The Big Story Would more inconvenience make us happier?
Jan 28, 2026
Israa Nasir, psychotherapist and author of Toxic Productivity, argues for embracing small inconveniences to rebuild community and resilience. She explores how tech erased everyday friction, how streaming and apps shifted communal life to isolation, and offers practical ways to add constructive inconvenience to strengthen relationships and skills.
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Envelope Errand Tale
- Kurt Vonnegut described buying a single envelope as a joyful outing full of chance encounters and small talk.
- Israa Nasir uses this story to show that convenience can strip everyday moments of surprise and connection.
Convenience Rewires Patience
- Removing friction through technology reduces our capacity to tolerate delay and discomfort and rewires reward pathways in the brain.
- Israa Nasir argues younger people may lack practiced patience because they've never experienced prolonged delays of gratification.
Movies Became Solo Rituals
- Streaming transformed movies from communal events into solitary, immediate experiences that erase anticipation and shared conversation.
- Israa Nasir links the loss of delay to fewer social bonds, less critical thinking, and diminished shared cultural references.
