{ "name": "Human First", "url": "https://human-first-15q.pages.dev", "license": "CC BY 4.0", "licenseUrl": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "generated": "2026-10-24T02:46:54.456Z", "note": "Evidence summaries on human well-being. Each claim lists its sources. Interpretations are labelled separately from findings.", "summaries": [ { "id": "social-connection-and-longevity", "url": "https://human-first-15q.pages.dev/s/social-connection-and-longevity/", "title": "Social connection and how long we live", "question": "Do relationships affect whether we survive, or only how we feel?", "bottomLine": "Across 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.", "evidenceLevel": "strong", "topics": [ "social connection", "mortality", "loneliness" ], "status": "approved", "version": 1, "published": "2026-10-24", "updated": "2026-10-24", "body": [ { "kind": "evidence", "text": "The largest early synthesis on this question pooled 148 studies with 308,849 participants. People with stronger social relationships had a 50% increased likelihood of survival (odds ratio 1.50).", "claims": [ "c1" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "The result was not driven by one group. It held across age, sex, initial health status, cause of death and length of follow-up, and the authors concluded that the influence of relationships on mortality risk is comparable with well-established risk factors.", "claims": [ "c2", "c3" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "Relationships also show up in day-to-day feelings. In US Gallup data, loneliness was among the relatively stronger predictors of daily emotional well-being, alongside health, caregiving and smoking.", "claims": [ "c4" ] }, { "kind": "interpretation", "text": "If a technology, workplace or city design reliably weakens people's relationships, that is a health cost, not only a social one. It belongs in the same conversation as other public health risks.", "claims": [] } ], "limits": [ "These are observational studies. They show a strong association, not proof that adding relationships causes longer life.", "The studies measured relationships in different ways, and the authors report that the size of the effect differed by type of measure." ], "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "kind": "finding", "strength": "strong", "text": "A meta-analysis of 148 studies (308,849 participants) found a 50% increased likelihood of survival for people with stronger social relationships (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.42 to 1.59).", "sources": [ "holt-lunstad-2010" ] }, { "id": "c2", "kind": "finding", "strength": "strong", "text": "The association was consistent across age, sex, initial health status, cause of death and follow-up period.", "sources": [ "holt-lunstad-2010" ] }, { "id": "c3", "kind": "finding", "strength": "strong", "text": "The authors concluded that the influence of social relationships on risk for mortality is comparable with well-established risk factors for mortality.", "sources": [ "holt-lunstad-2010" ] }, { "id": "c4", "kind": "finding", "strength": "moderate", "text": "In more than 450,000 US Gallup responses, health, caregiving, loneliness and smoking were relatively stronger predictors of daily emotional well-being than income and education.", "sources": [ "kahneman-deaton-2010" ] } ], "corrections": [] }, { "id": "money-and-happiness", "url": "https://human-first-15q.pages.dev/s/money-and-happiness/", "title": "Money and happiness: what an adversarial collaboration found", "question": "Does more income keep making people happier, or does happiness level off?", "bottomLine": "For 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.", "evidenceLevel": "moderate", "topics": [ "income", "happiness", "economic security" ], "status": "approved", "version": 1, "published": "2026-10-24", "updated": "2026-10-24", "body": [ { "kind": "evidence", "text": "A widely cited 2010 study found that life evaluation rose steadily with income, but day-to-day emotional well-being stopped improving beyond about $75,000 a year.", "claims": [ "c1" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "A 2021 study using 1,725,994 real-time reports from 33,391 employed US adults found no such plateau. Both how people felt in the moment and how they rated their lives rose in a straight line with the logarithm of income.", "claims": [ "c2" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "Instead of arguing in print, the authors of both studies ran an adversarial collaboration together. Reanalysing the data, they found the leveling off is real only for the least happy people. For happier people, happiness keeps rising with income, and even accelerates in the happiest group.", "claims": [ "c3" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "The 2010 study also found that low income makes the emotional pain of misfortunes such as divorce, ill health and being alone worse.", "claims": [ "c4" ] }, { "kind": "interpretation", "text": "Our reading: money is not the whole story, but financial security is not a side issue either. Low income amplifies suffering, and for people whose unhappiness comes from causes money cannot reach, more income stops helping. Both points argue for treating economic security as part of well-being, not separate from it.", "claims": [] } ], "limits": [ "The data come from the United States and from employed adults in the 2021 study.", "These are associations across people. They do not test what happens when a specific person's income is raised.", "\"Logarithmic\" means each doubling of income is linked to a similar rise in happiness, so an extra $10,000 matters far more at low incomes than at high ones." ], "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "kind": "finding", "strength": "moderate", "text": "In over 450,000 Gallup responses, life evaluation rose steadily with log income, while emotional well-being showed no further progress beyond an annual income of about $75,000.", "sources": [ "kahneman-deaton-2010" ] }, { "id": "c2", "kind": "finding", "strength": "moderate", "text": "In 1,725,994 experience-sampling reports from 33,391 employed US adults, both experienced and evaluative well-being increased linearly