Michelle Segar on behavior psychology of tracking exercise in the Wall Street Journal
January 20, 2016
A recent Wall Street Journal article “Stop Counting 10,000 Steps; Check Your Personal Activity Intelligence,” describes a new fitness metric called the PAI — Personal Activity Intelligence — developed by Mio Global, a wearable technology enterprise. The metric is based on factors such as age, gender, resting heart rate, and other unique sources of quantitative data.
CPO Faculty Associate Michelle Segar suggests, however, that the gadget might lack behavioral data, such as energy levels, mood, and other non-quantitative motivators of exercise. “Fitness gadgets need to focus as much on behavioral psychology as on data,” she explains to the Wall Street Journal. Her research shows that individuals perform better when their goals are aligned with observable, short-term improvements.
For more on the science of exercise and motivation, watch her Positive Links Speaker Series Session.