In this high tech age where we're surrounded by 'labour-saving devices', what are we really gaining?

No one can hold a door open for us when the sensor sees us coming and the glass panels slide apart. We can't talk about the weather as we start a conversation with an automated customer service phone line. 

Author Ian Bogost argues that modern conveniences not only don't deliver on their promises to give us more time or save us effort, but in fact 'rob us of moments that keep us grounded and human'. 

And we have become conditioned to see everything in life for its outcome rather than the process, he says. We are becoming more insular and isolated as there are increasingly fewer reasons to leave our homes to complete everyday tasks. Our jobs too, sitting at desks, are often repetitive and soulless, making us unhappy individually and as a society.

By striving for some big event which we believe will make our life better - the promotion, the expensive holiday - we're missing out on the 'small stuff', he says. We've become numb to the world around us.

Think about the innocence and wonder of a small child, seeing things for the first time, he says. Listen to the crunch of autumn leaves beneath your feet, the noise of a zip as you put on a jacket, the tap-tapping of your keyboard as you draft an email or in the bathroom, the magic of the automatic tap! 

By being present in the moment we can run our fingers over the ridges on the sides of a paper cup or stroke the velvet of a sofa. We can listen to the sound of a pencil as we write a note or feel the satisfaction of changing gear in a car. And think about how much we enjoy holding a book in our hands and turning the pages, rather than scrolling the screen of our phone or e-reader. 

There's joy to be had all around us, if we remember to look.