with log(income), with no plateau above $75,000 per year.", "sources": [ "killingsworth-2021" ] }, { "id": "c3", "kind": "finding", "strength": "moderate", "text": "A joint reanalysis found the flattening pattern only for the least happy people; among happier people, happiness increased steadily with log(income) and accelerated in the happiest group.", "sources": [ "killingsworth-kahneman-mellers-2023" ] }, { "id": "c4", "kind": "finding", "strength": "moderate", "text": "Low income exacerbates the emotional pain associated with misfortunes such as divorce, ill health and being alone.", "sources": [ "kahneman-deaton-2010" ] } ], "corrections": [] }, { "id": "movement-and-premature-death", "url": "https://human-first-15q.pages.dev/s/movement-and-premature-death/", "title": "Movement at any intensity and the risk of dying early", "question": "How much physical activity do adults need, and does light movement count?", "bottomLine": "The 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.", "evidenceLevel": "strong", "topics": [ "physical activity", "sedentary behaviour", "healthy aging" ], "status": "approved", "version": 1, "published": "2026-10-24", "updated": "2026-10-24", "body": [ { "kind": "evidence", "text": "The World Health Organization's 2020 guidelines say all adults should do 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity, each week, plus regular muscle strengthening.", "claims": [ "c1" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "The guidelines also say that some activity is better than none, that more is better, and that people should reduce sedentary time, although the evidence was not enough to set a safe sitting limit.", "claims": [ "c2" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "A harmonised meta-analysis used accelerometers, not questionnaires, to measure activity in 36,383 adults with an average age of 62.6. The most active quarter had about a quarter of the risk of death of the least active quarter (hazard ratio 0.27).", "claims": [ "c3", "c3" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "Light activity on its own counted. People in the top quarter for light activity had a hazard ratio of 0.38 compared with the bottom quarter. The most sedentary quarter had 2.63 times the hazard of the least sedentary.", "claims": [ "c4", "c5" ] }, { "kind": "interpretation", "text": "Our reading: for people who will never go to a gym, walking, housework and standing work are not trivial. Designing daily life so that movement is easy may matter as much as promoting exercise.", "claims": [] } ], "limits": [ "The accelerometer studies are observational. People who are already ill tend to move less, which can make activity look more protective than it is.", "The accelerometer data come from middle-aged and older adults, with a median follow-up of 5.8 years." ], "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "kind": "guideline", "strength": "guideline", "text": "WHO 2020: all adults should undertake 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity, aerobic physical activity per week, and regular muscle-strengthening activity is recommended for all age groups.", "sources": [ "bull-2020-who-activity" ] }, { "id": "c2", "kind": "guideline", "strength": "guideline", "text": "The WHO 2020 guidelines reaffirm that some physical activity is better than none and more is better, and recommend reducing sedentary behaviour, although evidence was insufficient to quantify a sedentary threshold.", "sources": [ "bull-2020-who-activity" ] }, { "id": "c3", "kind": "finding", "strength": "strong", "text": "In individual-level data from eight cohorts (n = 36,383; mean age 62.6), the most active quarter of total physical activity had a mortality hazard ratio of 0.27 (95% CI 0.23 to 0.32) compared with the least active quarter.", "sources": [ "ekelund-2019" ] }, { "id": "c4", "kind": "finding", "strength": "strong", "text": "For light physical activity, the top quarter had a mortality hazard ratio of 0.38 (95% CI 0.28 to 0.51) compared with the bottom quarter.", "sources": [ "ekelund-2019" ] }, { "id": "c5", "kind": "finding", "strength": "strong", "text": "The most sedentary quarter had a mortality hazard ratio of 2.63 (95% CI 1.94 to 3.56) compared with the least sedentary quarter.", "sources": [ "ekelund-2019" ] } ], "corrections": [] }, { "id": "how-much-sleep-adults-need", "url": "https://human-first-15q.pages.dev/s/how-much-sleep-adults-need/", "title": "How much sleep adults need", "question": "What is the evidence-based minimum amount of sleep for a healthy adult?", "bottomLine": "The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society recommend that adults sleep 7 or more hours per night on a regular basis.", "evidenceLevel": "guideline", "topics": [ "sleep", "physical health", "mental health" ], "status": "approved", "version": 1, "published": "2026-10-24", "updated": "2026-10-24", "body": [ { "kind": "evidence", "text": "Two leading sleep science bodies jointly recommend that adults sleep 7 or more hours per night on a regular basis to promote optimal health.", "claims": [ "c1" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "The recommendation came from a structured expert consensus process, the modified RAND Appropriateness Method, applied to the research literature.", "claims": [ "c2" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "The statement links regularly sleeping less than 7 hours with adverse outcomes including weight gain and obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and stroke, depression, and increased risk of death.", "claims": [ "c3" ] }, { "kind": "interpretation", "text": "Our reading: shift patterns, long commutes and always-on work culture are often treated as personal choices. When they routinely push people below 7 hours, they are also health decisions made on people's behalf.", "claims": [] } ], "limits": [ "This is a consensus recommendation, a judgement by experts on the evidence, not a single trial.", "It applies to healthy adults. Sleep needs differ for young people, older adults, and people with some illnesses." ], "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "kind": "guideline", "strength": "guideline", "text": "Adults should sleep 7 or