I’m excited to share that the upcoming 2019 SharpBrains Virtual Summit will feature, on May 8th, a fascinating presentation and discussion with Dr. Margaret Morris, who spent 13 years as a researcher at Intel and recently wrote a very timely book — Left to Our Own Devices: Outsmarting Smart Technology to Reclaim Our Relationships, Health, and Focus (MIT Press, 2018).

Please learn more about the fantastic Summit Agenda and consider joining us!

To better understand Dr. Morris’ work and insights you can read this great book review over at Psychiatric Times:

Morris is a skillful storyteller and takes that challenge to task. Across eight easy-to-read chapters, she illustrates how people, most likely younger users, “hack” technologies to foster connection, mindfulness, and well-being. The chapters are centered around a collection of personal narratives from people who personalized their digital devices and experience positive results. Morris records these stories with a gentle, engaging, and upbeat tone that requires no formal background in either mental health or technology … This book is a good read for today’s digital health initiatives and for clinicians hoping to keep up to date in current trends in mental health technology. It reminds us that putting a device in a patient’s hands will often lead to outcomes that we could never have imagined. It also pokes holes in the once reigning view that robotics and chatbots are dehumanizing and antisocial. If anything, the narratives suggest that technology can help patients monitor their emotional states and improve sharing and connections. The book underscores how useful it is to study how patients use apps in real-world settings and to learn from their lived experiences.

Your take?