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Dr. Drew Ramsey is a board-certified psychiatrist and psychotherapist. He is a leading voice in nutritional psychiatry and integrative mental health. He is a fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the founder of the Brain Food Clinic and Spruce Mental Health. For 20 years, he was an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University. His book Eat to Beat Depression and Anxiety was an international bestseller, and his work has been featured by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Today show, NPR, and other outlets. Whats the big idea? The time to start working on positive mental health outcomes should not be when a mental health crisis begins. In a country that has an epidemic of loneliness and rising depression, anxiety, and suicide rates, our society cant afford to put off healthy brain habits until they are part of a treatment plan. Modern ways of life dont naturally promote a happy, healthy mind, so its important to take initiative and proactively nurture your own brain health every day. Below, Ramsey shares five key insights from his new book, Healing the Modern Brain: Nine Tenets to Build Mental Fitness and Revitalize Your Mind. Listen to the audio versionread by Ramsey himselfin the Next Big Idea app. 1. Seeing mental health as mental fitness Mental fitness is the habits, knowledge, and patterns that support overall mental health and sound well-being. Shifting from a mental health stance to one of mental fitness is key to healing the modern brain. Our mental health epidemic is rife with concerning statistics. The rate of teenage depression has increased from 8% to 20%. There is a rise in suicide and overdose. Sixty-one million Americans are diagnosed with depression and anxiety alone. Getting into a stance of mental fitness asks us to think about mental health differently. Instead of waiting and hoping to never see someone like mewaiting until you have a mental health crisis to addressmental fitness asks us to be proactive. The human brain requires some basics regarding care and feeding, and the modern world is taking a toll on those things. Being active is great for mental health, but 80% of jobs are now sedentary. Quality sleep is absolutely essential for mental health. Shifting into a mental fitness stance asks us to be preventive about the tenets of a healthy brain. Mental fitness is different from many other programs and ideas because these tenets are very simple. If you look at heavily evidence-backed, agreed-upon healthy practices, youll find things like spending more time in nature. Grounding is one of the tenets, and, in a stance of mental fitness, you try your best to get more nature in your life, from week to week. Many great studies show that getting into nature, for even a little bit, improves and activates the immune system in wonderful ways. Research confirms that nature shifts our brains and calms us down. Change your stance into one of mental fitness by striving to build brain-healthy habits before problems arise. 2. Upgrades to brain science The latest science in mental and brain health is really hopeful. One major new concept is neuroplasticity, the idea that the brain grows and repairs itself into adult life. I finished medical school in the year 2000. We didnt know about neuroplasticity, but now it is coming to light that there is a molecule that your genes code for called BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), and certain activities and foods help you make more BDNF. Its like a brain growth agent. When our brain weakens or declines, its not necessarily permanent. We can turn on and off genes that promote brain growth and repair. We may not have complete control, but we can do much in our everyday choices to improve brain health. Inflammation is now understood to be at the heart of some depression and anxiety cases. Another part of upgrading brain science is thinking about inflammation in relation to the brain. Inflammation is a buzzword in science. It is part of our bodys natural and important protection and alarm systems. It is how we defend ourselves from viruses, bacteria, and all sorts of invaders. Inflammation is now understood to be at the heart of some depression and anxiety cases. Its important to start thinking about modern mental health in modern ways. The last major upgrade to brain science is about the microbiome. Many people never thought that the organisms living in your colon relate to mental health. As it turns out, the gut is the biggest part of our immune system. Eating more plants and fermented foods shifts your microbiome into a healthier state that regulates inflammation. Never before in my career has there been so much great science to support recommending fermented foods to my patients. 3. The first tenet of mental fitness is self-awareness. I start the nine tenets with self-awareness. In the book, I tell the story of a woman who started drinking a little more during the pandemic. I worked with her and came to appreciate her self-awareness. She started counting drinks, checking in with me about alcohol, and thinking more about the risks of alcohol in her life. That put her on the path to getting control of her drinking. Self-awareness allows you to better understand how your activities shape the self. It doesnt have to be therapy. Im a big fan of journaling. By writing down thoughts and feelings, putting labels on what were experiencing, research has shown an associated increase in frontal lobe activity. These parts of our brain are involved in executive functioning, decision-making, and getting stuff done. There is brain health value in taking more time and a little more effort to focus on the self. Getting to know and care for yourself in new and different ways is at the heart of healing the modern brain. 