"Study: Fitness Trackers May Fuel Shame Over Unmet Goals, Say Researchers"

A study by researchers from University College London and Loughborough University reveals that fitness and calorie trackers may induce feelings of shame among users who fail to meet their goals.

• Researchers from University College London and Loughborough University analyzed 58,881 social media posts to assess the emotional impact of fitness app usage on users in the United Kingdom.
• Using artificial intelligence, the study filtered posts to identify negative sentiments, highlighting how unmet goals from calorie tracking can lead to feelings of shame.
• The findings suggest that while physical fitness is important, the pressure from fitness trackers may counteract holistic health benefits, raising concerns in health psychology fields.