Why your wearable health tracker can make you feel anxious

By Jennifer Murphy, Associate Professor in Psychology, University of Surrey

Millions of people use a wearable health and fitness tracker. These devices can be useful for monitoring activity levels, sleep quality and heart rate. But for some, wearables can have unintended consequences on wellbeing.

This is something I encountered recently. At a public talk, I got to chatting with a man who told me a story that stayed with me.

He’d just finished a long hike and felt great. Then he glanced at his smartwatch. Heart rate: 130 bpm. Instant panic.

About 30 minutes later he realised the cause: the altitude. Yet in that moment, he’d gone from…

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