Personally, I’m divided on the topic of whether or not technology causes us more stress. There’s days where technology makes life easier and less stressful and there’s days where I just want to throw my phone out the window.
Technology helps me by keeping all my dates and appoints in one place that I can easily take wherever I go. Many might ask, “Why don’t you just invest in a planner?” To that question I have a very straight forward answer. My phone has an alarm that sounds whenever my appointments near to remind me to get going. If I write my appointments down in a planner, the event could easily pass me by when I forget about it. This is just one example of how my phone helps me on a daily basis.
Unfortunately, like most things in life, technology also has disadvantages that go along with the benefits. There’s times where all I want to do is relax and just lay down and forget about everything. Unfortunately the beeping on my phone is a constant reminder that I cannot do nothing. It constantly reminds me that I could be doing something.
Overall, I probably lean toward the idea that technology makes our life less stressful and helps society more than it hinders it.
Technology helps me by keeping all my dates and appoints in one place that I can easily take wherever I go. Many might ask, “Why don’t you just invest in a planner?” To that question I have a very straight forward answer. My phone has an alarm that sounds whenever my appointments near to remind me to get going. If I write my appointments down in a planner, the event could easily pass me by when I forget about it. This is just one example of how my phone helps me on a daily basis.
Unfortunately, like most things in life, technology also has disadvantages that go along with the benefits. There’s times where all I want to do is relax and just lay down and forget about everything. Unfortunately the beeping on my phone is a constant reminder that I cannot do nothing. It constantly reminds me that I could be doing something.
Overall, I probably lean toward the idea that technology makes our life less stressful and helps society more than it hinders it.
2
I'm very torn on this topic. On one hand, I'm a big believer in the power technology posses to simplify our lives and to make us more efficient and connected; on the other hand, I can also see how technology can be very time consuming and distracting. And yes, I do agree that technology can stress us out from time to time, but I think that is when it's most important to know as an individual when to step away and unplug for a little bit. I believe that generally the advantages of technology far outweigh the disadvantages. Just like anything else, moderation is key. Too much of anything can be harmful, and with technology there's a fine line between using it to enhance your life and letting it take over your life.
2
Personally, I believe that technology does make life more stressful. While Claire Miller’s article focuses mostly on social media, I think that this does not capture all that her title advertises. I agree with many of her points about social media and I do believe that some of these sites can be beneficial and provide healthy interactions with people who we would normally lose contact with. However I believe that the blanket statement “Technology Has Made Life Different, but Not Necessarily More Stressful” is not true. Stress from technology in my life boils down to one thing.
Obligation.
As a twenty-something college student, I feel that unnecessary obligations stem from our world’s need to be connected all day, every day. My friends and family reside in a few apps on my phone, from text messages to Facebook to email; there are at least three different means of reaching me at any hour of the day. This connection weighs me down in my everyday life, I cannot go an hour or two without someone texting me, and I have been conditioned to feel bad for any text message which goes without a reply for more than an hour or so. This endless connectivity extends to professors too; failure to read an email sent the morning of a class can prove to be unforgivable in the eyes of some professors, while others have 4 or even 5 different sites through which information is distributed.
Overall I think this endless connectivity is unnecessary and detrimental to the quality of our lives.
Obligation.
As a twenty-something college student, I feel that unnecessary obligations stem from our world’s need to be connected all day, every day. My friends and family reside in a few apps on my phone, from text messages to Facebook to email; there are at least three different means of reaching me at any hour of the day. This connection weighs me down in my everyday life, I cannot go an hour or two without someone texting me, and I have been conditioned to feel bad for any text message which goes without a reply for more than an hour or so. This endless connectivity extends to professors too; failure to read an email sent the morning of a class can prove to be unforgivable in the eyes of some professors, while others have 4 or even 5 different sites through which information is distributed.
Overall I think this endless connectivity is unnecessary and detrimental to the quality of our lives.
7
One invention I would like to see rapidly come into existence?
A wireless earphone you can easily and comfortably place in your ear and which you can use to tune into your favorite television channel or radio station at home or tune into the music or television in spaces rightly deemed "public" (doctor's office, supermarket, etc.) In other words, I am making a defense for introverts and in general people with brains in their heads and declaring my vote to keep especially public spaces areas of general silence, which is to say calling for reduction of noise pollution.
The scientific fact at present day is that people cannot turn their ears off and on, so those people given to television and in general noise from devices should have to be forced to use earphones instead of subjecting the entire population to their noise. I see no reason why I should be subject to endless and mindless and breathless television chatter or have to endure people's appalling taste in music. If you want to hear that rubbish, then it should be confined to YOUR head and not broadcast into mine.
At present day we have an entirely absurd situation: Introverts or people who just prefer a moment of silence forced to attempt to close their ears by earplugs or forced to run and hide somewhere quiet for a moment of peace. I think it makes more sense, and is easier, to have a device to shove noise into your ear than one (the earplug) which keeps stupid chatter and music out of your ear. Golden silence...
A wireless earphone you can easily and comfortably place in your ear and which you can use to tune into your favorite television channel or radio station at home or tune into the music or television in spaces rightly deemed "public" (doctor's office, supermarket, etc.) In other words, I am making a defense for introverts and in general people with brains in their heads and declaring my vote to keep especially public spaces areas of general silence, which is to say calling for reduction of noise pollution.
The scientific fact at present day is that people cannot turn their ears off and on, so those people given to television and in general noise from devices should have to be forced to use earphones instead of subjecting the entire population to their noise. I see no reason why I should be subject to endless and mindless and breathless television chatter or have to endure people's appalling taste in music. If you want to hear that rubbish, then it should be confined to YOUR head and not broadcast into mine.
At present day we have an entirely absurd situation: Introverts or people who just prefer a moment of silence forced to attempt to close their ears by earplugs or forced to run and hide somewhere quiet for a moment of peace. I think it makes more sense, and is easier, to have a device to shove noise into your ear than one (the earplug) which keeps stupid chatter and music out of your ear. Golden silence...
5
The main danger of the new technology is similar to that of TV, drugs and ice cream. We now have the means to be entertained 24 hours a day. You can play video games, read trash journalism or watch porn all day if you like. These temptations can be very deleterious to the undisciplined mind. I believe the positive effects of technology far outweigh the downsides, but it has become more important than ever to teach our children self discipline.
1
Claire Cain Miller makes some good points about social media, like Facebook and Twitter, not causing more stress in our lives; however, social media is not the only form of technology. Technology has made it easy to communicate with anyone from any distance and that can be very stressful. Just because a person can communicate with another person whenever they want doesn’t mean they should. One example, from a student’s perspective, is that teachers can assign work via email before the class officially starts. Another example, from an adult’s perspective, is that many people can work from anywhere. The boundaries between work-life and home-life can become blurred and make people feel stressed about how much they need to do. Miller may be right saying that social media is not stressor, but overall technology might be.
The aps on my iPhone take away a lot of stress. Knowledge is power and carefully selected aps maka a huge difference. I have iTriage ap that lets me get any health related question answered. Just last year my wife had a toenail torn off and I was able to get her treated within hours. As a diabetic away from our usual health care network I quickly found a podiatrist to take care of her. Finding what I need when I need it is a serious stress reliever.
We know that the brain does not "multi-task." It simply does a better job on one thing, and does the others less well. Multi-tasking is a fiction sold to us by employers who insist we do "more with less", i.e., less salary, less leisure time, less family time. This is demonstrated by the inability of anyone to drive responsibly and use their phones or parent their kids well while working full time (mothers and fathers). Ask any teacher.
1
Of course technology has an impact upon stress.
Just ask anyone who has worked in a customer service call center who have to contend with wading though a dozen or more customer service systems (many of whom are incompatible), check and answer their email routinely, answer instant messages incessantly during the day and during all this are expected to keep up their insane metrics to the fraction of a second of how many calls they handle, how long they take to serve a caller, how long callers are on hold and how many callers are calling again for the same problem.
So folks, the next time you are inclined to vent your anger at that person on the phone, you might want to think about the impossible technological tasks that are clearly not designed for normal human beings.
Just ask anyone who has worked in a customer service call center who have to contend with wading though a dozen or more customer service systems (many of whom are incompatible), check and answer their email routinely, answer instant messages incessantly during the day and during all this are expected to keep up their insane metrics to the fraction of a second of how many calls they handle, how long they take to serve a caller, how long callers are on hold and how many callers are calling again for the same problem.
