Wisdom in fragments

The research community rallied behind the Turing Test as a benchmark. The idea was simple: demonstrate that machines can emulate human intelligence, which was seen as the pinnacle of cognitive achievement. This historical and cultural trajectory, while understandable, seemingly dismisses the idea that computers can serve as invaluable complements to human cognition.

Communications scholar and pioneer in media effects research and digital divide studies

In my opinion, the progression of human evolution is both dramatic and romantic. A pivotal moment in our journey was the invention of language. Now, as we stand on the precipice of the AI era, we are witnessing perhaps the most profound invention in human history. AI doesn't just amplify our physical capabilities; it augments our intellect, allowing us to comprehend and engage with the world on a level previously unimagined. This, I believe, is the pinnacle of our evolutionary journey.

Communications scholar and pioneer in media effects research and digital divide studies

There's a pervasive sentiment that silence or a lack of immediate response equates to complicity, and this is seen as an endorsement of a particular viewpoint. These demands for instant opinions are concerning as they overlook the individuals who are earnestly seeking to grasp the full picture, delving into the nuances of age-old issues before formulating a stance.

It's about catching that surge of emotion, be it offense or anger, usually incited by someone attempting to ignite your social identity or signal an outgroup threat, with a likely aim to shape your thoughts or actions. The antidote lies in introspection, a slowing down of reaction, coupled with a continuous questioning of the messenger's motivations and potential gains.

A particular individual trait that has piqued my interest through research is intellectual humility. Embracing the possibility of being wrong enhances the likelihood of being right—a somewhat magical paradox. This notion dovetails with the scientific ethos, where the quest isn't about proving oneself right.

The more pronounced a group identity is, especially when an identifiable outgroup exists, the more likely individuals are to dehumanize those not in their group. When asked to describe oneself, if the first identification that comes to mind is that of the group, the likelihood of outgroup dehumanization increases, seeing them as less than human.

The crux of the matter is, the human journey is fraught with challenges. It's frequently marked by pain, confusion, and a feeling of helplessness. Herein lies the allure of fiction—it provides what reality often withholds. Fictions grant us a semblance of understanding, a hint of control, and a sense of community during times of solitude. This makes misinformation appealing, as it fulfils these basic human desires: comprehension, control, and community.

Our lives are filled with ordinary yet beautiful moments – the sensation of a breeze on our skin, the flavours of our food – and these are the aspects that truly matter in our day-to-day existence. These practices enable us to live as we should, balancing our awareness of the world's harsh realities with an appreciation for the simple, yet profound joys of everyday life.

If we turned back the clock to 120 years ago, we wouldn't even be aware of many conflicts and crises when they occurred. It might take days before reading about a distressing situation in a distant land in a newspaper. This isn't to say we should ignore the suffering of others, but rather to understand these events within a larger framework.

There's a moment when the unconscious crystallises into consciousness, leading to all our thoughts, feelings, and emotions. In ancient texts, this moment is referred to as 'vedana', and we describe them as 'feeling tones.' These feeling tones are the mind's initial acknowledgment or categorisation of experiences as pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral.

These accumulating errors can foster feelings of the world being against us, a sense of continuous misfortune, and the magnification of everyday stresses and unhappiness. In earlier, more primitive times, external factors would often interrupt these negative mental states, snapping us back to a more grounded reality.

Our brains actively construct a model of the world, which is our actual experience. Incoming sensory data serves mainly to verify and correct this internal model. A familiar example is predictive texting on smartphones. You start typing, and the phone anticipates the rest of the word. This process mirrors how our brains handle sensory input, triggering various internal models.

Being 'online' does feel sort of 'godlike', it does make you feel that the limitations of material human existence don't apply quite so much. This godlike feeling explains some of the terrible behaviour on anonymous social media. It also gives you this sense that you somehow could become one with the metaverse.

Guardian columnist & author on psychology, time management, and happiness

The crux of the matter is the internal liberation that comes from acknowledging that there will always be more to do than we can handle, and that certainty about the future is unattainable. It's a form of defeat, yet immensely productive, because as long as you believe mastering everything is just extremely challenging, you'll continue to struggle.

Guardian columnist & author on psychology, time management, and happiness

Patience is really the act of letting things take the time that they take. It becomes more important as the world accelerates and as we have the opportunity technologically to do things faster and faster. There are many things that can't continuously be accelerated, or which can only be accelerated to a certain point.

Guardian columnist & author on psychology, time management, and happiness

We use these tools to do things quicker – but that never help us get on top of everything because they systematically increase the size of the 'everything' – It's a rigged game!

Guardian columnist & author on psychology, time management, and happiness