Anishma Nair
20 October 2015
EngWr 302 T/TH 9am
Proposal Draft
Programmed Happiness
Imagine living a life without technology, cars, or the little gadgets we take for granted in our everyday lives. I just described the life of the the Amish, who choose to live their lives without modern technology, something we cringe at the thought of. Since we are the generation that will have a panic attack without our phone, living such a life sounds impossible. In this day and age technology is all around us. We cannot imagine our lives functioning without it. It is integrated into almost every part in society, from our homes, schools, and even the workplace. Sadly, even children would rather play on the iPad than go play outside like many of us remember …show more content…
Surowiecki refers to the Amish as having, “depression rates that are negligibly low relative to the rest of society’s” (72). Another survey indicated that their levels of happiness were mirrored to those on the Forbes 400 (72). What was the Amish’s secret to maintaining this level of happiness, it was simplicity. They did not engage in using modern technology but rather focused on, “strong community ties, stable families, and religious faith” (74). This brings up the theme of the documentary of how social relationships are a vital component to our social well being. Since the Amish focus on developing relationships they find themselves to be happier since they are creating strong ties within their community. This dilemma begs to ask the question of the role of technology in society and whether it is allowing us to thrive or stunting our growth. Surowiecki compares technological progress to a treadmill and asks whether we would be better off if we just stepped off it (74). This treadmill has no end goal, but is a continuous cycle that we must …show more content…
“Positive psychology is a science about pleasant, engaged and meaningful lives that has flourished in the last several years” (1135). Authentic happiness is mainly associated in the “real world” but with technological innovations the concept has carried on over to the virtual cyberspace as well. Chou and Yu discuss the overpowering role the internet has taken in the lives of college students. What is seen is that many students become very “internet-dependent” compared to others. Now the task has been put on the educators of the system to guide the students in the right direction to use the internet positively and not to the point where it becomes a crutch for them. What is suggested is that students should try to find “authentic happiness and seek positive psychology resources from the internet” (1137). Yes the internet is the problem in this case but it can also be the cure. By working with students to become less dependent on the internet, they can put more of their energy into their social
20 October 2015
EngWr 302 T/TH 9am
Proposal Draft
Programmed Happiness
Imagine living a life without technology, cars, or the little gadgets we take for granted in our everyday lives. I just described the life of the the Amish, who choose to live their lives without modern technology, something we cringe at the thought of. Since we are the generation that will have a panic attack without our phone, living such a life sounds impossible. In this day and age technology is all around us. We cannot imagine our lives functioning without it. It is integrated into almost every part in society, from our homes, schools, and even the workplace. Sadly, even children would rather play on the iPad than go play outside like many of us remember …show more content…
Surowiecki refers to the Amish as having, “depression rates that are negligibly low relative to the rest of society’s” (72). Another survey indicated that their levels of happiness were mirrored to those on the Forbes 400 (72). What was the Amish’s secret to maintaining this level of happiness, it was simplicity. They did not engage in using modern technology but rather focused on, “strong community ties, stable families, and religious faith” (74). This brings up the theme of the documentary of how social relationships are a vital component to our social well being. Since the Amish focus on developing relationships they find themselves to be happier since they are creating strong ties within their community. This dilemma begs to ask the question of the role of technology in society and whether it is allowing us to thrive or stunting our growth. Surowiecki compares technological progress to a treadmill and asks whether we would be better off if we just stepped off it (74). This treadmill has no end goal, but is a continuous cycle that we must …show more content…
“Positive psychology is a science about pleasant, engaged and meaningful lives that has flourished in the last several years” (1135). Authentic happiness is mainly associated in the “real world” but with technological innovations the concept has carried on over to the virtual cyberspace as well. Chou and Yu discuss the overpowering role the internet has taken in the lives of college students. What is seen is that many students become very “internet-dependent” compared to others. Now the task has been put on the educators of the system to guide the students in the right direction to use the internet positively and not to the point where it becomes a crutch for them. What is suggested is that students should try to find “authentic happiness and seek positive psychology resources from the internet” (1137). Yes the internet is the problem in this case but it can also be the cure. By working with students to become less dependent on the internet, they can put more of their energy into their social