Smartphones, AI and Rising Unwellness
By Thierry Malleret, economist
Malleret discusses NYU Professor Arpit Gupta’s recent argument for “the smartphone (and social media) theory of everything.” Put simply, he posits that the widespread use of smartphones and social media (that began around 2011) are a major cause of unhappiness in individuals and larger problems across society. The fact that so many observable negative trends began at roughly the same time in so many countries, and nobody has yet offered a plausible alternative explanation for it, gives credence to the argument.
Malleret also discusses a book coming out in July, Wellbeing Intelligence: Building Better Mental Health at Work, where two Cambridge University professors argue that an overreliance on AI tools risks harming our mental health. For instance, AI erodes traditional ways of collaborating at work and increases employee loneliness.
THE “SMARTPHONE THEORY OF EVERYTHING”
Arpit Gupta (a professor at NYU’s Stern School of Business) recently offered what has been called “the smartphone (and social media) theory of everything”. Put simply, it posits that the widespread use of smartphones (that began in 2011) and the concomitant rise of social media platforms are a major cause of unhappiness in individuals and larger problems across society.
Gupta attributes to his theory phenomena as diverse as (1) the worsening of mental health, particularly among young people, (2) the rise of online gambling accounts, (3) the general cognitive decline (difficulties in concentrating and learning new things) and worsening of literacy and numeracy skills among children, and (4) the increased polarization of society, due to echo chambers created by social media.
The fact that so many observable negative trends started around the same time in so many countries, and that nobody has yet offered a plausible alternative explanation, gives some credence to the “smartphone theory of everything” (even though it’s not scientifically established).
Some observations: (1) Ample research evidence proves that cell phones and social media are designed to be addictive: they capture our attention and harvest it with scientific precision; (2) The extraordinary time we spend on our phones is time we don’t spend socializing in real life, moving or in nature.
AI AND WELLNESS
In a book to be published in July (Wellbeing Intelligence: Building Better Mental Health at Work), Kiran Bhatti and Thomas Roulet––two professors at Cambridge University––argue that an overreliance on AI tools risks harming our mental health.
Their key point: the widespread use of artificial intelligence will most likely boost economic productivity, but it will also put workers’ mental health at risk by eroding traditional ways of collaborating. A study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology shows that the more people interact with AI to achieve work goals, the more they experience loneliness. This, in turn, could increase everything from insomnia to alcohol consumption. The bottom line: overreliance on generative AI runs the risk of affecting workers’ ability and motivation to operate together and forge friendship and trust. In the end, AI could isolate employees at a time they most need support.
