Why that Fitbit might not be so good for you

USA TODAY columnist Steven Petrow offers advice about living in the Digital Age.

Let me ask you two questions to start:

• Did you get a Fitbit, Jawbone, or other health tracker over the holidays?

• Was one of your New Year’s resolutions to walk more, get healthier?

I don’t want to throw mud in your eye or trip you up when you’re barely out of the gate, but those two resolutions just might not go hand in hand. Why’s that, you ask?

Here’s the lowdown: Duke professor Jordan Etkin recently finished a study called “The Hidden Cost of Personal Quantification” that will be published in the April 2016 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research. What she found sure surprised me, especially as a new Fitbit user.

Conventional thinking goes like this: If we have more information about how many steps we take, how many calories we burn, and how many hours we sleep (or don’t) we can make changes to live happier, healthier lives. Alas for us, Etkin discovered the “unintended consequences of personal quantification,” which she says may decrease our enjoyment in an activity (like walking), which then leads us to do less of it — which is certainly not healthier.

When I asked her how she came to do such a study she explained that she’d given her own dad, an engineer who likes numbers, a Fitbit to measure his steps, stairs and more. “He seemed very focused on those quantitative outcomes,” she said, “and as a result he became much more stressed about how much he walked.” And it wasn’t just him. “Even though tracking output can encourage us to do more,” Etkin said, “it also sucks the fun out of activities we previously enjoyed, which makes us enjoy them less and be less likely to keep doing them in the future.”

By the way, if you’re hoping that her study doesn’t apply to the Apple Watch or the new Fitbit Blaze (a smartwatch due to be released in March), think again. Said Etkin: “Yes, absolutely. The findings are relevant for any fun behavior that people start quantifying, regardless of the specific device used.”

THE TAKEAWAY:

• If you’re a weekend warrior or the competitive type, keep right on counting and trying to outwalk your friends.

• If tracking feels like work, stop doing it: For instance, if you find yourself stressing out about the numbers, think again about whether the health tracker is right for you. Adding an evening walk to help reach your daily goal is a good thing — but doing it while angry and stressed because you “have to” is not a health plus.

• Make your own decision: Don’t start tracking because everyone else is doing it or you think a tangerine-colored Fitbit will look good on your arm.

Agree or disagree with my advice? Let me know in the comments section.

Submit your question to Steven at stevenpetrow@earthlink.net. You can also follow Steven on Twitter: @StevenPetrow. Or like him on Facebook at facebook.com/stevenpetrow.