The Danger of a Frictionless Life

A little over a week ago, I read an article in the Wall Street Journal titled, “Don’t Get Too Comfortable. Your Quality of Life Depends on It.” It was very interesting. Then, a couple of days later, I listened to Wynne Leon’s podcast The Life of Try, where she invited Lindsey Goldstein, author of Gap Year, to discuss personal growth and courage.

Wynne paints the premise of the novel this way:

“When in the span of a few days, Jane’s daughter leaves for a gap year, her husband informs her that he’s in love with someone else, and she’s forced to choose between a promotion or to quit her job, she decides to take her own gap year. She goes to Ecuador to climb the mountain she’s always wanted to, Cotopaxi.”

Interesting, isn’t it?

Well, I saw a connection between the podcast and the article, which argues that modern life—especially with increasingly frictionless technology and AI—is removing the challenges and effort that humans biologically need in order to thrive. It goes further by explaining that while convenience and instant comfort may feel good temporarily, they can also lead to stagnation, loss of resilience, and a diminished sense of vitality.

In a time when everything seems stuck and the news cycle is driving us crazy with nonstop bad news, it is good to step back and re-engage in meaningful activities in order to improve our lives.

The author of the article, Moshe Bar1, introduces the concept of “progression,” which means continuously adapting and growing through manageable challenges. Progression is not about constant productivity or achievement, but about engaging in activities that expand physical, mental, and behavioral capacity over time. According to the article, research suggests that this kind of forward movement improves mood, strengthens resilience, supports brain plasticity, reduces inflammation, and contributes to healthier aging.

The article identifies three major areas where progression matters:

Physical progression — Exercise benefits the body most when it gradually becomes more challenging through increasing endurance, strength, or skill. This process builds lasting capacity and improves overall health.

Behavioral progression — Small meaningful actions, such as taking a walk or reconnecting socially, help break cycles of avoidance and depression. Momentum and energy often come after action begins, not before.

Mental progression — Healthy thinking involves exploration, curiosity, and openness to new ideas. In contrast, repetitive worry and rumination are linked to anxiety, depression, and reduced vitality. Expanding one’s thinking improves creativity, flexibility, and emotional well-being.

The article contrasts progression with passive pleasures like scrolling social media, overeating, alcohol, or endless entertainment. These activities may temporarily soothe discomfort, but they do not strengthen a person’s abilities or resilience.

Ultimately, the author argues that long-term well-being comes not from comfort or achieving isolated goals, but from sustained forward movement and engagement with meaningful challenges.

The article concludes with this:

“Human beings are optimized by effort.”

Most of us don’t have the ability or resources to go to Ecuador and climb Cotopaxi, but go ahead and tackle those things on your list that you have been postponing for whatever reason. Get your shoes on and go for daily walks. Volunteer for that organization you have been researching for months but are still “thinking about.” Grab that book from your pile and start reading it. Pull out that journal you bought at the beginning of the year that is still sitting brand new on your desk and write your first entry.

Whatever that thing is, just do it, and start your progression toward a better life.

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moshe_Bar_(neuroscientist) ↩︎

63 thoughts on “The Danger of a Frictionless Life”

  2. Hi, Edward. I absolutely understand your point. Some parts of me agree. I guess it’s one of those topics where I can’t “make a global statement” — that, for me, it depends on a lot of things. There’s no “one size fits all” and no universal prescription. I could achieve a lot more personal growth if I didn’t have to spend all my energy just to do the basics. At this point, I need smooth satin, rather than rough burlap or static electricity produced by friction. LOL. Have a wonderful rest of the week. Hugs.

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    1. Thank you, Teagan, and you are absolutely right. Life has a vote, so there is definitely not a “one size fits all” answer. All we can do is do the best we can within our abilities every day. Same to you, my friend. 🤗

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  4. It’s good that you clarified the kind of ‘friction’ that improves lives, Edward: … “progression,” which means continuously adapting and growing through manageable challenges.” (The ‘manageable challenges’ part here is important).
    Many humans live in friction, but not the kind that’s healthy or contributes to growth – physically, mentally, or behaviorally. I don’t think I know anyone who lives a ‘comfortable life’, most folks are physically and mentally exhausted from work, duties, and life traumas….

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    1. Thank you, Rose, for your comments. The “comfortable life”—that’s a subject that can generate conversation for years to come. Those areas that you mentioned are problematic for a lot of people, me included. For me at least, I’m focusing on getting rid of unnecessary things in my life that can cause additional stress, like the news. I hear so many people giving an hour-to-hour commentary on everything that is happening in this country, which is exhausting if a person decides to follow everything closely. Cutting something so simple as following the daily news has improved my mental wellbeing 100%. So, I continue to search for those little things that I can remove from my life so I can focus on the big rocks. The Stoics were right when, in essence, they said that our main goal should be to focus on what we can control and accept what we can’t. This, of course, is a day-to-day battle.

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  5. engaging in activities that expand physical, mental, and behavioral capacity over time…

    As I get older, I realise how important it is to stay engaged, connected, and involved. The mind thrives when we challenge ourselves and push our limits.
    A very interesting piece, Edward.

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  7. A wonderful post, Edward! You touched here the essence of personal growth, which ultimately is linked to a more meaningful life. Loved how Lindsey Goldstein dealt with the intense turmoils that hit her life. Decisions taken in negative emotional and mental states rarely lead to good places. This is a golden rule for me: to not decide under pressure or if I am not stable or calm. Otherwise, I will have to deal with one more problem—regret. Thank you for the encouragement to keep progressing, which can be as simple as embracing small challenges of everyday life. A great read, my friend! Lots of light and blessings your way today and always! ✨🙏🍀🌞

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    1. Thank you so much, Susana. I agree with you, and I also don’t like to make decisions under pressure unless it is an emergency. I like to take my time and evaluate everything before taking action. Blessings to you as well, and I hope you have a wonderful rest of the week. 🙏🏼

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  8. Thank you for the article review and the great reminders, Edward. I firmly believe in all of your tips at the end of the review, and try to adhere to most of them. That said, I do a fair bit of procrastinating from time to time. My “want to do” list is long, yet achievable.

