As technology capabilities continue to evolve at a crazy rate, we keep trying to stay on top of how they can improve and enhance our experiences to deliver positive impact. One area that got our geeky science brains whirring was the notion of somatic debt.
As technology and generative AI advance, we have the capability to design experiences like we've never done before. We can generate answers in a click, create complex algorithms to serve up information in different ways at just the right moment, and remind and prompt us before our conscious brains have even realised we need something. But at what cost?
As we automate, remove barriers, increase our reliance on quick dopamine fixes and get swept into algorithms, some evidence suggests we're actually reducing our mental resilience, changing our ability to process and retain information, lowering our engagement and motivation, and losing our ability to work through challenges independently.
If that's the case, what does it mean in a world where our ability to pause at critical moments and make decisions that shape long-term behaviours and outcomes is everything?
The case for valuable friction
The more we dug into the topic, the more interested we became in the need for valuable friction in the health experiences we design. Similar reflections are happening in education and other sectors, where we know that our ability not just to read information, but to understand it, engage with it, and pause to consider our options, is crucial to how we then act.
So as we increase our use of technology to surprise and delight in the experiences we design, we also need to consider where we should deliberately leave in a bit of valuable friction, to make sure we achieve the long-term results we're striving for.
Whether we're designing solutions that help keep us healthy and well, or working through those moments where illness and treatment decisions are critical, it's something we know we need to get right.
References
- 1. Salatino, A., Prével, A., Caspar, E. et al. Influence of AI behavior on human moral decisions, agency, and responsibility. Sci Rep 15, 12329 (2025).
- 2. Bonicalzi, S., De Caro, M. & Giovanola, B. Introduction: Digital Technologies and Human Decision-Making. Topoi 42, 793-797 (2023).
- 3. Rinta-Kahila, T. et al. Managing unintended consequences of algorithmic decision-making: The case of Robodebt. Journal of Information Technology, Vol. 14(1), 165-171 (2024).