more hours per night on a regular basis to promote optimal health.", "sources": [ "watson-2015-sleep" ] }, { "id": "c2", "kind": "guideline", "strength": "guideline", "text": "The AASM and SRS recommendation was developed using a modified RAND Appropriateness Method consensus process.", "sources": [ "watson-2015-sleep" ] }, { "id": "c3", "kind": "guideline", "strength": "guideline", "text": "Sleeping less than 7 hours per night on a regular basis is associated with adverse health outcomes, including weight gain and obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and stroke, depression, and increased risk of death.", "sources": [ "watson-2015-sleep" ] } ], "corrections": [] }, { "id": "purpose-in-life-and-mortality", "url": "https://human-first-15q.pages.dev/s/purpose-in-life-and-mortality/", "title": "A sense of purpose and survival in later life", "question": "Is having a sense of purpose linked to physical health, not just mood?", "bottomLine": "Among 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.", "evidenceLevel": "moderate", "topics": [ "purpose", "meaning", "healthy aging", "mortality" ], "status": "approved", "version": 1, "published": "2026-10-24", "updated": "2026-10-24", "body": [ { "kind": "evidence", "text": "Researchers followed 6,985 adults over 50 from the US Health and Retirement Study. Purpose in life was measured with a 7-item questionnaire from the Ryff and Keyes psychological well-being scales, and deaths were tracked from 2006 to 2010.", "claims": [ "c2" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "People in the lowest purpose category had a hazard ratio for death from any cause of 2.43 compared with the highest category. For deaths from heart, circulatory and blood conditions, the hazard ratio was 2.66.", "claims": [ "c1", "c3" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "The authors concluded that purposeful living may have health benefits and called for research testing whether interventions that build purpose improve health outcomes.", "claims": [ "c4" ] }, { "kind": "interpretation", "text": "Our reading: retirement, job loss and isolation can remove the roles that give people a sense of purpose. Communities that offer older people real roles may be offering more than activities.", "claims": [] } ], "limits": [ "This is one observational cohort. It cannot show that purpose causes longer life; poor health may also reduce a sense of purpose.", "The study covers US adults over 50 and a four-year mortality window." ], "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "kind": "finding", "strength": "moderate", "text": "Life purpose was significantly associated with all-cause mortality (hazard ratio 2.43, 95% CI 1.57 to 3.75, lowest versus highest life purpose category).", "sources": [ "alimujiang-2019" ] }, { "id": "c2", "kind": "finding", "strength": "moderate", "text": "The analysis included 6,985 Health and Retirement Study participants older than 50; purpose was measured in 2006 with a 7-item questionnaire from the modified Ryff and Keyes Scales of Psychological Well-being, and mortality was assessed between 2006 and 2010.", "sources": [ "alimujiang-2019" ] }, { "id": "c3", "kind": "finding", "strength": "moderate", "text": "For heart, circulatory and blood conditions, the hazard ratio was 2.66 (95% CI 1.62 to 4.38).", "sources": [ "alimujiang-2019" ] }, { "id": "c4", "kind": "finding", "strength": "limited", "text": "The authors concluded that purposeful living may have health benefits and that future research should evaluate the association of life purpose interventions with health outcomes.", "sources": [ "alimujiang-2019" ] } ], "corrections": [] }, { "id": "unemployment-and-life-satisfaction", "url": "https://human-first-15q.pages.dev/s/unemployment-and-life-satisfaction/", "title": "Losing work leaves a lasting mark", "question": "Do people bounce back fully after unemployment?", "bottomLine": "In 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.", "evidenceLevel": "moderate", "topics": [ "work", "economic security", "mental health" ], "status": "approved", "version": 1, "published": "2026-10-24", "updated": "2026-10-24", "body": [ { "kind": "evidence", "text": "A popular theory says people return to a fixed happiness \"set point\" after life events. A 15-year study of more than 24,000 people in Germany tested this for unemployment. People reacted strongly and then moved back toward their earlier level, but on average did not get all the way back, even after re-employment.", "claims": [ "c1" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "Experience did not soften the blow. People who had been unemployed before reacted just as negatively to a new spell of unemployment as people experiencing it for the first time.", "claims": [ "c2" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "Separate meta-analyses of the mental health research reached the conclusion stated in their title: unemployment impairs mental health.", "claims": [ "c3" ] }, { "kind": "interpretation", "text": "Our reading: when automation or restructuring removes jobs, the cost is not only lost income for a period. The evidence suggests a lasting effect on well-being, which is a reason to plan transitions carefully and support people through them.", "claims": [] } ], "limits": [ "The longitudinal study is from Germany and reports averages. Individual responses varied.", "The meta-analyses are cited here only for their headline conclusion; their detailed effect sizes are not summarised on this page." ], "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "kind": "finding", "strength": "moderate", "text": "In a 15-year longitudinal study of more than 24,000 individuals in Germany, people reacted strongly to unemployment and shifted back toward baseline life satisfaction, but on average did not completely return to their former levels, even after they became reemployed.", "sources": [ "lucas-2004" ] }, { "id": "c2", "kind": "finding", "strength": "moderate", "text": "People who had experienced unemployment in the past did not react any less negatively to a new bout of unemployment than people who had not been unemployed before.", "sources": [ "lucas-2004" ] }, { "id": "c3", "kind": "finding", "strength": "strong", "text": "Meta-analyses