Smartwatches Offer Little Insight Into Stress Levels, Researchers Find (theguardian.com)
(Friday August 08, 2025 @11:30PM (BeauHD)
from the emotional-overlap dept.)
- Reference: 0178618310
- News link: https://science.slashdot.org/story/25/08/08/2150214/smartwatches-offer-little-insight-into-stress-levels-researchers-find
- Source link: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/aug/08/smartwatches-offer-little-insight-into-stress-levels-researchers-find
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian:
> They are supposed to monitor you throughout the working day and help make sure that life is not getting on top of you. But a study has concluded that smartwatches [1]cannot accurately measure your stress levels -- and may think you are overworked when really you are just excited. Researchers found almost no relationship between the stress levels reported by the smartwatch and the levels that participants said they experienced. However, recorded fatigue levels had a very slight association with the smartwatch data, while sleep had a stronger correlation.
>
> Eiko Fried, an author of the study, said the correlation between the smartwatch and self-reported stress scores was "basically zero." He added: "This is no surprise to us given that the watch measures heart rate and heart rate doesn't have that much to do with the emotion you're experiencing -- it also goes up for sexual arousal or joyful experiences." He noted that his Garmin had previously told him he was stressed when he was working out in the gym and when excitedly talking to a friend he had not seen for a while at a wedding. "The findings raise important questions about what wearable data can or can't tell us about mental states," said Fried. "Be careful and don't live by your smartwatch -- these are consumer devices, not medical devices."
The research has been [2]published in the Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science .
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/aug/08/smartwatches-offer-little-insight-into-stress-levels-researchers-find
[2] https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fabn0001013
> They are supposed to monitor you throughout the working day and help make sure that life is not getting on top of you. But a study has concluded that smartwatches [1]cannot accurately measure your stress levels -- and may think you are overworked when really you are just excited. Researchers found almost no relationship between the stress levels reported by the smartwatch and the levels that participants said they experienced. However, recorded fatigue levels had a very slight association with the smartwatch data, while sleep had a stronger correlation.
>
> Eiko Fried, an author of the study, said the correlation between the smartwatch and self-reported stress scores was "basically zero." He added: "This is no surprise to us given that the watch measures heart rate and heart rate doesn't have that much to do with the emotion you're experiencing -- it also goes up for sexual arousal or joyful experiences." He noted that his Garmin had previously told him he was stressed when he was working out in the gym and when excitedly talking to a friend he had not seen for a while at a wedding. "The findings raise important questions about what wearable data can or can't tell us about mental states," said Fried. "Be careful and don't live by your smartwatch -- these are consumer devices, not medical devices."
The research has been [2]published in the Journal of Psychopathology and Clinical Science .
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/aug/08/smartwatches-offer-little-insight-into-stress-levels-researchers-find
[2] https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fabn0001013
Thanks, Cpt. Obvious (Score:2)
by Mr. Dollar Ton ( 5495648 )
"Stress" is not a physical-only thing. The medical definition is something like:
> Stress can be defined as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation.
So unless your smartwatch can reliably determine that you're in a difficult situation and you're experiencing mental tension caused by it, it is showing you something else. Now, consider how would you do a software that determines whether you're in a stressful situation by the data from the sensors that are typically on a smartwatch. Is the data you need to determine "difficult situation" and "mental tension" there? Can you prop
Awareness is not action (Score:1)
Just ask any smoker or vaper. They are aware it is awful for you- then they light up anyways.