Yes, the technology devices we have today are amazing. Every day I find new things that help me to do what I do better or more easily. We are all better connected and in many ways we've only scratched the surface of how we will be able to take advantage of the tools, software and data to make our lives even better. I'm looking forward to what's around the next corner for software and technology but even so, there's a technology that isn't even close to being fully understood and explored...the technology of human interaction. Clearly around as long as mankind, the impact and power of human to human interaction is a frontier worth exploring. And we can all do it. It doesn't take years of study to recognize that I can look at beautiful images and read mouthwatering descriptions of brownies, but there's nothing on the horizon that says I'll be able to have the sensation of taste without putting one in my mouth. The same goes for a warm handshake or pat on the back. It's human and it signals something in our brain that makes better contact. Just the act of seeing a person across the room sets a different memory in our brain. So while the proliferation of technology can overcome some of the obstacles of time and space, don't overlook how useful and powerful actual face to face communication is.

The world of retail is one place that is closely studying the impact of less human interaction. The debate there tends to be mostly centered on whether self-service does what it was designed to do which is reducing costs, but I don't have time here to get into the psychology of why theft at self-service checkouts is through the roof. The studies show that a big piece is that the shoppers feel justified in simply taking items because they are frustrated with the self-service machines that don't accept the scanned item after several passes under the scanner. But the smarter retailers are looking at the impact of less human interaction through the lens of having fewer loyal customers. Turns out, it's kinda hard to feel loyal to a machine. I mean really, when's the last time you felt a connection to the place you buy gas? Now I'm certainly not advocating going back to the "general store" days, but I am saying there's ALWAYS an opportunity to insert human interaction at the right place and time and in doing so, win big over the competition.  The problem is when those making the decisions put their dollar sign blinders on and ignore the technology side of human interaction. Ignoring the science of neurology can only lead to bad decisions. If you don't think the term "retail therapy" is based in reality, you're missing out on the fact that emotional well-being is the holy grail of successful business (yes, I said business) interactions.

There's no disputing that our professional worlds are growing more and more crowded and more disconnected. It's not good or bad, it's just a fact to be managed. So just think if your goal is to create euphoric interactions? How would that change how you do business? Don't you think you'd set yourself apart?  Don't you think that people would notice and the "return on that investment" would be worth it? The emerging trend to seek out and enjoy food without so many preservatives is real because we got smarter about the ill effects of "manufactured" foods and the positives of "real" food. Don't you think that same trend will become apparent in are human interactions as we learn about the negative effects of being "connected" in non-human ways? We don't want our brains filled with too many of the wrong kind of interactions, any more than we are learning we don't want junk food too often. People will continue to seek "real" interactions and smart people will be there ready with the knowledge of how to feed them. I look forward to hearing from you and I'm off to find some brownies.

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