by Paul and Moser concluded that unemployment impairs mental health.", "sources": [ "paul-moser-2009" ] } ], "corrections": [] }, { "id": "what-explains-national-happiness", "url": "https://human-first-15q.pages.dev/s/what-explains-national-happiness/", "title": "Why some countries are happier than others", "question": "What explains the differences in average life satisfaction between countries?", "bottomLine": "Six 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.", "evidenceLevel": "moderate", "topics": [ "happiness", "life satisfaction", "society", "governance" ], "status": "approved", "version": 1, "published": "2026-10-24", "updated": "2026-10-24", "body": [ { "kind": "evidence", "text": "The World Happiness Report asks people in many countries, through the Gallup World Poll, to rate their lives. It does not decide in advance what should make people happy.", "claims": [ "c2" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "Using data from 2005 onward, the report's editors found that six variables account for more than three quarters of the differences between countries and years: having someone to count on, log GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and freedom from corruption.", "claims": [ "c1" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "At the individual level in the US, income is more closely related to how people evaluate their lives than to their day-to-day emotions.", "claims": [ "c3" ] }, { "kind": "interpretation", "text": "Our reading: only one of the six factors is about money. The others are about health, relationships, freedom, trust and kindness, which are things societies can protect or erode regardless of how rich they are.", "claims": [] } ], "limits": [ "The model explains differences in averages between countries. It does not say what will make a particular person happier.", "These variables account for variation statistically; that is not the same as proving each one causes happiness." ], "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "kind": "finding", "strength": "moderate", "text": "Using data from 2005 onward, six variables (having someone to count on, log GDP per capita, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, and freedom from corruption) account for more than three-quarters of the variation in national average life evaluations across countries and years.", "sources": [ "whr-faq" ] }, { "id": "c2", "kind": "finding", "strength": "moderate", "text": "The World Happiness Report reports respondents' own life evaluations from the Gallup World Poll, imposing no prior judgements about what factors underlie them.", "sources": [ "whr-faq" ] }, { "id": "c3", "kind": "finding", "strength": "moderate", "text": "Income and education are more closely related to life evaluation than to emotional well-being.", "sources": [ "kahneman-deaton-2010" ] } ], "corrections": [] }, { "id": "human-dignity-is-unconditional", "url": "https://human-first-15q.pages.dev/s/human-dignity-is-unconditional/", "title": "Human dignity is unconditional", "question": "Does a person's worth depend on what they produce, own or achieve?", "bottomLine": "The 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.", "evidenceLevel": "principle", "topics": [ "human dignity", "human rights", "AI ethics" ], "status": "approved", "version": 1, "published": "2026-10-24", "updated": "2026-10-24", "body": [ { "kind": "evidence", "text": "Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.", "claims": [ "c1" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "Article 2 extends every right in the Declaration to everyone, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.", "claims": [ "c2" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "The same commitment now appears in global AI standards. UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, adopted in 2021, places respect, protection and promotion of human rights, fundamental freedoms and human dignity among its core values.", "claims": [ "c3" ] }, { "kind": "interpretation", "text": "This page states a moral and legal principle, not a scientific finding, and we label it that way on purpose. Our position follows from it: a person's dignity does not depend on their productivity, wealth, ability, nationality or status, and no system, human or automated, should treat people as if it did.", "claims": [] } ], "limits": [ "The Declaration is a foundational statement of principle. Its legal force varies by country and comes mainly through later treaties and national law.", "Agreeing that dignity is unconditional does not settle every practical question about how to protect it." ], "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "kind": "principle", "strength": "principle", "text": "Article 1: \"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.\"", "sources": [ "udhr-1948" ] }, { "id": "c2", "kind": "principle", "strength": "principle", "text": "Article 2: everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in the Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.", "sources": [ "udhr-1948" ] }, { "id": "c3", "kind": "principle", "strength": "principle", "text": "UNESCO's 2021 Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence lists respect, protection and promotion of human rights, fundamental freedoms and human dignity among its values.", "sources": [ "unesco-ai-ethics-2021" ] } ], "corrections": [] }, { "id": "humans-in-charge-of-ai-decisions", "url": "https://human-first-15q.pages.dev/s/humans-in-charge-of-ai-decisions/", "title": "Keeping people in charge of consequential AI decisions", "question": "Why do laws and standards insist on human oversight of AI, and what makes oversight real?", "bottomLine": "EU 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.", "evidenceLevel": "strong", "topics": [ "AI governance", "human oversight", "automation bias", "autonomy" ], "status": "approved", "version": 1, "published": "2026-10-24", "updated": "2026-10-24", "body": [ { "kind": "evidence", "text": "Article 14 of the EU Artificial Intelligence Act requires high-risk AI systems to be designed and developed so that natural persons can effectively oversee them while they are in use.", "claims": [ "c1" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "The law spells out what that means in practice. The people overseeing a system must be able to stay aware of automation bias, decide not to use the system, disregard, override or reverse its output, and interrupt it through a stop button or similar procedure.", "claims": [ "c2" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "The concern is grounded in research. A systematic review of 74 studies on automation bias, the tendency to over-rely on automation, found it was shaped by trust and confidence in the system, and made worse by workload, task complexity and time pressure.", "claims": [ "c3" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "The same review found ways to reduce it: training, emphasising that the human user is accountable, and design choices such as showing updated confidence levels and giving information rather than a recommendation.", "claims": [ "c4" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "Intergovernmental standards point the same way. The OECD AI Principles, adopted in 2019 and updated in 2024, call for AI that respects human rights and democratic values.", "claims": [ "c5" ] }, { "kind": "interpretation", "text": "Our reading: a human \"in the loop\" who is rushed, overloaded and told the machine is usually right is not real oversight. Oversight works when people have the time, the information and the authority to say no.", "claims": [] } ], "limits": [ "The automation bias review focuses mainly on healthcare decision support systems.", "The EU AI Act's oversight duties apply to systems classified as high-risk under the Act, not to every AI system." ], "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "kind": "law", "strength": "principle", "text": "Article 14 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 requires high-risk AI systems to be designed and developed so that they can be effectively overseen by natural persons during the period in which they are in use.", "sources": [ "eu-ai-act-2024" ] }, { "id": "c2", "kind": "law", "strength": "principle", "text": "Article 14 requires that people assigned to oversight be enabled to remain aware of the tendency to over-rely on output (automation bias), to decide not to use the system or to disregard, override or reverse its output, and to intervene or interrupt it through a stop button or similar procedure.", "sources": [ "eu-ai-act-2024" ] }, { "id": "c3", "kind": "finding", "strength": "strong", "text": "A systematic review of 74 studies found automation bias was mediated by user factors such as trust and confidence and by environmental factors including workload, task complexity and time constraints.", "sources": [ "goddard-2012" ] }, { "id": "c4", "kind": "finding", "strength": "moderate", "text": "Mitigators of automation bias included training, emphasising user accountability, and design factors such as updated confidence levels on system output and providing information rather than a recommendation.", "sources": [ "goddard-2012" ] }, { "id": "c5", "kind": "principle", "strength": "principle", "text": "The OECD AI Principles, adopted in 2019 and updated in 2024, call for trustworthy AI that respects human rights and democratic values.", "sources": [ "oecd-ai-principles" ] } ], "corrections": [] }, { "id": "teens-screens-and-wellbeing", "url": "https://human-first-15q.pages.dev/s/teens-screens-and-wellbeing/", "title": "Teens, screens and well-being: a small association, carefully measured", "question": "How strongly is digital technology use linked to teenagers' well-being?", "bottomLine": "Across 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.", "evidenceLevel": "moderate", "topics": [ "young people", "technology", "mental health", "research methods" ], "status": "approved", "version": 1, "published": "2026-10-24", "updated": "2026-10-24", "body": [ { "kind": "evidence", "text": "Much of the alarm about teenagers and screens comes from large survey datasets with many variables. The researchers note that this kind of data can be analysed in so many ways that small effects get reported as significant, producing false positives and conflicting results.", "claims": [ "c2" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "To deal with that, they ran every reasonable analysis across three datasets with 355,358 adolescents in total, a method called specification curve analysis. The association between technology use and well-being was negative but small, explaining at most 0.4% of the variation in well-being.", "claims": [ "c1" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "Taking the broader context into account, the authors judged the effects too small to warrant policy change.", "claims": [ "c3" ] }, { "kind": "interpretation", "text": "Why this page is here: a project about human well-being has to follow the evidence even when it is less dramatic than the headlines. Small average effects can still hide larger effects for some young people or some kinds of use. That is a fair research question, but it is a question, not a finding.", "claims": [] } ], "limits": [ "The data are correlational and cannot show whether technology use affects well-being or the other way round.", "Averages across hundreds of thousands of adolescents can hide very different experiences for individuals and for specific platforms or uses." ], "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "kind": "finding", "strength": "moderate", "text": "Across three large-scale datasets (total n = 355,358), the association between digital technology use and adolescent well-being was negative but small, explaining at most 0.4% of the variation in well-being.", "sources": [ "orben-przybylski-2019" ] }, { "id": "c2", "kind": "finding", "strength": "moderate", "text": "Large social datasets are often explored with analytical flexibility that marks small effects as statistically significant, leading to potential false positives and conflicting results; the study used specification curve analysis to address this.", "sources": [ "orben-przybylski-2019" ] }, { "id": "c3", "kind": "finding", "strength": "limited", "text": "The authors concluded that, in the broader context of the data, the effects were too small