So folks, the next time you are inclined to vent your anger at that person on the phone, you might want to think about the impossible technological tasks that are clearly not designed for normal human beings.
1
Technology is not evil - people is. as soon as they know that technology saves effort/time, they started to be demanding on the person doing the job because they want to squeeze every single drop of juice out of that person. That and development on personal messaging/networks added to the demand of the individual - because this is the generation with access to so much change (next generation would have grown up with technology and would cope much better), I think they are finding it harder to cope then ever. They started their career life with letters. Now the emails would not stop, and not many worked out ways to cope.
CROCK ALERT
Today's round-the-clock, envy-inducing digital intrusion into our lives is not the technological (or moral) equivalent of telephoning my girlfriend to come over at 8 o'clock to watch Bonanza, in 1964.
Author Claire Cain Miller is not old enough to remember sock-hop days when a Whitman's Sampler of chocolates was all that was needed to "augment" a human relationship.
Today's round-the-clock, envy-inducing digital intrusion into our lives is not the technological (or moral) equivalent of telephoning my girlfriend to come over at 8 o'clock to watch Bonanza, in 1964.
Author Claire Cain Miller is not old enough to remember sock-hop days when a Whitman's Sampler of chocolates was all that was needed to "augment" a human relationship.
1
Friend me, like me, follow me. Sounds like the chorus to a pop song. We are the Lonely Crowd David Reisman foresaw, and now hopelessly Other-Directed at that. Smart Phones are collicky babies fed on demand, round the clock, down the street, at the table. Answer that call, tweet, re-tweet, text, shift that stress, pass that football! Used up your minutes? Here, have some more for just pennies a month. About those minutes, you do understand they're charged against your life span. Can't stop? We have an App for that.
2
No one I know has ever stated that access to technology makes their lives more stressful. What I have noticed is a lot of people don't want to read anything that requires more thoughtful consideration than a Twitter post. That's depressing more than stressful.
5
Wow. If there ever was a matter that we are too close to see what it is, this is one. We are so close to this "thing" we're actually in it. I think the old version of that was "Not seeing the forest for the trees."
And the evidence used to determine the larger effect on individuals and society (that would be the forest) is individual reports on feelings of happiness in the moment? How can such data be considered sufficiently relevant and significant to be employed to make judgments about such a vast unplanned experiment on humankind? That's like asking individual squirrels how they feel about the 90% loss of forest cover in the U.S. since European colonists arrived 400 years ago.
Change happens gradually and we experience only a small part of the reality, and really we are too adaptable in the short term and quickly forget what we might remember. I live (by choice) in a 1920s neighbourhood in a city because the human/logistical design and geography (proximity of houses, sidewalks, shops with no parking lots, parks, etc.) lead to certain predictable human aggregate responses. People are constantly out walking and talk spontaneously to people they meet. This place, and it is a place, took shape before we Americans sold the country to Cars, and were employed by them. How do we look different than we did 90 years ago?
Now we are selling our time and attention to marketers. What will our mental/social world look like in 90 years?
And the evidence used to determine the larger effect on individuals and society (that would be the forest) is individual reports on feelings of happiness in the moment? How can such data be considered sufficiently relevant and significant to be employed to make judgments about such a vast unplanned experiment on humankind? That's like asking individual squirrels how they feel about the 90% loss of forest cover in the U.S. since European colonists arrived 400 years ago.
Change happens gradually and we experience only a small part of the reality, and really we are too adaptable in the short term and quickly forget what we might remember. I live (by choice) in a 1920s neighbourhood in a city because the human/logistical design and geography (proximity of houses, sidewalks, shops with no parking lots, parks, etc.) lead to certain predictable human aggregate responses. People are constantly out walking and talk spontaneously to people they meet. This place, and it is a place, took shape before we Americans sold the country to Cars, and were employed by them. How do we look different than we did 90 years ago?
Now we are selling our time and attention to marketers. What will our mental/social world look like in 90 years?
4
We have good reason to fear technology. Its promises have been over-hyped by the chattering classes in Big Media for over 30 years now. What is happening as a wider cultural experience is that ordinary citizens are being dislocated, displaced and dehumanized by technology, which is becoming ever more powerful, more invisible and more insidious behind the scenes.
Jobs have disappeared and continue to disappear as just one result of our increased uses of technology in the corporate and business worlds, with many few replacement jobs being offered to take the place of the lost jobs. Many of the structural changes in our economy are the direct result of increased uses of technology.
Surveillance, by both government and private entities, has increased dramatically, supposedly for the safety of citizens, but really so the authorities can more easily control the populations they rule over. Witness China's behaviors toward Internet censorship if you doubt what I am saying, but China's actions are only the more obvious ones. We in the U.S. have suffered dramatic losses of privacy and intimacy as a result of technological surveillance.
I don't think we are overestimating the effects technology is having on our lives. For every good effect it has, there are corresponding negative effects, ones which are quietly overwhelming daily lives and how they are lived. We are being engulfed and dehumanized by machines. The smarter they become, the worse the damage.
6
"...the tone of voice that signals in your body that someone is there for you.”
This would suggest that such empathetic responses are not available over the phone or skype. Does anyone know if there have been scientific studies to support this idea that physical proximity is crucial to empathetic communications like this?
Thankyou in anticipation,
Annabel
This would suggest that such empathetic responses are not available over the phone or skype. Does anyone know if there have been scientific studies to support this idea that physical proximity is crucial to empathetic communications like this?
Thankyou in anticipation,
Annabel
2
Is this a classic case of confusing correlation with causation? What this studies shows is that heavy users of internet and social media are no more likely to report being stressed than lighter users. This does NOT necessarily mean that if one uses this technology more (or less) often, it won't affect their stress level.
To illustrate in the most simplified fashion, let's say that the study had two participants. Participant A used the technology at a 1x level and reported stress at a y level. Participant B used the technology at a 2x level (twice what A used) and also reported the same stress level of y. This does NOT mean that doubling the use of this technology has no affect on stress! If Participant A doubled his/her technology use, who knows what would happen to his/her stress level. And if Participant B cut his/her use in half, we don't know what would happen.
In fact, it could be an instance of the arrows going in the other direction (reverse causation) -- an individual's technology usage level is at least partially dependent upon how (un)stressed they feel. Anecdotally, this lines up perfectly. The heaviest users of social media that I know are those with the most time on their hands (i.e., usually low stress lives)! The busiest and most frantic (and most stressed) don't have time for that stuff!
To illustrate in the most simplified fashion, let's say that the study had two participants. Participant A used the technology at a 1x level and reported stress at a y level. Participant B used the technology at a 2x level (twice what A used) and also reported the same stress level of y. This does NOT mean that doubling the use of this technology has no affect on stress! If Participant A doubled his/her technology use, who knows what would happen to his/her stress level. And if Participant B cut his/her use in half, we don't know what would happen.
In fact, it could be an instance of the arrows going in the other direction (reverse causation) -- an individual's technology usage level is at least partially dependent upon how (un)stressed they feel. Anecdotally, this lines up perfectly. The heaviest users of social media that I know are those with the most time on their hands (i.e., usually low stress lives)! The busiest and most frantic (and most stressed) don't have time for that stuff!
6
One subject that seems to be missing here is the technology deployed by employers to create and enforce the expectation that employees are at work 24/7. Knowing that anything you do when you're not in the office is subject to interruption or cancellation at the whim of bosses and managers who send "urgent" e-mails or phone calls is certain to create stress.
It's a matter of choice and control rather than the technology itself, as the same portable devices used as the employee wants for his or her own purposes would not create the same stress. The devices can be simultaneously liberating and enslaving depending on how they're used and who controls them.
It's a matter of choice and control rather than the technology itself, as the same portable devices used as the employee wants for his or her own purposes would not create the same stress. The devices can be simultaneously liberating and enslaving depending on how they're used and who controls them.
4
Incessant use of technology and constant checking of screens, emails and other people's status absolutely brings on stress, as experienced by many AND documented by multiple studies to date. Those who wed themselves to mechanical toys and task-masters are not only more prone to depression but also prone to losing physical contact with nature, which is a problem beyond the self and could impact human species-ecological health, planet-wide food resources and life-sustaining biodiversity. That adds stress.
