![\"[Albert](\"http:\/\/lh5.ggpht.com\/--d2E2sb_Qbo\/UPzi4cwjaCI\/AAAAAAAASgI\/LH4WkrqGTFI\/d\/v3%25257Camused%25257C_img%25257Cthe-day-einstein-feared-9.jpg\")
\r\n\r\nEinstein may be on to something.\u00a0 We\u2019re living in an increasingly technological world that seems to be substituting technology for real human interaction.\u00a0 But rather than a world full of idiots, as Einstein put it so eloquently, I worry about a world full of unhappy, unwell people.\r\n\r\nA recent paper based on a Canadian survey<\/a> showed that there was a definite connection between mental wellbeing and friends.\u00a0 Duh.\u00a0 Who doesn\u2019t know that socialization with others makes us happier and contributes positively to our overall wellbeing?\u00a0 But there is a caveat.\u00a0 The friends we make and keep must be in-person, not<\/span> virtual<\/strong>.\u00a0 It\u2019s the face-to-face aspect of real live friendships that are positively linked to our happiness and wellbeing.\u00a0 In fact, the paper shows that networks of online friends have \u201czero or negative\u201d correlations with wellbeing.\r\n\r\nCase in point: since I got my iPhone, I\u2019ve found that I depend a lot on texting as my primary mode of communication with people.\u00a0 It\u2019s gotten to the point where I actually dread answering the phone and speaking to someone.\u00a0 The ridiculousness of my reaction to talking to someone over the phone says it all.\u00a0 Without realizing it, I had become more withdrawn, preferring this faceless form of communication, known as texting.\u00a0 And while it certainly didn\u2019t make me unhappy (texting can be pretty efficient sometimes), it also didn\u2019t give me any value in terms of deepening my relationships with my friends \u2013 and why would I want to keep in touch with people that I wouldn\u2019t want to foster closer relationships with?\u00a0 Deciding to go to Winterlicious, on the other hand, and spend time and share good food with some close friends last week, certainly made me feel better.\u00a0 Regardless of what we talked about or did, getting to spend time with them in-person and simply interacting face-to-face, brightened up my day.\u00a0 In fact, our connectedness left me feeling more positive for the rest of the day.\r\n\r\nIt\u2019s these human connections, I think, that really matter.\u00a0 Apple might be on to something with its FaceTime feature on many of its devices.\u00a0 And while I certainly haven\u2019t done any scientific studies on the topic, I have a hunch that a large reason for why it\u2019s such a popular feature is because it gives us that feeling of warmth and connectedness that\u2019s missing from other technological methods of communicating.\u00a0 But wait, here\u2019s a crazy idea: why don\u2019t we lose the phone (figuratively, not literally!) and just connect with friends and family in person?\u00a0 Let\u2019s get back to the original face time!\r\n\r\nTo be certain, I\u2019m not proposing that we chuck all our electronics out the window and delete our Facebook accounts (I love my Macbook and I don\u2019t know where I would be without my phone) but I think we need to step back from time to time and remember that technology is meant to facilitate<\/em> human connections rather than become the dominate manner in which we conduct our relationships.\r\n\r\nAnd although Einstein was certainly a genius, let\u2019s try to prove him wrong on this point and show him that he has nothing to fear.\r\n\r\nAny suggestions for great places on campus to (re-)connect with friends?\r\n\r\n- Vivian","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"