EP78: AI Chatbots & Your Mood, New study links daily AI use to depression risk and how to stay safe

Literally grinding away with Claude at 2 AM just to finish that report and feeling completely drained? It turns out your AI habit might be doing more than just helping your productivity; it might be messing with your head. A 2026 study of 20,847 adults found that daily generative AI use is linked to a 30% higher risk of moderate depressive symptoms. Researchers observed that frequent users also reported significantly higher levels of anxiety and irritability compared to non-users. References Perlis, R. H., Gunning, F. M., Usla, A., Santillana, M., Baum, M. A., Druckman, J. N., Ognyanova, K., & Lazer, D. (2026). Generative AI use and depressive symptoms among US adults. JAMA Network Open, 9(1), e2554820. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.54820 -- Hosting provided by SoundOn