1
There's a more insidious problem with constant technology use, which is how it affects our relationships with the people we are physically around. I might be "sharing a life event" with my mother who is thousands of miles of way, but how is my constant impulse to share affecting my relationship with my husband or child?
2
First of all, the study's conclusions appear to be presented with the sly assumption that message = medium, or content = form, or (more absurdly but more specifically) "socializing" = "technology" (= less stress). Quite the leap -- and precisely the kind of muddled thinking that leads reductive, neologism-happy Silicon Valley types to confuse information with knowledge, data with wisdom, etc. Whether it's done wittingly (as part of the marketing machine; sleazy) or not (which is just sloppy and irresponsible) I suppose is up in the air.
Second of all, even if we accept that technology makes our lives less stressful I have to wonder if that is actually a less desirable outcome! When apps are so easy to use, and therefore more likely to be used (i.e. routinely, automatically, unthinkingly), might we be paving the way for media so predictive of our habits, our actions, our words, and our thoughts that we no longer value, or even know, what it is to be an active, sovereign, independent agent of free will?
Second of all, even if we accept that technology makes our lives less stressful I have to wonder if that is actually a less desirable outcome! When apps are so easy to use, and therefore more likely to be used (i.e. routinely, automatically, unthinkingly), might we be paving the way for media so predictive of our habits, our actions, our words, and our thoughts that we no longer value, or even know, what it is to be an active, sovereign, independent agent of free will?
4
It’s like all the other what’s good or not good for us. No matter what comes out of the so-called experts, as spelled out in this article, each individual has to make his or own assessment of what works in the individual case and act accordingly.
Left out of this column is the stressful effect of A’s use of technology on B. So often we read of how annoying it is to others when, for example, at a family gathering on Thanksgiving or Christmas, some at the table are playing with their gizmos (as I call them). Or the same at business meetings or in a myriad of other situations. Ask a supermarket check-out clerk about stress levels when he or she has a gizmo using customers on the check-out line. Or a driver who sees people crossing the street paying attention only to their gizmos. Or a pedestrian who sees drivers with one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the gizmo.
I am a law professor at the college level. In recent years my grades have gone down. I came to understand the reason. The students walk into the class—gizmos, gizmos, gizmos. As soon as class is over, out come the gizmos. That to me is regrettable but not stressful. What was stressful were the occasions when a student surreptitiously went to his or her gizmo during class notwithstanding our strict rules against that. As if I wouldn’t notice. NYC now will allow gizmos in its schools. We read of what that will mean to the stress levels of New York City’s teachers.
Left out of this column is the stressful effect of A’s use of technology on B. So often we read of how annoying it is to others when, for example, at a family gathering on Thanksgiving or Christmas, some at the table are playing with their gizmos (as I call them). Or the same at business meetings or in a myriad of other situations. Ask a supermarket check-out clerk about stress levels when he or she has a gizmo using customers on the check-out line. Or a driver who sees people crossing the street paying attention only to their gizmos. Or a pedestrian who sees drivers with one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the gizmo.
I am a law professor at the college level. In recent years my grades have gone down. I came to understand the reason. The students walk into the class—gizmos, gizmos, gizmos. As soon as class is over, out come the gizmos. That to me is regrettable but not stressful. What was stressful were the occasions when a student surreptitiously went to his or her gizmo during class notwithstanding our strict rules against that. As if I wouldn’t notice. NYC now will allow gizmos in its schools. We read of what that will mean to the stress levels of New York City’s teachers.
5
Good points, David.
My work often takes me to a college town where pedestrians always have the right of way. Most of them interpret that as absolving them of any need to stop at an intersection, to look both ways or otherwise use common sense.
This morning, as usual, a young woman walking along the sidewalk continued on into the intersection, never slowing down or raising her gaze from the phone as she crossed a busy street at rush hour. She apparently didn't realize that due to the angle of the sun and the colors of her clothing she was close to being invisible to motorists crossing her path. If I'd hit her, I'd be the one going to jail or paying a steep fine. That she chooses to pay more attention to her gadget than to the multi-thousand-pound motor vehicles she's sharing the road with would be deemed someone else's fault.
Drivers are just as bad; can't count how many overly-slow, erratic or drifting vehicles I've passed only to see a phone clapped to the ear of the person behind the wheel, and much of their attention distracted from their responsibility as a driver of a powerful machine. It's sad that so many people have become such oblivious phonebots.
My work often takes me to a college town where pedestrians always have the right of way. Most of them interpret that as absolving them of any need to stop at an intersection, to look both ways or otherwise use common sense.
This morning, as usual, a young woman walking along the sidewalk continued on into the intersection, never slowing down or raising her gaze from the phone as she crossed a busy street at rush hour. She apparently didn't realize that due to the angle of the sun and the colors of her clothing she was close to being invisible to motorists crossing her path. If I'd hit her, I'd be the one going to jail or paying a steep fine. That she chooses to pay more attention to her gadget than to the multi-thousand-pound motor vehicles she's sharing the road with would be deemed someone else's fault.
Drivers are just as bad; can't count how many overly-slow, erratic or drifting vehicles I've passed only to see a phone clapped to the ear of the person behind the wheel, and much of their attention distracted from their responsibility as a driver of a powerful machine. It's sad that so many people have become such oblivious phonebots.
11
You can't lump "the internet" and "social media" into one category. For example, Google Maps is a handy tool for navigation that indeed makes life less stressful. That's not at all the same as something like FB which has no real purpose other than entertainment value. If you separate the internet and social media, and just look at heavy social media users, no question their life is more stressful/less fulfilling.
Its a point of view thing.
Back in the day, you went home, you played with your kids, pulled something our of the job jar, tried to relax. You could actually get away.
Today, you're constantly connected to everything, for good or bad.
Work is now a 24x7 endeavor and it truly s____s.
So, this article is asking the wrong question to the wrong people.
Its great to enhance personal relationships, but its totally ruined my job.
Back in the day, you went home, you played with your kids, pulled something our of the job jar, tried to relax. You could actually get away.
Today, you're constantly connected to everything, for good or bad.
Work is now a 24x7 endeavor and it truly s____s.
So, this article is asking the wrong question to the wrong people.
Its great to enhance personal relationships, but its totally ruined my job.
1
Tuesday was the fifteenth anniversary of my son;s death. He was murdered at sixteen, an event that helped shape the lives of many people close to him. On that morning, fifteen years later, I posted on FB an anecdote about the morning he died, and in response from a distant cousin, posted his picture. His sister posted separately about missing her brother and thanking his closest friends for their continued friendship, reminding her to mellow out as her brother would have. Throughout the day relatives, old friends, newer friends, and work associates posted comments or simply liked the photos or the story. Several of his friends requested a Spotify playlist of the music they had compiled to play at his memorial, a generational anthem.
Traveling as I do for work, I was alone and away from home and family. These posts with their support and loving kindness make that day an easier burden to bear, some make me laugh, some make me cry and they all touch me. More than relieving stress, this use of FB for me relieves sorrow.
Traveling as I do for work, I was alone and away from home and family. These posts with their support and loving kindness make that day an easier burden to bear, some make me laugh, some make me cry and they all touch me. More than relieving stress, this use of FB for me relieves sorrow.
8
Social media is especially helpful for support groups, be it for a family, a child's disability, or other. Very sorry for your loss.
2
The last 8-10 years I was working (I retired last winter), I was on a lot of government working groups that met regularly and never got anywhere. Some of it was bureaucracy, but I think it was also that many of the participants were rarely paying attention to the meeting, rather they were thinking with their thumbs on their blackberries, cellphones, laptops etc. At least the devices gave them the excuse to never look the other participants in the eye and have a reasonable discussion about the item that was supposed to be discussed. Also, going way back to the introduction of fax machines and e-mails, once people thought they could get an item in front of me to be reviewed, they started to expect that it would be reviewed in real time, regardless of what else I had going on or whether the item they had sent me was a priority.
I also found, for me at least, being bombarded with e-mails at work did increase my anxiety and made it more difficult to focus. I think, compared to a lot of my peers, I was reasonably good at multitasking, but having it all in front of me and knowing how many things people were expecting me to respond to definitely took a toll. I think computers and mobile Internet access are a great thing. In some ways they make life a lot easier and there are times I've found life-changing (positive) information by accessing the Internet from my cellphone or someone else's computer. Every improvement comes with a price.
