Ai technologies, such as ChatGPT, are TOOLS to increase productivity and lowering labor costs, but to what extent can we accelerate AI and other digital technologies without causing harm to human life and working at corporations (Sull, 2022, Pandolfo, 2023)? The goal of developing any new technologies is to improve life, reduce disparity, increasing equity and increase life quality; the proper use of technology matters (Illich, 1973).
However, making life more speedy has some detrimental effects on life style with increasing distress level on human being (Honoré, 2004, Kabat-Zinn, 2013). Slow movement culture is a cultural shift that promotes a slower, more intentional pace of life (Lipton, 2018). With critical thinking to update the mindset (Dweck, 2017), here are 9 benefits of considering slow movement culture:
#01 Reduced stress
Slow movement culture encourages people to take time to enjoy and appreciate the present moment like cooking or gardening in nature, which can help reduce stress levels and promote a sense of calm. (Gravalese, 2023). Never understimate the power of biophilia (Berto, 2018).
#02 Improved mental health
By slowing down and focusing on the present, people can reduce anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues arisen from business and work aspects. Even professional business people in management science notice taking time off sometimes (Boyes, 2018).
#03 Increased mindfulness
The slow movement encourages people to be more mindful of their thoughts, feelings, and surroundings, which can help them develop a greater sense of self-awareness and self-control.
#04 Better relationships
By slowing down to enjoy the present, people can improve their relationships with others by listening more carefully and communicating more effectively. People are frequently jumping for next ideas. Don't kills ideas quickly for next different ideas. According to Harvard business review, deciding how much time and moey giving to a team to support a project will define the probability of killing the creatitvity (Amabile, 1998).
#05 Improved physical health
Slow movement culture encourages people to prioritize their health and well-being, which can lead to healthier habits, such as regular exercise, better sleep, and a healthier diet. Are you the fan of longetivity? Do you know overworking will reduce hair quality, and cause skin diseases? (Ogłodek, 2009).
#06 Increased creativity
By slowing down and taking time to reflect, people can tap into their creativity and come up with new ideas and solutions to problems. Interestingly, the recent publication by nature shows statistically why we don't have less disruptive innovation due to industrail revilution and technology development in recent years because of venture capitalism (Park, 2023). Recent study shows that the virtual communication rised from technology development indeed curbed the idea generations. (Brucks, 2022).
#07 Reduced environmental impact
Slow movement culture encourages people to consume less and waste less, which can help reduce their environmental impact. Business growth requires more resources, but some business are force to growth while they cannot be profitable or eveng facing more loss like WeWork startup. The social entrepreneurs are rsising to work on circular economy nowdays ( Cheshire, 2019, EEA, 2016, De Angelis, 2018, Upadhyay, 2021) versus fast venture capitalist entrepreneurs. Isn't Venture capitalism part of circular economy?
#08 Enhanced appreciation for culture heritage
Slow movement culture promotes an appreciation for local traditions, arts, and culture, which can help people develop a deeper connection to their community and heritage. How many culture tech startups do you know? How many culture non-tech startup do you know? Their founders are rich mind social entrepreneurs indeed.
#09 More meaningful experiences
By slowing down and being more intentional with their time, people can create more meaningful experiences that they will remember and cherish for years to come. We work to earn money to spent it with our loved ones or on the things that we have passion about. Slow movement is not about being against tech working, its about chosing peaceful life based on human's pace over extreme pace of tech life. How to enjoy science and universe (Berg, 2017); or how to enjoy process of creating values (Esman, 2021, Blankson, 2022); or how to make our FOMO into JOMO (Winick, 2020).
Bibliography:
Sull, D., Sull, C. and Zweig, B. (2022) “Toxic culture is driving the Great Resignation,” MIT Sloan Management Review. Available at: https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/toxic-culture-is-driving-the-great-resignation/ (Accessed: March 26, 2023).
Pandolfo, C. (2023) AI expert warns Elon Musk-signed letter doesn’t go far enough, says “literally everyone on Earth will die,” Fox News. Available at: https://www.foxnews.com/tech/ai-expert-warns-elon-musk-signed-letter-doesnt-enough-literally-everyone-earth-will-die (Accessed: March 31, 2023).
Illich, I. (1973). Tools for conviviality. Harper & Row.
Honoré, C. (2004). In praise of slow: How a worldwide movement is challenging the cult of speed. HarperOne.
Klein, N. (2014). This changes everything: Capitalism vs. the climate. Simon & Schuster.
Lipton, J. (2018). The slow movement: A cultural revolution. Routledge.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2013). Full catastrophe living: Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness. Bantam.
Dweck, C. S. (2017). Mindset: Changing the way you think to fulfil your potential. Hachette UK.
Gravalese, S. (2023) The slow living movement & why it matters, Slow Living Kitchen. Available at: https://slowlivingkitchen.com/slow-living/ (Accessed: March 26, 2023).
Berto, R. et al. (2018) “An individual’s connection to Nature can affect perceived restorativeness of natural environments. Some observations about biophilia,” Behavioral sciences, 8(3). doi: 10.3390/bs8030034.
Boyes, A. (2018) “5 things to do When you feel overwhelmed by your workload,” Harvard business review, 6 August. Available at: https://hbr.org/2018/08/5-things-to-do-when-you-feel-overwhelmed-by-your-workload (Accessed: March 29, 2023).
Amabile, T. M. (1998) “How to kill creativity,” Harvard business review, 76(5), pp. 76–87, 186. Available at: https://hbr.org/1998/09/how-to-kill-creativity (Accessed: March 29, 2023).
Ogłodek, E., Moś, D. and Araszkiewicz, A. (2009) “Burnout as a consequence of chronic stress in the patients suffering from dermatological diseases,” Polski merkuriusz lekarski: organ Polskiego Towarzystwa Lekarskiego, 27(161), pp. 427–431.
Park, M., Leahey, E. and Funk, R. J. (2023) “Papers and patents are becoming less disruptive over time,” Nature, 613(7942), pp. 138–144. doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-05543-x.
Cheshire, D. (2019) “What is a circular economy?,” in Building Revolutions. RIBA Publishing, pp. 3–12.
EEA (2016) Circular economy to have considerable benefits, but challenges remain, European Environment Agency. Available at: https://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/circular-economy-to-have-considerable (Accessed: March 29, 2023).
De Angelis, R. (2018) Business models in the circular economy: Concepts, examples and theory. 1st ed. Basel, Switzerland: Birkhauser.
Upadhyay, A. et al. (2021) “Blockchain technology and the circular economy: Implications for sustainability and social responsibility,” Journal of cleaner production, 293(126130), p. 126130. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126130.
Brucks, M. S. and Levav, J. (2022) “Virtual communication curbs creative idea generation,” Nature, 605(7908), pp. 108–112. doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-04643-y.
Blankson, A. (2022) The rise of the ‘Slow Productivity’ movement, Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/amyblankson/2022/10/24/the-rise-of-the-slow-productivity-movement/?sh=4511c51e2c1a (Accessed: March 26, 2023).
Esman, R. (2021) Purchase and create with purpose: Six ways to join the slow design movement, Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2021/05/05/purchase-and-create-with-purpose-six-ways-to-join-the-slow-design-movement/?sh=728311c07c19 (Accessed: March 26, 2023).
Berg, M. and Seeber, B. (2017) The slow professor: Challenging the culture of speed in the academy. Toronto, ON, Canada: University of Toronto Press.
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