4. Feeding mental health Mental fitness as a concept really hit home for me through my work in nutritional psychiatry. When I was a young doctor training as a psychiatrist at Columbia, it was striking to me as a farm boy that we didnt talk at all about nutrition. We werent trained or encouraged to ask patients what they were eating, but it seemed like a big opportunity. If you have depression and eat a vegetarian diet versus a keto diet versus a junk food diet, all of those dietary patterns impact treatment and provide different opportunities. The SMILES Trial of 2017 showed that when individuals who were in mental health treatments for depression were counseled on a Mediterranean diet, they saved a lot of money and their depression got a lot better. A third of them went into complete remission from their clinical depression. This study is an example of an augmentation strategy with foods, meaning a Mediterranean diet is added on top of treatment. There is brain health value in taking more time and a little more effort to focus on the self. Feeding mental health well is a daily opportunity for everyone, not only patients. It can feel overwhelming. There is a lot of fearmongering and misinformation about nutrition; my work helps you cutthrough the noise to simple things like lentils, pesto, wild salmon, anchovies, and white beans. Those are some of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet, meaning they have more nutrients per calorie than other foods, and they also have specific nutrients that we know the brain needsan easy place to get started. 5. Boosting mental fitness In my time with patients during classic 45-minute sessions, I see how important connections are. The recent surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, noted that we have an epidemic of loneliness and isolation in America. We increasingly see people losing friends, and spending less time socializing and less time going out. Young folks, especially, are growing more isolated. This awareness needs to be turned into action. In my chapter about connection, I share the story of a middle-aged man I worked with who was post-divorce. He was very connected to his kids, so it was hard for him when they left for college. He enjoyed fantasy football, but was struggling to connect with the real-life elements surrounding the sport. Helping him to engage with other fans and attend games in person was a significant part of his healing. A web of connections is not just friends and loved ones. It is important to map out all our different types of connections. Its not just the ride-or-die folks in your life: connections to institutions, mentors, mentees, or to meaningful places matter too. This process (great journal entry) can help a person feel connected to themselves and see pathways that can expand their life. You could end up going to the farmers market regularly to connect more with the people who grow your food, or attend a town hall meeting to feel part of your community. The best time to start caring for your brain is before something goes wrong. This article originally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission.
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E-Commerce
Social media was mankind’s first run-in with AI, and we failed that test horribly, according to tech ethicist Tristan Harris, whom The Atlantic called “the closest thing Silicon Valley has to a conscience.” A recent survey found nearly half of Gen Z respondents wished social media had never been invented. Yet, 60% still spend at least four hours daily on these platforms. Bullying, social anxiety, addiction, polarization, and misinformationsocial media has become a cocktail of disturbing discourse. With GenAI, we have a second chance to ensure technology is used responsibly. But this is proving difficult. Major AI companies are now adopting collaborative approaches to address governance challenges. Recently, OpenAI announced it would implement Anthropic’s Model Context Protocol, a standard for connecting AI models to data sources that’s rapidly becoming an industry norm with Google following suit. With any new technology, there are unexpected benefits and consequences. As Harris put it, “whatever our power is as a species, AI amplifies it to an exponential degree.” While GenAI helps us accomplish more than ever before, dangers exist. A seemingly safe large language model (LLM) can be manipulated by bad actors to create harmful content or be jailbroken to write malicious code. How do we avoid these harmful use cases while benefiting from this powerful technology? Three approaches are possible, each with its own merits and drawbacks. 3 ways to benefit from AI while avoiding harm Option #1: Government regulation The automobile brought both convenience and tragedy. We responded with speed limits, seatbelts, and regulationsa process spanning over a century. Legislators worldwide are attempting similar safeguards with AI. The European Union leads with its AI Act, which entered into force in August 2024. Implementation is phased, with some provisions active since February 2025, banning systems posing “unacceptable risk” like social scoring and untargeted scraping of facial recognition data. However, these regulations present challenges. European tech leaders worry that punitive EU measures could trigger backlash from the Trump administration. Meanwhile, U.S. regulation develops as a patchwork of state and federal initiatives, with states like Colorado enacting their own comprehensive AI laws. The EU AI Act’s implementation timeline illustrates this complexity: Some bans started in February 2025, codes of practice follow nine months after entry into force, rules on general-purpose AI at the 12-month mark, while high-risk systems have 36 months to comply. A real concern exists: Excessive regulation might simply shift development elsewhere. Building a functional LLM model costs only hundreds of millions of dollarswithin reach for many countries. While regulation has its place, the process is too flawed for developing good rules currently. AI evolves too quickly, and the industry attracts too much investment. Resulting regulations risk either stifling innovation or lacking meaningful impact. So, if government regulation isnt the panacea for AIs dangers, what will help? Option #2: Social discourse Educators are struggling with GenAI and academic honesty. Some want to block AI entirely, while others see opportunities to empower students who struggle with traditional pedagogy. Imagine having a perpetually available tutor answering any questionbut one that can also complete your assignments. As Satya Nadella put it recently on the Dwarkesh Podcast, his new workflow is to “think with AI and work with my colleagues.” This collaborative approach to AI usage could be a model for educational