Happiness, technology and…boredom!
Filed under: boredom, happiness, social media, technology
In my professional (and, for that matter, my personal) life it’s not hard to accept (given my job title and the name of the organisation I founded) that pretty much everyone knows I’m fascinated by happiness and by what makes for a happy life. Most people also know that I have a very strong interest in technology and social media, not just for the sake of it, but mostly as it relates to happiness and wellbeing.
Accordingly, I’m frequently asked about my thoughts regarding technology and specifically, social media, particularly in terms of their influence on happiness. One question I was asked recently touched upon this, but taking a slightly different angle enquired as to whether or not the increasing use of mobile devices, and the always available information and connectedness, made us more easily and often sated or more hungry and never satisfied. Further, how did this impact on our levels of boredom and what, if any, is the relationship between boredom and happiness?
Good questions I thought!
First, let’s recap some findings upon which I briefly wrote in a previous post; and that is that although there may well be a “dark side” to the internet and specifically, to social media (that is, not everyone’s entirely honest online and some people may well use their computers to hide behind so as not to have to venture out into the “real world”) for most people in the majority of instances computers and the internet and more recently, mobile devices such as smartphones, provide opportunities to connect and access information that otherwise would be impossible or extremely difficult to access or collect. And in the majority of cases this improves quality of life and enhances existing, “real world” relationships and activities.
At the same time, however, this does not address the second part of the question which asks whether or not the speed with which we can now access information has negatively impacted upon our levels of happiness and satisfaction via a constant hunger or thirst that can never be satiated.
There may well be some validity to this argument as there’s no doubt that expectations have changed in recent years. Where a letter might have taken a week to arrive at its international destination some years ago, and hence taken 2-3 weeks for a response to arrive back at the original sender (once read and considered and then responded to, etcetera) now emails and other forms of messages can be and are sent and responded to literally within seconds. Where as a visit to the library might have taken hours (or maybe even days), in the pursuit of a vital piece of information now, an online search will find thousands of times more information again, within seconds.
So what happens when we don’t have our needs met or questions answered within these incredibly short time-frames? There is, undoubtedly, a risk that boredom or dissatisfaction may well result.
But is this the fault of the internet or the mobile devices or of any of these forms of media? Surely we should be careful not to shoot the messenger!
Rather, I’d recommend we appreciate the incredible wonders of information technology and use all the various devices and programs, hardware and software, to achieve the incredible things they can help us achieve. But, and there’s always a “but” isn’t there, let’s make sure we take the best out of this and avoid the worst. How? Well here are a few thoughts…
- Beware of unrealistic and/or unhelpful expectations; ask yourself whether you really do need a response in milli-seconds or whether, in fact, you can wait a bit longer for that other person to get back to you
- Be discerning when it comes to the digestion of information gathered online and ensure that the sources are credible and reliable
- Don’t allow online time to totally replace or overwhelm “real world” time; turn your devices off every now and then (even if it’s just for a day or a few hours on a weekend)
- And don’t allow any parts of your lives to become boring. Set yourself new challenges on a regular basis and ensure that you try new experiences that keep you and your life interesting and fresh
There are risks and potential negatives associated with almost anything, including mobile technology and computers, but that doesn’t mean we should throw out the baby with the bathwater! Use and enjoy your mobiles and apps but remember that at the end of the day they should only be tools to help you find more happiness and to live a better life!
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Doc,
I like the angle you take on overuse of information technology. As a parent of young childen (2 and 4 yo) I worry about how they are going to develop their social skills. When I catch the train to work in the morning I have witnessed teenagers engrossed in social media on their smart phones while there real friends sit next to them. At work I am constantly bemused by how people sitting on the same floor dial in to team meetings from their desk and send emails to someone sitting within a short walk. When face to face meetings are organised people bring laptops and attend to emails throughout.
As a 40 year old I am fighting a losing battle with younger staff on maintaining more effective (but slower) means of communication. In the age when instant information is available to all, the competitive advantage that you can offer is to be more engaging by using ‘Old School’ communication methods.
I agree with Anthony as an almost 53 year old I am a user myself of such technologies & at time I would admit that I overuse them, however I still make time to read books (the paper type) catch up with friens in person & on the phone & meet for a social get together, I believe that we need to excercise which I do daily, but it is all a balancing act & as I work with a lot of younger people & a former technical officer with telstra I guess I embrace new technology. It is all about getting the balance right & not be coming a servant to technology but allowing technology to be your servant & never your master.
As a 30 year old I agree with Anthony, however I don’t necessarily think it is always age related. I think email is often used as the wrong option for communication and can be less effective than a phone call.
It’s interesting that the current generation of new workers have not known life before the internet, many seem addictied to fast information, be it facebook, youtube or current affairs.
who creates these expectations? We are surrounded if not bombared by messages that tell us to avail ourselves of technology – be it messaging in all its forms or social media so is it unrealistic to see people getting anxious if it doesnt deliver? Every organisation be it media retail or anything else consumable has not only a web page but a facebook page email contact and even a blog so where does the opportunity lie to seek the balance between the obvious benefits of this technology and alternatives where there is hardly any exposure given to it? How many rganisations prioritise a response to a customer enquiry via snail mail?
Happiness comes from within, it doesn’t come from material possessions. Find balance and you will find harmony.
So instant gratification does not equal happiness
or re-phrased, “instant gratification equals happiness for an instant”.
I have found that working on something that takes sustained effort on my part means sustained happiness at the end. The paradox is not wanting to have to so much time to get results.
“Yet it rarely happens that men live in obedience to reason, for things are so ordered among them, that they are generally envious and troublesome one to another. Nevertheless they are scarcely able to lead a solitary life, so that the definition of man as a social animal has met with general assent ; in fact, men do derive from social life much more convenience than injury.”
-Ethics, IV, proposition 35:note
That man is a “social animal”, a description attributed to Spinoza, is without a doubt universally accepted. The ability to socialize has led to man’s ascent from a more primordial past. At the same time it can’t be forgotten that humans are “troublesome one to another.” What the internet has done is to level the playing field. Meetings, for instance, tend favour those verbally articulate and create opportunities for those who are “troublesome.” Talk it out? No such thing at a meeting. Talk it out is go to a pub with a beer in hand.
At the higher level, revolutions are all about the masses communicating and agreeing that all is not well.
Man’s constant need to transcend what they perceive as their mere existence is somehow being given a framework that is the internet, to build worlds of existence in one form or another, that has till now not been possible.
Before smartphones and ipods we had books, newspapers, walkmans/cd players to entertain us on our journey to work. So we have always had entertainment , now of course, the medium and choice of entertainment is more than any person can consume. I think it was An American Psychologist (Schwartz i think) who wrote a book about the more choice we have the more disatisfied we become. People have always been bored, it’s just the choice of remedy has grown expotentially and it is easily accessible and cheap. The problem with this is that this immediacy means people spend less time with self and are less tolerent of boredom. It means their tolerence for doing less or nothing is deminishing. Boredom is ok, we should be bored from time to time otherwise who do we find out what really satisfies us? I am not a parent and I read the comments with interest because I wonder how the young children will turn out if they grow up depending more on technology for their entertainment and boredom.