Confessions of a Techie

Still Not Happy?

Ran Zilca — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:48:20 +0000

The quest for true happiness is perceived by many to ultimate goal of human existence. When asked what they wish for themselves, most people say that they would like to be happy. Everything else they wish for themselves is just means to an end. While happiness has always been a topic of interest and aspiration, its study, understanding, and the means to accomplish it recently has become a focal point of Western civilization. The reason is simple: we've done all that we can, and we are still not happy.

Think about America in the late 60s: pink Cadillacs, suburban houses with lush lawns, abundance of food, clothing, gadgets... All of the economic indicators said that we cracked the code. Yet the rate of depression is in constant rise since that golden time, and the average onset age of clinical depression is now in the early teen years as opposed to midlife back then.

What went wrong?

Developed countries became "developed" because they work to optimize economic indications of success like: economic growth, more jobs, and increasing purchasing power and average income. The very basic underlying assumption of the science of economy is that having more makes a person happier. It turns out though, that once one's basic needs are met, that is no longer true.

Researchers like Martin Seligman, Sonja Lyubomirsky, and Daniel Nettle found a few things that start to explain the happiness paradox:

(A) We don't know what will make us happy
(B) Some stuff gives us a quick kick but it does not last (so we go for more and still are not happy)
(C) Our circumstances determine only about 10% of our happiness

The combination of these findings results in a typical rat race scenario where we constantly struggle for the next job, food, vacation, house, car, etc, only to find out time and again that we are back where we started at the happiness game.

The solution? Well, LOVE.

When one tries to take the findings of positive psychology and make some overarching conclusions, it looks like a lot of it boils down to love, compassion, generosity, giving, and empathy: focusing less on the self and more on the collective, a principle that many different traditions and religions preach.

Deepak Chopra's new book The Ultimate Happiness Prescription takes a holistic approach to Happiness, and shows the common threads between what positive psychologists have found, values of different spiritual traditions, and the new thought movement:
- Letting go of your ego (equals - gratitude, forgiveness, compassion)
- Listening to your heart rather than your mind
- Challenging negative thoughts
- Being a part of a supportive, close, honest, and loving community

So here's to humility, compassion, and of course: gratitude. The stuff that true happiness is made of. Happy Thanksgiving! :)

Finally - Over The Counter Psychotherapy!

Ran Zilca — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:59:12 +0000

What is Positive Psychology?

Positive Psychology has been around for more than a decade now, and by now it is a well established and a mature stream in psychology with its own publications, methodologies, conferences, and well-known experts. Over the past year I have been involved in Positive Psychology research and my company's flagship product is based on the work of Sonja Lyubomirsky, a leading positive psychologist. Yet, I am still surprised each and time again to see that the term Positive Psychology means different things to different people. I asked my twitter friends what they think and they said:

- Positive psych is understanding happiness, engagement, and fulfillment of human potential

- Positive Psychology = taking charge of your own state of mind/happiness

Happiness?

On the surface - Positive Psychology is perceived as the "the science of happiness". Yet this definition seems to focus on positive affect and is clearly not accurate. The PP discipline is also concerned with studying and understanding traits like strengths, and states like positivity and resilience. Being strong is not the same as being happy. And one can be very positive but not constantly smile.

Preventive Psychology?

The PP discipline started with Martin Seligman's recognition as APA president that psychology has been focused on treatment but will also benefit from studying prevention. This notion has led to Seligman's seminal work on human strengths and learned optimism. The definition then seems to have changed to focus more on flourishing: going from neutral to positive instead of negative to neutral.

A special issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychology in May this year focused on the clinical power of positive interventions that grew out of PP research. Clearly, these "happiness activities" also have clinical power and are effective at alleviating symptoms of clinical conditions like depression.

Psych-Engineering?

Finally - at the IPPA First World Congress on PP just about a month ago I've heard Seligman refer to applied PP as the engineering arm of the science of psychology.

Or - perhaps just BS?

This lack of clarity could lead to the misperception that there is "not much to positive psychology" as one of the field's leaders, Chris Peterson so gracefully wrote in his post "is positive psychology bullshit?"

IT'S NOT.

I've bet my company's future on PP - so I'd like to tell you what I think it is.

Positive Psychology is Over-the-Counter Therapy

Over-the-Counter medication is used both for prevention and for alleviation for certain conditions. Sometimes it can even cure. The broad range of OTC drugs is vast: it ranges from vitamins to drugs that have serious active ingredients. What's in common is that they are "self help" in nature: even though a doctor may suggest an OTC drug, you don't have to see a doctor to get a prescription.

