French philosopher Blaise Pascal said:

All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit in a quiet room alone.

How hard is it to sit alone in an empty room with absolutely nothing to do for 15 minutes? No distractions. No cellphone. No magazines. No window to gaze out of. It couldn’t be that hard, right?

According to the results of a recent study, participants found being alone with their thoughts surprisingly challenging. In fact, some found it so difficult that they resorted to giving themselves electric shocks to interrupt the boredom. Before the alone time began, the researchers administered a brief electric shock to demonstrate what it would feel like. Most participants described it as unpleasant. Some even said that they would pay money not to be shocked again.

That changed once the experiment was underway. In the 15 minutes of solitude, 67% of the men and 25% of the women zapped themselves. Even the researchers were shocked by the shocks. “I’m still just puzzled by that,” commented one.

It is tempting to blame the overuse of devices to provide non-stop entertainment and distraction. Interestingly, however, difficulty being alone was unrelated to age or use of technology. A grandmother was as miserable as a college freshman when forced to entertain herself.

Perhaps the best explanation for this “shocking” behavior is the “scanner hypothesis” which posits that mammals have evolved to monitor their environment for change and to scan for danger and opportunities. As the lead researcher describes:

It would be a little odd to see a chimpanzee posed like Rodin’s thinker for extended periods of time.

In other words, there may be an evolutionary explanation for being hyper-vigilant and feeling restless when left alone with one’s thoughts. Forcing oneself to focus internally may feel uncomfortable and unnatural.

That said, there is also an advantage to being alone with one’s thoughts. In fact, studies show that solitude is crucial for the development of the self. As highlighted in a study entitled, Solitude: An Exploration of Benefits of Being Alone, solitude is associated with freedom, creativity, intimacy, and spirituality.

Spending time alone means growing spiritually, discovering your identity without outside distractions, having the freedom to do what you want without needing to cater to other people’s wants and thriving creatively.

Meditation and other relaxation techniques are useful ways to make downtime more tolerable and also productive. By gaining control over our thoughts, the little annoyances like traffic jams and waiting rooms become less stressful and the big questions become less daunting.

Why is it that so many of the people who have provided us with technology are also the ones wisest about limiting its use? Many top Silicon Valley executives choose to send their children to decidedly low-tech schools that emphasize play-based learning and hands-on experiences. Instead of using iPads to teach fractions, they chop up food.

In a wonderful TED talk by the travel writer Pico Iver on the “Art of Stillness,” he describes how Kevin Kelly, the founder of Wired magazine, observes an Internet Sabbath every week. By going offline, Kelly, like many other tech gurus, gathers the strength and perspective he needs for his online life.

There is value in sitting still and contrary to what many believe, it can actually enhance productivity. The benefits of pressing pause were recently documented in a Harvard Business School study, Learning by Thinking: How Reflection Improve Performance. Quoting John Dewey, the authors conclude:

We do not learn from experience … we learn from reflecting on experience.

Google takes employee down time very seriously. They have a scientific approach to creativity, productivity, happiness, and yes, free time. In addition to providing playful spaces, yoga, organic meals and free dry-cleaning, Google allows employees to use 20 percent of their time to pursue their own interests.

Google is also studying how employees balance work demands with their personal lives. According to their data, only 31 percent are successful at drawing a line between work stress and their private lives. They call them “Segmentors.” Segmentors don’t fret at night about work. They sleep like babies. In comparison, the majority of employees—the “Integators”—have trouble delineating where work ends. For Integrators, work looms and email beckons all evening long.

Google has a plan to help Integrators become better Segmentors. They recognize that simply wishing to be a better Segmentor isn’t enough so they are taking action to facilitate downtime for employees:

We hope that Google can design environments that make it easier for employees to disconnect. Our Dublin office, for example, ran a program called “Dublin Goes Dark” which asked people to drop off their devices at the front desk before going home for the night. Googlers reported blissful, stressless evenings. Similarly, nudging Segmentors to ignore off-hour emails and use all their vacation days might improve well-being over time.

It’s a win-win. By disconnecting, they enhance their ability to connect. As Google knows all too well and Iver reminds us:

In an age of acceleration, nothing can be more exhilarating than going slow. In an age of distraction, nothing is so luxurious as paying attention. And in an age of constant movement, nothing is so urgent as sitting still.

When was the last time something took your breath away? I polled a few friends to explore this question and got a range of responses: gazing at the night sky, attending the Broadway show Hamilton, witnessing a baby’s first steps, being caught in a thunder storm, visiting the Grand Canyon, listening to Ave Maria, watching the Williams sisters hug after Venus defeated Serena at the US Open and beholding the beauty of the Tribute in Light, the twin beams that invoke the Twin Towers. Of note, not one person said they experienced awe reading email.

The sensation of awe is universal but hard to describe—“jaw-dropping,” “goose bump giving,” and “spine tingling” are often used to capture that sense of wonder that awe inspires. Indeed, the experience of awe occurs in the body as much as it does in the mind.

Psychologists are beginning to explore the benefits of awe and how these experiences are life-enhancing.

Studies show that awe makes people feel:

1. Less rushed for time.

2. More ethical when making decisions.

3. More patient.

4. Less materialistic.

5. More willing to volunteer to help others.

6. More generous.

In the words of one researcher:

Shifting your focus toward something vast is bound to put your problems in perspective and open you to the greater world.

