Fitness trackers and applications that transform physical activity into a competitive pursuit by monitoring performance might inadvertently discourage individuals who are less active from engaging in exercise, according to recent research.
The latest generation of wearable fitness technology, including devices like Fitbits and Apple Watches, often fosters a sense of competition among users, whether they’re vying against friends, unknown counterparts, or even their own previous achievements, all in an effort to foster a culture of exercise.
Discouragement
Nevertheless, a joint study conducted by Warwick Business School and the National University of Singapore has unearthed a counterintuitive outcome. The study reveals that presenting individuals classified as ‘inactive’ with evidence of their performance decline could potentially hinder their motivation to participate in physical activities.
“Wearable tech and mobile apps that adopt a competitive, game-like approach are used increasingly to nudge people towards healthier behavior,” the researchers explain. “But our findings indicate that in some circumstances, they can have the opposite effect.
“It is much easier for inactive individuals to forgo exercise, so designers need to boost their confidence by comparing them to participants who are inferior to them.”
Comparable performance
The study discovered that individuals who were not very active were more inclined to step up their walking or running distances when they were presented with how their performance compared to that of others.
Interestingly, these less active participants were also prone to cutting down on their exercise if they were informed that their ranking had seen a significant improvement. This reaction might be attributed to their being more content with quick advancements and subsequently slipping into a sense of complacency.
People who engaged in moderate and regular exercise, on the other hand, tended to be driven by their own performance enhancements and were responsive to prompts that urged them to monitor their progress.
For the most enthusiastic exercisers, a healthy dose of competition emerged as a powerful motivator, particularly when pitted against an evenly matched rival. On the flip side, individuals with lower activity levels displayed a diminished inclination for personal competition, possibly because they held lower confidence in their ability to outdo others. Consequently, they didn’t derive the same level of excitement and stimulation from direct head-to-head rivalry.
“Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, it is critical for developers to consider what motivates different users and provide customized information based on their exercise patterns,” the authors conclude.