I also found, for me at least, being bombarded with e-mails at work did increase my anxiety and made it more difficult to focus. I think, compared to a lot of my peers, I was reasonably good at multitasking, but having it all in front of me and knowing how many things people were expecting me to respond to definitely took a toll. I think computers and mobile Internet access are a great thing. In some ways they make life a lot easier and there are times I've found life-changing (positive) information by accessing the Internet from my cellphone or someone else's computer. Every improvement comes with a price.
4
I think it's how you're set up. If you're used to keeping track of- and reacting to a lot of things at once, multi-tasking is ok. JG-
I'd like to think this is true and I appreciate the caveats, i.e, fights can escalate on email and sometimes we need to pick up the phone or even meet:) But guys, I'm not suer that the NY Times is a disinterested party in this debate. They need us to read the NYT on mobile. I'm doing it right now!
1
“The fear of missing out and jealousy of high-living friends with better vacations and happier kids than everybody else turned out to be not true..."
The idea that "women" would be stressed by these petty things is grating to me. These are not issues for me. I'm happy for everyone's happiness...it's the constant bad news on my feed that stresses me out. And, I know, I know I can block all that, but it seems like too much trouble now and on the other hand, I want to be someone who knows about the world...however when day after day there is a new kid getting blown up in Africa, a blogger being lashed for some words he wrote, cartoonists being murdered...I could go on and on...well, that gets to me.
That, and productivity. If I am constantly on and off Facebook all day, when it comes deadline time, I have to then basically work all day long to make up for the time I wasted online.
That's why I need to go on a media diet. I need to get my brain back.
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2015/01/08/new-years-resolution-getting-y...
The idea that "women" would be stressed by these petty things is grating to me. These are not issues for me. I'm happy for everyone's happiness...it's the constant bad news on my feed that stresses me out. And, I know, I know I can block all that, but it seems like too much trouble now and on the other hand, I want to be someone who knows about the world...however when day after day there is a new kid getting blown up in Africa, a blogger being lashed for some words he wrote, cartoonists being murdered...I could go on and on...well, that gets to me.
That, and productivity. If I am constantly on and off Facebook all day, when it comes deadline time, I have to then basically work all day long to make up for the time I wasted online.
That's why I need to go on a media diet. I need to get my brain back.
http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2015/01/08/new-years-resolution-getting-y...
2
Having lived from the period of no internet or computers (only a rural party line) through a career that used computers when they first became available until retirement as an IT specialist and computer geek, there are any number of questions unanswered by the survey. All too many use technological tools to supplant rather than augment old fashioned face to face communication. I have seen it first hand where two children (or college students) are texting each other while sitting in the same room rather than putting down the device and talking face to face. As to stress, it is a very real problem and the 24/7 connectivity is a great example. Traveling with some high level personnel one time where they had been out of range for their blackberries and i phones was hilarious if it wasn't so serious for those individuals. It looked like life and death. The real question is not the stress, but rather what is technology doing to the quality of life.
9
Perhaps because I grew up without cell phones, it has been easy since retirement to pare down to only the technology I need and want to have take up my time whether for pleasure like reading,shopping and browsing subjects of interest all over the world or keeping touch with distant relatives and old friends. I keep a cell phone in the truck for free since it is only for 911 use. I got rid of cable, multiple TVs and videos. I enjoy one large screen desktop, 2 house radios, a landline phone and carry a paperback in my purse just in case. The rest of the time I enjoy people as we exchange pleasantries and share our lives. It's the "rich" way to go!
19
Either people feel they have little free time after all the new time-saving conveniences or they do not.
When one cannot get his lunch crowd to order because they are answering messages and emails and when people have or come close to road accidents, because these summons distract attention, concluding information overload is the cause is no stretch.
If, however, those are misapprehensions, present the evidence.
When one cannot get his lunch crowd to order because they are answering messages and emails and when people have or come close to road accidents, because these summons distract attention, concluding information overload is the cause is no stretch.
If, however, those are misapprehensions, present the evidence.
4
The trick to happiness with technology is to remember that you are in charge. The problem many people have is that they too often let technology run their lives. Just because you got emails or text messages doesn't mean you must reply right away, except for emergencies, of course, just like the phone. Computers are very patient; I work and live at my own pace, not theirs, and I find technology an extraordinary time and money saver.
16
Touché, Hip' You hit the cyber-nail on the head with your comment.
1
Yours is a straw man argument. The problem with technology is that for some it is a time-waste. Video games, surfing, gossiping, etc. That is why people want to unplug.
9
Then why don't they, I wonder? If they're afraid to miss something, and stay tethered to technology, they are letting the device rule them, non?
See Baffled123 you are making unwarranted assumptions. You are automatically being judgemental about what is a waste of time and what is entertaining, diverting or informative. It's all about attitude. Using technology only for work and "productivity" is enough to make anyone want to unplug.
1
Exactly how did the researchers "control for demographics"? Buried in a footnote they tell us "For our analysis we used linear regression with stepwise forward selection." End of story. This study contains approximately zero reliable information for causal inference. NY Times reporters and editors should get basic statistical fluency before being allowed to work on such stories. And no concerned reader should just take comfort in the study and keep tweeting away in bed.
10
Using my iPad to cost effectively read the New York Times, including the comments section, which often times enhance the journalism, has proved to be a great hobby that relieves stress and enables me to keep up with the goings on (not all good but sometimes great) in our country and the world without having to leave the comfort of my home.
7
Comments are best part of the NYT!
2
While this article brings out a balanced view, I think that it leaves out the stress caused by having to keep up with technology (financial) and all the time expended maintaining, updating, and repairing all the stuff.
9
Go to a restaurant and watch a typical family these days. Father and mother are repeatedly checking their phones while their kids' eyes are glued to their i-Pads. Sure... less stress when everyone is in their own universe and completely detached from one another.
18
Of course using Twitter makes some women feel less stress. Twitter is like smoking a cigarette or shooting heroin. You feel your stress levels rising so you need the hit that evens you out. Same with people who constantly check emails or who can't be away from Facebook for too long. They all lower stress but it's maladaptive. That's what the problem is.
11
So, what you are saying is that users of Twitter are not only twits, but tw*ts too? (In the British English sense)
Seems to be my observations too: "...lots of attention, but no real effect..."
Seems to be my observations too: "...lots of attention, but no real effect..."
Like most things, it depends.
1
This is probably a case where studies measuring some averages, well, average out. If you look at particular individuals and at particular points in life, you'll see that some phenomena, like "keeping up with the joneses" stresses them out.
I'm not a material person nor am I celebrity obsessed. So I don't get "jealous" easily but I've observed that SOME people are jealous of other people's successes and gloat at other people's failures. This is amplified by technology.
As someone else points out, technology has shortened attention spans. I just need to watch movies from the 70s and 80s (or even music for that matter) to see that people have shorter attention spans. A proper test will need to be made to determine if this is true on average, but it's true for SOME people.
So like our genomic effects (which is also influenced by the metagenome), behavioural effects are also highly individual in nature. I think this is where the research should be focussed.
I'm not a material person nor am I celebrity obsessed. So I don't get "jealous" easily but I've observed that SOME people are jealous of other people's successes and gloat at other people's failures. This is amplified by technology.
As someone else points out, technology has shortened attention spans. I just need to watch movies from the 70s and 80s (or even music for that matter) to see that people have shorter attention spans. A proper test will need to be made to determine if this is true on average, but it's true for SOME people.
So like our genomic effects (which is also influenced by the metagenome), behavioural effects are also highly individual in nature. I think this is where the research should be focussed.
1
Here's where the stress from technology comes for me: the complexity of these products makes them burdensome. The last two cameras I've bought each have owner's manuals of over 300 pages. I make it through the quick-start sheet and then stack the manuals on my desk--and thereafter they are only a source of guilt. I just don't feel like spending my weekends reading those massive technical tomes. My digital recorder is the same--I paid $250 for it and it is so complex I have no ability to intuitively use it, and I just haven't had time to dig in to the 250 page owner's manual. It will probably be obsolete before I get around to learning how to use it.
These devices are loaded with so many features and options that it is overwhelming--only real tech-heads or people with a serious need for the advanced features can assimilate all this information. From a marketing standpoint I don't think it is all that smart; I be much more inclined to buy new tech gadgets if the thing made my life easier rather than created a new burden. Technology hasn't yet accepted the Zen concept that sometimes less is more.