to warrant policy change.", "sources": [ "orben-przybylski-2019" ] } ], "corrections": [] }, { "id": "is-loneliness-bad-for-your-health", "url": "https://human-first-15q.pages.dev/s/is-loneliness-bad-for-your-health/", "title": "Is loneliness bad for your health?", "question": "Is loneliness a health risk, or just an unpleasant feeling?", "bottomLine": "After adjusting for other factors, loneliness was linked to a 26% higher likelihood of death, social isolation to 29% and living alone to 32%. Feeling lonely and being objectively isolated carried similar risk.", "evidenceLevel": "strong", "topics": [ "loneliness", "social isolation", "mortality", "social connection" ], "status": "approved", "version": 1, "published": "2026-10-24", "updated": "2026-10-24", "body": [ { "kind": "evidence", "text": "A meta-analysis of studies published between 1980 and 2014 looked at three related things: feeling lonely, being socially isolated, and living alone. In studies that controlled for several possible confounding factors, each was linked to a higher likelihood of death: 26% for loneliness, 29% for social isolation and 32% for living alone.", "claims": [ "c1" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "It made no difference whether isolation was measured objectively, such as how few contacts someone had, or subjectively, as how isolated someone felt. That matters, because a person can be surrounded by people and still feel alone.", "claims": [ "c2" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "The results were consistent across gender, length of follow-up and world region. The links were stronger in samples with an average age under 65, which challenges the idea that this is only a problem of old age.", "claims": [ "c3" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "The authors concluded that the mortality risk of social isolation and loneliness is comparable with well-established risk factors for mortality. An earlier meta-analysis reached the same conclusion about the protective side: stronger relationships go with better survival.", "claims": [ "c4", "c5" ] }, { "kind": "interpretation", "text": "Our reading: loneliness deserves to be treated as a health issue, not a private embarrassment. Asking someone how connected they feel may be as relevant as asking whether they smoke.", "claims": [] } ], "limits": [ "These are observational studies. They show that loneliness and isolation predict earlier death, not exactly how or why.", "The authors report that initial health status influenced the findings, so poor health may partly explain both isolation and earlier death." ], "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "kind": "finding", "strength": "strong", "text": "Across studies that statistically controlled for several possible confounds, weighted average effect sizes were OR 1.29 for social isolation, 1.26 for loneliness and 1.32 for living alone, corresponding to 29%, 26% and 32% increased likelihood of mortality.", "sources": [ "holt-lunstad-2015" ] }, { "id": "c2", "kind": "finding", "strength": "strong", "text": "The meta-analysis found no differences between measures of objective and subjective social isolation.", "sources": [ "holt-lunstad-2015" ] }, { "id": "c3", "kind": "finding", "strength": "strong", "text": "Results were consistent across gender, length of follow-up and world region; social deficits were more predictive of death in samples with an average age younger than 65.", "sources": [ "holt-lunstad-2015" ] }, { "id": "c4", "kind": "finding", "strength": "strong", "text": "The authors concluded that the influence of both objective and subjective social isolation on risk for mortality is comparable with well-established risk factors for mortality.", "sources": [ "holt-lunstad-2015" ] }, { "id": "c5", "kind": "finding", "strength": "strong", "text": "A 2010 meta-analysis of 148 studies found a 50% increased likelihood of survival for people with stronger social relationships.", "sources": [ "holt-lunstad-2010" ] } ], "corrections": [] }, { "id": "does-exercise-help-depression", "url": "https://human-first-15q.pages.dev/s/does-exercise-help-depression/", "title": "Does exercise help depression?", "question": "Is exercise an effective treatment for depression, and which kinds work best?", "bottomLine": "Across 218 randomised trials with 14,170 people, walking or jogging, yoga and strength training each produced moderate reductions in depression compared with control conditions. More intense exercise worked better.", "evidenceLevel": "moderate", "topics": [ "depression", "mental health", "physical activity", "treatment" ], "status": "approved", "version": 1, "published": "2026-10-24", "updated": "2026-10-24", "body": [ { "kind": "evidence", "text": "A 2024 network meta-analysis in the BMJ pooled 218 randomised trials, with 14,170 participants who met clinical cut-offs for major depression, and compared exercise with psychotherapy, antidepressants and control conditions.", "claims": [ "c3" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "Compared with active controls such as usual care or a placebo tablet, there were moderate reductions in depression for walking or jogging, yoga, strength training, mixed aerobic exercise, and tai chi or qigong. Walking or jogging showed the largest effect.", "claims": [ "c1" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "The benefit grew with the intensity prescribed. Strength training and yoga appeared to be the easiest for people to stick with.", "claims": [ "c2", "c4" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "The authors concluded that exercise is an effective treatment for depression and could be considered alongside psychotherapy and antidepressants as a core treatment. But the quality of the trials limits confidence: only one study met strict criteria for low risk of bias, and confidence was rated low for walking or jogging and very low for the other forms.", "claims": [ "c5", "c6" ] }, { "kind": "interpretation", "text": "Our reading: exercise is a real option for depression, not just general advice to \"get some fresh air\". It is best seen as one treatment among several, chosen with a clinician, not a replacement for care that is