Why Virtual Watercoolers Won’t Save Us: The Neuroscience of In-Person Contact
We have recently been struck by the transformative power of having cohorts of leaders learning together in person, as many express appreciation for the opportunity to take time away from their screens. As a social species, most of us tend to be uplifted by spending time with one another. And there is increasing evidence, that FaceTime on screen does not achieve the same effect as FaceTime in person.
There’s an analogy with the healthcare sector here, where numerous studies have found that hospital patients recovering from surgery experienced faster recovery times and required less pain medication when they had a window view of nature.
The power of human contact
If we can’t provide a window with a view for all patients, surely we can replicate the effect with high definition screens showing nature scenes? A study by Kahn et al. sought to find out. The study (2008) compared patients’ responses to real windows versus high-definition nature videos and found that only the former resulted in measurable reductions in heart rate and stress indicators. It seems that the human brain consistently recognizes the artificiality of digital images, no matter how high the quality limiting their therapeutic effect.
It’s worth thinking about the power of human contact when ordering your morning coffee. A study by the two social psychologists Sandstrom and Dunn, Social interactions and well-being: The surprising power of weak ties found that in-person coffee orders boost mood and energy more than digital orders through the screen. If you want a lift to your mood, order in person, better still have a chat.
Real human connection
With Tech evangelists envisioning a world where the social aspects of the office can be replicated digitally – we’ll shoot pool in a 3D meta-versal reality, and there are even plans for an online replica for bumping into one another spontaneously at the water cooler – we can’t escape the fact that study after study shows that long periods on screen with out in-person contact tend to leave us feeling drained and listless.
I’m reminded of the 1968 novel, A Very Private Life, by the British writer, Michael Frayne. The story unfolds in a futuristic world split into two starkly different classes. The Insiders live in sealed, tightly controlled environments with access to advanced technology. The Outsiders, by contrast, survive in a primitive and chaotic world beyond the walls. The Insiders have cut themselves off from direct human interaction, experiencing life through screens.
The protagonist, Uncumber, an Insider, becomes dissatisfied with her isolated existence and yearns for real human connection. Her curiosity leads her to escape into the Outside world, where she experiences true emotion and physical connection for the first time.
Soft-skills training
At Threshold, we’ve been pioneering the use of digital technology – including AI – for soft-skills training. But we also have to acknowledge a key truth: the most powerful “Aha” moments. The ones that truly stick and drive change – tend to happen in person.
The digital revolution in learning is already here. But to fully benefit from it, we must also make space for human-to-human connection.
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