Of course, in order to experience awe one must be open to it. As life speeds by it is easy to miss those jaw-dropping moments. A sunset won’t take your breath away if you are staring at your iPhone.

So look up once in a while – there’s a chance you’ll find yourself in awe.

He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed.

–Albert Einstein

In this age of technology we are more connected than ever before. With the touch of a smartphone we are whisked into a world of social media, virtual interaction and information. Facebook, texting, Twitter, Instagram, online dating, email and Google, to name a few, have allowed us to redefine intimacy and engagement. However, as important as these virtual connections are, it is equally important to be present and aware of our actual surroundings.

In recent years, texting while walking (TWW) has attracted attention for the dangers it poses to pedestrians. Statistics aren’t required to note the trend of TWW. When walking down a city block, people no longer pay attention to what’s in front of them. Their faces are buried in smart phones while navigating dangerous traffic, uneven sidewalks, other pedestrians and waiting on train platforms. The data behind TWW related injuries and deaths isn’t precise – lack of witnesses, doctors and nurses failing to make note, and victims unable or understandably too embarrassed to explain how the mishap occurred. Experts believe the number of pedestrian-texting injuries – mostly facial fractures, nosebleeds and lacerations to the feet and ankles—may exceed two million per year, with estimated deaths at a minimum of 4500 per year. The precise numbers aren’t the primary concern of officials; it’s the rising trends that worry them. Documented TWW accidents have doubled since 2005 and are expected to double, at the very least, by 2015.

Recently, a study set out to determine exactly why texting while walking is hazardous to our physical health and well-being. Researchers studied both reading and texting, as well as the impact on other people around the texter. They concluded that it can, understandably, “negatively impact the balance system” exposing individuals to not just catastrophic accident risks but also long-term damage to posture:

In comparison with normal waking, when participants read or wrote text messages they walked with: greater absolute lateral foot position from one stride to the next; slower speed; greater rotation range of motion (ROM) of the head with respect to global space; the head held in a flexed position; more in-phase motion of the thorax and head in all planes, less motion between thorax and head (neck ROM); and more tightly organized coordination in lateral flexion and rotation directions.

Anatomy aside, consider this: it’s believed that Americans spend an average of 2 hours and 42 minutes using their smartphones in a non-talking capacity (i.e. reading, writing or playing games). How much of that time is spent texting or emailing while walking? The reality is that we weren’t designed to text while walking; we were designed to walk, look up and pay attention.

With access to technology, mindfulness of our non-virtual environment takes even more practice. The promise of better posture and safety may not be as attractive as the immediate comforts of connecting with others instantly. It is easy to forget that the world around us holds more mystery, beauty and awe than the world beyond our new Retina display.

Regular exercise may be far more important for our physical and mental health than we realize. It’s not just about looking good. Regular physical activity reduces the risk of dying from cancer, heart disease and diabetes. Moreover, exercise has been shown to boost brainpower, reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety and enhance the immune system. In fact, according to a study, people who walk to work are 40% less likely to have diabetes as those who drive to work. A Danish study showed that walking or biking to school improves concentration in students.

The benefits of exercise abound. However, it’s important to keep in mind that sustained bouts of exercise alone may not be enough. In fact, the health advantages of going to the gym for an hour in the morning may be cancelled out by sitting at a desk for the next eight hours. Our bodies were built to move so it comes as no surprise that prolonged sitting is a health hazard. Being active throughout the day is what counts:

Regular prolonged movement — at whatever intensity level can be safely managed — should be built into everyone’s daily habits and physical environment.

Think of the many ways you can embed more movement into your day throughout the day: Take the stairs, get off the subway or the bus a stop early, get a dog, instead of ordering in pick up lunch, etc. Once you start paying attention, you recognize that opportunities to move more are everywhere.

The human body has two ends on it: one to create with and one to sit on.  Sometimes people get their ends reversed.  When this happens they need a kick in the seat of their pants.

–Theodore Roosevelt.

There is an old saying, “show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.” Research suggests we can adapt it to, “show me your friends and I’ll show you your waistline.”

How much food your dining companion eats has a big influence on how much you eat. This is good news if you have a health conscious dinner partner and not such good news if your dinner partner is the type who makes four trips to the all-you-can eat buffet.

The research shows that social factors are a powerful influence on consumption. When the companion eats very little, people suppress their food intake and eat less than they normally would if alone.

If the social model eats a large amount, people have the freedom to eat their normal intake, or even more…

Instead of relying on internal signals like hunger or a feeling of fullness, people look to others to decide how much to eat without even realizing it.

The effect is observed in many different situations: with healthy and unhealthy snack foods, during meals, when the diner has been deprived of food for up to a day, and among children, and it occurs independent of people’s body weight.

You don’t even have to be dining together for this to work. Just knowing your partner ate a cheeseburger with fries for dinner is enough to give you permission to do the same.

It even occurs when the companion is not physically present and diners are simply given a written indication of what that other person ate.

If you are trying to lose weight, it’s not just about portion size and counting calories. The company you keep matters too.

Choose your dinner partner wisely.  Remember, you are what your friends eat.