our competitive, service oriented societies are taking a toll on us. rather than improving life, multitasking, "user-friendly" technology, and the culture of convenience are producing conditions that range from depression to attention deficit to borderline personality disorder. this spreading malaise is an inability to manage negative experiences in an age characterized by excessive positivity & the universal availability of people & goods. stress & exhaustion are not just personal experiences, but social & historical phenomena as well. denouncing a world in which every against-the-grain response can lead to further disempowerment, he draws on literature, philosophy & social/natural sciences to explore the stakes of sacrificing intermittent intellectual reflection for constant neural connection.