These devices are loaded with so many features and options that it is overwhelming--only real tech-heads or people with a serious need for the advanced features can assimilate all this information. From a marketing standpoint I don't think it is all that smart; I be much more inclined to buy new tech gadgets if the thing made my life easier rather than created a new burden. Technology hasn't yet accepted the Zen concept that sometimes less is more.
23
One thing tech has done to me. After some 25 years of working with confusers, I find I like everything short and snappy (like short emails or tweets) and cannot concentrate on lengthy expositions (books, lectures, etc.). I'm not proud of this change but it's a reality.
14
Maybe people who have tons of time to waste on Facebook have lower stress levels because they have tons of free time (or are ignoring things that need to get done).
14
Exactly! See my comment I'm this thread
Measuring stress is a tricky business. Some authors have written, Richard Lazarus for example, that a stress scale like the one used by Pew and Rutgers, based on general questions about one's life, is not measuring stress. Stress comes from self appraisal in the face of challenges - can I handle this situation? A better approach would be to ask specific questions about daily hassles or challenges to establish a measure of stress.
4
"...said Lee Rainie, director of Internet, science and technology research at Pew and an author of the study."
Gotta figure that Lee is going to have a lot of stress when it is found that being a Director does not even get you a capital letter, but the internet has grabbed one for itself. Just sit and play solitaire for a while, it will pass. I.m not sure the internet is more than a passing fad, Lee.
Gotta figure that Lee is going to have a lot of stress when it is found that being a Director does not even get you a capital letter, but the internet has grabbed one for itself. Just sit and play solitaire for a while, it will pass. I.m not sure the internet is more than a passing fad, Lee.
Someone actually spent time and money on this "study"? And based on the "unanswered" questions, the actual conclusions are what? To top it off, the NYT actually wasted journalistic resources to write this article? Which tells me what, exactly? I don't know one iota more than I did before reading this. And so now it wasted my time too. Thanks.
9
Technology is simply a tool. Humans can choose to utilize it for good or for ill. HOW we use our devices is what matters. I find social media to be a meaningful way to connect with other human beings.
3
We should expect more from technologies. Not just that they don't make our lives more stressful.
There is a growing interest in the computing community on what is often called "positive computing" basically designing software that can help us become more self-sufficient or resilient or mindful about our activities - any factor that is known to support psychological wellbeing. You might be interested in the book on the topic
http://www.amazon.com/Positive-Computing-Technology-Wellbeing-Potential/...
There is a growing interest in the computing community on what is often called "positive computing" basically designing software that can help us become more self-sufficient or resilient or mindful about our activities - any factor that is known to support psychological wellbeing. You might be interested in the book on the topic
http://www.amazon.com/Positive-Computing-Technology-Wellbeing-Potential/...
3
There are pluses and minuses. When I travel on business, which is usually internationally, my wife can always get hold of me. We can talk for an hour via skype every day, without $1,000 monthly phone bills. We can share our day, every day, even if the time zones involved make my evening calls her "good morning" calls.
Video conferencing means less travel. Field engineers can set up a small (GoPro) camera at the customer site that allows me to attend a day long meeting in Buenos Aires without the 18 hour flights. I have some fluency in multiple languages, but often have to capture the video stream and replay it to figure out what was said. I can also email the recording to other engineers.
The negative is that my "team" of co-workers reside in Sao Paulo, Beijing, London, New Jersey, Singapore, and Mumbai. Try scheduling that conference call. Also, with "follow the sun" software development, the work never stops. When you wake up in the morning you are 12 hours behind, and people are waiting for answers.
Consequently, sleep is something that you do 2 hours at a time, but it is uninterrupted. I set up alarms for conference calls and turn off anything that might beep with a message or call. Paradoxically, because every one is in different time zones, we are more respectful of intruding on personal time, than co-workers in the same location.
Video conferencing means less travel. Field engineers can set up a small (GoPro) camera at the customer site that allows me to attend a day long meeting in Buenos Aires without the 18 hour flights. I have some fluency in multiple languages, but often have to capture the video stream and replay it to figure out what was said. I can also email the recording to other engineers.
The negative is that my "team" of co-workers reside in Sao Paulo, Beijing, London, New Jersey, Singapore, and Mumbai. Try scheduling that conference call. Also, with "follow the sun" software development, the work never stops. When you wake up in the morning you are 12 hours behind, and people are waiting for answers.
Consequently, sleep is something that you do 2 hours at a time, but it is uninterrupted. I set up alarms for conference calls and turn off anything that might beep with a message or call. Paradoxically, because every one is in different time zones, we are more respectful of intruding on personal time, than co-workers in the same location.
4
Sleeping 2 hours at a time? Brother you need a new job.
2
I have a sneaking suspicion I'm not alone on this point. I've found the most stressful aspect of technology is having to deal with service providers and their so-called "Customer Service." Whether it's via "chat" or by telephone, I believe my stress level is never higher than when waiting to be "served," or when dealing with agents who haven't got a clue.
10
This article is too "decisive". Just last week, a very good study from the U of Missouri showed that not being able to answer your phone when it was ringing produced a lot of stress and worsened ability to think and solve problems. So this is an indirect way technology affects stress. There has also been a lot of good research indicating that more time spent on Facebook is correlative with lower self esteem, depression, narcissism, jealousy, etc. So the situation is more complicated than the author suggests.
21
I am a big fan of technology. As a computer science major technology is something that is essential in my life and I think is very important. I think that technology has to be used in a certain way.
Human contact should never be replaced. That is why it is important to use technology as a means to increase your contact with other people rather than only sharing your life through social media. If technology is used in order to interact and meet up with people that you would not have been able to get in contact without the use of technology, then it is being the right way. What could cause one to become stressed would be if they are the one sitting at home watching social media and seeing their friends all together, while he/she is only interacting with them over the internet. Facebook is a perfect example of a technology service that was created in order for people to keep in contact with friends and family. However if people are only keeping in contact over the internet without face-to-face contact then technology is not being used the way it should be.
When technology is used to increase social contact people are less stressed since it serves them a great purpose(face-to-face contact with friends and family). Who can be stressed by that?
Human contact should never be replaced. That is why it is important to use technology as a means to increase your contact with other people rather than only sharing your life through social media. If technology is used in order to interact and meet up with people that you would not have been able to get in contact without the use of technology, then it is being the right way. What could cause one to become stressed would be if they are the one sitting at home watching social media and seeing their friends all together, while he/she is only interacting with them over the internet. Facebook is a perfect example of a technology service that was created in order for people to keep in contact with friends and family. However if people are only keeping in contact over the internet without face-to-face contact then technology is not being used the way it should be.
When technology is used to increase social contact people are less stressed since it serves them a great purpose(face-to-face contact with friends and family). Who can be stressed by that?
2
I think technology is wonderful. But, I don't have a boss trying to get a hold of me to do work via said technology. I think technology is awful if it's a way to suddenly become a 24/7 worker. Now, that sounds awfully stressful and I know plenty of people who live in that world. They seem to have no choice in being close to technology all the time.
13
My concerns about technology, specifically smart phones and social media are the great potential for substituting digital contact for human face to to face contact and maintaining relationships as a superficial convenience from a safe distance on one's own time. The expression of always finding time for what's truly important in our respective lives comes to mind. So many of us have apparently settled for pithy text messages, tweets and "likes" over visits or meaningful and time consuming phone conversations, that our digital relationships are the new normal. It all feels very sad and socially isolating to me but I do not own a smart phone and I do not engage in any social media activity so perhaps I am the one missing out on an enriching life lived mostly in cyberspace. My other concern is one that should resonate with everyone and that is the lack of affordability of technology for many which is creating an even larger class divide, fueled not only by income disparity but also ego. But if grandma is satisfied receiving an occasional text message or Facebook "like" from her grandchildren instead of a phone call or visit, who I am to object while I go bowling alone?
9
I am not sure 'causing stress' was ever really the issue with technology. It reminds me of how "organic foods aren't any more nutritious than non-organic". Of course they aren't, but that's not why people buy them. They buy them to avoid pesticides.
Technology doesn't really link with 'stress' per se, in my mind. It links to attention span, distractedness, and an inability to unplug when your husband is trying to sleep, and you just keep reading facebook....
Technology doesn't really link with 'stress' per se, in my mind. It links to attention span, distractedness, and an inability to unplug when your husband is trying to sleep, and you just keep reading facebook....
