1 00:00:15,436 --> 00:00:23,956 Speaker 1: Pushkin. It's October fifth, eighteen thirty three. An inventor, William 2 00:00:23,996 --> 00:00:28,316 Speaker 1: Henry fox Talbot is annoyed. After months of delays, Fox 3 00:00:28,396 --> 00:00:31,036 Speaker 1: Talbot was finally able to take his new bride on 4 00:00:31,116 --> 00:00:34,796 Speaker 1: their long awaited honeymoon to the beautiful shores of Lake Como, 5 00:00:35,076 --> 00:00:39,076 Speaker 1: one of the prettiest vacation spots in Italy. Think shimmering 6 00:00:39,116 --> 00:00:43,516 Speaker 1: blue waters, statue filled gardens. Everyone from Lord Byron to 7 00:00:43,556 --> 00:00:47,436 Speaker 1: George Clooney has vacation there, and that's why Fox Talbot 8 00:00:47,516 --> 00:00:50,036 Speaker 1: was annoyed, because he didn't want to just see this 9 00:00:50,156 --> 00:00:53,476 Speaker 1: lovely scene himself. He wanted all his friends to see 10 00:00:53,476 --> 00:00:56,636 Speaker 1: how pretty the lake was too. The problem, of course, 11 00:00:56,796 --> 00:00:59,716 Speaker 1: was that this was eighteen thirty three, no smartphone cameras. 12 00:01:00,156 --> 00:01:02,836 Speaker 1: If Fox Talbot wanted to share this beautiful scene with 13 00:01:02,876 --> 00:01:07,076 Speaker 1: his friends back home, he had to draw it. Fox 14 00:01:07,116 --> 00:01:09,716 Speaker 1: Talbot tried sketching the lakeside with the help of a 15 00:01:09,756 --> 00:01:13,796 Speaker 1: camera Lucida, the nineteenth century equivalent of the best smartphone camera, 16 00:01:14,156 --> 00:01:16,996 Speaker 1: but his result wasn't all that great. It was so bad, 17 00:01:17,036 --> 00:01:19,796 Speaker 1: in fact, that he called it a melancholy to behold. 18 00:01:20,796 --> 00:01:23,636 Speaker 1: It was in this moment of vacation disappointment that fox 19 00:01:23,676 --> 00:01:26,916 Speaker 1: Talbot had some inspiration, how charming it would be. He 20 00:01:26,996 --> 00:01:30,796 Speaker 1: later wrote, if these natural images could imprint themselves durably 21 00:01:31,116 --> 00:01:35,076 Speaker 1: upon the paper, within just two years, fox Talbot would 22 00:01:35,076 --> 00:01:37,876 Speaker 1: invent an early way to do this. He developed the 23 00:01:37,956 --> 00:01:42,356 Speaker 1: negative positive technique that later became photography, just because he 24 00:01:42,436 --> 00:01:49,116 Speaker 1: wanted some honeymoon picks to share with the folks back home. Now, 25 00:01:49,196 --> 00:01:52,796 Speaker 1: let's fast forward to a different October fifth, exactly one 26 00:01:52,876 --> 00:01:56,156 Speaker 1: hundred and seventy seven years to the day that fox 27 00:01:56,196 --> 00:02:01,356 Speaker 1: Talbot drew that awful picture. On this October fifth, twenty ten, 28 00:02:01,796 --> 00:02:05,676 Speaker 1: another inventor, software engineer, Kevin Seistroum, is just about to 29 00:02:05,756 --> 00:02:09,676 Speaker 1: launch the new photo sharing app he's developed with partner Creaker. 30 00:02:10,276 --> 00:02:13,236 Speaker 1: It's a sleek new tool that lets users take interesting 31 00:02:13,276 --> 00:02:16,996 Speaker 1: photos to share with friends what Cystrom called an instant 32 00:02:17,036 --> 00:02:22,316 Speaker 1: Telegram of storts, so they christened it Instagram. Sistrom launched 33 00:02:22,316 --> 00:02:26,596 Speaker 1: the app just after midnight. Within hours, Instagram servers crashed 34 00:02:27,036 --> 00:02:31,076 Speaker 1: too many downloads. In twenty four hours, Instagram had twenty 35 00:02:31,076 --> 00:02:35,156 Speaker 1: five thousand users. Today, the site boasts a thousand new 36 00:02:35,236 --> 00:02:40,476 Speaker 1: uploaded photos every single second. When asked why Instagram was 37 00:02:40,516 --> 00:02:43,556 Speaker 1: so successful, Cystrom said that the app gave users a 38 00:02:43,596 --> 00:02:48,996 Speaker 1: way to turn ordinary, everyday scenes into magical moments, magical 39 00:02:49,036 --> 00:02:53,756 Speaker 1: moments that were not only captured but instantly share. Humankind 40 00:02:53,836 --> 00:02:57,156 Speaker 1: now had the perfect way to satisfy Fox Talbot's original 41 00:02:57,236 --> 00:03:00,596 Speaker 1: urge on the shores of Lake Como, the desire to 42 00:03:00,676 --> 00:03:04,836 Speaker 1: share what we're experiencing. Now we can do it anytime 43 00:03:04,876 --> 00:03:09,516 Speaker 1: we want. These stories show how far a technology can 44 00:03:09,516 --> 00:03:12,356 Speaker 1: come in less than two hundred years, but they also 45 00:03:12,396 --> 00:03:16,116 Speaker 1: illustrate something more profound, the power of a very basic 46 00:03:16,236 --> 00:03:19,196 Speaker 1: urge to record a moment so that we can brag about, 47 00:03:19,276 --> 00:03:23,676 Speaker 1: excuse me, share that experience with our friends and family members, 48 00:03:23,716 --> 00:03:27,756 Speaker 1: everyone who wasn't there. Nowadays, most of us have devices 49 00:03:27,756 --> 00:03:31,036 Speaker 1: in our pockets powerful enough to record pretty much every 50 00:03:31,116 --> 00:03:34,716 Speaker 1: single experience in vivid detail. We also have tools that 51 00:03:34,796 --> 00:03:38,396 Speaker 1: Fox Talbot probably couldn't even imagine, ones that let us 52 00:03:38,396 --> 00:03:42,396 Speaker 1: share those captured images broadly, not just with our family 53 00:03:42,396 --> 00:03:45,876 Speaker 1: and friends, but with millions of strangers at the click 54 00:03:46,036 --> 00:03:48,916 Speaker 1: of a button. For the first time in human history, 55 00:03:49,436 --> 00:03:53,436 Speaker 1: our best moments in life aren't just preserved, they're broadcast 56 00:03:53,916 --> 00:03:57,876 Speaker 1: for all to see. But is all this sharing making 57 00:03:57,956 --> 00:04:02,676 Speaker 1: us as happy as we think our minds are constantly 58 00:04:02,676 --> 00:04:04,836 Speaker 1: telling us what to do to be happy. But what 59 00:04:04,916 --> 00:04:07,316 Speaker 1: if our minds are wrong? What if our minds are 60 00:04:07,396 --> 00:04:10,196 Speaker 1: lying to us, leading us away from what would really 61 00:04:10,236 --> 00:04:14,316 Speaker 1: make us happy. The good news is that understanding the 62 00:04:14,356 --> 00:04:16,716 Speaker 1: science of the mind can point us all back in 63 00:04:16,756 --> 00:04:20,236 Speaker 1: the right direction. You're listening to the Happiness Lab with 64 00:04:20,436 --> 00:04:28,876 Speaker 1: doctor Laurie Santas. I moved to New York City when 65 00:04:28,916 --> 00:04:31,236 Speaker 1: I was sixteen, and I was dropped on Union Square 66 00:04:31,236 --> 00:04:34,596 Speaker 1: in a dorm, and I had no one. Marie Ellis 67 00:04:34,676 --> 00:04:37,316 Speaker 1: bun Is a young entrepreneur that many have called the 68 00:04:37,396 --> 00:04:40,676 Speaker 1: millennial Walt Disney, but long before she earned it that nickname, 69 00:04:40,916 --> 00:04:43,676 Speaker 1: she was just another college student and younger than most 70 00:04:44,156 --> 00:04:47,196 Speaker 1: alone in New York City. So I would sit most 71 00:04:47,236 --> 00:04:49,876 Speaker 1: days in the parking Union Square, and I played chess, 72 00:04:49,876 --> 00:04:52,796 Speaker 1: and I kind of just watched people. Marie Ellis wanted 73 00:04:52,836 --> 00:04:55,716 Speaker 1: to connect with people in a huge, unknown city, so 74 00:04:55,756 --> 00:04:58,876 Speaker 1: she turned to something she loved, ice cream shops. And 75 00:04:58,996 --> 00:05:00,876 Speaker 1: I would go on map Quest and I would start 76 00:05:00,916 --> 00:05:03,796 Speaker 1: finding places in the Bronx and in Brooklyn and Queen's 77 00:05:03,996 --> 00:05:05,956 Speaker 1: and these ice cream shops felt to me as the 78 00:05:06,036 --> 00:05:10,116 Speaker 1: places that were safe. They held accessible, and my understanding 79 00:05:10,116 --> 00:05:12,436 Speaker 1: of the city was by way of ice cream shops. 80 00:05:13,036 --> 00:05:15,476 Speaker 1: Mapping the city in terms of the most delicious ice 81 00:05:15,476 --> 00:05:18,476 Speaker 1: cream helped Mary Ellis learn about her new urban home, 82 00:05:18,836 --> 00:05:22,956 Speaker 1: but it also brought her something more important, real human connection. 