Happiness technology: yesterday, today and tomorrow

About genetics, Danes and "bots mood"

Every day there are more and more gadgets, but the main one remains still for us - the opportunity to live communication.

In 2014, researchers at the University of Warwick in England issued a statement: they have found a close relationship between genetics and life characteristics such as happiness and well-being. Scientists have discovered 5-HTTLPR - a gene for serotonin transporter, which affects the process of transformation of the neurotransmitters serotonin, the hormone responsible for our mood, sexual desire and appetite. Their further scientific studies set a goal to find an answer to the following questions:

• why in some countries (especially in Denmark) there is a steady increase in the so-called happiness index;
• Whether this figure is associated with a particular nation and its genetic set.

The study authors took into account all the main factors that could have an impact on the overall satisfaction of people with their lives: a profession, religion, age, sex, size of the income. As a result, scientists have concluded that the DNA of Danes genetically predisposed to distinguish the well-being of life. In other words, the more you away from the Dane, the more likely you'll be happy (Shakespeare it seems, did not know).

However, holders of Danish blood is not the only example of how strong the genes can be happiness. In one part of the study provides evidence that each person on Earth is equipped with a set of genetic parameters, including both pre-configured values ​​for this feeling. If at some point in time we do not experience the joy of another victory or bitter disappointments, in the right moral state of the body "retrace" itself.

Part of the "assembly point" is determined by the birth of man at a genetic level, and as the Danes, they apparently lucky a little more than the rest of the world.

Researchers also studying-neuroscientists and variant gene, the presence of which leads to increased production of anandamide - the endogenous cannabinoid neurotransmitter responsible for the sense of tranquility. People with certain changes as a result of which the body produces minimal amount of enzyme required to produce anandamide, less able to withstand the adversities of life.

In 2015, Richard Friedman (Richard A. Friedman), a professor of clinical psychiatry at Weill Medical College of Cornell, stated in one of the editorials New York Times: «All human beings are endowed with a number of genetic systems have been picked up without any logic and social justice. It is these genetic rules and define our addiction to the excitement, depression and even the use of drugs. "

What we have, according to Friedman, need for real, so it is in a "drug" that can cause enhanced production of anandamide. Especially it would be useful to those whom nature has not supplied the powerful genes. Chat with friends and family - that's what makes us healthy and happy. People are needed in principle.

Some science servants had fixed his eyes on the future. James Huey (James J. Hughes), sociologist, writer and teacher of Hertford College St. Trinity, being an adherent of Futurism, now believes that it is not far off the day when people will be able to unravel the genetic code of the key neurotransmitters: serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin. Then control "genes of happiness" will be possible (not 5-HTTLPR, so anything else like that). In many ways, the emphasis is on the development of nano- and micro-technologies, at the expense of which will be able to "marry" with robotics pharmacology. Why not?

Imagine: "bots mood", introduced in the body, start their way straight to the brain certain areas and set up our "point assembly "in such a way that all the events that occur in life, receive proper emotional imprint and, as a consequence, bring satisfaction.

With the development of nano-technology we will be able to carry out a very thin and fine-tuning, in fact tuning our mood.

James Huey

It seems futurist we're almost ready to believe, after all, in addition to writing and teaching activities, he is also He is executive director of the Institute for Ethics and emerging technologies, and therefore considers the questions of genetics comprehensively.

It can be concluded that the genetically renovated future people will be able manage mood literally at the click of the fingers and live happily ever after. "But not so fast", - pacify our ardor sociologists and neuroscientists studying the phenomenon of luck.

Happiness in seconds - small, sharp

The fact that the scientists were able to approach the study of some new biological nature of man and the need Search special medication to control it, can not guarantee that our descendants a happy and full of fun a life. "Man - this is not just a perfect biomachine, all the secrets of which have not yet been unraveled, - states the researchers. - Years of hard scientific work suggests quite specific actions needed for a long and happy life. "

Fluctuation of the term "happiness"Always brought a lot of problems for those who decided to study this phenomenon of emotional close. Therefore, many researchers are unanimous: happiness - a condition that can be described as "subjective well-being." Among the first in the 80's I began to use this definition Ed Diener (Ed Diener), at the Department of Psychology at the University of Virginia.

