The Apple Seed

Guest: Jennifer Jacquet, Ph.D., Professor of Environmental Studies at New York University, Author of “Is Shame Necessary?” 

Guest: Robert Smith, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science at San Francisco State University, Author of “Polarization and the Presidency: From FDR to Barack Obama”  In America today, people who identify as Republicans are more reliably conservative than they’ve been in 20 years. And Democrats are more reliably liberal. In other words, we’re an increasingly polarized nation where politics are concerned. A new book co-authored by San Francisco State University political scientist Robert Smith looks at the role presidents have played in driving the parties apart. His conclusions may surprise you: Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush and Barack Obama are among the most polarizing by his measures. But JFK, LBJ and George H.W. Bush and were not.  The book is titled, “Polarization and the Presidency - from FDR to Barack Obama.”

Guest: Craig Williams, Pharm.D., Clinical Professor and Pharmacotherapy Specialist at Oregon State University  Antidepressants are among the most commonly prescribed drugs in America, even though the scientific literature suggests they’re not as effective in treating depression as we tend to think. The reason for that disconnect has to do with something called “publication bias” and new analysis in the American Medical Association’s Psychiatry Journal shows it’s also leading doctors and patients to overestimate the effectiveness of anti-depressants for treating anxiety disorders.

Guest: Wade Jacoby, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science at BYU