83 00:05:23,236 --> 00:05:25,756 Speaker 1: Everyone's happy and ice cream shops people aren't depressed, and 84 00:05:25,996 --> 00:05:28,836 Speaker 1: ice cream was able to just for me, like, undress 85 00:05:28,956 --> 00:05:31,276 Speaker 1: my social anxieties and put me in a place where 86 00:05:31,276 --> 00:05:33,636 Speaker 1: I feel like I can converse and be my best 87 00:05:33,676 --> 00:05:37,396 Speaker 1: social self. Mary Ellis Is foy into New York ice 88 00:05:37,396 --> 00:05:41,756 Speaker 1: cream shops made her realize how powerful shared experiences can be. 89 00:05:42,636 --> 00:05:46,276 Speaker 1: Doing something with other people, it just makes us feel good. 90 00:05:46,756 --> 00:05:49,476 Speaker 1: People share experiences with other people all the time in 91 00:05:49,516 --> 00:05:53,316 Speaker 1: their daily life. This is Cornell University researcher Erica Boothby. 92 00:05:53,676 --> 00:05:57,116 Speaker 1: When you watch a movie with somebody or a TV show, 93 00:05:57,796 --> 00:06:00,636 Speaker 1: or if you are at a concert, or even just 94 00:06:00,716 --> 00:06:02,876 Speaker 1: in your house and you have the radio on, or 95 00:06:02,916 --> 00:06:07,076 Speaker 1: you're listening to music or looking at visual stimuli such 96 00:06:07,076 --> 00:06:10,916 Speaker 1: as paintings or photographs, things like that. Erica is an 97 00:06:10,956 --> 00:06:14,476 Speaker 1: expert on the psychology behind all these tiny shared moments. 98 00:06:14,796 --> 00:06:18,196 Speaker 1: People are naturally drawn to share experiences in this way. 99 00:06:18,276 --> 00:06:21,396 Speaker 1: I think you know, even if you look at infants, 100 00:06:21,596 --> 00:06:25,236 Speaker 1: you know under a year old are already trying to 101 00:06:25,836 --> 00:06:30,996 Speaker 1: basically co opt their carriver's gaze and share moments with them. 102 00:06:31,076 --> 00:06:33,196 Speaker 1: If you have a young child, or have ever hung 103 00:06:33,196 --> 00:06:38,676 Speaker 1: out with one, you probably know this phenomenon. Well, mommy, look, mommy, mommy, 104 00:06:38,676 --> 00:06:42,476 Speaker 1: come on, look. What's amazing is that babies don't need 105 00:06:42,516 --> 00:06:45,156 Speaker 1: to be taught to do this. Research shows that our 106 00:06:45,236 --> 00:06:48,836 Speaker 1: human motivation to share is an instinct, one that kicks 107 00:06:48,836 --> 00:06:52,836 Speaker 1: in automatically during the first year of life. In one study, 108 00:06:53,076 --> 00:06:56,156 Speaker 1: psychologist Mike Thomasello and his colleagues brought parents and young 109 00:06:56,156 --> 00:06:59,516 Speaker 1: toddlers into the lab and staged weird events, like having 110 00:06:59,556 --> 00:07:02,636 Speaker 1: a strange looking puppet pop out of a wall unexpectedly. 111 00:07:03,236 --> 00:07:06,596 Speaker 1: The kids notice the puppet naturally, but the parents pretended 112 00:07:06,636 --> 00:07:09,396 Speaker 1: not to see it, and so the kids did what 113 00:07:09,436 --> 00:07:12,756 Speaker 1: they'd normally do. They pointed at the weird thing. But 114 00:07:12,796 --> 00:07:15,516 Speaker 1: what were they trying to achieve? Did they just want 115 00:07:15,516 --> 00:07:18,316 Speaker 1: their parents to see the puppet or did they want 116 00:07:18,316 --> 00:07:21,436 Speaker 1: to share the experience to see it at the same 117 00:07:21,476 --> 00:07:26,356 Speaker 1: time together. To test this, thomas Ella varied how parents reacted. 118 00:07:26,916 --> 00:07:29,396 Speaker 1: Some parents looked both at the child and what they 119 00:07:29,436 --> 00:07:32,876 Speaker 1: pointed at, but other parents only looked at the objects 120 00:07:33,476 --> 00:07:36,196 Speaker 1: they did what the kids were asking. They looked, but 121 00:07:36,316 --> 00:07:39,356 Speaker 1: they didn't really share the experience with their child. What 122 00:07:39,516 --> 00:07:43,156 Speaker 1: happened Thomas Ella found that babies whose parents didn't share 123 00:07:43,516 --> 00:07:47,036 Speaker 1: stopped pointing over time. Getting the parents to look wasn't 124 00:07:47,076 --> 00:07:50,716 Speaker 1: the objective. It was about the act of sharing. I 125 00:07:50,756 --> 00:07:53,796 Speaker 1: think that we go through life doing this, and it's 126 00:07:53,836 --> 00:07:56,116 Speaker 1: something we may not be thinking about all the time, 127 00:07:56,236 --> 00:08:00,796 Speaker 1: but it's something that is playing an underlying role in 128 00:08:01,436 --> 00:08:04,276 Speaker 1: how we situate ourselves with others and how we go 129 00:08:04,316 --> 00:08:06,996 Speaker 1: about all of our daily life. The fact that we're 130 00:08:07,036 --> 00:08:09,836 Speaker 1: so sensitive to that is something that really sets us 131 00:08:09,836 --> 00:08:12,876 Speaker 1: a part as a species. Erica became interested in why 132 00:08:12,916 --> 00:08:16,276 Speaker 1: I shared experience is so powerful? What are we getting 133 00:08:16,276 --> 00:08:19,356 Speaker 1: out of it? She hypothesized that sharing an event with 134 00:08:19,396 --> 00:08:23,436 Speaker 1: someone else might change the way we ourselves experience that event, 135 00:08:23,876 --> 00:08:26,876 Speaker 1: even if we don't realize it. You're just simply attending 136 00:08:26,876 --> 00:08:28,716 Speaker 1: to the same thing at the same time as this person, 137 00:08:28,836 --> 00:08:32,076 Speaker 1: and just knowing that their mind is also full of 138 00:08:32,076 --> 00:08:35,076 Speaker 1: the same contents as your mind changes that experience for 139 00:08:35,116 --> 00:08:37,916 Speaker 1: you both. Erica devised a cool way to test this 140 00:08:37,996 --> 00:08:41,356 Speaker 1: new idea with a chocolate tasting. So we had people 141 00:08:42,396 --> 00:08:44,276 Speaker 1: come in. They sat down at a table side by 142 00:08:44,316 --> 00:08:47,076 Speaker 1: side with another person who actually happened to be a 143 00:08:47,076 --> 00:08:50,796 Speaker 1: Confederate who was working for us. We told people that 144 00:08:50,796 --> 00:08:54,516 Speaker 1: they were going to be experiencing several different kinds of experiences. 145 00:08:54,556 --> 00:08:58,636 Speaker 1: We rigged it so that we could assign people to 146 00:08:59,116 --> 00:09:02,436 Speaker 1: share an experience or not share an experience. They were 147 00:09:02,516 --> 00:09:06,716 Speaker 1: either both tasting chocolate at the same time, or the 148 00:09:06,756 --> 00:09:10,636 Speaker 1: participant was tasting chocolate while we had the confederate instead 149 00:09:10,676 --> 00:09:13,676 Speaker 1: do something else. So the Confederate, for example, looked at 150 00:09:13,716 --> 00:09:17,036 Speaker 1: some paintings while the participant ate chocolate, and then we 151 00:09:17,076 --> 00:09:20,156 Speaker 1: had them evaluate these chocolates. We had them report how 152 00:09:20,236 --> 00:09:23,396 Speaker 1: much they liked the chocolate, how flavorful it tasted. People 153 00:09:23,436 --> 00:09:25,836 Speaker 1: thought they were trying different kinds of chocolates, but they 154 00:09:25,836 --> 00:09:28,716 Speaker 1: were actually identical. This way, we could tell if they 155 00:09:28,796 --> 00:09:31,756 Speaker 1: raided the chocolates differently, if they experienced them differently, if 156 00:09:31,796 --> 00:09:34,676 Speaker 1: they thought that one tasted better than the other, for example, 157 00:09:35,196 --> 00:09:37,236 Speaker 1: that it had to be because of whether the experience 158 00:09:37,316 --> 00:09:40,236 Speaker 1: was shared or not. The only thing Erica varied was 159 00:09:40,236 --> 00:09:43,036 Speaker 1: whether subjects tasted the chocolate at the same time as 160 00:09:43,076 --> 00:09:46,236 Speaker 1: another person or not, it shouldn't have mattered, but in 161 00:09:46,276 --> 00:09:49,636 Speaker 1: the end it did a lot. So what we found 162 00:09:49,996 --> 00:09:53,556 Speaker 1: is that when people tasted a pleasant chocolate simultaneously with 163 00:09:53,596 --> 00:09:57,076 Speaker 1: somebody else, they liked that