grew up in Pine Bluff and Texarkana and is a proud graduate of Little Rock Central High and Ouachita Baptist University. She lives in Little Rock with her husband, Bryan, their children Scarlett, Huck and George, and their golden retriever, Traveler.
“An Evening With Author Jonathan Haidt and Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders” is made possible by Walton Family Foundation, Andrea Albright and MailCO USA.
Arkansas Live is an initiative from Arkansas PBS that brings compelling special events directly to Arkansans via vivid, multi-camera livestreaming. Viewers gain front row access to some of the most in-demand events across the state, including livestreams from Crystal Bridges, Arkansas Department of Heritage, Winthrop Rockefeller Institute, and more.
About Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
The mission of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is to welcome all to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that unites the power of art with the beauty of nature. Since opening in 2011, the museum has welcomed more than 12.2 million visitors across its spaces, with no cost for admission. Crystal Bridges was founded in 2005 as a nonprofit charitable organization by arts patron and philanthropist Alice Walton. The collection spans five centuries of American masterworks from early American to current day and is enhanced by temporary exhibitions. The museum is nestled on 120 acres of Ozark landscape and was designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie. A rare Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house was preserved and relocated to the museum grounds in 2015. Crystal Bridges offers public programs including lectures, performances, classes and teacher development opportunities. Some 418,375 school children have participated in the Willard and Pat Walker School Visit program, which provides educational experiences for school groups at no cost to the schools. Additional museum amenities include a restaurant, gift store, library, and five miles of art and walking trails. In February 2020, the museum opened the Momentary in Downtown Bentonville (507 SE E Street), conceived as a platform for the art, food and music of our time. In 2026, Crystal Bridges will complete a nearly 100,000 square foot expansion that will allow the museum to expand access for all. For more information, visit CrystalBridges.org. The museum is located at 600 Museum Way, Bentonville, Arkansas 72712.
About Arkansas PBS
Arkansas PBS, Arkansas’s only statewide public media network, empowers learners of all ages by educating, informing, entertaining and inspiring communities. Arkansas PBS serves as a daily and essential resource for Arkansans by creating, sharing, celebrating and driving conversation around Arkansas stories and classic, trusted PBS programs through multiple digital platforms, including livestreaming at myarpbs.org/live, on-demand services and YouTube TV, and the distinct channels Arkansas PBS, Arkansas PBS Create, Arkansas PBS KIDS, Arkansas PBS WORLD and Arkansas PBS AIRS on SAP. Members with Arkansas PBS Passport have extended on-demand access to a rich library of public television programming. Arkansas PBS depends on the generosity of Arkansans and the State of Arkansas to continue offering quality programming. Additional information is available at myarkansaspbs.org. Arkansas PBS is broadcast on KETS (Little Rock), KEMV (Mountain View), KETG (Arkadelphia), KAFT (Fayetteville), KTEJ (Jonesboro), KETZ (El Dorado), KETS (Russellville), KETS (Forrest City), KETS (Gaither) and KETS (Yancy).
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