Fighting for Happiness

Who doesn't want to be happy? As part of that broad topic, in past entries I have talked about the importance of happiness and the role communication can and does play in helping all of achieve such a desired state of mind. When communication that is carried out in a respectful, honest and straightforward manner, then a state of contentment or comfort among the participants is never far behind. In my experience, this is even the case when the topic or subject of communication is found to be disagreeable by one or all of the participants. People can disagree and still not have to stray from the "happiness circle." Such is the magic of effective communication.

Thus, it was with great interest that I read a article in the September, 2017, issue of "The Atlantic" magazine regarding the negative impact of smartphones. According to the author, Jean Twenge, these technological wonders seem to be doing a great deal of harm to boys and girls born between 1995 and 2012 - or what the author calls iGen. More and more, those people are becoming addicted to smartphones to the point it is eroding their desire to personally interact or hang-out with friends. Why? Because they are drawn to this electronic device that seems to be replacing their need to interact in-person with their peers. In other words, they are choosing screen time over face-time.

Studies suggest the smartphone has "radically changed every aspect of teenagers' lives, from the nature of social interactions to their mental health," the author writes. Taken together, the impact is detracting from any meaningful level of happiness that, ideally, teens should be feeling. The challenge, then, for those of us who are older is to help educate those of that generation as well as the ones that are behind them that as fun as smartphones and other technological devices are, they are not designed to replace the basics of life itself: connecting with others and building relationships. In that sense, old-school remains better than new-school.