Here's a little table explaining this analogy:

OTC drugs

No need for MD prescription - but: Can be recommended by MD and be used in conjunction with Rx
Evidence-based. Clinically proven to work

Positive Psychology:

No need for therapist - but: Can be recommended by therapist and be used along with therapy
Evidence-based. Empirically proven to work

Makes sense?

And it's a great sign

Over-the-counter medicine is a sign of the scientific maturity of medicine, and so I think that positive psychology is a token of maturity of the young science of psychology. It allows reaching the masses and most importantly: it replaces the non-tested and sometimes bogus self-help that occupied the psychology OTC shelves before (the same way Tylenol and Motrin replaced "grandma medicine" that was never empirically validated and many times ineffective). In this respect - Positive Psychology may be the best thing that happened to the science and practice of psychology in the past few decades.

Immerse Yourself in the Gratitude Stream

Ran Zilca — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:55:14 +0000

Research has shown that people benefit greatly from showing gratitude. Being grateful for what you have and expressing thanks directly to a friend or colleague has a significant and lasting effect on one's well-being and happiness.

Studies performed by positive psychologists like Sonja Lyubomirsky (author of The How of Happiness) have empirically measured these effects and quantified how much happier it makes one feel and for how long. It turns out that maintaining a gratitude journal for only one week makes one noticeably happier even three months later (!) when compared to a statically-balanced control group.

Perhaps even more interesting is the fact that people also benefit from reading and learning about the things that others are grateful for. Scientists think that the reason for this phenomenon is that knowing about others' gratitude inspires people to think about their own good fortune and makes them aware of the good things that others experience that could come their way too in the future. Learning about others' good fortune cultivates an optimistic attitude and makes people feel more positively about the future.

The scientific studies in this field are remarkable and carry a valuable daily lesson for improving happiness. Be grateful, read and learn about others' good fortune, and immerse yourself in the gratitude stream!

Sleepwalking on the Job

Ran Zilca — Fri, 22 May 2009 14:25:05 +0000

Most of us think "I know what I'm doing." Ask 10 people what separates humans from other animals, and 8 will say that it's the ability to operate consciously - as opposed to other animals that operate based on instinct, lacking intent for their individual actions. But is this indeed the case? Are we really always taking action based on our assessment of the situation we're in, or do we also act automatically?

Major research conducted over the past 40 years found that we all act mindlessly a good deal of the time, running on auto-pilot, and not fully present in our situations. So automatically in fact, that we can engage in non-trivial, time-consuming tasks, and have no recollection of doing them. Sometimes we simply sleepwalk.

Here's a little story about something that recently happened to me at work: My company is on the verge of launching a new major product. A few nights ago, I get an alarmed email from David, our VP Marketing, asking the team which one of us already registered the Twitter user name "LiveHappyApp" - the twitter name we were planning to use.

No one remembers registering that Twitter user, and therefore the next morning we start speculating that one of our competitors "snatched" it. Nevertheless, none of us is actually completely sure that it was not him who registered that new Twitter user, so we try to look at the text entered in this new Twitter page and guess whether it was us who entered it: "hmmm - using a single quote... I usually use double quotes, so it's probably not me... on the other hand - it does look like my grammatical style, so maybe it is..." As expected, it was David himself who did it. He went through this 10 minute process a few days earlier although he still doesn't remember doing it. And - we all could easily be convinced into thinking it was actually one of us.

How is that possible?

How is it possible that four healthy, "normal" people, all trained professionals who make important decisions each day, accept the fact that they can do something without really being aware of it? A task that requires uploading files, creating a new email account, entering a description, etc.

Many people say that the culprit is technology. And even as a technology advocate, I tend to agree that it's a major factor. Our workplaces value productivity and efficiency (easier to measure) as opposed to quality, innovation and creativity (very difficult to measure). So we find ourselves responding to emails, tweeting, and going over RSS feeds while on conference calls.

From now on, as a manager and a techie I will make sure to set expectations in a way that allows people on my team to be fully present and engaged in what they do. And as a techie - to build technologies that will boost our well-being and help increase creativity and innovation. No more sleepwalking on the job!

On Mr. Roboto’s Couch – Will Machines Become Our Counselors? Part II

Ran Zilca — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:24:24 +0000

(On Mr. Roboto’s Couch – Will Machines become our Counselors? Part I)

Meet your new counselor. And don't forget to charge it.

Online software that provides psychological services is already all around us. First, numerous websites offer online assessments in the form of questionnaires that users fill out to receive psychological feedback. Some online applications take this one step further and offer more actionable advice based on the results. We recently developed a parenting-style assessment where the questionnaire is taken for both parents. The test identifies potential conflicts in parenting-style and provides suggestions for resolving them. This is an important part of couples' therapy that can be automated.