settings, where AI serves as a thinking partner rather than a replacement for learning. In homes, schools, online forums, and government, society must reckon with this technology and decide what’s acceptable. Everyone deserves a voice in these conversations. Unfortunately, internet discussions often devolve into trading sound bites without context or nuance. For meaningful conversations, we must educate ourselves. We need effective channels for public input, perhaps through grassroots movements guiding people toward safe and effective AI usage. Option #3: Third-party evaluators Before the 2008 financial crisis, credit rating agencies assigned AAA ratings to subprime mortgages, contributing to economic disaster. The problem? Industry-wide self-interest. When it comes to AI regulators, of course, we run the risk of an incestuous revolving door that does more harm than good. That doesnt have to be the case. Meaningful and thoughtful research is going into AI certifications and third-party evaluators. In the paper AI Certification: Advancing Ethical Practice by Reducing, Peter Cihon et al. propose several notions. First, because AI technology is advancing so quickly, AI certification should emphasize evergreen principles, such as ethics for AI developers. Second, AI certification today lacks nuance for particular circumstances, geographies, or industries. Not only is certification homogenous, but many programs treat AI as a monolithic technology rather than acknowledging the diverse types, such as facial recognition, LLMs, and anomaly detection. Finally, to see good results, customers must demand high-quality certifications. They have to be educated about the technology and the associated ethics and safety concerns. The path forward The way forward requires multistakeholder, multifaceted conversations about societal goals and preventing AI dangers. If government becomes the default regulator, we risk an uninvestable marketplace or meaningless rubber-stamping. Independent third-party evaluators combined with informed social discourse offers the best path forward. But we must educate ourselves about this poweful technology’s dangers and realities, or we’ll repeat social media’s errors on a grander scale. Peter Wang is chief AI and innovation officer at Anaconda.
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E-Commerce
Navigating the nexus between design innovation and practical application reveals a stark truth: Constraints, not freedoms, often spur the most creative solutions. Our journey into accessible furniture and product design is less about overcoming limitations and more about embracing the profound potential of human-centric design. Imagine designers not just as creators but as researchers, delving deep into the daily lives of older individuals and people with disabilities through intensive ethnographic research. This approach involves hundreds of hours spent observing diverse populations in their most familiar environmentstheir homes. Here, every interaction and every struggle vividly illuminates the real needs and opportunities for innovation. Empathy and Design With In October 2023, our consumer preference testing for the recent Pottery Barn collection marked a pivotal moment. Picture this: Dozens of users, each facing unique challenges, interacting with our prototypes. We observed intently, listened carefully, and learned from every gesturewhether reaching out, hesitating, or expressing relief. Each moment provided invaluable insights, directly shaping the evolution of our designs, from initial feedback to final concepts. What does it truly mean to design with someone? Collaboration is key. Its a dynamic interplay of give and take, where users lead with their experiences, and designers follow with their skills. This approach isnt just about making do; its about making things better. By transforming our design process into a dialogue rather than a monologue, we ensure our creations are not just useful, but transformative. We call this approach Design With, which means were designing with our target consumers. Empathy isnt just a buzzword; its our blueprint. Inspired by the real challenges faced by our late founder, Michael Graves, and the broader community, we have embraced immersive empathyspending days in wheelchairs and navigating with canes for extended periodsnot just to imagine but to truly understand the barriers our users face. During the past 20 years, weve also faced our own disabilities, temporary and permanent, which have brought the issues to our own lives. This isn’t about sympathy; it’s about strategy. By actively putting ourselves in the shoes of those we design with, we transform empathy into action. Our commitment to Design With rather than Design For not only meets but anticipates users needs, creating solutions that are as innovative as they are inclusive. Each solution should mirror human complexity The future of accessible design is inspiring, and we look forward with purposeinviting designers, brands, and companies to join us. With each project, we edge closer to breaking down barriers, not just in physical spaces, but in perceptions. Our goal is to always craft designs that go beyond accommodation. We strive for solutions that are anticipatory, functional, and beautifulcelebrating the diversity of ability and preference. In accessible design, the true challenge isnt simply balancing creativity with practicality. Its ensuring every solution reflects the complexity of real human lives. Thats why, for decades, weve grounded our work in ethnographic research and consumer preference testing: spending time in peoples homes, observing daily routines, and turning feedback into meaningful, inclusive products. This isnt theoryits design shaped by lived experience. Weve seen firsthand how listening deeply and designing with, not for, leads to better outcomes for everyone. The opportunity now is for more designers, brands, and businesses to take part. Ask deeper questions. Watch how people really live. Invite feedback early and often. The more of us who commit to designing with empathy and real-world insight, the more inclusiveand innovativeour shared future will be. Ben Wintner is CEO of Michael Graves Design.
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E-Commerce
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