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    1. You’re welcome, Terry. I have a few items on my to-do list, like getting my piano keyboard out of the box and re-engaging in my “learn to play piano” goal. I’m planning to start again this summer. Sometimes we get distracted by life and start putting things off.

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  9. I’d rather be in nature than in social media. It’s very contrasting result. I find peace and entertainment in nature rather than scrolling feeds.

    This is a great reminder for a fulfilling life, in my perspective.

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  10. A thoughtful and timely reflection. Modern life keeps removing every inconvenience, yet some of the very things we try to avoid—waiting, effort, struggle, even silence—are what shape patience, resilience, and depth of character. A completely frictionless life may feel efficient, but not necessarily meaningful. Your post raises an important question: in making life easier, are we also making ourselves weaker?

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  11. i agree, we do need challenges, puzzles and situations that lead us to solving or finding solutions that work – it keeps us (and our mind) active and engaged and away from becoming bored and stagnant

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  12. Fascinating, Edward. “Human beings are optimized by effort.” That is such a concise way to put it. But I’m surprised that forward movement reduces inflammation — that’s an interesting finding.

    Thanks for the shout out to my podcast! I love your suggestions of what we can do to keep growing. Yes! Great post, my friend!

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    1. You’re welcome, Wynne. You know how much I like your podcast, and this particular episode was awesome. Exercise, and movement as a whole, is a beautiful thing, but sometimes we don’t think about the inflammation part that affects so many Americans because of our lifestyle.

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  14. Growth is so important to human thriving and I agree that we need to stap outside our comfort zone, especially as we age.

    I love the idea of a mid-life gap year to enable exploration of different ideas and activities. I think this will become especially importat in an age of longevity where careers and lifespans will be extended.

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    1. Oh my goodness, yes, especially in this country, where it is expected that people work until age 80, it seems. There is a point where people need to take a break, like a gap year, and follow their dreams to get energized so they can finish the race strong.

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  15. I’m not sure why I’m admitting this, but I have loads of issues with eating for comfort, but I didn’t realize it for, oh, 38 years because I thought that food was more about enjoyment and fairness. For example, as a fat person, I don’t know why I can’t have an ice cream cone on a hot summer day—like everyone else! At least, that’s what my brain says. Why not me, too?? Since then, I’ve learned more about the relationship between anxiety (WHICH I HAVE) and food as a self-care tool. I’ve learned other self-care techniques, but food is still on that list. It’s just not #1. I recently read more about anxiety and how it manifests in three ways: genetic, learned from your environment, or it becomes a habit. Can you believe that? It has really changed my way of thinking about mental health.

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    1. Thank you very much for sharing your personal experience. There was a time when I was obsessed with junk food, particularly Cheetos. I was assigned to an operations center, sitting at my desk or in meetings for 12+ hours, and junk food was my distraction. I gained way too much weight, but I regained my balance once I left that job. I totally believe your point about anxiety because I learned techniques to cope with it after the military, and I learned a lot from therapy. It’s very serious stuff if not treated.

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      1. 100%. I thought I was a responsible, functioning adult until I went to therapy and realized that most of what I was doing was to ward off anxiety. For example, whatever I needed to take with me the next day for work, it had to be packed and ready and right by the door. When my therapist challenged me to not do that one day, I forgot a bunch of my stuff, but her point was that I didn’t die. That’s really hard to go to therapy to learn that little things aren’t going to kill you.

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  16. Interesting! Not to belabor the point but I wonder how the folks from 1932-1945 would have reacted Perhaps these thoughts signify that maybe things today are not as bad as they seem. Best regards Phil

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    1. Thank you, Brad. The author brought up some excellent points, and they made me think about things that I need to adjust in my life, also. Well, life is a marathon, not a sprint, so we have time to adjust.

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  24. This. Good stuff Edward.

    I used to be very aware and focused on this type of progression… until a couple really traumatic life events hit.. during which.. I became increasingly passive.. although I did write… researched .. engaged with wood kits and crafts… blogged… etc… buuut I also neglected physical progress ( which I knew better than to do.. )
    Before my hibernation of sorts I would ride my bike for miles, lift weights.. work for hours in the yard.. it was a commitment to growth… being whole… to my own life ) and then a part of me.. just gave up .. and hours that were spent in motion morphed into hours on line.
    But God is good.. and no matter how many times we get knocked down.. in Jesus.. we rise again.. and I have begun to reengage as I can ( still recovering from COVID) with growth..

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    1. Thank you so much, Kimberly, for your comment and for sharing your experience. I think we all have those feelings at one time or another. The important thing is to never give up, begin taking small steps to reengage the best way we can, like you said, and continue to grow. God bless you, my friend. 🙏🏼

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  25. Edward, great post! 👏 So much to chew on here. Agree that our lifestyles are becoming increasingly frictionless and passive and I think it’s a vicious cycle… the more depressed and lethargic we become, the harder it is to yank the wheel to the left and get back on the road.

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    1. Thank you, Darryl. You’re spot on, and I sometimes fall into that trap if I’m not careful. That’s why I like what the author said about sustaining forward movement. You’ve got to break that cycle and engage with life

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