Episode #87: We're Choosing a Machine Over the People Right in Front of Us. And It's Ruining Us.
Tue Feb 03 2026
I'm recording this one without makeup—not because I forgot, but because I need to practice what I'm about to preach: authentic vulnerability over comfortable validation. And what I'm seeing in my therapy practice lately has me genuinely concerned.
Couples are now bringing printed transcripts of their spouse's ChatGPT conversations to sessions. People are outsourcing their moral compass, their conflict resolution, and even their emotional intimacy to large language models. And here's what terrifies me: these tools are designed to always agree with you, to validate you, to keep you comfortable and coming back for more.
I'll walk you through:
✅ Why ChatGPT's constant validation is training us to be weaker, not wiser—and what virtues we're losing in the process
✅ The four-letter word (ending in K) that Dr. Anna Lembke says is essential for relationships, and why AI is replacing it
✅ How couples are choosing the comfort of a machine over the necessary discomfort of real conversation
✅ Why feelings have been promoted to the highest authority—and how that's destroying our ability to live morally
✅ The difference between being affirmed and being guided, between feeling understood and being told the truth
✅ What patience, perseverance, repentance, and humility have to do with your marriage's survival (and why AI will never ask these of you)
I'm not anti-technology—I use ChatGPT myself for grocery store calculations and meal planning. But when it comes to relationships, moral discernment, and the formation of your character, we need to understand what we're surrendering when we choose algorithmic comfort over human connection.
Featuring insights from psychiatrist Dr. Anna Lembke's conversation on The Diary of a CEO about the "drugification of human connection" and addiction to digital validation.
🔔 Remember: A machine that always agrees with you is not your friend. It's not a guide. And it can never replace your conscience. Real love—the kind that sustains a marriage and builds a family—requires the very things AI will never demand from you: patience, sacrifice, humility, and the willingness to be wrong.
The danger isn't that machines will become too powerful. It's that we'll become too passive—handing over our agency, our judgment, and our conscience, not because we're forced to, but because it feels easy.
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Dr. Anna Lembke reference: Psychiatrist and author of "Dopamine Nation" Featured on: The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett Topic discussed: Addiction, dopamine, and the drugification of human connection through AI
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I'm recording this one without makeup—not because I forgot, but because I need to practice what I'm about to preach: authentic vulnerability over comfortable validation. And what I'm seeing in my therapy practice lately has me genuinely concerned. Couples are now bringing printed transcripts of their spouse's ChatGPT conversations to sessions. People are outsourcing their moral compass, their conflict resolution, and even their emotional intimacy to large language models. And here's what terrifies me: these tools are designed to always agree with you, to validate you, to keep you comfortable and coming back for more. I'll walk you through: ✅ Why ChatGPT's constant validation is training us to be weaker, not wiser—and what virtues we're losing in the process ✅ The four-letter word (ending in K) that Dr. Anna Lembke says is essential for relationships, and why AI is replacing it ✅ How couples are choosing the comfort of a machine over the necessary discomfort of real conversation ✅ Why feelings have been promoted to the highest authority—and how that's destroying our ability to live morally ✅ The difference between being affirmed and being guided, between feeling understood and being told the truth ✅ What patience, perseverance, repentance, and humility have to do with your marriage's survival (and why AI will never ask these of you) I'm not anti-technology—I use ChatGPT myself for grocery store calculations and meal planning. But when it comes to relationships, moral discernment, and the formation of your character, we need to understand what we're surrendering when we choose algorithmic comfort over human connection. Featuring insights from psychiatrist Dr. Anna Lembke's conversation on The Diary of a CEO about the "drugification of human connection" and addiction to digital validation. 🔔 Remember: A machine that always agrees with you is not your friend. It's not a guide. And it can never replace your conscience. Real love—the kind that sustains a marriage and builds a family—requires the very things AI will never demand from you: patience, sacrifice, humility, and the willingness to be wrong. The danger isn't that machines will become too powerful. It's that we'll become too passive—handing over our agency, our judgment, and our conscience, not because we're forced to, but because it feels easy. ======================================================== Dr. Anna Lembke reference: Psychiatrist and author of "Dopamine Nation" Featured on: The Diary of a CEO with Steven Bartlett Topic discussed: Addiction, dopamine, and the drugification of human connection through AI