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> Everything has trade offs and as time goes on I value the benefits of technology less and less. I believe this has more to do with age than any sort of absolu

> Everything has trade offs and as time goes on I value the benefits of technology less and less. I believe this has more to do with age than any sort of absolute value judgement. For me it's long observation of tech improvements not improving happiness or contentment. More choices, more efficiency—just means more time trying to decide, and that you're expected to do more and context-switch more in less time. I think there was probably a sweet spot somewhere along the line—or probably a bunch of sweet spots, for separate things—and in many respects we're way past it now.

admax88qqq 4y ago
Are the tech improvements truly the cause? Or are you just becoming less happy/content as you age. The stereotype of a crotchety old person comes to mind. The Douglas Adam's quote comes to mind https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/39828-i-ve-come-up-with-a-set-of-rules-that-describe https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/39828-i-ve-come-up-with-a-s... “I've come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies: 1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works. 2. Anything that's invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it. 3. Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things.”
- yamtaddle 4y ago
  It's less that they cause unhappiness, than that they often do little to improve it. Different, not better.
- karaterobot 4y ago
  This quote comments on our prejudices about technology, but has nothing to say about whether or not a given development in technology is actually good or bad. Things don't always have to just keep getting better, and often, in practice, they don't. So, the challenge is to firewall our immediate response to something in tech from our overall evaluation of it.
- adamisom 4y ago
  People actually get happier as they get older though. I think above 45ish.
- dilap 4y ago
  I did a quick google and found > The total number of teenagers who recently experienced depression increased 59% between 2007 and 2017. The rate of growth was faster for teen girls (66%) than for boys (44%). (https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/07/12/a-growing-number-of-american-teenagers-particularly-girls-are-facing-depression/ https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/07/12/a-growing-n...) So that's some evidence that we really are getting less happy. I would say the biggest change over that time period is smart phones became ubiquitous.

admax88qqq 4y ago

Are the tech improvements truly the cause? Or are you just becoming less happy/content as you age. The stereotype of a crotchety old person comes to mind. The Douglas Adam's quote comes to mind https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/39828-i-ve-come-up-with-a-set-of-rules-that-describe https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/39828-i-ve-come-up-with-a-s... “I've come up with a set of rules that describe our reactions to technologies: 1. Anything that is in the world when you’re born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works. 2. Anything that's invented between when you’re fifteen and thirty-five is new and exciting and revolutionary and you can probably get a career in it. 3. Anything invented after you're thirty-five is against the natural order of things.”

yamtaddle 4y ago
It's less that they cause unhappiness, than that they often do little to improve it. Different, not better.
karaterobot 4y ago
This quote comments on our prejudices about technology, but has nothing to say about whether or not a given development in technology is actually good or bad. Things don't always have to just keep getting better, and often, in practice, they don't. So, the challenge is to firewall our immediate response to something in tech from our overall evaluation of it.
adamisom 4y ago
People actually get happier as they get older though. I think above 45ish.
dilap 4y ago
I did a quick google and found > The total number of teenagers who recently experienced depression increased 59% between 2007 and 2017. The rate of growth was faster for teen girls (66%) than for boys (44%). (https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/07/12/a-growing-number-of-american-teenagers-particularly-girls-are-facing-depression/ https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/07/12/a-growing-n...) So that's some evidence that we really are getting less happy. I would say the biggest change over that time period is smart phones became ubiquitous.