Don Wetzel invented the ATM just over 50 years ago. The idea came to him during a long wait in line at his local bank. He thought that if he could cut the wait time through automation, it could be a significant improvement to anyone who's ever waited in line at the bank. Raise your hand if you haven't.
His invention has transformed the way we bank and consequently, the way we live. We see a lot of that thinking going on behind new tech developments these days. The thinking goes, "If I can remove the human element out of the equation, we will save on payroll, reduce wait times and allow people to free up more time for other endeavours".
While that is largely true, Laurie Santos in her incredible podcast, The Happiness Lab, urges us to look past the obvious at the unintended consequences of such inventions. In this episode, she explores the idea that while our brains urge us to seek solitude in our quest for happiness, all signs, as evidenced by the latest research, point to the fact that it's interacting with strangers that is a consistent predictor of happiness.
Eleanor, Wetzel's wife, has ironically never used her husband's invention as she claims that she prefers to interact with humans when banking. Check it out and make sure to listen to David Byrne's interview where he talks about technology and engineers (at the 27' mark) it's absolutely brilliant.
How do these findings impact architecture? Where do we take shortcuts that make buildings more “efficient” at the expense of social interactions? Conversely, how do we design spaces for more “water cooler chats” that engender more of the conversations that make us happier?
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