Study Reveals Negative Psychological Effects of Fitness Trackers

Islamabad – A new study has revealed that fitness and calorie-tracking devices may have negative psychological effects, including feelings of shame and frustration among users who fail to meet their targets.
Researchers from University College London and Loughborough University conducted the study using artificial intelligence to analyze thousands of posts on X.
The study examined 58,881 posts related to five of the most popular fitness apps, highlighting potential downsides of these widely used tools. After filtering the data, researchers identified 13,799 posts that expressed negative emotions.
According to the findings, users reported feelings of “shame” when logging unhealthy food, “annoyance” due to frequent notifications from apps, and “disappointment” when they were unable to achieve their fitness goals.
The researchers concluded that while fitness tracking apps can be helpful for promoting healthy habits, their design and constant feedback mechanisms may also contribute to emotional distress among some users.