H.I. stands for Human Interaction and the H.I. Initiative is a proactive approach to counteract the decline of social interaction and its associated increase in social anxiety and mental health issues.
We started with the H.I. Experiment for a 6 week trial from 20 January to the end of February 2020. At the end we asked dancers if we should continue and concensus was that we should.
On Mondays we're asking dancers:
- Please do not use your phone in the hall 📵
- If you need to use your phone, then please go to the foyer or somewhere else
be present - talk to other dancers - have a dance!
Since 2016 we've noticed that more and more dancers on all nights, young and old, are spending more time on their device at an activity aimed at bringing people together and focussing on community.
There are many reasons to get your phone out: from seeing when the next bus is due to exchanging contact details. All we ask is that dancers go outside the main dance area to do these things.
- The one thing ruining your free time ↪
- BBC presentation by Harvard Business School assistant professor Ashley Whillans
- "It's easy to fall victim to 'time confetti' - unpleasant moments or tasks during our leisure time that spoil our relaxation"
- Dancing is our relaxation time, don't let the world outside the room ruin it
- How cell phones are destroying the Relationships ↪
- YouTube video by Simon Sinek (author and motivational speaker)
- Includes the subconcious reaction to phones and how it impacts our relationships with each other
- Four Japanese rules to live past 100 ↪
- A BBC Reel article
- At Fevah we cover two of them: exercise and a social group!
- Addiction to Technology is Ruining Lives ↪
- YouTube video by Simon Sinek (author and motivational speaker)
- "addiction to technology is leading to addiction and costing relationships, jobs and personal satisfaction"
- This is How Smartphones are Making us Stupid ↪
- YouTube video by Simon Sinek (author and motivational speaker)
- "One of the most valuable takeaways from this study is that it doesn't seem to matter whether your smartphone is turned on or off—or whether it's face up or face down on a desk close to you...Just having your smartphone within sight can reduce your proficiency on cognitive tasks that require your undivided attention"
- How your phone damages trust ↪
- "Research has found that the mere presence of a phone in the room can reduce subjects' ability to focus."
- Introduces the term phubbing - being snubbed by someone's phone!
- I need to know the time - can I quickly check?
- Great point and this was raised as a concern by other dancers so we've now put the time on the playlist projector at all venues
- What if the babysitter needs to get hold of me?
- Been there! Parents need a break - we used to tell our babysitters not to bother calling us at dancing as our phones are off and to call 111 instead if there's an emergency
- Alternatively just go to the foyer to check every now and again
- Surely one person using a phone isn't an issue?
- It's really noticeable when everyone else is 'present' for each other and one person gets their phone out - regardless of the reason, it indicates disconnection from everyone else there and being in the here and now
- See the 2nd video above
- I get social anxiety and using my phone helps
- You're not alone! We're a friendly bunch here and this is the place to give - others have felt the same
- Hiding behind a screen is just a poor coping mechanism, chances are someone else might be feeling a bit anxious - reach out and reconnect
- If it gets serious then leave the hall for a while (I've done this a few times back in days before smartphones existed)
- Great idea!
- Liked the new seating and the tables 🤗
- I thought it looked beautiful and inspiring. Great effort.
- You should do this on every night!
Just as humans took little notice of climate change until global warming was well underway - we are also ignoring the signs of disconnecting from each other even in an environment such as social partner dancing!
- Social - i.e. get social, be social, connect!
- Partner - another human being who happens to be in the same room!
- Dance - be present, dance, enjoy the environment, take a break from technology!
More people are now aware and concerned about climate change despite having had warnings decades ago.
We're in a similar position now to where we were a decade ago with global warming - there is plenty of talk about the side effects of the overuse of technology and the harm to relationships - but we're now taking the initiative early on and doing something about it!
