Hacking happiness
Do you remember when Western science scoffed at meditation? When it was considered pseudo-scientific (if not New-Agey) to talk about a mind-body connection or the possibility that our brains remain malleable and plastic throughout our lives? Sebastian Nienaber asks if you’ve noticed how things have changed.
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owadays, hardly a day goes by without a new scientific study being published on how exercise can boost our memory, how meditation improves concentration or how the right kind of diet enhances our mood. After centuries of looking at human life through a mechanical, one-dimensional lens, science is shifting towards a more nuanced and subtle understanding of what it means to be happy. Instead of alienating us from ourselves, science seems to point back to our multi-dimensional nature. Along with the rise in scientific evidence, an increasing number of tracking devices and wearable technology now allow us to collect data on anything from our fitness and nutrition levels to the quality of our sleep. Neurofeedback devices can help us train our level of concentration and relaxation. On many levels, technology is starting to help us become more aware of the multitude of factors that make up our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Self-understanding and the pursuit of happiness have entered a technological and data-driven age. From a scientific point of view, terms like