Nowadays, when talking about technology, almost everyone thinks either of the cool iGadgets or of the entertaining apps available on everyone?s smartphones. Due to technology, we have become so dependent on the influx of information and fun, that many people rarely take a 10-minute metro ride without searching for ways of being entertained. Their technology gadgets provide anything from music, games, chatting, video streaming, or social network platforms.

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However, technology improves our lives far beyond the occasional entertainment fix. Probably one of the most significant uses of technology for human beings is in helping to provide better health. Advances in medicine give people healthier, more pain-free lives, enabling individuals to appreciate more directly the benefits of innovation, unconceivable a couple of decades ago.

Progress in the IT industry has become vital, not only for health purposes, but also because it has changed our professional lives irreversibly. Thanks to technology advancement, professionals now can take up jobs in virtually any part of the globe, and work remotely, with constant access to collaboration and centralization tools, thus keeping businesses competitive.

Without being limited to a field or another, technological innovation helps in a multitude of areas, from environmental issues, e-commerce or banking, to personal security and broad access to knowledge. But does all this burst of innovation make people happier in their everyday lives?

At a first glance, it does, because now we have all these cool tools that boost up our ego when we can show that we are at the forefront of technological discoveries. But, looking deeper, technology can make us prisoners of our own gadgets if we don?t use it as a support tool to have an easier life, but rather as a means of living in itself.

Technology has the potential to make us happier, by easing the suffering and freeing up time for more enjoyable activities, but it is up to us to choose what to do with all that extra free time.

Written by: Monica Nastase.