Viewing archives for The Future Of Wellbeing

Why Companies That Choose AI Augmentation Over Automation May Win in the Long Run

Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Jeffrey T. Hancock and Kate Niederhoffer

Abstract

Leaders are making a choice with their AI strategy: Are they primarily seeking to improve the bottom line through automation and headcount reduction, or grow the top line in innovative ways through augmentation? As they make this decision, leaders are underestimating how employee perception—and the predictable behavioral dynamics that follow—will determine the success of their AI strategy. While automation strategies will likely show early gains relative to the deeper investment required for augmentation, but that augmentation will likely perform better in the long run. That’s because while automation offers immediate cost-savings, a company’s long-term success is determined by how people feel about their work, whether they meaningfully engage with new tools, and whether top talent stays.

Early Career Workshop on the Sociology of Work and Wellbeing

The event will be an Early Career Researcher (ECR) paper development workshop on the theme: ‘The Sociology of Work and Wellbeing’. Hosted at Harris Manchester College, University of Oxford, home of the Wellbeing Research Centre, this workshop will host up to 25 ECRs for an opportunity to present and develop their research papers on the theme and network with other ECRs in the South of England.

The workshop will explore how to revitalise sociological perspectives on work and wellbeing. The sociology of work has long been uniquely concerned with the question of wellbeing, more so than other fields of sociology. Yet in academic and policy debates on wellbeing, psychology, economics, and mainstream management studies dominate. Recent contributions (e.g. Tausig, 2013; Chamberlain et al., 2025) have gone some way to summarising the field as it stands now. However, several avenues remain either underexplored or disconnected from one another. This workshop will strive to enhance and strengthen the sociological voice on the topic by supporting empirical research and expanded theorisation.

The workshop will emphasise career development, including: a meet-the-editors session with the editors of leading British journals that publish the sociology of work; opportunities to network with other ECRs; and a panel or keynote with senior scholars to construct a longer-term view on the sociology of work and wellbeing.

For more details, visit the British Sociological Association’s website.

Social media makes people unhappy — World Happiness Report

Deutsche Welle

The report said that heavy social media use is linked to declining well-being among young people, particularly teenage girls in English-speaking and Western European countries.

The findings come as governments increasingly consider restrictions on social media use by minors.

Researchers said extensive social media use, especially more than seven hours per day, is associated with lower well-being, with algorithm-driven, image-focused platforms and influencer content cited as key factors.

Instagram worse for mental health than WhatsApp, global study finds

The Guardian

Social media apps such as Instagram and TikTok, which encourage algorithm-driven scrolling, are worse for mental health than platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp, which prioritise social connection, according to an annual barometer of global happiness.

The World Happiness Report found excessive use of social media was causing unhappiness among young people across the world, although the impact was worse in English-speaking countries and western Europe.

Overall happiness levels in the UK were at the lowest level since the report was first published in 2012.

The Anglosphere is increasingly miserable

The Economist

Why so glum? The divergence is starkest among the young. In most other parts of the world young people are at least as satisfied with their lives as they were a decade ago, if not more so. But among under-25s in America, Australia, Britain, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand, scores have fallen—placing all six among the biggest declines for this age group.

The world’s happiest countries revealed and what they get right

The Independent

Researchers noted that in some parts of the world, such as the Middle East and South America, the links between social media use and well-being are more positive — and youth well-being has not fallen despite heavy social media use.

The report said this is due to many factors that differ between continents, but concluded that heavy social media use in some countries is an important contributing factor to the decline in youth well-being.

It said the most problematic platforms are those with algorithmic feeds, feature influencers and where the main material is visual, because they encourage social comparisons. Those who use platforms that mainly facilitate communication do better.

The world’s happiest countries for 2026 – and what they get right

BBC Travel

While the Nordic countries have long dominated the World Happiness Report, 2026 brought one surprise. For the first time in the report’s 14-year history, a Latin American country made its way into the top five as Costa Rica continued its multi-year rise to fourth place, jumping from 23rd in 2023.

Social media making young people less happy, report finds

Al Jazeera

Social media has played a large role in declining happiness among young people in Western countries, a United Nations-backed report has found.

Heavy social media use partly explains a “worrying decline” in the wellbeing of young people in the West, the latest edition of the annual World Happiness Report said on Thursday.

The 25 Happiest Countries In The World, According To The 2026 World Happiness Report

Forbes

What’s striking is that this trend is not global. In most other parts of the world, young people are actually reporting higher levels of wellbeing than in the past.

“Most of the world’s young people are happier today than they were 20 years ago, and that’s a trend that deserves attention,” Jon Clifton, CEO of Gallup, said in a statement.

That divergence between English-speaking countries and the rest of the world is one of the most important findings in this year’s report—and may help explain why the U.S. continues to lag.

A Nordic nation is the world’s happiest country for the ninth year in a row

CNN

If happiness were an Olympic event, the Nordic countries would be guaranteed a spot on the podium.

Actually, all three spots on the podium.

According to the latest edition of the World Happiness Report, the three happiest countries in the world are Finland, Iceland and Denmark.