10
The problem is not that technology causes stress in people: The problem is that people let technology cause the stress.
5
"But a new study by researchers...found the opposite...[f]requent Internet and social media users do not have higher stress levels than those who use technology less often. Then why do we keep hearing that technology is harmful? Fear of technology is nothing new."
It's a bit of disingenuous rhetorical prestidigitation to substitute "stress" for general "harm." I don't worry so much about stress from my phone; nor do I worry that it'll stress out my toddler son or my wife.
But I do worry that over-use will make each of us twitchy, unable to deal with quiet moments and generally socially annoying to those around us. Why? Because I already find such people inconsiderate, lacking in attention and unable to comport themselves with basic social grace. I have no doubt that while not more stressed, such persons are doing harm to themselves in the same way any addictive, chronic and repetitive over-use of a thing does harm.
The only people who could be reading this junk reporting and actually thinking this article offers noteworthy information are self-justifiers who're skimming the article on their smartphones in between looking at Twitter or facebook updates, reading e-mail, and switching back to fixes of Candy Crush in between. I guess if you're going to mislead people into buying into (self) deceipt, you do well to play to your audience.
It's a bit of disingenuous rhetorical prestidigitation to substitute "stress" for general "harm." I don't worry so much about stress from my phone; nor do I worry that it'll stress out my toddler son or my wife.
But I do worry that over-use will make each of us twitchy, unable to deal with quiet moments and generally socially annoying to those around us. Why? Because I already find such people inconsiderate, lacking in attention and unable to comport themselves with basic social grace. I have no doubt that while not more stressed, such persons are doing harm to themselves in the same way any addictive, chronic and repetitive over-use of a thing does harm.
The only people who could be reading this junk reporting and actually thinking this article offers noteworthy information are self-justifiers who're skimming the article on their smartphones in between looking at Twitter or facebook updates, reading e-mail, and switching back to fixes of Candy Crush in between. I guess if you're going to mislead people into buying into (self) deceipt, you do well to play to your audience.
16
I took some young relatives who came to visit me from Europe, to the great barrier reef. They stood in the water texting friends back home on what a nice time they were having. I travelled the world without a phone years ago.
23
I'm rather surprised actually that people would think technology increases stress in the first place. Honking horns, perhaps, or rude teenagers texting at a movie, but otherwise? I don't see why it would have an effect one wary or the other.
What technology is, in many cases, is a real time waster! I say this as someone who is now commenting on an article rather than doing his chores.
What technology is, in many cases, is a real time waster! I say this as someone who is now commenting on an article rather than doing his chores.
9
I have no doubt that constant use of social media causes stress in children. It shortens attention span, creates a false sense of "urgency", and expands the ever-present "popularity contest" beyond middle school hours into every waking hour. Just ask any middle schooler if she takes pride in having collected more "likes" for her instagram posts than those posted by her friends. One day researchers will prove me right.
A couple of weeks ago, my 11-yo complained that when she sits next to her friend on the bus (at the request of her friend), her friend often ignores her and instead "plays on her iphone".
A couple of weeks ago, my 11-yo complained that when she sits next to her friend on the bus (at the request of her friend), her friend often ignores her and instead "plays on her iphone".
26
This study misses the point of reducing screen time. Stress is not an indicator of the worthiness of screen time. Spending less time with your connected devices is less about stress and more about learning to appreciate things that aren't instantly gratifying. The more we use this technology, the more we depend on short term satisfaction. It even changes our understanding of what happiness is.
It seems that everything in this world is measured in terms of its immediate effect on our lives. This kind of short term mindset is detrimental to the success of a prosperous nation. We need a bigger scope of attention to accurately address our world's problems. I think this is really the problem with the increased role of technology in our daily lives. It's not our health, but our perception of time that is worrisome to me.
It seems that everything in this world is measured in terms of its immediate effect on our lives. This kind of short term mindset is detrimental to the success of a prosperous nation. We need a bigger scope of attention to accurately address our world's problems. I think this is really the problem with the increased role of technology in our daily lives. It's not our health, but our perception of time that is worrisome to me.
25
Like the assumptions that led to this study, your assertion is really opinion. Many of my boomer generation assume being constantly plugged in is somehow worrisome. I think that people riding buses, for example, would rarely engage with strangers; but with a device they are able to connect with someone or entertain themselves. I don't think there is any data that shows our ability for deferred gratification has been compromised due to device use.
4
"I don't think there is any data that shows our ability for deferred gratification has been compromised due to device use."
@Allicat - Yes, there is. There are other studies that show exactly that. Personally, as a parent of a toddler, I see quite a few plugged-in children around me these days offering vivid anecdotal evidence of the hypothesis.
Beyond that, screen time has been shown to delay circadian signals for sleeping. Any parent can tell you that the second most important form of nourishment a child should be given after food and water is ample sleep. Anything compromising that is robbing a child of a key element of healthy development.
@Allicat - Yes, there is. There are other studies that show exactly that. Personally, as a parent of a toddler, I see quite a few plugged-in children around me these days offering vivid anecdotal evidence of the hypothesis.
Beyond that, screen time has been shown to delay circadian signals for sleeping. Any parent can tell you that the second most important form of nourishment a child should be given after food and water is ample sleep. Anything compromising that is robbing a child of a key element of healthy development.
11
Sure technology relaxes people, so people want more technology to feel relaxed and they want that relaxation NOW - meaning they have a stronger desire for instant gratification. This makes technology sound more like a drug. Industries that create technology have it in their best interest to make things easy, which is good and bad. Technology allows us the freedom to be impulsive. It was once thought that being an adult meant not being impulsive, but now there is an economic incentive to make us more like children - good for moving money around, but is it good for society? I see drivers more distracted, perhaps feeling less stress about killing someone or themselves with their car but so long as they are less stressed out it must be a good thing.
8
I am thinking/wondering quite a bit about this assertion. Tech. is certainly defining how we connect and communicate. I have found that my life is lacking in face-to-face time--I am in mid-30s-- due to advent and quick adoption of texting as the main channel for communication. I have found that people do not pick up their phones, but text a msg. back. I am no longer on Facebook due to its overwhelming nature for ME. I don't have 400 friends I want to have coffee with. However, FB it also another major channel of communication I do miss out on, which I am fine with. CALL ME. I teach 8th graders who are married to their phones. They are texting in their pockets in class, to say "Yo!" to someone in another class. If someone does not "friend" someone or msg back, it becomes a huge ordeal for these kids. They have 5 tabs open on their browser on a sunny day, rare weather here. They are employing texting jargon in essays. Yes, technology and social media have an impact, although I cannot characterize it as "positive" or "negative." Certainly, we should all start to think about how it defines us and our connections with others. For those curious: recommend Sherry Turkle's work at MIT: http://www.mit.edu/~sturkle/ and her TED talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_alone_together?language=en Both my students and I have had several discussions about her work, especially the PBS documentary, "Digital Nation." Finally: How much does early socialization play a role? Curious.
10
More stress today because the technology either crashes or is co-opted as vector for crime. We are trading reliability and durability for frivolity. Same radio frequencies. Same principles of electrical resistance with waste heat.
Same reciprocating combustion technology with its 70% wasted energy.
Software is written and developed about the same way ships were produced prior to the Industrial Revolution except it routinely doesn't work as well.
It's more stressful. We never worried about Ma Bell dropping a call. Never had to re-boot the washing machine wondering if it will work. Never had to through a process of elimination re-boot a streaming device if/then a modem if/then spend 30 minutes on hold (if you get a signal) to watch TV that may or may not be the 1080i resolution coming over the air.
Same reciprocating combustion technology with its 70% wasted energy.
Software is written and developed about the same way ships were produced prior to the Industrial Revolution except it routinely doesn't work as well.
It's more stressful. We never worried about Ma Bell dropping a call. Never had to re-boot the washing machine wondering if it will work. Never had to through a process of elimination re-boot a streaming device if/then a modem if/then spend 30 minutes on hold (if you get a signal) to watch TV that may or may not be the 1080i resolution coming over the air.
6
Actually I find that checking email to see if I have an answer to a question or some information that I need, can reduce stress. I have the answer/information, I can now stop thinking about it. I find it helpful. As for social networks, I don't do facebook, so I have nothing to say about that. I talk to my friends and family, either in person or on the phone.
