Princess of Wales shows the importance of messing amid 'epidemic of disconnection'
Warning about the dangers of living an online life is accompanied by a hands-on demonstration of a real human connection
The Princess of Wales and Professor Robert Waldinger, an expert in happiness, have warned that, while technology has many benefits, it is also playing “a complex and often troubling role” in what they describe as an “epidemic of disconnection”.
“We live increasingly lonelier lives, which research shows is toxic to human health, and it's our young people (aged 16 to 24) that report being the loneliest of all, the very generation that should be forming the relationships that will sustain them throughout life,” they wrote.
Kate then went on to demonstrate the very real power of direct human-to-human connections, by joining some young children at a family centre in Oxford to make imaginary cakes with plasticine and flour. One mum said the Princess had joked that “the messier it is, the better the fun”.
So different from the times when, as Kate and Waldinger wrote, people “sit together in the same room while our minds are scattered across dozens of apps, notifications, and feeds... physically present but mentally absent, unable to fully engage with the people right in front of us”.
Well said, and pass the flour.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.