chocolate more and thought it 164 00:09:57,116 --> 00:09:59,956 Speaker 1: tasted more flavorful than when they ate that same chocolate 165 00:10:00,396 --> 00:10:02,876 Speaker 1: while the other person was doing something different instead. And 166 00:10:02,956 --> 00:10:05,596 Speaker 1: what you're not realizing is that what the other person 167 00:10:05,676 --> 00:10:08,236 Speaker 1: sitting next to you happens to be doing is affecting 168 00:10:08,316 --> 00:10:11,996 Speaker 1: your own experience of the chocolate. It actually is tasting 169 00:10:12,116 --> 00:10:15,516 Speaker 1: different to you when the other person happens to also 170 00:10:15,556 --> 00:10:18,236 Speaker 1: be tasting it versus not, and you just aren't at 171 00:10:18,236 --> 00:10:21,716 Speaker 1: all aware of that. Then Erica did another experiment. She 172 00:10:21,876 --> 00:10:24,756 Speaker 1: was the same setup as before, but this time people 173 00:10:24,796 --> 00:10:30,236 Speaker 1: tasted yucky, unsweetened baking chocolates. What happened, Sharing the experience 174 00:10:30,556 --> 00:10:34,356 Speaker 1: made it worse. A bad chocolate tastes more awful when 175 00:10:34,396 --> 00:10:37,476 Speaker 1: someone else is tasting it too. What this tells us 176 00:10:37,636 --> 00:10:41,716 Speaker 1: is that experiences aren't necessarily always enhanced or improved when 177 00:10:41,716 --> 00:10:46,076 Speaker 1: you're experiencing them together with somebody else. They're actually amplified. 178 00:10:46,116 --> 00:10:49,996 Speaker 1: They get more intense. Researchers have found similar effects with 179 00:10:50,076 --> 00:10:54,316 Speaker 1: other kinds of sensations. Scientist at McGill University had subjects 180 00:10:54,316 --> 00:10:57,156 Speaker 1: stick their hand in super cold water, which hurts a ton, 181 00:10:57,676 --> 00:11:01,036 Speaker 1: but the cold hurts even worse if a second subject 182 00:11:01,076 --> 00:11:03,756 Speaker 1: was standing there going through the same event at the 183 00:11:03,836 --> 00:11:06,996 Speaker 1: same time. So misery doesn't really love company? Is that 184 00:11:07,036 --> 00:11:10,996 Speaker 1: what this work is suggested? One sense? That's true, these 185 00:11:11,076 --> 00:11:15,396 Speaker 1: negative experiences get more intense when they're shared, but that 186 00:11:15,476 --> 00:11:19,796 Speaker 1: might actually not be all that bad because it could 187 00:11:19,836 --> 00:11:22,836 Speaker 1: actually help to serve a function of bonding people together. 188 00:11:23,436 --> 00:11:26,276 Speaker 1: Feeling more pain when someone else is hurting isn't the 189 00:11:26,276 --> 00:11:29,116 Speaker 1: best experience at the time, but it might allow us 190 00:11:29,116 --> 00:11:32,396 Speaker 1: to empathize with that other person, to bond in the 191 00:11:32,436 --> 00:11:35,116 Speaker 1: face of a shared trauma. That's kind of the other 192 00:11:35,156 --> 00:11:39,156 Speaker 1: interesting side of shared experiences. What is it doing to 193 00:11:39,316 --> 00:11:44,716 Speaker 1: our interpersonal relationships? But what about experiences we can't ever share. 194 00:11:45,276 --> 00:11:47,956 Speaker 1: Some amazing event like having the chance to travel to 195 00:11:47,996 --> 00:11:51,396 Speaker 1: space alone or getting to sample some super expensive but 196 00:11:51,476 --> 00:11:55,316 Speaker 1: really rare food. Does the uniqueness of an experience make 197 00:11:55,356 --> 00:11:59,156 Speaker 1: it feel worse? Erica told me about a study by 198 00:11:59,196 --> 00:12:02,596 Speaker 1: another Coronell researcher, Gus Cooney, who also happens to be 199 00:12:02,756 --> 00:12:06,276 Speaker 1: her partner. He set up a study where a bunch 200 00:12:06,276 --> 00:12:08,596 Speaker 1: of people came to the lab to have a relatively 201 00:12:08,916 --> 00:12:12,676 Speaker 1: orinary experience. They got to watch a movie. One of 202 00:12:12,716 --> 00:12:16,316 Speaker 1: the subjects, however, got picked to have an extraordinary experience. 203 00:12:16,756 --> 00:12:20,156 Speaker 1: He got to watch a really special viral video involving 204 00:12:20,156 --> 00:12:24,276 Speaker 1: a magician doing incredible tricks. Gus had subjects predict which 205 00:12:24,276 --> 00:12:27,316 Speaker 1: type of event they'd enjoy more, the extraordinary one or 206 00:12:27,356 --> 00:12:31,436 Speaker 1: the boring one. People thought the extraordinary movie would make 207 00:12:31,436 --> 00:12:34,876 Speaker 1: them happier, but what happened when subjects actually experienced the 208 00:12:34,876 --> 00:12:38,596 Speaker 1: different events. The boring events were fine, but the extraordinary 209 00:12:38,596 --> 00:12:42,916 Speaker 1: events experienced alone made people feel kind of isolated. They 210 00:12:42,996 --> 00:12:45,556 Speaker 1: even felt a little guilty. That could have been an 211 00:12:45,596 --> 00:12:48,276 Speaker 1: awesome experience when they read it really highly. But then 212 00:12:48,316 --> 00:12:50,916 Speaker 1: it has this other social cost of well, they haven't 213 00:12:50,916 --> 00:12:52,916 Speaker 1: shared this with other people. Other people can't relate, they 214 00:12:52,916 --> 00:12:54,916 Speaker 1: can't really talk about it. They feel like they're bragging, right. 215 00:12:55,076 --> 00:12:57,956 Speaker 1: They just have difficulty expressing that to other people, and 216 00:12:58,916 --> 00:13:01,836 Speaker 1: so that detracts from the social bonding potential that there 217 00:13:01,956 --> 00:13:04,716 Speaker 1: is there, And that might be one of the reasons 218 00:13:04,716 --> 00:13:07,156 Speaker 1: that so many of us have that Fox Talbot urge. 219 00:13:07,516 --> 00:13:10,716 Speaker 1: When we experienced something incredible, we want other people to 220 00:13:10,756 --> 00:13:13,676 Speaker 1: experience it too. We want to share all the awesome 221 00:13:13,676 --> 00:13:16,116 Speaker 1: moments that we're not able to share at the time. 222 00:13:16,836 --> 00:13:20,476 Speaker 1: That's why there's so many vacation posts with hashtag OMG, 223 00:13:20,916 --> 00:13:26,196 Speaker 1: hashtag incredible, hashtag yacht, and so on. Erica says these 224 00:13:26,236 --> 00:13:29,316 Speaker 1: findings have changed her. They've made her more conscious of 225 00:13:29,356 --> 00:13:33,316 Speaker 1: how her own behavior affects other people. It's even changed 226 00:13:33,316 --> 00:13:36,556 Speaker 1: her family life, like how she and Gus share experiences 227 00:13:36,596 --> 00:13:40,476 Speaker 1: together as a couple. For watching TV at night and 228 00:13:40,756 --> 00:13:43,276 Speaker 1: I'm distracted looking at something else, right, maybe I'm on 229 00:13:43,316 --> 00:13:46,196 Speaker 1: my phone, I'm responding to a text or whatever. I 230 00:13:46,356 --> 00:13:48,916 Speaker 1: realize now that that is actually going to affect my 231 00:13:48,956 --> 00:13:52,076 Speaker 1: partner's experience of the show we're watching and cause him 232 00:13:52,076 --> 00:13:54,916 Speaker 1: to pay less attention to it. I'm just more aware 233 00:13:54,996 --> 00:13:58,756 Speaker 1: of this constant interpersonal dynamic where we're affecting one another 234 00:13:58,796 --> 00:14:01,356 Speaker 1: in all kinds of ways. Just even being aware of 235 00:14:01,396 --> 00:14:04,516 Speaker 1: it makes life a little more interesting. I love Eric's 236 00:14:04,556 --> 00:14:07,396 Speaker 1: work because it shows the power of sharing, how it 237 00:14:07,476 --> 00:14:11,676 Speaker 1: intensifies our lives. It makes the good things better, and 238 00:14:11,836 --> 00:14:13,836 Speaker 1: even though it makes the bad things a little worse, 239 00:14:14,076 --> 00:14:18,796 Speaker 1: they're more bearable since someone is by our side. Experiencing 240 00:14:18,796 --> 00:14:22,476 Speaker 1: stuff together can be a powerful tool for shaping our happiness. 