1
That's sort of the point, that the stress is momentarily relieved by frequent checking is tantamount to the cycle of addiction --- relieving the 'stress' of nicotine withdrawal by smoking another cigarette --- and apparently involves the same structures --- the ventral tegmentum and the nucleus accumbens --- which are associated with reward, motivation, and reinforcement.
3
Can these devices augment authentic human relationships, which is in the last sentence of this column? It's possible. If possible, yes. But a fair number of people self-report that using these devices *replaces* human relationships. And the devices summon up the compulsive drive -- mistakenly defined as "addiction" -- within many people. Using these gadgets -- which, let's be honest, are conveniences and not essentials -- requires a fair amount of self-control and maturity for most of us. And where can that be learned and where is that taught?
8
You raise the most important question: How many people who own or use any form of tech device on a regular basis maintain a decent level of self-control? In daily life, I'd say 99% of the people I see holding a device in public demonstrate a lack of self-control. If we want to measure simply *not holding a device in public,* and make a guess and assumption those individuals are just keeping it in the pocket, that seems more like, oh, maybe 15%? In any case, I wouldn't say it's significantly *more,* and the basic point is that very few demonstrate on a daily basis such self-control.
4
I can say for a fact that there IS a fear of missing out. Every so often I feel like I'm right back in junior high when I see photos of my friends at a party that I hadn't been invited too. Sure, it's not rational, but that feeling still happens. It's still there.
16
Technology doesn't have to make your life more stressful. Just take a 'cafeteria' approach to it - use what you like, ignore the rest. Granted, it does help if you're somehow independent of the work world, or not concerned about ever fitting in it, in order to get away with that. Aye, there's the rub ...
4
We don't know if the women in the study who tweet and use social media more often had reduced stress levels because of the technology, or if these women had enough time to maintain these activities along with all the other juggling they do throughout the day. Maybe some women are working two jobs and raising children alone which curtails the time and means to use technology. Or possibly, those with access to technology were more insulated from economic insecurity because they have the education and means to use it well allowing them to more easily navigate through life.
In terms of the calming affect of a mother's voice in person to that of comparable text or phone call, we should look at differences between deaf and hearing people. Very often deaf people miss so much of the emotional content delivered by the timber and tone of our voices when we are in a conversation (signing or lip reading). Hearing people often take for granted the emotional content being communicated by talking in person.
This is a very complex set of questions to relegate to a few studies, but does deserve to be studied and used to maximize the effectiveness of the technology we have to improve our lives. I think the author is right in saying it probably depends on how we use it.
In terms of the calming affect of a mother's voice in person to that of comparable text or phone call, we should look at differences between deaf and hearing people. Very often deaf people miss so much of the emotional content delivered by the timber and tone of our voices when we are in a conversation (signing or lip reading). Hearing people often take for granted the emotional content being communicated by talking in person.
This is a very complex set of questions to relegate to a few studies, but does deserve to be studied and used to maximize the effectiveness of the technology we have to improve our lives. I think the author is right in saying it probably depends on how we use it.
"Then why do we keep hearing that technology is harmful?"
Do we? Not I.
Do we? Not I.
I've come to the conclusion that all this email checking and FB checking and jumping on top of every alert, etc., has become what smoking is: you feel like you're doing something when, really, you aren't.
You see the same emails and same posts, replying in the same way you've seen before - it's just killing time until you have to walk the dog or somebody actually talks to you.
But it's not life.
You see the same emails and same posts, replying in the same way you've seen before - it's just killing time until you have to walk the dog or somebody actually talks to you.
But it's not life.
54
I'm sure that having a Pacemaker reduces stress for those who need one.
1
In my experience, Facebook adds stress. So I don't do Facebook. But texting can reduce stress in myriad ways if it's used right. Just don't text angry...
2
Its all about if you can hold it at an arm's distance.
2
Facebook has been a God-send to me. I am living in a new area where I have few friends. With social media, I have re-connected with old friends and strengthened ties with far-flung extended family. I can watch their children and grandchildren grow up. It is a stress buster!
5
Ms. Pinker has it right. There are many more valuable and meaningful interactions that occur with human-human interactions rather than human-device-human interactions. To think otherwise is ignorant or even delusional.
12
This has got to be turned on its head: at this point, it is life WITHOUT technology that we have become accustomed to that would be stressful! How long can one go without checking their email before stress sets in?!
5
Uh, 30 years? Because that's about how far I went before email was introduced. More recently, I read an article that claimed that frequent email checking is associated *with* stress. It certainly is for me, since I can never keep up with it and resent the time I'm wasting on it.
1
if you need a study to un-convince yourself of what's staring you right in the face then it may be a lost cause in the first place.
6
People always need to have something to blame for (____________) fill in the blank. Yes, our technology can make life more stressful, but people still have the choice.
2
Yes, of course we do. But as certain technologies become increasingly pervasive, people and organizations create norms that exclude or punish those who do not follow them. I am no longer on Facebook and just had to drop an online class because all of the required informal conversations were going to be done within FB. I still have freedom of choice, but in some cases the cost to not conform can be too great ... as it always has been in life.
18
You can create a FB profile and delete it permanently. I did it for work and when it was no longer useful, I deleted it.
1
Ha! Empirical proof that old-fogeyism is just that. The number of anti-technology items in my social media stream is hilarious. People posting that we shouldn't be using technology. Think about it.
1
Perhaps less stressful but definitiely promoting more self absorbtion. Perfect for the "it's all about me" society we have become.
9
Depends. Email and social media make it possible to stay in closer touch with your personal situation and those of your friends. If your life or your friends' is full of anxiety or threatens negativity, of course social media tools can make life more stressful -- those tools provide constant reminders. Ill health, economic difficulties, family and work conflicts: all are potential sources of dreaded bad news. If, insead, you're living a charmed life without many stressors, social media can be mostly a source of delightful connection. Duh.
1
It is obvious, this generation is just lonely, looking for real in person touches. It is sad that they have not learned to handle solitude, which is one of lifes joys. .
28
@Coolhunter, you seemed to have picked an odd forum to discuss your apparent joyful solitude and how "this generation" is substituting technology for in person interaction. Are you sure you're in the right place?
Beware the cherry picking here. The Pew study measures self-report of general perception of how stressful your life is - useful info, but hardly a smoking gun to put "conventional wisdom" to rest. That generalized perception may not be the outcome that captures the nature of the phenomenon. Even within this article, other studies contradict: "The children who talked [in person] to their mothers showed decreased stress and increased positive feelings, while those who instant-messaged remained stressed."
9
Actual study compared conversations in person and over the phone as well as texting and no contact. Study same was limited to girls - as the parent of a teenage boy who prefers to text with me for good news or bad,
it is possible that closer contact for the male child/mother relationship wd not create less stress for the child who is trying to separate from the female parent.
it is possible that closer contact for the male child/mother relationship wd not create less stress for the child who is trying to separate from the female parent.
That's a specific situation involving children. It has no significance to overall stress levels, which are caused by many things. And note that the parents wasn't *present* so the alternative was not being comforted by the mother at all.
I generally appreciate Claire Cain Miller's reporting, but this article has a few sloppy generalizations and undocumented assumptions. The study is about "digital technologies," not well defined in the first place (here at least), but soon the word "digital" gets dropped and we're hearing about people's supposedly irrational fears of "technology." Isn't it possible that it's the cumulative impact of the entire technological environment - not "digital" technologies alone -- that is causing people to feel anxious and in need of disconnecting? And Ms. Miller finds it easy to say that we were worried about previous technologies (telephones, watches, televisions), but that "the benefits offset the stressors." That seems a huge and questionable statement to make without qualification. The negative impacts of television on the culture are too numerous to mention. As for watches, Lewis Mumford and others have discussed how fundamentally we've been conditioned by the division of the day into rigidly structured time segments. Whether that's good or bad in the long run may be debatable, but there's little doubt that pressure to be more productive would be one of the effects. A few studies and polls (which are themselves techniques) aren't going to address questions as complex as these.
38
Fear of new technology isn't new. Aristotle claimed that reading books (instead of memorizing odes) would mean the death of humanity because the younguns weren't learning the way Aristotle had grown up. Show me any advancement in technology that has only an upside or only a downside. Agriculture completely destroyed the nomadic way of life. It also added more food which meant more people stayed alive for longer.
10
You're exaggerating what Aristotle said the consequences would be. But he was not so wrong. We no longer memorize and we no longer truly "know" and remember things without having to go look them up constantly. We don't do sustained thought nearly as well as people did in the past.
