At least there will be an underpinning of compassion

Mizzou scientists discovered that cell phone separation can have serious psychological and physiological effects on users. Their study demonstrated that our phones are capable of becoming an extension of our selves such that when separated, we experience a lessening of self and a negative physiological state. What's most fascinating to me is the questionnaire itself. Because so many of the line items can be easily and quickly refuted with healthy, human solutions. Allow me to share a sampling of the...

For most of my young adult life, goals motivated me to do things. The experience of setting, documenting, sharing, reviewing, achieving and reflecting upon them was a significant source of satisfaction for me. Until it wasn't. Until it occurred to me that the hedonic treadmill really has no end. Goals are for the person you are when you set them, not necessarily the person you're going to be when you reach them. That's the inherent paradox here. Fulfillment itself already...

Imagine you’re running late for an important meeting. On the way to the office, you start getting sweaty, hurried and anxious. Sitting in traffic, helpless as a leaf in a gale, you cycle through the excuse barrage in your mind. How will you justify being late so your coworkers aren’t pissed and your client doesn’t fire you? Maybe tell them there was a traffic accident. Say you jumped out of the train car onto the highway to rescue a group...

The time it takes to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices. And as the decision time increases, the user experience suffers. This law was first uncovered in the fifties, and since then has become a key tenet of effective web design. Ask any of the programmers you know. Nobody wants to paralyze and frustrate their user. Kill all the pointless features and just give people what they need, for the love of god. But this...

The cashier bagging my groceries accidentally dropped a few of my avocados on the floor. No problem. Happens to everybody. They’re just going to be mashed into guacamole in twenty minutes anyway, right? But in that moment, here’s how the woman responded. First, she slammed her face into her hands and started berating herself for being an idiot. Next, she yelled out for one of her coworkers to come over and complete the transaction. Third, she slumped over to the...