Human First
Short, sourced evidence summaries on what helps people live well.
Technology should exist to improve human life. Each page here answers one question about human well-being, shows the evidence behind every claim, separates findings from opinion, and says plainly what the evidence does not show.
- Strong evidenceSocial connection and how long we liveAcross 148 studies and about 309,000 people, those with stronger social relationships had 50% higher odds of survival over the study periods. The researchers judged the effect comparable to well-established risk factors for death.
- Moderate evidenceMoney and happiness: what an adversarial collaboration foundFor most people, happiness keeps rising with income on a logarithmic scale, with no ceiling at $75,000. A leveling off appears only among the least happy people, and low income makes life's misfortunes hurt more.
- Strong evidenceMovement at any intensity and the risk of dying earlyThe WHO recommends 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week for adults and stresses that some activity is better than none. Measured with movement sensors, even light activity is linked to a much lower risk of premature death.
- Expert guidelineHow much sleep adults needThe American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society recommend that adults sleep 7 or more hours per night on a regular basis.
- Moderate evidenceA sense of purpose and survival in later lifeAmong 6,985 US adults over 50, those with the lowest sense of purpose had 2.43 times the hazard of dying during the study period compared with those with the highest.
- Moderate evidenceLosing work leaves a lasting markIn a 15-year study of more than 24,000 people in Germany, life satisfaction dropped sharply with unemployment and, on average, did not fully recover even after people found work again.
- Moderate evidenceWhy some countries are happier than othersSix factors account for more than three quarters of the variation in national average life evaluations: having someone to count on, GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and freedom from corruption.
- Principle, not a findingHuman dignity is unconditionalThe Universal Declaration of Human Rights opens by stating that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, and it applies those rights without distinction of any kind.
- Strong evidenceKeeping people in charge of consequential AI decisionsEU law requires high-risk AI systems to be built so people can effectively oversee them, including the ability to override or stop them and to stay alert to automation bias. Research shows that bias is real: people tend to over-rely on automated advice.
- Moderate evidenceTeens, screens and well-being: a small association, carefully measuredAcross three large datasets covering 355,358 adolescents, technology use was negatively linked to well-being, but the link was small: it explained at most 0.4% of the variation.