3
No, your information is out of date. Current research shows that the transition from hunter-gatherer (Paleolithic societies) to sedentary, agriculturist societies (Neolithic societies) in many cases brought shortened life span, increased epidemics, problems with social stratification. There were many costs to individuals and societies in that "technology." You're relying on a stereotype that all historical change constitutes "progress," which is such an unexamined assumption of modern western societies that it functions as a superstition.
My grocery store (agriculture) is the "new" nomadic way of life.
Guess what they are doing as they wander around the aisles.
(hint: not memorizing odes)
Guess what they are doing as they wander around the aisles.
(hint: not memorizing odes)
I don't understand how anyone had children before cell phones (I'm old enough that some of my peers had children without cell phones). I text with my babysitters all the time, sometimes just to see how my little guy is doing, sometimes to solve problems. If my son gets lost in a crowd, someone can phone me. If he gets sick, I'm available. This all keeps me relaxed and connected.
13
Hmm, this reminds me about that one time I was riding the commuter bus, which did not allow cell phone use. I hate listening into other people's loud conversations in public places, so I was always bring the bus company's policy to others' attention. When I told my seatmate that no calls were allowed, she said, "But I need to tell the nanny what shelf the jello is on."
16
This reminds me of the first time I saw two parents on their phones. At the airport, two toddlers were carrying on noisily at the feet of the mom and dad, while they were ignoring them and absorbed by their cell phones. Maybe the parents were dealing with important info. Maybe they did this all the time.
3
When I was a kid, my mom had no idea where I was between school's end and when I reappeared for dinner. This did not stress her out because she had no sense of being directly responsible for what I was doing that time. She trusted that she'd raised me in a way that would allow me to make safe, responsible decisions about my conduct and whereabouts. And, mostly, she was right. Of course, sometimes we kids would push the envelope, but we knew we were doing so and would quickly back out of dangerous situations. What this all meant is that my mom was less stressed than you are because she could focus on other activities (cooking dinner, grocery shopping, visiting friends, etc.) without constant interruptions from me asking if what I was doing was a good idea. I see helicopter parenting around me, even involving parents of my college students, and it's hard for me to understand how parents can stand the stress of that level of involvement and control over their children's lives. It also means that I see college students who don't feel empowered to, and comfortable in, making their own life decisions.
51
There are numerous problems with technology starting with the use of calculators in elementary school, but that is an entirely different subject. The primary problem with adult use of technology is the expectation of immediate answers, gratifications, and ability to contact someone else. If those thing do not happen, the "caller" becomes stressed and irritable. On the "receiver's" side, there does not seem to be any time to just think. Technological devices are a sword of Damocles permitting no private time. And these conditions exist 24/7.
Also, if you decide to disconnect you wonder if you missed some important call from you boss (being fired is now a possitiliby), a client (losing the account is now a possibility), etc. Stress? Oh yes.
Also, if you decide to disconnect you wonder if you missed some important call from you boss (being fired is now a possitiliby), a client (losing the account is now a possibility), etc. Stress? Oh yes.
32
The issue is not stress but fractured psyche and fragmentary intellect, a breakdown of astuteness.
50
Agreed. As the theologian Paul Tillich put it, “The decisive element in the predicament of Western man in our period is his loss of the dimension of depth.”
The article has an anecdotal, false premise. Who says it makes life more stressful? What I observe is that technology, especially mobile, makes people less present.
104
Agree - people are definitely less present. Seriously, you can be trying to tell someone you have been diagnosed with a life threatening illness and they are checking their phone or actually answer it "in case IT is an emergency!"
Along those lines, what is this new trend of "I have to have my phone with me in case there is an emergency"? How many emergencies does the average person have? I am 50 and have never had one. I asked my parents who are in their mid 80s and raised a few kids - my Mom said one and my Dad said one (different ones).
Believing that every day you might have an emergency could make your life more stressful!
Along those lines, what is this new trend of "I have to have my phone with me in case there is an emergency"? How many emergencies does the average person have? I am 50 and have never had one. I asked my parents who are in their mid 80s and raised a few kids - my Mom said one and my Dad said one (different ones).
Believing that every day you might have an emergency could make your life more stressful!
59
Right on. Reader00001 nails it.
I just spent 2 weeks in a remote location without my phone or laptop and I can say without a doubt that I felt better without them. I think my wife and kids were probably happier that I wasn't staring at my phone the whole time too.
The Times loves to jump on these little "studies" and make sweeping deductions.
I just spent 2 weeks in a remote location without my phone or laptop and I can say without a doubt that I felt better without them. I think my wife and kids were probably happier that I wasn't staring at my phone the whole time too.
The Times loves to jump on these little "studies" and make sweeping deductions.
5
Hear, hear (and especially - Here!)
The only stress change I experience is from people "using" technology instead of focusing on the task at hand - driving, walking across a street, starting a conversation with me they say is necessary and "very important," but each cell phone call gets answered during our "conversation."
Low-tech solution: steer clear, turn and walk away. They will get the message (they need).
The only stress change I experience is from people "using" technology instead of focusing on the task at hand - driving, walking across a street, starting a conversation with me they say is necessary and "very important," but each cell phone call gets answered during our "conversation."
Low-tech solution: steer clear, turn and walk away. They will get the message (they need).
2
Fax and answering machines were stressful to me when they were introduced— they made it impossible to ignore a message from someone you didn't want to talk to. That sort of dread goes back at least as far as the Crimean War, when the British ambassador to the Porte complained of "frights" regularly arriving form the newly installed telegraph form London, robbing of of the independence he was used to. Complaining about the interruptions form technology will not make either the devices nor the messages go away. We just have to learn to ignore them from time to time, if we must do so to keep your sanity.
10
Interesting article. Great to see somebody challenge a conventional wisdom based on feelings and not facts.
7
Ok great. Bring on The Singularity!
1
Technology has done great things- I deal in business internationally and can communicate anytime- at my option (I turn it off at bedtime), from anywhere (mostly) to anywhere (mostly). My big issues concern interoperability across devices or platforms. I can push buttons, pull wires, etc. but I do get very frustrated when devices that are supposed to automatically "hook up" to something else don't connect, as advertised.
A double-edged sword.
7
It's not any of the things mentioned that lead to stress; it's the fact that the technology frequently does not work properly, or is redesigned or "upgraded" so frequently that you must constantly relearn to use it. The industry acts as though technology is the end, rather than the means. Microsoft led the way with its "subscription-based" programs and operating systems, which consist less of improvements than mere reshuffling. Now seemingly every software and web page developer seems to feel that no one will love them unless they produce a new look every few months. Where was that widget again? How do I get this back to where it was before? What do you mean, I can't do that anymore? Good luck.
71
No, engineers worry about this a lot. I tell the "technologically abused" that it is not their fault. We (engineers) failed. "Navigation" in an app is a big problem. The most frequent actions in an app vary from person to person. You see reshuffling, we see that as "optimization". The genius of the iPhone and smartphones is an app that does a few things, and does them intuitively.
If you don't like one calendar app, you can buy another you like better for 99 cents. The new smartphone in your hand right now has enough compute power to have qualified as one of the fastest supercomputers in 1985. It didn't cost $25M and it does not weigh 5.5 tons.
If you don't like one calendar app, you can buy another you like better for 99 cents. The new smartphone in your hand right now has enough compute power to have qualified as one of the fastest supercomputers in 1985. It didn't cost $25M and it does not weigh 5.5 tons.
2
E-mail at work is stressful not only because of the "always on" aspect, but because it's very depersonalizing, especially in large organizations. If someone has your e-mail address (and they're always a matter of public record), they tend to treat you like faraway office equipment. It breaks down chains of command within organizations and turns everything into a mush.
21
It is all about feeling in control of a situation. Technology is just a facilitator. Whether you learn about someone's fantastic vacation on Facebook or over a phone call or even a personal chat by the watercooler or favorite water-hole the emotions will be mostly the same, the technology does not matter If anything, the phone or computer lets you raise your eyebrows and stick your tongue out as you are receiving the information while face to face would be awkward.
Technology is unfamiliar, and a lot of it is kludgy and user-unfriendly - now that stress can be blamed on technology. Battery fail at critical time? Stressor, blame technology. Read on Facebook that your friend is enjoying life while you aren't? Stressor (really?) - do not blame technology.