241 00:14:23,476 --> 00:14:26,836 Speaker 1: This same insight led mary Alice Bun, the woman we 242 00:14:26,836 --> 00:14:31,156 Speaker 1: met earlier, to develop a million dollar new concept. There's 243 00:14:31,156 --> 00:14:33,156 Speaker 1: just this line down the street. I was like, Wow, 244 00:14:33,196 --> 00:14:34,636 Speaker 1: what are they waiting for it? And lo and behold 245 00:14:34,676 --> 00:14:36,796 Speaker 1: there's an ice cream shop. And that was kind of 246 00:14:36,796 --> 00:14:38,516 Speaker 1: the moment where it was like, I need to start 247 00:14:38,556 --> 00:14:41,556 Speaker 1: building places in the world that people actually want to 248 00:14:41,556 --> 00:14:44,276 Speaker 1: be in and spend time with, and places where people 249 00:14:44,316 --> 00:14:46,916 Speaker 1: can come together. How do I build something that people 250 00:14:46,916 --> 00:14:50,076 Speaker 1: just want to go to? The Happiness Lab will be 251 00:14:50,196 --> 00:14:58,716 Speaker 1: right back. I would walk around the city and the 252 00:14:58,836 --> 00:15:01,876 Speaker 1: spaces around me just weren't offering or afforded me a 253 00:15:01,876 --> 00:15:04,916 Speaker 1: place that I really wanted to go. Even after finding 254 00:15:05,036 --> 00:15:07,676 Speaker 1: rich social connections sharing a cone in those New York 255 00:15:07,716 --> 00:15:10,716 Speaker 1: ice cream shops, may Ellis was searching for something more. 256 00:15:11,036 --> 00:15:13,316 Speaker 1: Where do people Where are my peers, where are they 257 00:15:13,356 --> 00:15:15,556 Speaker 1: spending their time, and what is actually filling them up? 258 00:15:16,116 --> 00:15:19,356 Speaker 1: Mary Ellis realized that the modern world doesn't give her 259 00:15:19,396 --> 00:15:23,356 Speaker 1: generation many opportunities to share events together. My peer groups 260 00:15:23,356 --> 00:15:25,636 Speaker 1: weren't going to church my peer groups weren't going to 261 00:15:26,076 --> 00:15:29,396 Speaker 1: other community focused spaces. I was like, how do I 262 00:15:29,436 --> 00:15:32,316 Speaker 1: build something that people just want to go to. What 263 00:15:32,476 --> 00:15:36,516 Speaker 1: could possibly bring people together? Ice cream? Ice Cream is 264 00:15:36,676 --> 00:15:39,836 Speaker 1: made to be shared. And this was the realization that 265 00:15:39,916 --> 00:15:42,516 Speaker 1: led Mary Ellis to develop a completely new kind of 266 00:15:42,596 --> 00:15:46,116 Speaker 1: venue for people to gather together, one that gave her 267 00:15:46,196 --> 00:15:49,476 Speaker 1: a rather unconventional job title. I am the founder and 268 00:15:49,556 --> 00:15:52,396 Speaker 1: CEO of the Museum of ice Cream. Just in case 269 00:15:52,516 --> 00:15:55,076 Speaker 1: you're not lucky enough to already be familiar with the 270 00:15:55,156 --> 00:15:57,836 Speaker 1: Museum of ice Cream. I asked Mary Ellis to explain 271 00:15:57,876 --> 00:16:01,636 Speaker 1: what it was. It wasn't easy. Great question. At Museum 272 00:16:01,636 --> 00:16:03,676 Speaker 1: of ice Cream, we have one goal mission and that 273 00:16:03,796 --> 00:16:07,996 Speaker 1: is to bring people outside together under one single piece, 274 00:16:08,036 --> 00:16:10,956 Speaker 1: which is ice cream. Visitor enters a Museum of ice Cream. 275 00:16:11,036 --> 00:16:13,516 Speaker 1: They're going to go through a series of journeys and stories, 276 00:16:13,876 --> 00:16:17,116 Speaker 1: all celebrating the acts of ice cream. And so there's 277 00:16:17,156 --> 00:16:19,676 Speaker 1: a lot of both world building and story building that 278 00:16:19,796 --> 00:16:23,356 Speaker 1: is built into the experience, and of course you get 279 00:16:23,396 --> 00:16:25,196 Speaker 1: to eat a bunch of my favorite food, which is 280 00:16:25,236 --> 00:16:29,156 Speaker 1: ice cream. It sounds really interesting, but despite Mary Ellis's 281 00:16:29,196 --> 00:16:32,636 Speaker 1: best efforts, I was still confused about what exactly the 282 00:16:32,716 --> 00:16:35,396 Speaker 1: Museum of ice Cream is. So I decided to go 283 00:16:35,476 --> 00:16:38,436 Speaker 1: check it out in person with my friend from college, 284 00:16:38,596 --> 00:16:41,716 Speaker 1: Sandy Stringfellow. We headed to a pop up location in 285 00:16:41,756 --> 00:16:45,516 Speaker 1: San Francisco. Together. We have just entered the Museum of 286 00:16:45,556 --> 00:16:50,036 Speaker 1: ice Cream. First thing, it's not actually a museum. It's 287 00:16:50,076 --> 00:16:52,996 Speaker 1: kind of like a pepto bismol has exploded in this 288 00:16:53,076 --> 00:16:57,756 Speaker 1: building and like covered all surfaces with this incredibly bright 289 00:16:57,916 --> 00:17:00,836 Speaker 1: pink color. And I'm really into the sprinkles up there. 290 00:17:00,876 --> 00:17:03,316 Speaker 1: The neon life, you are about to answer a completely 291 00:17:03,356 --> 00:17:05,356 Speaker 1: new world, not the world you're used to, not the 292 00:17:05,396 --> 00:17:08,796 Speaker 1: one you grew up in, something different. Okay. That became 293 00:17:09,156 --> 00:17:11,476 Speaker 1: pretty clear when we had to enter the first exhibit 294 00:17:11,716 --> 00:17:14,716 Speaker 1: by jumping into a huge fusia hole in the wall, 295 00:17:15,196 --> 00:17:18,436 Speaker 1: one that led to a pink plastic slide winding two 296 00:17:18,556 --> 00:17:23,356 Speaker 1: stories down. So if you take O, you have gone 297 00:17:23,396 --> 00:17:27,156 Speaker 1: to yell scoop, scoop when you reach the bottom. Okay, scoop, scoop, scool, scoop, 298 00:17:27,236 --> 00:17:29,716 Speaker 1: let's do it. Okay, all right, let's go first. I 299 00:17:29,876 --> 00:17:32,396 Speaker 1: was the host, which meant I had to go first. 300 00:17:33,596 --> 00:17:43,476 Speaker 1: Scoop scoop, All right, you can do it. Okay, Jesus, 301 00:17:46,556 --> 00:17:51,476 Speaker 1: all right, but screaming Scoop scoop while sliding down a 302 00:17:51,556 --> 00:17:54,476 Speaker 1: huge pink slide was nothing compared to the rest of 303 00:17:54,516 --> 00:17:57,836 Speaker 1: the museum. Sandy and I spent an entire hour taking 304 00:17:57,836 --> 00:18:01,596 Speaker 1: in a completely surreal sensory experience. There was a fifties 305 00:18:01,636 --> 00:18:04,636 Speaker 1: diner that served French fries and ketchup made of ice cream, 306 00:18:05,076 --> 00:18:08,396 Speaker 1: an entire room filled with pink refrigerator magnets where you 307 00:18:08,436 --> 00:18:13,876 Speaker 1: could write your a stable filled with life size glittery unicorns. 308 00:18:13,876 --> 00:18:16,316 Speaker 1: Each room was more over the top than the last. 309 00:18:17,476 --> 00:18:24,156 Speaker 1: We're now in a room filled with animal cracker carousels 310 00:18:24,196 --> 00:18:32,476 Speaker 1: that people can ride a Sandy, how does it feel 311 00:18:32,516 --> 00:18:36,956 Speaker 1: to be on a large pink animal cracker? And then 312 00:18:37,116 --> 00:18:40,236 Speaker 1: there's the piece to resistance, a four foot deep swimming 313 00:18:40,276 --> 00:18:49,796 Speaker 1: pool filled with rainbow sprinkles. Ideas like these are why 314 00:18:49,836 --> 00:18:54,236 Speaker 1: Mary Ellis is constantly compared to Walt Disney. She's designing incredible, 315 00:18:54,316 --> 00:18:58,876 Speaker 1: fantasy filled spaces for the next generation. But unlike Disneyland, 316 00:18:58,996 --> 00:19:01,356 Speaker 1: the Museum of ice Cream didn't start out with hundreds 317 00:19:01,396 --> 00:19:04,316 Speaker 1: of staff members and a huge team of designers. In 318 00:19:04,396 --> 00:19:07,076 Speaker 1: the beginning, it was really a two person labor of love. 319 00:19:07,316 --> 00:19:10,436 Speaker 1: For Mary Ellis and her co founder Manish Vora. I 320 00:19:10,516 --> 00:19:13,076 Speaker 1: built the pool with my two hands. I painted every wall, 321 00:19:13,516 --> 00:19:16,556 Speaker 1: I worked the door. Miniche and I were serving ice 322 00:19:16,556 --> 00:19:19,396 Speaker 1: cream and it was twenty two hours a day, seven 323 00:19:19,476 --> 00:19:22,276 Speaker 1: days a week. Their first New York City museum sold 324 00:19:22,276 --> 00:19:26,156 Speaker 1: out instantly for months. Then Mary Ellis started making similar 325 00:19:26,236 --> 00:19:29,636 Speaker 1: museums in other cities. Her creation has now been visited 326 