What if the very tech that connects us is taking away our need to interact?

Technology connects us to more people than ever before. Yet, as Adam Waytz, author of the book, The Power of Human: How Our Shared Humanity Can Help Us Create a Better World, points out, the data shows we're interacting with one another a whole lot less.

We can turn to our apps for restaurant recommendations and our social media platforms for insights into our friends' lives. And we can do all this without ever having to directly communicate with anyone. Adam believes this lack of human interaction is taking its toll. He contends that, "...people are becoming less engaged with each other, which then manifests in things like income inequality, political polarization...treating people as more members of a market economy...versus members of a community."

To counter these tendencies, he believes we need to bring more meaning to work. In particular, he recommends, "Getting people to think about the way their work impacts other people..." Doing so helps people "...feel like their work matters and ultimately make[s] them feel more human, even as we see automation creeping around us." 

Adam is an Associate Professor of Management and Organizations and a social psychologist at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management. 

The Host

You can learn more about Curious Minds' Host and Creator, Gayle Allen, and Producer, Rob Mancabelli, by clicking here.

Episode Links

adamwaytz.com

What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limit of Markets by Michael J. Sandel

Social Empathy: The Art of Understanding Others by Elizabeth Segal

Mistakenly Seeking Solitude by Nicholas Epley and Juliana Schroeder

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