New books are being released alongside software applications that allow a hands-on experience with the techniques the book describes in detail. Take for example Barbara Fredrickson's remarkable book "Positivity": its website (www.positivityratio.com) includes several interactive exercises pertaining to the book's content, and a set of reporting tools. This trend will surely continue, and psychology books will come out along with interactive companion software. Other projects use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to guide the user through a series of online therapy modules involving assessment and other online exercises (e.g. Mood Gym). And more recently, "light therapy" software comes also in the form of an interactive game (e.g. Just Action).

Is this good for you?

Yes - it's good. And - no, it will never replace human advice and support. These tools are all based on the expertise of real people. Technology simply brings this expertise to the public more cost-effectively. New technology always brings up ethical questions, and as a community we will need to make sure new tools are being used appropriately. But the benefits are undoubtedly huge.

So - what's next?

As computers evolve and become more pervasive, coaching and light therapy applications will follow us everywhere on our mobile phones. Our silent and supportive companions may analyze our emails, tweets, Facebook presence, and even the time we get home and how we use our appliances. This rich information can help us optimize the way we live our daily lives and maximize our well-being, and will also serve as great input for practitioners and coaches.

But for now, I am going to sit comfortably on Mr. Roboto's couch. In the very initial version he may just nod randomly and say "...and how does that make you feel?", but in the near future web and mobile versions will offer a real promise of improved well-being and happier individuals.

Follow me on twitter!

On Mr. Roboto’s Couch – Will Machines Become Our Counselors? Part I

Ran Zilca — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:30:45 +0000

Once there were robots...

When I was growing up in the 70s, I was glued to Isaac Asimov's science fiction books and fascinated by the philosophy surrounding the robots' man-made psychology. Asimov's stories reflects a time where people were fascinated by machines, and envisioned technology as something visible and tangible: hardware. The zenith of such technological accomplishments would therefore have to be machines that are not only intelligent, conscious and experience feelings and emotions. They would also have to be human-looking and walk on two feet. Kind of like Data from Star Trek or Mr. Roboto from the Styx musical.

The new software robots...

The reason we don't see green tin cans hopping around us and serving us drinks is that reality took a slightly different turn. The advances of Artificial Intelligence during the 80s and 90s took place alongside a sharp shift in technology from dedicated machines into general purpose computers. Computers are "empty" and perform whatever functions are programmed into them using software. This revolution resulted in the creation of invisible, formless robots or "bots": software implementing mathematical and statistical methods that run silently on distant servers, and affect our daily lives without walking around making R2D2 sounds.

But robots do serve us all the time...

Still, it's a machine suggesting to us what we should buy (Amazon), what we should listen to (Pandora, last.fm), and who we should marry (eHarmony, Match.com). So - is it possible to design a machine to provide life advice and perhaps even therapy? Well - it already is happening.

Part II of this post will describe some of these online tools. In the meantime, please comment and share your thoughts. Do you think machines can provide useful and actionable advice to humans?

What’s in the Water of Eugene, Oregon?

Ran Zilca — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:51:56 +0000

Eugene is a really nice town, no doubt. Peaceful and quiet and known for the University of Oregon. Many people think that Matt Groening (who grew up in Oregon) based the hometown of The Simpsons on Eugene and the adjacent town, Springfield. I first visited Eugene in the spring of 2006 when I met with Lew Goldberg at the Oregon Research Institute. Lew and I spent a lot of time outdoors, walking and talking. At first, it just seemed like one of many nice places you run into, but something still seemed very different; I couldn't exactly tell what it was.

Since then, almost every time I mentioned Eugene to someone I heard some exceptional story: the friend who stayed to work in a local laundromat after getting his PhD, the guy who came to see the Oregon Country Fair and stayed in town forever. I was in town to visit Lew again earlier this year, and was determined to get to the bottom of what is so special about the town. And here's my simple conclusion: everyone is happy. Not that just nice, or smiling or any of that. They are genuinely happy. Very happy.

