You Are What You Click: How Being Selective, Positive, and Creative

Social media expert, Brian Primack MD, PhD, makes the realist's argument that we do not need to give up social media, delete all of our online accounts, or discard our phones to live a healthier, happier life. Instead, in You Are What You Click, Primack shows us how what we are consuming online affects our well-being, and he gives us a personalised "tech diet" for enjoying a healthy relationship with social media. Arming readers with new evidence-based research, this book teaches us why we aren't just feeling more alone and depressed because of our overconsumption of social media, but because we have yet to learn how to use this technology as a tool for inspiration, creativity, and connection.

Primack's research reveals how the nuances of our social media use can impact our health differently depending on our personality traits. While 2 hours on social media may create higher levels of depression or anxiety for the "easy going" personality type, the same time online could serve as a creative outlet for a "self-sufficient" personality type. With 43 short, actionable chapters that are easy to read on the go, you will learn step by step how to unfollow toxic relationships, fill your feed with uplifting content, manage your time online, and find communities that promote real connection. Just like you might add more vegetables and fruit to your diet to promote physical wellness, You Are What You Click helps you curate your online interactions to promote mental well-being.

This surprising and wholly new take on managing your online presence will give you the power to take back control of your time and discover the benefits of using social media in ways that work for you.

Brian Primack is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed expert on the relationships between media, technology, and health. He holds a master's in education from Harvard (with a focus on adolescent development, psychology, and education), an MD from Emory, and a PhD in behavioural science from the University of Pittsburgh. After completing his PhD in behavioural science, Dr. Primack developed a multimillion-dollar research program centred on how media and technology influence health. Primack maintains a major portfolio of NIH-funded research examining media, technology, and health, and was the founding director of the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Research on Media, Technology, and Health for over 15 years, which is one of the most influential organisations in the world on this topic. He is now dean of the College of Education and Health Professions at the University of Arkansas, where he'll also serve as a professor of public health and medicine. Primack's work has been reported on across many outlets, including the New York Times, NPR's Here and Now and All Things Considered, U.S. News and World Report, The Today Show, the BBC, Cosmopolitan, the International Herald Tribune, and Time magazine. Primack has also been a featured speaker on Washington Post Live, TEDMED, CBS News, among others.