However, in recent years, more and more bright minds are beginning to doubt the loyalty of a scientific approach based on subjective impressions of the test. After all, happiness can be felt in different ways. For example, if you were asked to describe the feeling of a teenager, an adult and a child, you will understand that it can depend on a very, very different aspects of life, promotion, summer holidays or Christmas tree in a children's garden.

For the past decade, more and more often it appears the idea that happiness can be divided into two types: a hedonistic and evdemonisticheskoe (a natural human desire to be happy). On the second he has long been advocated by Aristotle:

Happiness is the meaning and the most important is the real purpose of life.

This is the shape of happiness, in which the lives of you look in terms of pleasure from the process of being: the days go by, one after another, and each one is unique and in its own good.

Yes, it may very well be that soon advanced technologies in medicine allow a short time to completely block the feeling of fear, and instantly re-create the feeling of happiness. However, with the happiness of the technical things are more complicated.

Daniel Gilbert (Daniel Gilbert), a psychologist at Harvard and author of best-selling book "Stumbling on Happiness"I believe that the default people are able to strengthen the feeling of hedonic happiness, and they are many They succeeded, even without having in the arsenal of "bots mood", which says James Huey from Hartford College.

In 2004, Gilbert demonstrated his idea at the TED conference by two adjacent image. With the one on the left, the viewer watched a man with a lottery ticket in his hand. According to the idea, he just won nearly 315,000 dollars. In the second illustration I was also depicted a man, but in a wheelchair.

"I appeal to you for a moment to think about the two possible outcomes in life, - addresses the audience Daniel - imagine yourself in the place of each of the men in the pictures and tell me what you would fate preferred. In fact, in terms of happiness, both situations are equivalent: after a year since, as one man was in a wheelchair and the other won the lottery, their level of contentment with life is relatively the same. "

Research shows that virtual communication can help fight depression, loneliness and enhance the positive effects of received social support.

So why do we think that the people in the pictures is not the same happy? The reason for this, according to Gilbert, is the phenomenon, which he called the wrong exposure. In other words, the tendency for people to overestimate the positive properties has not hosted the event. The researcher notes that this is becoming a trend, although many events in life are inherently temporary and can not affect its quality as a whole. Judge for yourself: what's wrong with the global plan can happen if you do not pass the exam the first time, or part with another passion? That's right, nothing critical: the sun is still shining, the girls all as beautiful in the spring, but there is still a whole life.

Nevertheless, something must and can affect the feeling of happiness? In answering this question, Gilbert does not hesitate: "Often the state of happiness we call values, time-tested. I'll bet that in 2045 people are still just as happy if their children will be able to succeed and fill your life with love and concern for loved ones. "

"These are the foundations upon which the state of happiness, - continues the researcher thought. - They were formed thousands of years, but to this day has not lost its relevance. Man is still the most social animal on Earth, that's why we must make every possible effort to make the relationship with the family stronger. The secret of happiness is so simple and obvious, but many simply refuse to understand.

Why it happens? The answer is simple: People looking for a puzzle where it does not exist. They think that they have somewhere heard all of these tips can be, grandmother or psychotherapist, and now they would like to hear the secret of a happy life, and by scientists. But no secret does not exist. "

Life-long study, "the winner list" and the secret of happiness

Perhaps the clearest evidence of the benefits of the idea human relations It is just the same with you, our parents, who any day of the mothers and fathers become grandparents. This idea and asked a group of scientists from Boston, whose members decided to check out a number of laws on itself, starting one of the longest studies ever known to the world. Initially, the project was named "The main study of social adaptation", and was later renamed the "Harvard Study of adults."

Work began with a series of scientific experiments and a series of interviews with a group of college graduates of 1939-1941. Each graduate was selected to participate in the study carefully. By the way, among them were John Kennedy (John F. Kennedy) and Ben Bradley (Ben Bradlee), editor of Washington Post from 1972 to 1974.

The primary aim of the experiment was to observe the group of potentially successful men for one or two decades. At the moment of the beginning of the study has been more than 75 years, with 30 of the 268 people involved in it are still alive.

In 1967, the results were combined with other fruits of scientific work on a similar theme: Sheldon Glueck (Sheldon Glueck), professor of law and Criminology at Harvard University, watched the 456 children from poor, but wealthy families who lived in the central part of Boston in the early 40s. Eighty people from among the group of subjects in good health, and to this day. Those who up to now has not held, lived for an average of nine years less than 1938 participants of the experiment, the Boston.

