Katie Couric talks to Jean Twenge, Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University, and author of the new book Generations: The Real Differences between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers and Silents and What they Mean for America’s Future.

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00:00 What got Jean Twenge interested in studying generations
00:41 Does generational research lead to too much generalizations?
01:17 Is it the tendency of every generation to criticize the generation that follows?
02:11 How do you make sure you survey a diverse group for a generational study?
03:07 How much do big world events shape generations?
03:41 Why technology has the biggest impact on generations
06:01 What characterizes the attitudes and lifestyle of the boomer generation?
07:51 What else shaped the boomer generation
08:44 What will our country look like when the boomer generation passes away
09:24 Some of the challenges boomers have faced
11:19 How the television was the prevailing technology that changed the lives of boomers
13:06 How the birth control pill changed the lives of boomers
13:46 What impact did historical events like the Vietnam War and Watergate have on Boomers?
15:21 Is boomers’ adherence to individualism responsible for their desire to hold onto power?
16:08 Do boomers want to retire?
17:20 How do attitudes about working vary across different generations?
20:55 What is the significance of younger generations creating boundaries between work and home life
22:40 The mental health crisis of depression that is facing Gen Z
25:11 What impact social media has on depression in so many young people today
27:49 How addictive are our phones and social media?
28:38 Besides social media, what else is causing young people to be so depressed?
31:12 Why is Gen Z so much more open and willing to talk about gender and sexuality?
33:57 What role has social media played in more people talking about gender and sexuality?
35:39 Why are so many young men not having sex?
37:33 Why free speech is an issue that each generation feels differently about
40:01 What is the most striking thing about the polars, the generation that follows Gen Z