Happiness-Increasing Tools
According to a worldwide study, there are positive links between access to technology and feelings of well-being http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/10108551.stm Access to communication devices was found to be the most valued technology. Something as simple as a basic cell phone can serve as a happiness-increasing tool. It enables the expansion and maintenance of social networks beyond the immediate community.
Happiness is increased especially for women, for the poor, and for the poorly educated. Women in developing countries are more socially constrained than men and it is thought that this is the reason they benefit more from the use of a cell phone. Technology is also a status symbol and can be a sign of prosperity.
There is a view that that technology has a negative impact on people because it blurs professional and personal time. The difference is whether the cell phone is a tool or whether it becomes the Master.
I was one of those children who would get selected by the on-stage magician looking for volunteers to help out – maybe I looked as though I would sweetly follow instructions, or perhaps I had a gullible face. No matter. I loved it. And I have been a sucker for magic ever since. I still marvel at how a plane can stay up in the sky (usually), the colours in a rainbow, and reflections on the water… the way a bud is suddenly a flower, a thing of beauty built from the ingredients of earth, water and sunshine