Life as we know it. Together our. Personal drama competition rivalry marketing numbers atmosphere power fight at times intuition love hate money. Stands for arms fire stamps and. On you tube joining us. According to what ive already taken 2628 steps today and i got 7 hours of deep sleep thats about average this devise can even determine my mood seriously but is that really a good thing how healthy is self optimization autopsy today on shift. Do it get enough exercise eat the right food head. I had enough water today and i relaxed enough according to a recent survey about 33 percent of the global population has already tried out Digital Health records the market for fitness wearables has tripled since 2017 and it looks set to grow much more say experts why are we so obsessed with self improvement and is there something wrong with not according to a psychologist you would have minus doth. The principle self optimisation is a part of our developing further which is one of the human fundamental needs its a part of all of us but there is a difference when we talk about self optimization this entails reaching optimum capacity reaching a certain. And this is often linked to self value and status. We try to get fitter and its better to improve our bodies but what about our minds well also apps and gadgets that contract our mental well being and in these times of crisis many are starting to use such trackers but how do they work i took a closer look. No question the world is asked more often its also what ive been asking myself for days now ive been using delio to track my mood in the morning at midday and in the evening i can choose from 5 emotions this morning i would say that im good. I tell delio what im doing how im feeling and translates this data into statistics. There ill hold a variety of triggers Available Online they are almost like digital a place to record and a cavity. Evaluate this information and draw conclusions about Psychological Health complex and these apps can simplify complex matters in such a way that they might end up being not used. Delio can only track my mood when im using it actively it doesnt know what happens in between and that information doesnt turn up in the statistics. I dont think the ad was that useful for me personally but it could be helpful to record ones daily activity in order to recognize certain patterns but to do so you already have to know yourself quite well. That take other factors into account that quite a bit. That im in the office its time for the next test field wristbands can measure the sweat on the user skin this information will be linked to mood related data. I will input my mood into the app now thats a joyous because i get to see my colleagues the responded to some biometric data on my Blood Pressure for example and translates them into emotional patterns and will recognize them when im joyous in the future. I dont know how precise these measurements are but on the basis of my responses to questions about concrete situations be able to propose certain mindfulness exercises there are all kinds of variables such as these on the market now some claim that they can recognize a use emotions to their boys others detect and measure brain activity all these head bands wrist bands rings measure physical data and give advice on how to improve Mental Health some even say that they can help people to overcome depression but you did most of has some warning words in this regard. We should remember that we should never transfer responsibility for our own life to the psychological well being of our health to a digital it can be helpful to use them but its very important not to use them responsibly and to be aware of the risks. After work i like to switch off and this news had been says it can. Help according to the makers it uses 7 senses to detect the brains electrical activity which it then transforms into understandable experiences so the user can wind down and meditate if im not calm i will hear sounds of a storm which will remind me to concentrate on my breathing if im feeling calm i will hear light summer rain. I can hear some very light rain and some wind. And from time to time there from the chirping that indicates that im really relaxed but not over. What im talking the wind is getting heavier and the rain very real truth so i think a bit of concentrating now. I would say that new trick is going to help people to go about their everyday life in a more mindful way but it is important to not relinquish full control and to not take them and the exercises they prescribe to seriously i doubt that such gadgets can really have users with serious Mental Health issues for now people can still decide themselves whether they want to use these quantified self apps and devices but what if they didnt have a choice what if their employers ordered them to use a mood tracker. Lots of work multitasking and difficult exercises this is daily life at tiny a start up based in munich the founders vision of the future is one where employees only receive as much work as they can actually carry out the idea is that software should a lot there were loads automatically so that the software can do this well you have to wear a device that measures the polls all the time and theres a camera the films their faces the idea is to measure their stress levels and emotional states and then their workload can be calculated. It is one of the developers he says hes not interested in surveillance or storing data flow. Is that which of these. Scribed is the perfect state between the feeling of being under challenge billboard and the opposite which is being stressed and swamped that