Red, turns to yellow, turns to green: The ticking traffic lights of our happiness.

Red: Stop. 🔴

We were given restrictions against technology, no matter how much it made our lives easier. Parents used to restrict the use of technology. Technology was just another addiction waiting to destroy our eyesight and dim our brain cells. 

Yellow: Slow down 🟡

We slowly started letting digital devices into our lives and started accepting the change technology brought with it. We started welcoming the evolving technology, ready to see what electronics can give us. We removed the red sign and replaced it with a tentative, hesitant yellow one. We understood that it is a part of our lives and is only there to make our lives better. Technology is nothing but a door to a better future. 

Green: Go 🟢

The yellow light soon turns to green, believing technology to be beneficial.

In today’s world, technology has become a necessity for us. It is so deeply embedded in our lives that a lot of things are not possible without the help of electronics. 

The smile on the face of a mother while talking to her child in Canada, the happiness in the heart of a girl talking to her boyfriend thousands of miles away. The laughter of a soldier talking to his family far away and being able to see their faces and hear their voice instead of just conversing through letters. The laughter and happiness spread by the high-tech world is something that was never anticipated by us.  

Humans are social beings and it is essential for them to converse with other people. Covid was a big part of why we use social media to help us connect with the whole world. Quarantine lead to people talking to their families over video calls, and having formal meetings for work. It turned the world upside down as the whole world was working online. This need for connection turned into online games and trivia nights. Zoom and Skype calls made us feel closer to our families. Even in the domain of psychology, a significant change was brought about. Prior to the pandemic, people were less aware of their mental health. Covid changed this perception as we entered a realm where psychological help was not viewed as a stigma but was readily accepted. People started taking online therapies and were more aware of their mental health than before. 

Technology gives us happiness in different ways, the hesitation has turned into the readiness of accepting new updates in technology. It has been incorporated into the lives of people of all ages. A child playing video games, a teenager making friends, an adult dating, and a senior citizen preserving touch with his old friends. 

The changing shades of green, are a symbol of evolving traffic lights of happiness.

Aditi Sonthalia

Jindal School of Psychology and Counselling 

(Batch 2025)

Email id- 22jspc-asonthalia@jgu.edu.in