00:19:29,676 --> 00:19:33,436 Speaker 1: by millions of people around the world. It's also become 327 00:19:33,476 --> 00:19:38,076 Speaker 1: a darling of celebrities and Instagram influencers. I saw Beyonce's 328 00:19:38,076 --> 00:19:41,476 Speaker 1: feed and she posted like nine posts and that was like, 329 00:19:41,596 --> 00:19:44,396 Speaker 1: I mean, it's Queen Bee, It's Beyonce. That was a 330 00:19:44,436 --> 00:19:46,756 Speaker 1: big deal. But the product, if you'll call it, that 331 00:19:46,836 --> 00:19:48,836 Speaker 1: has selled itself. We've had I don't know, almost two 332 00:19:48,836 --> 00:19:52,036 Speaker 1: million people and they've all swam through these pools of sprinkles, 333 00:19:52,036 --> 00:19:55,436 Speaker 1: which sounds sounds ridiculous, but it brings so much joy 334 00:19:55,916 --> 00:19:58,476 Speaker 1: and it takes people out of a place of you know, 335 00:19:58,596 --> 00:20:00,556 Speaker 1: we're also serious, and it brings them to a place 336 00:20:00,596 --> 00:20:03,036 Speaker 1: where you just have to you have to have fun. 337 00:20:03,836 --> 00:20:06,676 Speaker 1: But it's also a place where people get to be social, 338 00:20:07,076 --> 00:20:10,756 Speaker 1: to connect with others. The everything Mary Ellis was missing 339 00:20:10,916 --> 00:20:13,156 Speaker 1: when she first moved to the city. And so what 340 00:20:13,236 --> 00:20:16,076 Speaker 1: happens a Zaou's interactions start to become more and more 341 00:20:16,596 --> 00:20:19,756 Speaker 1: easy or comfortable is people start to open up and 342 00:20:19,796 --> 00:20:21,876 Speaker 1: they leave with an understanding of other people. And that's 343 00:20:21,876 --> 00:20:23,636 Speaker 1: when the connections start to happen. It really starts to 344 00:20:23,636 --> 00:20:25,956 Speaker 1: happen outside of our doors. I couldn't tell you how 345 00:20:25,956 --> 00:20:28,596 Speaker 1: many people leave and go grab a drink together, just 346 00:20:28,636 --> 00:20:30,956 Speaker 1: as a response to them talking about that they both 347 00:20:30,996 --> 00:20:34,116 Speaker 1: love vanilla ice cream. Sandy and I saw this firsthand 348 00:20:34,196 --> 00:20:36,636 Speaker 1: during our visit. We chatted for a while with a 349 00:20:36,676 --> 00:20:39,036 Speaker 1: local ten year old birthday girl and her mom, as 350 00:20:39,036 --> 00:20:40,796 Speaker 1: well as a group of dressed to the nine twenty 351 00:20:40,796 --> 00:20:42,956 Speaker 1: some things who had traveled all the way from North 352 00:20:42,956 --> 00:20:47,276 Speaker 1: Carolina to celebrate their college graduation. It's the social aspect 353 00:20:47,276 --> 00:20:50,076 Speaker 1: of the museum experience that has made Mary Ellis most proud, 354 00:20:50,276 --> 00:20:52,596 Speaker 1: the way people from all walks of life get to 355 00:20:52,636 --> 00:20:56,996 Speaker 1: share this surreal, ice cream filled experience together. One of 356 00:20:56,996 --> 00:21:00,036 Speaker 1: the best parts of her job is eavesdropping on these 357 00:21:00,036 --> 00:21:04,156 Speaker 1: tiny new encounters people have sharing her incredible space. There 358 00:21:04,236 --> 00:21:06,356 Speaker 1: was an older fellow and there was a mom and 359 00:21:06,436 --> 00:21:08,036 Speaker 1: a son, and they were talking about how they all 360 00:21:08,076 --> 00:21:10,916 Speaker 1: love chocolate chip ice and then they continue to talk, 361 00:21:10,956 --> 00:21:12,356 Speaker 1: and then they both couldn't do to talk that they 362 00:21:12,356 --> 00:21:16,316 Speaker 1: both live on fifty seventh Street, and in any other circumstance, 363 00:21:16,436 --> 00:21:19,116 Speaker 1: I couldn't imagine these, you know, this mom and his 364 00:21:19,196 --> 00:21:22,436 Speaker 1: son and this older gentleman coming together and having conversation. 365 00:21:22,516 --> 00:21:25,236 Speaker 1: We were able to like start to break down these barriers. 366 00:21:25,276 --> 00:21:27,076 Speaker 1: And I think they continued on and they took the 367 00:21:27,076 --> 00:21:29,676 Speaker 1: sun Way back uptown together, and it was this beautiful moment. 368 00:21:29,836 --> 00:21:31,516 Speaker 1: And I was like, why don't we have more of 369 00:21:31,556 --> 00:21:34,316 Speaker 1: these moments? Why aren't we able to break down? And 370 00:21:34,476 --> 00:21:37,636 Speaker 1: the answer is because no one's getting us the opportunity 371 00:21:37,676 --> 00:21:40,716 Speaker 1: to get off our phones or like to look up, ah, yes, 372 00:21:41,156 --> 00:21:44,276 Speaker 1: our phones. Even back when she was a sixteen year 373 00:21:44,276 --> 00:21:47,036 Speaker 1: old of visiting ice cream shops, Mary Ellis noticed that 374 00:21:47,116 --> 00:21:49,996 Speaker 1: phones made it harder for people to actually connect with 375 00:21:50,036 --> 00:21:52,476 Speaker 1: one another. It was one of the reasons she tried 376 00:21:52,516 --> 00:21:55,076 Speaker 1: to make the Museum of ice Cream so over the 377 00:21:55,156 --> 00:21:57,756 Speaker 1: top for me or our mission is how do we 378 00:21:57,916 --> 00:22:01,676 Speaker 1: build the world that is so compelling that it outshines 379 00:22:01,756 --> 00:22:04,596 Speaker 1: the world that we're able to live within within our devices. 380 00:22:05,116 --> 00:22:08,636 Speaker 1: You need to build something that visually stimulates you know, 381 00:22:08,796 --> 00:22:11,476 Speaker 1: I need to go see this because it looks so fantastic. 382 00:22:12,116 --> 00:22:15,436 Speaker 1: The problem, though, is that when you build something that fantastic, 383 00:22:15,916 --> 00:22:19,276 Speaker 1: something as incredibly cool looking and crazy as the Museum 384 00:22:19,276 --> 00:22:21,756 Speaker 1: of ice Cream, people don't just want to share it 385 00:22:21,796 --> 00:22:23,676 Speaker 1: with the people who happen to be around them at 386 00:22:23,676 --> 00:22:28,636 Speaker 1: the time. People get that old foxtailberge, they also want 387 00:22:28,676 --> 00:22:30,716 Speaker 1: to hold on to that experience to share it with 388 00:22:30,756 --> 00:22:36,476 Speaker 1: other people after the fact, which means phones, lots of phones. 389 00:22:36,836 --> 00:22:39,796 Speaker 1: It's a double edged sword. That was what hit me 390 00:22:39,836 --> 00:22:42,716 Speaker 1: most while I was at the museum. Every single person 391 00:22:42,756 --> 00:22:46,196 Speaker 1: in the museum had their phone out, including me and Sandy. 392 00:22:47,716 --> 00:22:51,236 Speaker 1: Sandy and I left with so many ridiculous photos. Picks 393 00:22:51,236 --> 00:22:54,596 Speaker 1: of us riding strange fictional animals, posing with our thumbs 394 00:22:54,636 --> 00:22:57,436 Speaker 1: up in a tiny room filled with glittery mirrors, Photos 395 00:22:57,436 --> 00:22:59,956 Speaker 1: of us buried up to the neck in sprinkles. But 396 00:23:00,076 --> 00:23:02,836 Speaker 1: all those photos meant I was paying more attention to 397 00:23:02,876 --> 00:23:05,556 Speaker 1: the small window in my phone than to the actual 398 00:23:05,836 --> 00:23:08,756 Speaker 1: lived experience, the one I was supposed to be sharing 399 00:23:08,756 --> 00:23:11,756 Speaker 1: with sand who I hadn't seen in months, the one 400 00:23:11,836 --> 00:23:14,396 Speaker 1: Mary Ellis wanted me to be sharing with, the other 401 00:23:14,436 --> 00:23:18,116 Speaker 1: patrons too. The tragic irony is that the very human 402 00:23:18,236 --> 00:23:21,236 Speaker 1: urge to capture and share was causing people to miss 403 00:23:21,316 --> 00:23:24,316 Speaker 1: the best aspect of the Museum of ice Cream experience, 404 00:23:24,836 --> 00:23:27,996 Speaker 1: the social part. But there was a second dark side 405 00:23:28,036 --> 00:23:30,556 Speaker 1: to all this photo taking at the Museum of ice Cream. 