Not sure they are meant to. Do calculators make us happier? Computers? The Internet? No they just give us the option for some assistive benefit ... which includes happiness. Like exploring the idea of happiness given to us by robots. The exploration is good.
Robots Save Us Time — But Do They Make Us Happier? by Ashley Whillans , Emanuel de Bellis , Fabian Nindl and Tobias Schlager in HBR
HBR Staff/Duet Postscriptum/Stocksy/Nednapa Chumjumpa/Getty Images
As of 2019, more than 14 million Americans owned a robotic vacuum cleaner. Robotic lawn mowers tend to our yards, robotic suitcases follow us through the airport, and smart cooking machines prepare ingredients and implement entire recipes. Some autonomous products even play with and clean up after our pets. These tools are meant to improve people’s lives, relieving them of chores and making them happier as a result — and while some do this, other’s don’t. How can business leaders ensure that their companies are developing products that people actually feel good about using?
As consumer psychologists, we have accumulated a great deal of evidence that spending money to outsource disliked tasks — such as by paying for a housecleaner — can improve happiness, lower stress, and improve our romantic relationships (even during the pandemic). But as technology develops, we have begun outsourcing not only to humans, but to machines as well. ... "
No comments:
Post a Comment