In 2009, writer Joshua Wolf Shenk (Joshua Wolf Shenk) asked George Veylentu (George Vaillant), former head of the Boston study, which, in his opinion, made the discovery he considers most important. "The only thing that really matters in life - relationships with other people", - said George.

After the article was published on Schenk Veylenta seemed to hit the skeptics around the world. Response researcher on a barrage of criticism was the "winners list" - the document includes 10 achievements in a man's life (Aged 60 to 80 years), the implementation of which may be seen by others as a clear success. This "hits" include:

• achieving a certain level of income of the participant at the time of its entry into the final part of the study;
• presence in the American Biographical Directory of Marquis Who's Who;
• a successful career and a happy marriage;
• mental and physical health;
• sufficient social activity (in addition to communicating with family members).

It seems that constitute each of the categories given above in the list Veylenta related to each other. In fact, only four points as the writer says, have a close relationship to success in life and are in the field of human relations.

In fact, Veylent once again confirmed: it is an opportunity to have a close relationship with others determines the success in most aspects of our lives.

However, to the writer, who published his research in a book entitled "Triumph experience"In 2012, the term" happiness "does not seem so good. "It would be a good idea at all to exclude it from the vocabulary, - explains his point Veylent. - By and large, happiness - this is just a manifestation of hedonism, human desire to live life for fun. For example, I will be fine, if I eat a hefty burger washed down with beer. At the same time we could not associate the action with a life well-being. The secret of happiness lies in the positive emotions that we receive. Source is the most useful for human emotions - love».

Veylent admits: "Hearing like in 60-70 years, I would have laughed at the most. But gradually, my work has allowed to find more and more evidence that the warm relations with others - the basis for happiness. "

On health, the impact of technology and alone on the Net

Uoldinger Robert (Robert Waldinger), a psychotherapist from Harvard Medical School, who is currently leading a study, initiated by employees University in 1938, notes that the decisive role in the full-fledged relations not only plays a material well-being or feeling of happiness on currently. Without good physical health, alas, can not do.

"From all this it follows one main conclusion: the quality of the relationship is far more important health factor than we could believe. And it's not just about the mental, but also on the physical condition of the people. Be happy in marriage at the age of 50 years in terms of longevity is more important than to monitor the level of blood cholesterol. In the end, those who focus only on achieving success in life, do not have enough warm feelings and emotions derived from communicating with family and friends. People are needed in principle. "

However, the development of personal relationships could influence not only on health but also on the structure of his brain.

Socially isolated people are more likely to get sick and are more likely to suffer from disorders of memory and thought, their brains are less productive, as evidenced by the results of our research.

Robert Uoldinger

According Uoldingeru, carried away by anything people are happier others. They can educate their children, care for the garden or stand at the head of the family business - in principle, they can find time for all this. After all, if you're seriously passionate about the business, and next to you faithful followers, the unattainable goals for you simply do not exist.

Nicholas Christakis (Nicholas Christakis), scientist and sociologist at Yale University and co-author of the fundamental work on personal psychology on an example of studying twins, says: the probability that a human life is a success thanks to the "happiness gene" is only 33%. In this case, Christakis is convinced: the main component of well-being is a social rather than technological advantages of the modern world.

Christakis is studying the phenomenon of social networks and argues that genes such as 5-HTTLPR have less impact on the feeling of happiness than subjective feelings of the person. The latter, on the other hand, transform the nervous system function by changing our behavior, and forcing us to communicate and find different in nature friends - cheerful, quiet, sad.

Men of science have devoted decades of research the phenomenon of happiness and the importance of human relations and came to a very topical issue. We are living in the heyday of network technologies. The presence of people in social networks, and the time they spend together on the Internet, each year has been steadily growing. George Veylent unequivocal in their judgments on this subject: "Technology makes our thinking superficial, alien voice of the heart. It's not even that it the endless pursuit of new iPhoneThat whenever obsolete, and you go out and buy another, newer and more powerful - in a global sense, it does not matter. Modern gadgets if you do not produce beyond his own head, as strange as it may sound: my daughter quite seriously considers what to write messages to your friends is much more convenient than a call, not to mention the living communication. It is unlikely that this habit will pay off handsomely people in 2050. "

Despair of a new world in which, sitting at the same table, people do not take their eyes off the mobile, emanates from the words of Sherry Turkle (Sherry Turkle), Professor sociology at MIT: "Relations between people are complex and are spontaneous, taking a considerable amount of psychic forces. It would seem that the technology designed to make communication process easier and faster, but it turns out that in this case we're talking less. And then gradually get used to it. And after a short time, it does no longer disturb us. "

Yes, on the one hand, it makes us closer technology. But at the same time, we become more and more lonely in this world.