406 00:23:30,636 --> 00:23:33,556 Speaker 1: It made the place hard to navigate. The most instagrammable 407 00:23:33,636 --> 00:23:36,236 Speaker 1: spots were often blocked by a big group of people 408 00:23:36,476 --> 00:23:39,876 Speaker 1: standing around and trying to get the perfect photo, taking 409 00:23:39,916 --> 00:23:42,236 Speaker 1: pics over and over again to get one that looked 410 00:23:42,476 --> 00:23:46,436 Speaker 1: just right. Sandy and I ended up bypassing entire displays 411 00:23:46,756 --> 00:23:49,876 Speaker 1: because there were too many people posing nearby. It was 412 00:23:49,876 --> 00:23:53,636 Speaker 1: pretty frustrating, and I realized that the frustration was a 413 00:23:53,676 --> 00:23:56,716 Speaker 1: familiar one because I didn't just have this experience at 414 00:23:56,716 --> 00:23:59,196 Speaker 1: the Museum of ice Cream. I've felt the same thing 415 00:23:59,196 --> 00:24:02,036 Speaker 1: at concerts I've been too recently, where I couldn't see 416 00:24:02,036 --> 00:24:05,076 Speaker 1: the band behind a sea of smartphone lights, and at 417 00:24:05,076 --> 00:24:07,356 Speaker 1: a national park where I couldn't even get near a 418 00:24:07,396 --> 00:24:11,676 Speaker 1: gorgeous waterfall because too many people we're taking selfies. It 419 00:24:11,756 --> 00:24:16,036 Speaker 1: even happens at weddings and graduations. Our obsession with capturing 420 00:24:16,076 --> 00:24:19,956 Speaker 1: moments means not just missing them. Ourselves, but causing other 421 00:24:19,996 --> 00:24:23,956 Speaker 1: people to miss them too. Mary Ellis has a complicated 422 00:24:23,996 --> 00:24:26,836 Speaker 1: relationship with the fact that her creation is one of 423 00:24:26,836 --> 00:24:30,436 Speaker 1: the most instagrammed places in the world. It's difficult because 424 00:24:30,436 --> 00:24:34,076 Speaker 1: so much what you see are these perfectly curated, edited 425 00:24:34,156 --> 00:24:40,036 Speaker 1: photographs that appear on your feed. You're not going to 426 00:24:40,036 --> 00:24:42,956 Speaker 1: be able to understand or translate the feeling, the emotion, 427 00:24:43,356 --> 00:24:46,156 Speaker 1: the experience far surpasses the things that you can capture 428 00:24:46,396 --> 00:24:49,956 Speaker 1: on a you know, a small square. She stall her 429 00:24:49,956 --> 00:24:52,716 Speaker 1: staff members all kinds of techniques for getting people to 430 00:24:52,756 --> 00:24:55,836 Speaker 1: put their phones down, but as I learned in the museum, 431 00:24:55,956 --> 00:24:58,276 Speaker 1: they don't always work. Is it frustrating to see how 432 00:24:58,316 --> 00:25:00,036 Speaker 1: many people are like just looking at their phones a 433 00:25:00,036 --> 00:25:02,356 Speaker 1: whole time. We try to engage with the guests who 434 00:25:02,356 --> 00:25:04,476 Speaker 1: come through. We have like little games obviously if you 435 00:25:04,556 --> 00:25:11,916 Speaker 1: want you to interact into space. But you know, when 436 00:25:11,956 --> 00:25:14,556 Speaker 1: I first heard about Fox Talbot's story, the one I 437 00:25:14,596 --> 00:25:17,956 Speaker 1: started this episode with, I thought about it from his perspective, 438 00:25:18,316 --> 00:25:20,356 Speaker 1: how he was one of the first in human history 439 00:25:20,476 --> 00:25:23,796 Speaker 1: to satisfy that urge to document and share. But as 440 00:25:23,796 --> 00:25:25,916 Speaker 1: I did more research about the science of sharing for 441 00:25:25,916 --> 00:25:28,876 Speaker 1: this episode, I started to think about the Fox Talbot 442 00:25:28,916 --> 00:25:33,236 Speaker 1: tale from a different perspective, that of Missus Fox Talbot. 443 00:25:33,956 --> 00:25:36,676 Speaker 1: Imagine arriving at the most beautiful lake in the world, 444 00:25:37,036 --> 00:25:39,996 Speaker 1: a young newlywed hoping for a bit of romance with 445 00:25:40,076 --> 00:25:44,036 Speaker 1: your overworked husband. Imagine how annoying it must have been 446 00:25:44,436 --> 00:25:47,516 Speaker 1: to watch him spend hours on his damn camera Lucida 447 00:25:47,596 --> 00:25:51,596 Speaker 1: trying to get the perfect sketch. Missus Fox Talbot was 448 00:25:51,636 --> 00:25:55,196 Speaker 1: perhaps the first of thousands upon thousands of spouses to 449 00:25:55,276 --> 00:25:58,676 Speaker 1: watch their partners stare at their own honeymoon through a camera. 450 00:25:58,756 --> 00:26:01,676 Speaker 1: Len's She was probably one of the first to feel 451 00:26:01,716 --> 00:26:05,396 Speaker 1: that special frustration you experience when someone you care about 452 00:26:05,756 --> 00:26:08,836 Speaker 1: is missing the opportunity to actually share a moment with 453 00:26:08,876 --> 00:26:12,396 Speaker 1: you because they're so worried about being able to capture it. 454 00:26:13,236 --> 00:26:15,436 Speaker 1: When we're about to take a bite of our food, 455 00:26:15,516 --> 00:26:19,276 Speaker 1: or we're saying something really deep and the person takes 456 00:26:19,276 --> 00:26:22,156 Speaker 1: out their phone to capture a photo of the food 457 00:26:22,516 --> 00:26:25,836 Speaker 1: before we eat it, those things can be disruptive, and 458 00:26:25,916 --> 00:26:31,676 Speaker 1: they can decrease enjoyment of our experience. The Happiness Lab 459 00:26:31,756 --> 00:26:41,476 Speaker 1: will be back in a second. There's an urge. We 460 00:26:41,516 --> 00:26:45,196 Speaker 1: all have an urge to capture special moments I'm talking 461 00:26:45,196 --> 00:26:48,956 Speaker 1: with Alex Barrish, a professor at NYU. Alex is an 462 00:26:48,956 --> 00:26:52,756 Speaker 1: expert on how photography affects our well being. I decided 463 00:26:52,796 --> 00:26:54,236 Speaker 1: to meet with her to get to the bottom of 464 00:26:54,236 --> 00:26:57,196 Speaker 1: all this sharing. Is it helping us or hurting us? 465 00:26:57,396 --> 00:27:01,476 Speaker 1: But we also have that intuition that when we do that, 466 00:27:01,756 --> 00:27:05,516 Speaker 1: we're taking something away from the other individual in the interaction. 467 00:27:06,196 --> 00:27:08,676 Speaker 1: Alex got interested in the topic while she was pursuing 468 00:27:08,676 --> 00:27:12,036 Speaker 1: a pH abroad. She was taking a lot of pictures 469 00:27:12,196 --> 00:27:16,076 Speaker 1: while exploring her new home. It was really beneficial in 470 00:27:16,116 --> 00:27:19,356 Speaker 1: some ways because I was taking in more aspects of 471 00:27:19,356 --> 00:27:22,076 Speaker 1: the environment or noticing things that I might not otherwise 472 00:27:22,076 --> 00:27:26,356 Speaker 1: have noticed because I was capturing these aspects with a camera. 473 00:27:26,916 --> 00:27:28,916 Speaker 1: But the other side of the equation was that I 474 00:27:28,996 --> 00:27:32,276 Speaker 1: was sometimes feeling like the camera took me out of 475 00:27:32,276 --> 00:27:35,756 Speaker 1: an experience, that I was focusing too much on getting 476 00:27:35,796 --> 00:27:39,396 Speaker 1: the perfect photo. Alex started looking into the empirical work 477 00:27:39,596 --> 00:27:42,796 Speaker 1: on how phototaking affects our experience of an event. Does 478 00:27:42,876 --> 00:27:45,596 Speaker 1: taking photos make us feel better? Does it help our 479 00:27:45,636 --> 00:27:49,236 Speaker 1: memory for the event. Despite the ubiquity of phototaking in 480 00:27:49,236 --> 00:27:53,316 Speaker 1: our daily lives, surprisingly little scientific work had actually addressed 481 00:27:53,516 --> 00:27:56,876 Speaker 1: any of this. So Alex decided to study these questions. 482 00:27:57,156 --> 00:28:00,236 Speaker 1: Starting with memory, She recruited a group of subjects to 483 00:28:00,276 --> 00:28:03,636 Speaker 1: take part in a real world, photo worthy experience. We 484 00:28:03,756 --> 00:28:07,796 Speaker 1: had them go through the Etruscan exhibit inside the Pen 485 00:28:07,956 --> 00:28:12,036 Speaker 1: Museum in Philadelphia. So they are going through, they're looking 486 00:28:12,076 --> 00:28:15,316 Speaker 1: at the artifacts or listening to their audio guide, just 487 00:28:15,396 --> 00:28:17,876 Speaker 1: like they would if they were visiting a museum on 488 00:28:17,916 --> 00:28:20,756 Speaker 1: their own. What she varied was whether or not her 489 00:28:20,756 --> 00:28:23,836 Speaker 1: subjects were able to take photos. Half of the subjects 490 00:28:23,876 --> 00:28:26,076 Speaker 1: could have their phones with them and we're told to 491 00:28:26,076 --> 00:28:29,356 Speaker 1: take photos as they normally would, but the others were 492 00:28:29,396 --> 00:28:32,316 Speaker 1: told to leave their phones at the main desk at 493 00:28:32,356 --> 00:28:34,716 Speaker 1: the end of the exhibit. She gave subjects in both 494 00:28:34,756 --> 00:28:38,316 Speaker 1: groups a surprise memory test. Which artifacts had they seen? 495 00:28:38,716 --> 00:28:42,276 Speaker 1: Could they remember all the subtle details. The big question 496 00:28:42,516 --> 00:28:45,516 Speaker 1: was which group did better, the folks taking the photos 497 00:28:45,636 --> 00:28:49,076 Speaker 1: or the ones who didn't. The answer is it depends. 