IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - September 2017 - 88

Last Word
Christine Perakslis

n this issue, we once
aga in explore and
debate the interlac-
ing of humans and
mach i ne s. We ap -
plaud Web Science and its interdis-
ciplinary approach. We respect and
admire brave conversationalists. We
heed human values through Value
Sensitive Design (VSD). We also accept
the challenge to better perceive uni-
fied wholes.
As brave conversationalists, we
must forge ahead resolutely, and
over the long term - regardless of
hyper-critical and hostile climates,
greater complexity, risk, uncertain-
ty, and more diverse stakeholders.
We need our brains to adapt advan-
tageously for ingenious design and
development, especially as the time
between stimulus and response
becomes precariously pressurized.
We need our complex problem-
solving ability to flourish. And yet,
researchers contend, to be brave
over the long term, we must not
only be willing to face, and endure,
unpleasant conditions or behaviors,
but we must also possess an essen-
tial attribute: resiliency [1].
We activate resiliency when we
reduce the wear and tear on our
mind-body system. The mind and
body interact as a complicated,
interconnected whole; the interplay

I

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MTS.2017.2738083
Date of publication: 7 September 2017

88

Retreat to
Move Forward
Alleviating Allostatic Load
for the Brave
can be both positive and negative.
When demands outweigh our abil-
ity to cope, we experience stress.
When we allow ourselves to endure
chronic exposure to stress, our bod-
ies work overtime. Consequently,
we move into allostatic overload.
We suffer harmful physiological
consequences; creativity is imped-
ed, and our ability to adapt is con-
strained [2].
Researchers report that the con-
stant use of technology is associ-
ated with higher levels of stress. The
majority of Americans (86%) check
their devices hourly [3]. A majority
of teens (78%) perceive the need
to respond immediately [4]. Even
small, daily demands can lead us to
allostatic overload [2]. Technology is
also reported as a source of conflict
in nearly half of the homes of Millen-
nials [3]. As the demands of the digi-
tal flood in, we risk forfeiting familial
social systems, as well as downtime.
Yet engagement with social systems

IEEE TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY MAGAZINE

and downtime help us recover from
allostatic overload [2].
As pro-human practitioners, we
recognize the human as the prin-
cipal and central agent. We can
strengthen, clarify, and optimize this
key stakeholder, when we give voice
to the mind-body connection. Above
all, we honor the unified whole of
the human, especially as we shape,
and are shaped by, these socio-tech-
nical systems.

References

[1] B. Brown, Rising Strong. New York, NY:
Spiegel & Grau, 2015.
[2] H. Benson and W. Proctor, Relaxation
Revolution: Improving Your Personal
Health Through the Science and Genetics of Mind Body Healing. New York, NY:
Scribner, 2010.
[3] American Psychological Association, "Stress
in America: Coping with change," Stress in
America™ Survey, 2017.
[4] Common Sense, Technology Addiction: Concern, Controversy, and Finding
Balance. Common Sense Media, 2016;
http://community.patana.ac.th/resource
.aspx?id=387348.

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SEPTEMBER 2017
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