working.", "claims": [] } ], "limits": [ "Most trials had a high risk of bias, and participants usually knew they were exercising, which can inflate effects.", "The trials studied people with major depression. This page is not medical advice; anyone with depression should talk to a health professional before changing treatment." ], "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "kind": "finding", "strength": "moderate", "text": "Compared with active controls, moderate reductions in depression were found for walking or jogging (Hedges' g -0.62), yoga (g -0.55), strength training (g -0.49), mixed aerobic exercises (g -0.43), and tai chi or qigong (g -0.42).", "sources": [ "noetel-2024" ] }, { "id": "c2", "kind": "finding", "strength": "moderate", "text": "The effects of exercise were proportional to the intensity prescribed.", "sources": [ "noetel-2024" ] }, { "id": "c3", "kind": "finding", "strength": "moderate", "text": "The network meta-analysis included 218 unique randomised trials with 495 arms and 14,170 participants meeting clinical cut-offs for major depression.", "sources": [ "noetel-2024" ] }, { "id": "c4", "kind": "finding", "strength": "moderate", "text": "Strength training and yoga appeared to be the most acceptable modalities.", "sources": [ "noetel-2024" ] }, { "id": "c5", "kind": "finding", "strength": "moderate", "text": "The authors concluded that exercise is an effective treatment for depression and that these forms of exercise could be considered alongside psychotherapy and antidepressants as core treatments.", "sources": [ "noetel-2024" ] }, { "id": "c6", "kind": "finding", "strength": "limited", "text": "Only one study met the Cochrane criteria for low risk of bias; confidence in the evidence was low for walking or jogging and very low for other treatments.", "sources": [ "noetel-2024" ] } ], "corrections": [] }, { "id": "is-nature-good-for-your-health", "url": "https://human-first-15q.pages.dev/s/is-nature-good-for-your-health/", "title": "Is time in green space good for your health?", "question": "Does exposure to parks, trees and other green space measurably affect health?", "bottomLine": "A review of 143 studies found that more exposure to green space was associated with lower stress hormone levels, lower heart rate and lower blood pressure, though many of the studies were of poor quality.", "evidenceLevel": "moderate", "topics": [ "nature", "green space", "stress", "cities", "physical health" ], "status": "approved", "version": 1, "published": "2026-10-24", "updated": "2026-10-24", "body": [ { "kind": "evidence", "text": "A systematic review and meta-analysis brought together 103 observational and 40 interventional studies covering around 100 health outcomes.", "claims": [ "c3" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "Greater exposure to green space was associated with lower salivary cortisol, a marker of stress, as well as lower heart rate and lower diastolic blood pressure.", "claims": [ "c1" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "The authors concluded that green space is associated with numerous health benefits, but cautioned that several of the pooled results were limited by poor study quality and large differences between studies.", "claims": [ "c2" ] }, { "kind": "evidence", "text": "They called on practitioners and policymakers to create, maintain and improve accessible green spaces in deprived areas, where people may benefit most.", "claims": [ "c4" ] }, { "kind": "interpretation", "text": "Our reading: who has a park within walking distance is partly a question of fairness. If green space eases stress and lowers blood pressure, then cities that put it only in wealthy areas are distributing health unequally.", "claims": [] } ], "limits": [ "Most of the studies are observational, and people who live near green space may differ in other ways, such as income.", "The authors themselves flag poor study quality and high heterogeneity in several of the pooled results." ], "claims": [ { "id": "c1", "kind": "finding", "strength": "moderate", "text": "Increased greenspace exposure was associated with decreased salivary cortisol (-0.05), heart rate (-2.57) and diastolic blood pressure (-1.97).", "sources": [ "twohig-bennett-2018" ] }, { "id": "c2", "kind": "finding", "strength": "moderate", "text": "The authors concluded greenspace exposure is associated with numerous health benefits, but several meta-analysis results were limited by poor study quality and high levels of heterogeneity.", "sources": [ "twohig-bennett-2018" ] }, { "id": "c3", "kind": "finding", "strength": "moderate", "text": "The review included 103 observational and 40 interventional studies investigating about 100 health outcomes.", "sources": [ "twohig-bennett-2018" ] }, { "id": "c4", "kind": "finding", "strength": "limited", "text": "The authors urged practitioners and policymakers to create, maintain and improve accessible greenspaces in deprived areas.", "sources": [ "twohig-bennett-2018" ] } ], "corrections": [] } ], "sources": [ { "id": "alimujiang-2019", "type": "journal", "title": "Association Between Life Purpose and Mortality Among US Adults Older Than 50 Years", "authors": [ "Alimujiang A", "Wiensch A", "Boss J", "Fleischer NL", "et al." ], "year": 2019, "venue": "JAMA Network Open", "doi": "10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.4270", "design": "Prospective cohort study (n = 6,985)", "tier": 2 }, { "id": "bull-2020-who-activity", "type": "journal", "title": "World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour", "authors": [ "Bull FC", "Al-Ansari SS", "Biddle S", "Borodulin K", "et al." ], "year": 2020, "venue": "British Journal of Sports Medicine", "doi": "10.1136/bjsports-2020-102955", "design": "WHO guideline, systematic evidence review", "tier": 1 }, { "id": "ekelund-2019", "type": "journal", "title": "Dose-response associations between accelerometry measured physical activity and sedentary time and all cause mortality: systematic review and harmonised meta-analysis", "authors": [ "Ekelund U", "Tarp J", "Steene-Johannessen J", "Hansen BH", "et al." ], "year": 2019, "venue": "BMJ", "doi": "10.1136/bmj.l4570", "design": "Systematic review and harmonised meta-analysis (8 cohorts, n = 36,383)", "tier": 