place in between when someone is challenge who can cope with the task in hand in his flight flow. But do we really want a world in which software can get such a deep insight into an employees emotional state Phillips Lasalle leg from the German Research center for Artificial Intelligence things not. Dont want a situation in which such Software Leads to the surveillance of employees with the result that someone might be fired if they dont perform adequately or if theyre going through a rough patch personally and the system detects that its with subsequent negative consequences this has to be prevented. At this munich startup employees have to actively agree to be tracked but will this always be the case these systems force people to share intimate information how is the data used and by whom. Of course apps must collect data to quantify progress for example in Health RelatedResearch Apple has collaborated with academics and published a variety of studies based on Data Collected by volunteers and their smart watches it might sound like a win win situation but im not so sure about giving that bunch of personal information to a private company. Health absent as trackers collected data when users are sleeping eating and exercising but they also gather other information for example regarding location users often have no idea what is done with their data benedict book now is a lawyer who says the terms of use are frequently formulated in a very vague way. And Many Companies are just connecting information and dont even know what they want to do with it but sooner or later there will be some kind of commercial use for the data right now data is already being sold for targeted advertising to certain groups and individuals Health Insurance companies are also very interested in such data some of them are already offering cheaper rates to policyholders who agree to track their own Health Related data the system for this is great for those who are healthy its not so great for those who are not in the end it leads to people being selected according to their risks to the super. User should think very carefully about the amount of personal information theyre willing to divulge to some shops. Data protection is obviously a big issue but do the apps even do what they say they will all kinds of new fitness apps and gadgets flooding the market theyre supposed to encourage us to exercise more without a trainer but do they really work. Theres a wealth of research into the question of whether it makes a difference if a person uses an app and tracks their activity or not and so far what its shown is that it makes a huge difference to peoples motivation many are more likely to commit themselves to their health and stick to it if they track their activity and see visible progress but it is not yet been proven that this actually makes an impact on health and whether users really do more exercise we just dont know that yet. In addition some fitness apps can actually increase the risk of physical damage Artificial Intelligence and instructions ideas can help people tailor physical activity to their own needs so that people are more likely to hurt themselves if they do the exercises wrongly and cant ask a real life instructor for advice. If a user wants to do something right there is a lot of work involved a good trainer will have a certain experience that. Trainers made of flesh and blood still have an Important Role to play. And that doesnt just go for fitness apps even small devices can have shoots drawbacks a friend of mine wanted to track all the stages obviously to optimize his sleeping pattern but he got sore stressed out by the whole process that in the end he couldnt sleep at all and that might be helpful for some but not for others its very important to find the one thats right for you this is what the expert says you dont mention is that individual or generous in is unique and not even the best dabs can map all the highly individualized elements that make a person and help them to develop an app make suggestions based on the aggregated data so it can never be tailored precisely to just one individual basically no user should ever follow is just blindly but always ask whether it really makes sense for them personally. However for a person in crisis any kind of support is better than none at all so even if it would make more sense to talk to a professional and help with at least give an indication of the direction somebody wants to move in and how they might want to develop so i would say use the apps but make sure you always question their advice. About. Hard. What about you have you used fitness apps and have they helped you reach your goals. On social media on d w dot com if you want to find out more about these gadgets check out our you tube channel but for now and see those who. Are out. In the north. Going on. Germanys only on on the open sea a day trip is nice but its better to stay 2 off 3 days on the island that makes a real difference its the ideal place to slow down and relax chicken. Next on. In the height of climate change. For christmas or. Whats in store for such a one has to have for the future cooking the books. Come pretty megacities multimedia insight click enter. Global ideas is on its way to bring you more conservation. How to make signals greener how can we protect habitats we can make a difference global ideas fundamental series again global 3000. 00 on d w and on mine. One square kilometer off red rock in the middle of the north sea this is how it will end germanys only high seas island. Enjoying nature letting the wind blow all around you and relaxing thats what many people who come here