Fitness apps may demotivate users, study finds
Popular fitness apps may backfire, causing guilt and disappointment, a new study reveals.
Why it matters
- Fitness apps might demotivate users, leading to negative emotions.
- Highlights potential downsides of tracking fitness and diet.
By the numbers
- Nearly 60,000 social media posts analyzed.
- Around 13,000 posts contained negative keywords.
- More than half of the negative posts mentioned MyFitnessPal.
The big picture
- Unrealistic goals and guilt from not meeting expectations can harm motivation.
- Activity-tracking apps can make exercising feel like a chore.
What they're saying
- Some question the study's methodology, noting it only looked at negative posts.
- The study may not represent the overall user experience.
Caveats
- Study only analyzed negative posts, potentially skewing results.
What’s next
- App developers may need to address unintended consequences of their products.