In some earlier studies on the topic of Internet use has been suggested that the era of networking inexorably pulls us in a sad, full of loneliness future. In 1998, Robert Kraut (Robert E. Kraut), a researcher at the University of Carnegie - Mellon University in Pennsylvania, conducted an experiment, the results of which, alas, is not pleased. The study of family involvement with children of high school age, and all subjects were able to use a computer with unlimited access to the network. Observations of the experimental group showed a pattern: the more time its members spent in the virtual space, the less they communicate live and the worse their mood was done.

The problem of the harmful effects of modern technology on human life still remains relevant. Widely known study of a group of employees at the University of Utah Valley: 425 graduates taking participate in the work, noted in their mood decline and growing dissatisfaction with their lives against a background of active Facebook use.

However, the problem of the influence of the virtual space in our lives are concerned not only the men of science. In 2011, Pope Benedict XVI in one of his appeals warned the world: "The Internet is not and should not replace the people present human communication." It is worth considering how you feel?

Nevertheless, more and more often I hear the view that the technology may not be too harmful to human relations in recent years. Recall study Kraut, what conclusions can we draw from it today? If in 1998 people in the experiment had (it was precisely the need) to communicate with unfamiliar to them people on the web, today almost all the people present in social networks, virtual space, another world, if want to.

The reality is that most people today are used to communicate in the network, even to those who are familiar with the first year, and live on the same street. So, it's in the process of communication, rather than its form. What, after all, the difference, if a person feels not so lonely?

Yes, virtual relationships also develop. Any form of communication brings us more joy and warmth, if we are dealing with his. It is a question of trust.

Most often we use technology to communicate with people familiar to us. The relationship of this become only stronger.

Robert Kraut

Kraut word willingly confirms Keith Hampton (Keith Hampton), professor of Rutgers University. Exploring the problem of Internet impact on the relationship, he was convinced: social networks and virtual space unite people. "I do not think that people refuse to communicate the benefit of online interaction. This is just a new form of contact, supplementing the ones to which they have long been accustomed, "- says the reasons Hampton.

In fact, research Hampton says the following: the more different communication tools we use to communicate, the stronger the relationship becomes. People who do not limit themselves to only talking on the phone, but regularly seen, write email and communicate in social networks, unwittingly reinforce the link between them.

"In this case, - continues Keith - Facebook acts in a completely different role. If only a few decades ago, people in search of new opportunities were leaving the province major cities, often losing touch with friends and family, but now we have not heard about such problems. Thanks to social networks, relationships live and develop, becoming long-term. "

Of course, social media is not enough to hold back the onslaught of threatening people alone. However, along with other forms of communication virtual communication tools able to support and contribute to the diversity of attitude of people. Time and distance no longer so critical.

Of course, the Hampton familiar with the views of Professor Turkle and the rest of their colleagues about the fact that technology is literally killing us familiar forms of interaction. Professor, together with other researchers studied four videotapes that were removed in the last 30 years in public places. After analyzing the behavioral characteristics of 143 593 people, the researchers came to the conclusion that in the midst of the crowd, we always feel apart. In public places, observed mainly in group communication, in spite of widespread mobile devices. And in places where people have to be in relative isolation, on the other hand, the mobile phone is not uncommon in the hand.

Either way, the technological means of communication are unlikely to ever be able to change human nature. Zalmen Amy (Amy Zalman), director of the scientific-educational organization World Future Society, believes that relations between people have always been a complex and ever-changing process. Even the language in which we communicate with each other, is one of the tools of communication, along with other media: social networks, mobile phones and others. Technology deeper and deeper into our lives and triggered another feature of human nature: we will inevitably get used to their constant presence.

Scientists-Futurists believe that soon we will be able to communicate by means of collective intelligence. Or perhaps interact with each other via some virtual entity avatars separately created in the ideal world. Or one day someone will be able to settle all the same human mind in an artificial body.

Anyway, the truth remains the truth from the time of Aristotle's never too late to go out, talk with the person and make new friends. After all, happiness, as we know, can not be bought.