Happiness is directly correlated with connections in a community. The more links you have to good people and things the happier you are. This has been proven scientifically. Possibly this is the reason we look for routine. To save making connections over and over again and just 'reuse' them. So we go to the same coffee place to see the same barista, to the same supermarket to be checked out by the same people.

Large corporations and the internet have broken some of these relationships down to the point that machines replace the checkout and now people are preferring to do self checkout for a time saving. This makes sense cos we are unlikely to get the same checkout person twice in a giant Costco!! Amazon has also replaced the local hardware store and computer shop for example and we are happy to not have contact with the hardware store cos of variety, time savings and price savings. More and more we will interface machines and lose relationships.

So im wondering how this ends up? As humans we need contact and belonging. Will there be a tipping point of depression? Will we just be happy glued to phones and socialising online? Young kids seem to be OK with that. Complicated topic as we gaze into the future.

Your thoughts?