498 00:28:49,556 --> 00:28:55,036 Speaker 1: The phototaking condition actually does better on the visual memory test. 499 00:28:55,476 --> 00:28:58,916 Speaker 1: They remember more of the visual aspects of the experience 500 00:28:58,956 --> 00:29:03,116 Speaker 1: in the museum, the artifacts that they saw inside the cases, 501 00:29:03,636 --> 00:29:07,916 Speaker 1: but that is not without a cost. And when they 502 00:29:07,916 --> 00:29:11,356 Speaker 1: are attending more to those visual aspects of the museum. 503 00:29:12,116 --> 00:29:14,316 Speaker 1: They weren't able to focus as much on what the 504 00:29:14,316 --> 00:29:18,276 Speaker 1: audio guide was telling them. You see that phototaking has 505 00:29:18,316 --> 00:29:21,556 Speaker 1: a positive effect on one aspect and a negative effect 506 00:29:21,596 --> 00:29:24,916 Speaker 1: on the other, and that, of course, whether that's good 507 00:29:24,996 --> 00:29:30,236 Speaker 1: or bad depends on your goals as a consumer. Alex 508 00:29:30,276 --> 00:29:32,236 Speaker 1: has now looked at this memory question in a bunch 509 00:29:32,276 --> 00:29:35,516 Speaker 1: of ways, from trips to museums, to bus tours to 510 00:29:35,716 --> 00:29:39,596 Speaker 1: virtual safari's taken on an experimental computer screen. She finds 511 00:29:39,636 --> 00:29:43,036 Speaker 1: the same thing time and again. If your goal is 512 00:29:43,036 --> 00:29:45,876 Speaker 1: to really see all the visual aspects of a scene, 513 00:29:46,196 --> 00:29:48,436 Speaker 1: then taking photos is a really good way to boost 514 00:29:48,436 --> 00:29:50,676 Speaker 1: your memory. But if you want to remember something that's 515 00:29:50,716 --> 00:29:53,916 Speaker 1: not visual, what you heard on the audio tour, or 516 00:29:53,956 --> 00:29:57,436 Speaker 1: that joke your friend said, what the amazing neal tasted like, 517 00:29:58,036 --> 00:30:01,716 Speaker 1: then taking photos is a hindrance. You don't have the 518 00:30:01,716 --> 00:30:04,756 Speaker 1: cognitive bandwidth to pay attention to all that other stuff, 519 00:30:05,116 --> 00:30:09,396 Speaker 1: which means you don't remember. It makes sense, well about 520 00:30:09,436 --> 00:30:13,556 Speaker 1: our enjoyment of the experience. Does taking photos make us happier? 521 00:30:14,596 --> 00:30:17,756 Speaker 1: This time the results were less nuanced. People in the 522 00:30:17,756 --> 00:30:23,516 Speaker 1: photo condition they showed significantly more enjoyment. You imagine going 523 00:30:23,556 --> 00:30:25,836 Speaker 1: on a bus tour. If you're just sort of taking 524 00:30:25,876 --> 00:30:30,796 Speaker 1: in the sights, that's definitely enjoyable. But if you're capturing photos, 525 00:30:30,796 --> 00:30:33,996 Speaker 1: you're noticing new things, You're more immersed, and it can 526 00:30:34,236 --> 00:30:38,276 Speaker 1: make you enjoy and experience more. Taking photos makes us 527 00:30:38,276 --> 00:30:42,676 Speaker 1: pay attention, and that simple act noticing the details, attending 528 00:30:42,716 --> 00:30:45,316 Speaker 1: to what the experience feels like. That can draw us 529 00:30:45,316 --> 00:30:48,956 Speaker 1: into an experience which feels good, but only for the 530 00:30:49,036 --> 00:30:52,316 Speaker 1: visual details, which means we have to be careful not 531 00:30:52,396 --> 00:30:55,196 Speaker 1: to miss all the non visual good stuff. What our 532 00:30:55,196 --> 00:30:58,156 Speaker 1: partners said at dinner, what the hot fudge Sunday tasted like, 533 00:30:58,596 --> 00:31:02,196 Speaker 1: what the concert guitar solo sounded like. Our enjoyment of 534 00:31:02,196 --> 00:31:06,396 Speaker 1: the non visual stuff doesn't necessarily increase when taking photos. 535 00:31:07,276 --> 00:31:10,676 Speaker 1: But Alex discovered a second, even bigger caveat when doing 536 00:31:10,676 --> 00:31:14,996 Speaker 1: this research, because phototaking doesn't always draw us into the 537 00:31:15,076 --> 00:31:18,636 Speaker 1: visual aspects of an experience. It depends on what those 538 00:31:18,636 --> 00:31:23,076 Speaker 1: photos are for. People take photos for many different reasons, 539 00:31:23,196 --> 00:31:27,036 Speaker 1: and one of those is to take photos for yourself 540 00:31:27,436 --> 00:31:30,916 Speaker 1: so that you can remember and kind of revisit those 541 00:31:30,996 --> 00:31:34,316 Speaker 1: experiences and photos in the future. And the other, of course, 542 00:31:34,636 --> 00:31:37,076 Speaker 1: as we all know, is to take photos so that 543 00:31:37,116 --> 00:31:40,196 Speaker 1: we can share them with others to post on our 544 00:31:40,236 --> 00:31:44,276 Speaker 1: social media accounts. Ah. Yes, that old fox talbot urge 545 00:31:44,516 --> 00:31:48,396 Speaker 1: the reason thousands of photos are shared every second on Instagram. 546 00:31:49,076 --> 00:31:51,876 Speaker 1: What effect does that sharing urge have on our enjoyment? 547 00:31:52,596 --> 00:31:56,756 Speaker 1: To test this scientifically, Alex varied why people took photos 548 00:31:57,276 --> 00:32:00,756 Speaker 1: for keepsake or to put on social media. We actually 549 00:32:00,796 --> 00:32:05,316 Speaker 1: showed that the benefits that you get from capturing photos 550 00:32:05,356 --> 00:32:09,116 Speaker 1: are actually diminished or undermined when you take photos to share. 551 00:32:09,676 --> 00:32:13,436 Speaker 1: That takes us out of the moment and actually ultimately 552 00:32:13,916 --> 00:32:16,596 Speaker 1: decreases how much we get out of the experience in 553 00:32:16,716 --> 00:32:19,636 Speaker 1: terms of our enjoyment if we get obsessed with it, 554 00:32:19,716 --> 00:32:22,236 Speaker 1: if we were thinking about how to get the perfect 555 00:32:22,236 --> 00:32:25,516 Speaker 1: shot to show somebody else an impression, manage, and to 556 00:32:25,716 --> 00:32:29,196 Speaker 1: curate or identity online, that's where the costs come into play. 557 00:32:29,316 --> 00:32:31,236 Speaker 1: And that must be really tricky because it seems like 558 00:32:31,316 --> 00:32:33,796 Speaker 1: a lot of our photographing right now is to share. 559 00:32:34,076 --> 00:32:35,916 Speaker 1: I mean to the point that people don't just take 560 00:32:35,956 --> 00:32:40,116 Speaker 1: a photo, they photoshop it and you know, cut it 561 00:32:40,156 --> 00:32:42,956 Speaker 1: and edit it after the fact. Like the sharing process 562 00:32:43,116 --> 00:32:46,196 Speaker 1: is not new, but what is definitely new is that 563 00:32:46,196 --> 00:32:49,516 Speaker 1: that's active in our minds while we go through the experience. 564 00:32:50,276 --> 00:32:52,556 Speaker 1: Every time we take a photo with the intent to 565 00:32:52,556 --> 00:32:55,836 Speaker 1: share it, we lose the positive effects of capturing the moment. 