Here are a few examples:

The taxi driver who picked me up at the airport has been in the army for many years. His mother keeps scolding him every Thanksgiving and Christmas when everyone sits at the dinner table and he starts foulmouthing like in the good old army days. And he is happy. Very happy. The source of is happiness is that he got a telemarketing call last week from the local cable company, and now he is getting Internet access, phone, and TV from them, and saving about $15 a month. In fact, he is even happier because he did not enroll in the Do Not Call registry, and expecting thrilling telemarketing calls to happen in the future as well.
The girl in a small booth selling coffee on Franklin Blvd is very happy too. The reason? It's a nice day. And to show how happy she is she is giving me one more espresso at no extra charge.
The owner of the Italian restaurant is also very happy. He comes to sit with us at the table, and tells us a story about an envious husband who tried to shoot his wife's lover 30 years ago in some other restaurant that is now an ice cream parlor. There's still a bullet hole in the ceiling there. It's a funny story and it makes him happy! (Starting to get the idea?)
The taxi driver on the way back to the airport is an hour and a half late and is happy because he's sure he can get me there on time.

How can 150,00 people be so happy? Eugene's schools are good, but not stellar, there's some level of crime, and in many respects it's an average American town. It's very green and environmentally conscious, and used to be a hippie stronghold in the 60s. None of that is too special.

The locals don't have an explanation. Maybe it is simply an old fashioned and very strong sense of community. People there talk to each other. They talk to other people in stores and in restaurants, people who ride their cab, and even telemarketers who call them. Everywhere you go people will talk to you. If you turn on your laptop two blocks away from the University of Oregon you find that there is not a single WiFi network, not one. I guess communication in Eugene is much more direct.

Whoever cracks the Eugene mystery will be a very rich person. And if it's something in the water, I want to drink some of it too.

How I Lost My Wallet and Maintained My Innocence

Ran Zilca — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 22:20:38 +0000

This is a story about technology-enabled kindness. It starts in Brooklyn, continues in Manhattan, and reaches its happy ending in the South Bronx.

New Yorkers are known to be neurotic. This fact has recently been verified by a study of the geographic distribution of personality traits, so it's pretty much official. And, if you've ever taken a cab in New York, you may know why we are neurotic. Wishing to simply get from point A to point B could become a death wish from hell when the person behind the steering wheel doesn't speak any language you could understand, and goes 50 MPH above the speed limit while exhibiting classical suicidal rage symptoms.

I took one such sanity-defying taxi ride last Thursday night, and at the end of it was so anxious to leave the cab that I left my bag on the back seat. It's a cliché, but all of my life was in that bag: home and car keys, check book, and of course my wallet with credit cards and all. The panic took over exactly five seconds after the cab started driving away and I started running like crazy chasing it and screaming (yes, I am aware of the canine association). I ran a few blocks before it was gone from sight, leaving me standing in a dark corner of Brooklyn, panting, and feeling completely helpless... As soon as I caught my breath it was time to start the phone marathon to cancel all the credit cards. I did not have the cab medallion number, and without that it was clear that my wallet could not be traced.

But this is when this story takes surprising a turn. New Yorkers are neurotic because they expect the worst from people, and so did I. And I couldn't have been more wrong. The first to surprise me were the reps on the phone when I called to cancel the cards while my wife drove us home to the suburbs. All of them genuinely expressed interest, asked me questions, and reassured me that no harm would be done. Then, when I got home around 2am, an email was waiting in my inbox titled "your wallet"! A nice midtown dentist who had gotten in the taxi right after me found my wallet, and emailed me the taxi medallion number. He emailed me from the taxi in real time - "sent from my iPhone" - thank you technology!

The saga was not over yet though, as the cabbie refused to give him the wallet. However, now armed with the medallion number I had something to work with. I went on Twitter and wrote "Please retweet: wallet left on cab number XXXX (medallion number on top) in NYC please DM @signalpatterns if you found it. Thanks". Hopefully my followers will re-post my message, and it will continue to propagate through the social network. I went to bed with the comforting thought that countless eyes will be watching the streets of New York for my lost taxi. Thank you technology - again!

Friday morning as soon as I opened my eyes I reached out for my iPhone laying at the bedside and checked for an email or a reply tweet. No useful info, however some of my Twitter followers had sent me comforting replies suggesting that I try to find an upside in the situation and offered their sympathy. These messages were all from folks I didn't know. What a positive way to start the day - t h a n k y o u - technology!

Long story short, I was able to find the garage in the Bronx where the taxi was located. I drove their twice and eventually got most of my stuff (some of the cards were missing). The wallet saga was a difficult episode: I had to change the locks in my house, make urgent calls in the middle of the night, drive to places I didn't know, and be at the mercy of people I didn't know. Oddly enough though, I remember it as a positive experience. Not that I would choose to lose my wallet again. But the surprising kindness of people (enabled by gadgets and software) really helped sweeten the bitter pill.

Yes, a happy ending. And according to positive psychologists, all those folks who were kind to me are now also happier themselves because of their own acts of kindness - but that's a whole different story...

PS - follow me on twitter!