We take for granted the advances that continue to make our lives easier: We eat foods grown around the world, talk to friends who are thousands of miles away, pay for lunch with a wave of our smart phones, and our cars can parallel park themselves. Pretty amazing!

Remarkable discoveries are being made every day in medicine, nanotechnology, and communication.

We should expect people to be happier due to the positive effects of these modern wonders. But Dr. Kostadin Kushlev and his research team observed that the net result is close to zero.

Kushlev pointed out that one of the biggest predictors of happiness is spending time with friends and family. The net result of so many technological advances is that our lives are more complicated. We are consumed with spending time on our phones, emails, streaming services, and video games. Walk into an airport or a restaurant, do you see people talking to one another or staring at their phones and computers?

All these devices take time away from our friends and family. Thus, we experience a sense of loss. Our time becomes less meaningful.

Our amazing technologies serve as constant reminders of how strange and wondrous our world is. Enjoy them. Revel in the advantages they offer.

But the most important predictor of happiness is taking time to smell the roses and spending time with people who matter.

The road is easier together,

Linda Laitala, President
Raven Performance Group