Nocebo Effect: Dangers of Checking Your Smartwatch Frequently—Is it Real, What is It?

The Nocebo Effect is a new study that researchers are focusing on and it is the opposite of the Placebo Effect known to many already. The new phenomenon closely relates to tech wearables, particularly smart watches, that have dangers in a user's frequent check on it, checking the progress and track of one's fitness.

Nocebo Effect: The Dangers of Smartwatches and Checking it Frequently

Ever looked at your smartwatch for little progress during one's workout or throughout the day? That is one of the effects of the "Fitbit anxiety," also dubbed by experts as the "Nocebo Effect." According to research from the University of Auckland's Kate Faasse and Keith J. Petrie, the nocebo effect is expecting the "worse" in every situation and ends up experiencing it.

Placebo is Latin for "I shall please" but its opposite, nocebo, is Latin for "I shall harm." And while the smartwatches' nocebo effect is not to harm a person, it expects the worse for them and puts them in a mindset that they will not achieve their fitness goals or expected results, thereby getting conditioned to the mindset and ending up not actually achieving it.

The Nocebo effect has a lot of mind effects and reasons for its trigger, not only in fitness goals.

Nocebo Effect: Dangerous says Studies?

The Nocebo Effect is dangerous because it brings harm and anxiety to a person instead of helping them in their required use of the product or technology. The so-called "Fitbit anxiety" also falls under this and according to Lifehacker, it is similar or related to nocebo.

Constantly checking one's tech wearable for any progress or update lingers in the mind and becomes an anxious thought of achieving said goal, but sometimes may lead to negativity and counteract it.

Smartwatches and their Helpful Features

Everything has pros and cons to its use, as well as its existence as there is balance in everything, so they say. TechTimes's various reports talked about the benefits of smartwatches and the helpful features it brings to everyday lives, but it also looked into the negative things that it brings to users, including the overuse of technology.

Indeed, smartwatches help in monitoring daily notifications and alerts, as well as health and wellness factors in the body. It also saves lives, particularly with the Apple Watch that detects heart rate changes and cardiac arrests that may be unknown to patients.

Everything has pros and cons and even though they have more advantages to give, users should also be wary of the overdependence and misuse of said technology.

It would not be a pro if it has a negative effect that brings a person in the long run, and with the so-called "Fitbit anxiety" and Nocebo effect in studies now, people should rethink their use of it. Smartwatches are extremely helpful now, but people should keep it more on the healthy side and as an accessory, not over depending and relying on it for updates each second.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Isaiah Richard