Manoush Zomorodi is the host and managing editor of the podcast Note to Self from WNYC Studios.
Every week on her podcast, Manoush searches for answers to life’s digital quandaries, through experiments and conversations with listeners and experts. Topics include information overload, digital clutter, sexting “scandals," and the eavesdropping capabilities of our gadgets.
Her book, Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self, is based on an experiment she did with tens of thousands of her listeners in 2015.
Prior to New York Public Radio, Manoush reported and produced around the world for BBC News and Thomson Reuters. Manoush grew up in Princeton, New Jersey and went to Georgetown University. She lives with her family in Brooklyn.
Shows:
Manoush Zomorodi appears in the following:
'Ted Radio Hour': How to embrace the embarrassing
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
NPR's TED Radio Hour looks into the science of awkward psychological traits and the crossover between awkwardness and autism.
Body Electric Challenge: Start the new year off with movement breaks
Tuesday, January 09, 2024
NPR's Leila Fadel talks to Manoush Zomorodi, host of NPR's TED Radio Hour and the Body Electric Challenge, about an invitation to inject prescribed doses of movement into participants' lives.
How a group home for seniors became a safe haven for healing
Friday, November 10, 2023
Following a devastating accident, a 22-year-old Ramona Pierson spent 18 months in a coma. She awoke unsure if she'd ever recover. But she did, in an unexpected safe haven — a group home for seniors.
Uruguay is a renewable energy utopia. How did it get there?
Friday, November 10, 2023
In five years, Uruguay transformed its grid. Now 98% of its energy comes from renewables. Former national director of energy, Ramón Méndez Galain, recounts his country's path and how to replicate it.
Amid conflict and difficulty, can we ever find paradise?
Friday, November 10, 2023
Writer Pico Iyer has crisscrossed the globe looking for paradise and different cultures' notions of it. Amid conflict and difficulty, he asks if it can ever be found.
What happens when Paradise goes up in flames?
Friday, November 10, 2023
Paradise is a real place, and for many, the California town was utopia--until the fire. We hear from residents and wildfire expert George Whitesides, who says a safer wildfire season is possible.
Listeners joined 'Body Electric' study to move throughout the day. Did it work?
Wednesday, November 08, 2023
The NPR series, "Body Electric," has the results of the study into screen time, movement and better health. Follow along with the series at npr.org/bodyelectric or on the TED Radio Hour podcast feed.
'Body Electric' examines the connection between social media and depression rates
Wednesday, November 01, 2023
Researchers study the psychological effects of time spent online, and what impact that can have on our physical health. Follow the series at npr.org/bodyelectric or on the TED Radio Hour podcast feed.
'Body Electric': Side effects of technology, such as sitting, are hard on our posture
Tuesday, October 24, 2023
The special NPR series Body Electric examines how technology is affecting our posture. You can follow along with the series at npr.org/bodyelectric or on the TED Radio Hour podcast feed.
Battling Putin with punk rock — Pussy Riot and the consequences of protest
Friday, October 20, 2023
The feminist punk music group, Pussy Riot, is a symbol of resistance against Putin's regime. Co-founder Nadya Tolokonnikova tells the story of her arrest and her ongoing fight for a freer Russia.
Who is allowed to tell certain stories?
Friday, October 20, 2023
Sarah Jones' film Sell/Buy/Date explored different perspectives on sex work. Critics said she had no place in that conversation, sparking an important debate: Who is allowed to tell certain stories?
When the proverbial 'seat at the table' is not what you expect it to be
Friday, October 20, 2023
When Lilly Singh became the first bisexual woman of color to host a late-night network TV show, she thought she got a seat at the table. But she found a situation where it was impossible to succeed.
How our tech habits are causing our eyes to elongate which causes myopia
Wednesday, October 18, 2023
The latest episode in the NPR special series "Body Electric" examines the alarming rise in nearsightedness among young people, and how technology plays a role.
Can we combat our sedentary lives? New podcast series 'Body Electric' investigates
Tuesday, October 10, 2023
Our bodies aren't designed for spending hours in a chair. Body Electric examines how we can change the relationship between technology and our bodies to sit less, get off our screens and feel better.
No parent is perfect! So try to get good at repair
Friday, October 06, 2023
No parent is perfect. We all make mistakes. That's why clinical psychologist Becky Kennedy says repairing a relationship with a child is the most important skill a parent can have.
How Indigenous guardian programs can help the land and the people taking care of it
Friday, October 06, 2023
Valérie Courtois works with Indigenous Nations to preserve and protect lands and waters across Canada, and she says healing our relationship to the land can help us heal too.
Death is inevitable—why don't we talk about it more
Friday, October 06, 2023
Death is hard to talk about. But death doula Alua Arthur says if we want to live presently and die peacefully, we have to radically reshape our relationship with death.
How Our Tech Changes Our Bodies
Wednesday, October 04, 2023
How much do we have to move to make up for sedentary jobs? A new podcast tries to find out about that and the many ways our tech affects our bodies.
How labor unions shaped America
Friday, September 22, 2023
Labor unions brought us the weekend, social security and health insurance. Political scientist Margaret Levi explains the history of unions and calls for a 21st-century revival of the labor movement.
Why we think working hard makes you a good person
Friday, September 22, 2023
Working hard shows others that we're reliable. But work for work's sake has taken over, leading to burnout and inefficiency. Social psychologist Azim Shariff analyzes the morality of work.
