In the digital age, health and wellness apps and smart devices are seamlessly integrated into our everyday lives. From mindfulness apps like Calm that alleviate stress to innovative gadgets like the Oura Ring that alert you when you’re fatigued or unwell, these high-tech tools can do anything. But are they truly enhancing or subtly undermining our physical and mental health?
Amid a booming wellness industry, tech tools are thriving. Studies tout the effectiveness of meditation apps proven to decrease levels of depression while fertility tracking has helped thousands conceive children, and smartwatch features like irregular heartbeat detection have saved lives.
Still, you may wonder if investing in a pricey gadget is necessary to tell you that your evening mindfulness practice is improving your sleep, or that you’re prone to losing focus at 3pm each day. Speaking from experience, those of us hooked on this continuous, real-time data crave the external reassurance that we’re doing all the ‘right things’ in the never-ending pursuit of a happier, healthier lifestyle.
Some health professionals believe that relying on technology under the guise of improving your wellbeing can develop into a form of addiction. Take mindfulness apps like Calm or Headspace – they essentially ‘gamify’ the meditation experience, potentially leaving the user dependent on their services. The uptake of users on these apps is also a direct response to increased levels of depression from our constant use of smartphones and social media, so we’re essentially replacing one addiction with another in the name of wellbeing.
Our addiction to wellbeing apps is amplified when they incorporate a social sharing element. Strava, for example, is a platform that allows you to share your workouts with your friends. It can feel unmotivating when you’re comparing yourself to others, beating yourself up when you’re not doing as well as they are — essentially the same feelings we get when using traditional social media platforms like Instagram or Facebook.
It is well documented that the inherently unsatisfying nature of social media keeps us longing for a fleeting moment of recognition or flattery, reducing us to nothing more than lab rats chasing a hit of dopamine. As Dr Anna Lembke, professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Stanford Medical School puts it, there can be a fine line between an activity that’s productive and one that has become obsessional. The key to breaking that loop, Dr Lembke says, is to take time away from these devices to see whether our use of them is “an act of purposeful self-determination”, or not.
There are also privacy concerns about how the companies behind wellness apps and smart devices are using our data. Although they’re providing us with a useful tool, some have come under fire for scraping our data and selling it to third parties. In June 2022, the overturning of Roe v Wade by the Supreme Court of the United States ignited concerns around the use of period tracking apps, with experts questioning whether the data collected by these apps could be used against individuals seeking abortions.
The case for using ‘welltech’ is compelling, however, when you consider the long-term cost and convenience of using an app or device to boost your health versus spending thousands of dollars on therapy, life coaching, or personal training sessions each year. Although a professional is arguably more effective than a piece of technology, it is less intrusive for those who prefer privacy and convenience. After all, it’s not as if your therapist can feed you real-time data about your mental state in the comfort of your own home.
There’s clearly a fine line between relying too heavily on apps and gadgets to better our wellbeing, and they’re certainly not going away. In fact, they’re becoming more effective as technology improves. Ironically, perhaps the key lies in mindful usage to leverage these tools to support, not dictate, our wellness journeys. Sometimes, there’s nothing better than ditching your step tracker and going for a nature walk or swapping out the mindfulness app for an in-person therapy session to truly better your wellbeing.