566 00:32:56,316 --> 00:32:58,396 Speaker 1: Every time we get in a oh this will be 567 00:32:58,436 --> 00:33:01,356 Speaker 1: fun to post a mindset, we stop paying attention to 568 00:33:01,396 --> 00:33:03,876 Speaker 1: the right stuff. We're thinking about how to get the 569 00:33:03,876 --> 00:33:07,596 Speaker 1: perfect photo, not what the moment feels like, and that 570 00:33:07,716 --> 00:33:11,116 Speaker 1: fox talbot urge in the moment. It's an attentional buzzkill, 571 00:33:11,436 --> 00:33:15,756 Speaker 1: and our enjoyment takes a hit. I find these scientific 572 00:33:15,836 --> 00:33:19,476 Speaker 1: findings so ironic because the sharing part is good, it 573 00:33:19,556 --> 00:33:22,796 Speaker 1: intensifies the experience, and the taking photos part is good. 574 00:33:22,916 --> 00:33:25,396 Speaker 1: It makes us pay more attention. But as soon as 575 00:33:25,396 --> 00:33:28,836 Speaker 1: we put sharing and the photos together, all those positive 576 00:33:28,876 --> 00:33:32,276 Speaker 1: effects go away. Seriously, the way our mind works can 577 00:33:32,316 --> 00:33:38,996 Speaker 1: be so annoying. Sometimes Alex who's a business school professor, 578 00:33:39,396 --> 00:33:42,876 Speaker 1: realizes it's getting harder and harder to avoid thinking about sharing. 579 00:33:43,636 --> 00:33:46,396 Speaker 1: Companies are pushing us to share all the time now 580 00:33:46,956 --> 00:33:51,316 Speaker 1: they post hashtags on their menus. Of course, that has 581 00:33:51,356 --> 00:33:54,476 Speaker 1: a lot of advantages in terms of free advertising and 582 00:33:54,556 --> 00:33:57,396 Speaker 1: word of mouth, but I show in this work that 583 00:33:58,196 --> 00:34:03,196 Speaker 1: there's a cost that it's actually going to also undermine 584 00:34:03,276 --> 00:34:07,156 Speaker 1: consumers enjoyment if they're really thinking a lot during the 585 00:34:07,236 --> 00:34:11,316 Speaker 1: experience about capturing that best photo so that they can 586 00:34:11,396 --> 00:34:14,716 Speaker 1: post it and share it later on. Alex's comment made 587 00:34:14,716 --> 00:34:17,316 Speaker 1: me think back to my conversation with Mary Ellis bun 588 00:34:17,876 --> 00:34:21,756 Speaker 1: that double edged sword. She mentioned the complicated relationship she 589 00:34:21,836 --> 00:34:25,076 Speaker 1: has with how Instagram the Museum of ice Cream has become. 590 00:34:26,036 --> 00:34:29,436 Speaker 1: Mary Ellis knows all those celebrity tweets are great for business, 591 00:34:29,796 --> 00:34:32,916 Speaker 1: but they can also ruin her patron's enjoyment of the space, 592 00:34:33,436 --> 00:34:37,476 Speaker 1: and that's why she's now trying something radical. She's explicitly 593 00:34:37,516 --> 00:34:40,356 Speaker 1: redesigning the Museum of ice Cream in an effort to 594 00:34:40,516 --> 00:34:43,716 Speaker 1: end all the Instagram posts. She's now trying all kinds 595 00:34:43,716 --> 00:34:46,796 Speaker 1: of new techniques to get people to put their phones down, 596 00:34:47,356 --> 00:34:49,796 Speaker 1: like exhibits with hands free eating, so if you have 597 00:34:49,836 --> 00:34:52,396 Speaker 1: no hands to eat, you also have no hands to photograph. 598 00:34:52,556 --> 00:34:56,356 Speaker 1: And she's rearranged the flow of experiences inside the museum. 599 00:34:56,356 --> 00:34:59,236 Speaker 1: Previously we ended with the sprinkle pool because as oftentimes 600 00:34:59,276 --> 00:35:03,036 Speaker 1: the most desired capture moment, and then by reversing it, 601 00:35:03,076 --> 00:35:05,956 Speaker 1: what happened is that all the anticipation and angst to 602 00:35:05,996 --> 00:35:08,396 Speaker 1: go and capture that photo. Now that it happened at 603 00:35:08,436 --> 00:35:11,796 Speaker 1: the beginning, becomes removed. They weren't so involved at having 604 00:35:11,836 --> 00:35:13,276 Speaker 1: take the photo they had already taken it that they 605 00:35:13,276 --> 00:35:16,916 Speaker 1: could really enjoy the experience. Finally, she's beta testing a 606 00:35:16,956 --> 00:35:20,396 Speaker 1: new idea she's especially excited about. The first thing that 607 00:35:20,436 --> 00:35:22,116 Speaker 1: came out of everyone's mouth was it was the best 608 00:35:22,156 --> 00:35:25,876 Speaker 1: experience we've had to date. What was that best ever experience? 609 00:35:26,436 --> 00:35:29,116 Speaker 1: Mary Ellis took a page out of Alex Barrish's studies. 610 00:35:29,516 --> 00:35:31,796 Speaker 1: She didn't let her patrons have their phones at all. 611 00:35:32,116 --> 00:35:34,716 Speaker 1: People are able to come for free, and I think 612 00:35:34,716 --> 00:35:36,676 Speaker 1: he asks them to turn in our cell phones at 613 00:35:36,676 --> 00:35:40,956 Speaker 1: the beginning. And the reason why it was most successful 614 00:35:40,956 --> 00:35:42,996 Speaker 1: in our minds is there so many details that we 615 00:35:43,036 --> 00:35:45,796 Speaker 1: think about that you're gonna miss. It's like, you know, 616 00:35:45,876 --> 00:35:47,676 Speaker 1: to really think about all the taste and the notes 617 00:35:47,716 --> 00:35:51,076 Speaker 1: and whatnot. But if you're so consumed in capturing that 618 00:35:51,076 --> 00:35:53,556 Speaker 1: those things all go away. And they didn't have that 619 00:35:53,636 --> 00:35:56,236 Speaker 1: clutch of a phone to guide them through the experience. 620 00:35:57,156 --> 00:36:00,276 Speaker 1: So what's the takeaway from this episode? Our urge to 621 00:36:00,316 --> 00:36:03,396 Speaker 1: share is an instinct one that brings us a lot 622 00:36:03,436 --> 00:36:05,796 Speaker 1: of joy, but it can lead us astray in the 623 00:36:05,796 --> 00:36:09,956 Speaker 1: modern world. Science shows that sharing experience is good for 624 00:36:09,996 --> 00:36:13,476 Speaker 1: our happiness. All the wonderful things in life, yummy food, 625 00:36:13,556 --> 00:36:17,356 Speaker 1: a nice view, the warm sunshine, they're even more awesome 626 00:36:17,516 --> 00:36:20,556 Speaker 1: in the company of another human being, and it's a 627 00:36:20,596 --> 00:36:24,076 Speaker 1: two way street. Your presence will also make other people's 628 00:36:24,116 --> 00:36:28,436 Speaker 1: moments richer. Documenting those awesome moments is also good for 629 00:36:28,436 --> 00:36:31,596 Speaker 1: our happiness. You'll look at that scenic vista or that 630 00:36:31,636 --> 00:36:34,276 Speaker 1: cool museum object a bit deeper if you have a 631 00:36:34,316 --> 00:36:37,636 Speaker 1: camera in your hand. Like sharing in the moment, photo 632 00:36:37,716 --> 00:36:40,876 Speaker 1: taking also makes our lives richer. But when we put 633 00:36:40,916 --> 00:36:44,196 Speaker 1: the two urges together, when we start thinking about sharing 634 00:36:44,236 --> 00:36:47,276 Speaker 1: that sunset while we're looking at it, when we focus 635 00:36:47,316 --> 00:36:49,596 Speaker 1: on who we'll see our dessert pick when we posted, 636 00:36:49,996 --> 00:36:52,836 Speaker 1: our minds get pulled away. We get obsessed with the 637 00:36:52,916 --> 00:36:57,716 Speaker 1: tiny image in the camera, not the moment. So to 638 00:36:57,756 --> 00:37:00,836 Speaker 1: become happier, we need to fight that Instagram urge. But 639 00:37:00,876 --> 00:37:02,756 Speaker 1: that doesn't mean you shouldn't get out there and share. 640 00:37:03,276 --> 00:37:05,556 Speaker 1: We should be sharing the wealth of life, but in 641 00:37:05,596 --> 00:37:08,396 Speaker 1: the moment with a live person, If at all possible, 642 00:37:09,276 --> 00:37:11,556 Speaker 1: get out there. Any lunch with a friend not at 643 00:37:11,596 --> 00:37:13,956 Speaker 1: your desk, make the effort to go to the cinema 644 00:37:14,316 --> 00:37:17,276 Speaker 1: rather than watching Netflix alone. You could even start up 645 00:37:17,276 --> 00:37:20,356 Speaker 1: a podcast brunch club, and if you do, maybe you 646 00:37:20,396 --> 00:37:24,796 Speaker 1: could share the Happiness Lab with me. Doctor Laurie Santos. 647 00:37:37,556 --> 00:37:40,436 Speaker 1: The Happiness Lab is co written and produced by Ryan Dilley. 648 00:37:40,756 --> 00:37:43,156 Speaker 1: The show is mixed and mastered by Evan Viola and 649 00:37:43,316 --> 00:37:47,196 Speaker 1: edited by Julia Barton, fact checking by Joseph Friedman, and 650 00:37:47,516 --> 00:37:51,876 Speaker 1: our original music was composed by Zachary Silver. Special thanks 651 00:37:52,036 --> 00:37:56,276 Speaker 1: to Mao La Belle, Carl mcgliori, Heather Faine, Maggie Taylor, 652 00:37:56,676 --> 00:38:00,276 Speaker 1: Maya Kanig, and Jacob Weisberg. The Happiness Lab is brought 653 00:38:00,276 --> 00:38:03,636 Speaker 1: to you by Pushkin Industries and me, Doctor Laurie Santos.