With the rise of modern technology, life is becoming easier than ever as we seek to remove every kind of friction or inconvenience from daily life.

Every part of our life — from work to shopping and having friends — is becoming easier and easier. No need to commute, just open your laptop. Hungry? Order your food for pick-up, walk into the restaurant, and if you’re lucky, you won’t have to interact with a single human. Need a ride to the airport? No need to call a friend, there’s an app for that too.

Our many apps, services, and modern technology have allowed us all to self-isolate in the name of comfort. But is the ease and convenience really worth it? Could there be any downside to this self-inflicted isolation?

This tech-to-isolation trend has touched almost every area of our lives. Take work, for example. Following the pandemic, remote work more than doubled. U.S Census Data shows that “in 2019, around 9 million people worked from home,” but by 2023 “that number had soared to more than 22 million.” About one in five Americans work remotely according to the U.S. Labor Bureau. While remote work can certainly provide benefits and is very convenient, a majority of people report feeling less connected to their coworkers and having more work burnout when working remotely.

But it’s not just that people are working from home. Today there are a plethora of apps that can ensure that a person can go about their daily lives without interacting with others at all. Even most stores have delivery options, and every coffee shop chain has an order-ahead option, saving you the burden of making small talk with a stranger or wishing a barista a pleasant day.

Apps are not just saving people from interacting with strangers and their coworkers, but also their friends. If you need a ride to the airport, you could ask a friend to take you, but with Uber or Lyft just a tap away it seems silly to ask them. Also, isn’t it nicer to pay someone to drive you instead of inconveniencing your friend? If you get a flat tire and need help changing it, there’s also no reason to bother a friend, just make sure you get insurance that covers roadside assistance.

It definitely seems like the considerate and convenient thing to do is to handle our own issues either by ourselves or, if need be, an app. After all, not being a bother seems like the way to be a good friend, right? It’s also more convenient and less awkward than asking for help. But research studies show that asking your friends for help will actually strengthen your friendships, not hurt them.

A study published in the journal of Psychological Science explored how people view being asked to do a favor. Xuan Zhao, a science research scholar at Stanford University and co-author of the study, acknowledged that it can be “nerve-wracking” to ask for help. But she added that “in our research we found people underestimate both strangers’ and friends’ [desire to help].” Zhao noted that not only are other people more willing to help than we assume, but that “helping other people makes you feel good.” She added that “Still, we underestimate how positive others feel about doing us a favor.”

Not only are people more willing to help us than we assume, but asking a friend for a favor might make them like you more. Some studies show that “asking someone for a small favor actually makes them like you more than if you had helped them instead.”

There is a limit to this though, with studies showing that if the “favor becomes genuinely burdensome or feels exploitative, resentment can replace warmth.” So asking a friend to pick you up from the airport will bring you closer, but maybe don’t ask them to drive you to work every day.

Building close friendships through these interactions is not only good for one’s mental health but also our physical health. One of the longest-running studies called the Harvard Study of Adult Development followed 724 men for 80 years across their life to research what makes people healthy and happy. The study was overseen by Dr. Robert Waldinger, who summarized the findings simply as “good relationships keep us happier and healthier.”

The research found that not only does having friends make people happier but that “having someone to rely on helps your nervous system relax, helps your brain stay healthier for longer, and reduces both emotional and physical pain.”

The study also found that “Individuals with strong relationships were shown to not only have a lower risk of cognitive decline but also a significantly lower risk of premature death.”

In another study by Dan Buettner, he found that not only are close friends important for health but having a wide community of people is a good indicator of long life. Dan Buettner’s work found that “close-knit communities — where older individuals often live near younger generations and engage in daily social interactions — contribute significantly to the health and happiness of their residents.”

On the flip side, doing it all on your own by continually relying on apps instead of friends will not bring you closer to anyone and will only reinforce self-isolation. In 2025, a study published by the World Health Organization found that “loneliness and social isolation increase the risk of stroke, heart disease, diabetes, cognitive decline, and premature death.” They note that isolation “also affects mental health, with people who are lonely twice as likely to get depressed.”

In the moment, avoiding the awkwardness of asking for help or the slight inconvenience of doing someone a favor seems easy. But over time, choosing the easy frictionless path is making us all miserable.

In an age where loneliness and depression are on the rise and people feel more isolated than ever, investing in friendships and interacting with others is critical for our mental and physical health. It might seem easier in the moment to open an app for help instead of texting a friend. It’s certainly less awkward to grab your drink off a pickup shelf than try to get to know your local barista. But in the end, it’s creating a self-inflicted culture of isolation and loneliness.

If the antidote to this depression and self-isolation means a bit of effort and awkwardness to connect with others, surely it’s worth it in the end.

Happy and healthy lives are built through having communities and strong friendships. They are worth the effort and awkwardness. Ask your friends for help and offer it in return. Make small talk with acquaintances and strangers. Choose the healthier path, not the one of least resistance.

Katelyn Rafferty is a freelance writer.