1 }, { "id": "eu-ai-act-2024", "type": "law", "title": "Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 laying down harmonised rules on artificial intelligence (Artificial Intelligence Act)", "authors": [ "European Parliament and Council of the European Union" ], "year": 2024, "venue": "Official Journal of the European Union", "url": "https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1689/oj", "design": "Binding EU regulation; Article 14 covers human oversight", "tier": 1 }, { "id": "goddard-2012", "type": "journal", "title": "Automation bias: a systematic review of frequency, effect mediators, and mitigators", "authors": [ "Goddard K", "Roudsari A", "Wyatt JC" ], "year": 2012, "venue": "Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association", "doi": "10.1136/amiajnl-2011-000089", "design": "Systematic review (74 studies)", "tier": 1 }, { "id": "holt-lunstad-2010", "type": "journal", "title": "Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review", "authors": [ "Holt-Lunstad J", "Smith TB", "Layton JB" ], "year": 2010, "venue": "PLoS Medicine", "doi": "10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316", "design": "Meta-analysis (148 studies, n = 308,849)", "tier": 1 }, { "id": "holt-lunstad-2015", "type": "journal", "title": "Loneliness and Social Isolation as Risk Factors for Mortality", "authors": [ "Holt-Lunstad J", "Smith TB", "Baker M", "Harris T", "et al." ], "year": 2015, "venue": "Perspectives on Psychological Science", "doi": "10.1177/1745691614568352", "design": "Meta-analysis (studies 1980 to 2014, adjusted for confounds)", "tier": 1 }, { "id": "kahneman-deaton-2010", "type": "journal", "title": "High income improves evaluation of life but not emotional well-being", "authors": [ "Kahneman D", "Deaton A" ], "year": 2010, "venue": "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences", "doi": "10.1073/pnas.1011492107", "design": "Survey analysis (450,000+ Gallup responses)", "tier": 2 }, { "id": "killingsworth-2021", "type": "journal", "title": "Experienced well-being rises with income, even above $75,000 per year", "authors": [ "Killingsworth MA" ], "year": 2021, "venue": "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences", "doi": "10.1073/pnas.2016976118", "design": "Experience sampling (1,725,994 reports, 33,391 adults)", "tier": 2 }, { "id": "killingsworth-kahneman-mellers-2023", "type": "journal", "title": "Income and emotional well-being: A conflict resolved", "authors": [ "Killingsworth MA", "Kahneman D", "Mellers B" ], "year": 2023, "venue": "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences", "doi": "10.1073/pnas.2208661120", "design": "Adversarial collaboration, reanalysis", "tier": 2 }, { "id": "lucas-2004", "type": "journal", "title": "Unemployment Alters the Set Point for Life Satisfaction", "authors": [ "Lucas RE", "Clark AE", "Georgellis Y", "Diener E" ], "year": 2004, "venue": "Psychological Science", "doi": "10.1111/j.0963-7214.2004.01501002.x", "design": "15-year longitudinal study (n > 24,000, Germany)", "tier": 2 }, { "id": "noetel-2024", "type": "journal", "title": "Effect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials", "authors": [ "Noetel M", "Sanders T", "Gallardo-Gómez D", "Taylor P", "et al." ], "year": 2024, "venue": "BMJ", "doi": "10.1136/bmj-2023-075847", "design": "Systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised trials (218 studies, n = 14,170)", "tier": 1 }, { "id": "oecd-ai-principles", "type": "institution", "title": "OECD AI Principles", "authors": [ "Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development" ], "year": 2019, "venue": "OECD.AI Policy Observatory", "url": "https://oecd.ai/en/ai-principles", "design": "Intergovernmental standard, adopted 2019, updated 2024", "tier": 1 }, { "id": "orben-przybylski-2019", "type": "journal", "title": "The association between adolescent well-being and digital technology use", "authors": [ "Orben A", "Przybylski AK" ], "year": 2019, "venue": "Nature Human Behaviour", "doi": "10.1038/s41562-018-0506-1", "design": "Specification curve analysis (3 datasets, n = 355,358)", "tier": 2 }, { "id": "paul-moser-2009", "type": "journal", "title": "Unemployment impairs mental health: Meta-analyses", "authors": [ "Paul KI", "Moser K" ], "year": 2009, "venue": "Journal of Vocational Behavior", "doi": "10.1016/j.jvb.2009.01.001", "design": "Meta-analyses", "tier": 1 }, { "id": "twohig-bennett-2018", "type": "journal", "title": "The health benefits of the great outdoors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of greenspace exposure and health outcomes", "authors": [ "Twohig-Bennett C", "Jones A" ], "year": 2018, "venue": "Environmental Research", "doi": "10.1016/j.envres.2018.06.030", "design": "Systematic review and meta-analysis (103 observational, 40 interventional studies)", "tier": 1 }, { "id": "udhr-1948", "type": "law", "title": "Universal Declaration of Human Rights", "authors": [ "United Nations General Assembly" ], "year": 1948, "venue": "United Nations", "url": "https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights", "design": "Foundational human rights instrument", "tier": 1 }, { "id": "unesco-ai-ethics-2021", "type": "institution", "title": "Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence", "authors": [ "UNESCO" ], "year": 2021, "venue": "UNESCO", "url": "https://www.unesco.org/en/artificial-intelligence/recommendation-ethics", "design": "Global standard adopted by UNESCO member states", "tier": 1 }, { "id": "watson-2015-sleep", "type": "journal", "title": "Recommended Amount of Sleep for a Healthy Adult: A Joint Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society", "authors": [ "Watson NF", "Badr MS", "Belenky G", "Bliwise DL", "et al." ], "year": 2015, "venue": "SLEEP", "doi": "10.5665/sleep.4716", "design": "Expert consensus statement (modified RAND Appropriateness Method)", "tier": 2 }, { "id": "whr-faq", "type": "report", "title": "World Happiness Report: Frequently Asked Questions", "authors": [ "World Happiness Report editors" ], "year": 2024, "venue": "World Happiness Report", "url": "https://worldhappiness.report/faq/", "design": "Explanation of the report's national-level model (Gallup World Poll data)", "tier": 2 } ] }