Do you use fitness apps regularly? Are fitness apps worth it?
Fitness tracking apps help you identify, quantify, and measure your progress toward goals in various areas of your life. Trying to reach goals isn’t inherently harmful, but Adam Alter argues that the culture around goal-setting is toxic for three reasons.
Continue reading to learn what these three reasons are.
How Fitness Apps Cause All-Around Perfectionism
Fitness apps can be helpful for those who care about their health, but it may come as a surprise that they can be addictive. So, are fitness apps worth it? Here are the reasons why Adam Alter says you shouldn’t download that fitness app.
It demands perpetual personal growth. Reaching a goal won’t satisfy you because until you reach a state of all-around perfection, there’s always more work to be done. When you reach your goal, you’ll just set another—and this means that you’ll never be satisfied with what you’ve achieved. (Shortform note: Experts say that it’s easy to fall into the perpetual personal growth trap because society is constantly demanding more from you—in part, this is fueled by the self-help industry’s endless discovery and promotion of new, better ways to be you. According to these experts, true happiness comes from accepting yourself, flaws and all, as you are in this moment, rather than always aiming to become someone better in the future.)
It’s numeric. Assigning numeric values to your goals can help you measure your progress, but these numbers are compelling, and it’s easy to hyperfixate on them to an unhealthy degree (for example, by pushing through an injury to beat a swim record). (Shortform note: The phenomenon known as Goodhart’s law helps explain why numeric objectives aren’t always the best success metric. Goodhart’s law states that once you prioritize achieving a specific numeric target, you may inadvertently distort the original purpose of the goal and compromise the quality of your efforts. This can lead to harmful behaviors (like risking further injury to meet a swim goal.)
It’s outcome-oriented. You’re more concerned with the achievement than the process of getting there, so you might not take time to enjoy the process. Furthermore, the joy you derive from the outcome itself is fleeting: Outcomes are short-lived compared to processes because they represent a single point in time. Once achieved, the positive feelings they evoke fade rapidly. (Shortform note: In One Small Step Can Change Your Life, psychologist Robert Maurer explains why focusing on the process can make you happier than focusing on outcomes: When you focus on the process, you notice and appreciate the subtle details of your life and achievements, and your appreciation is prolonged rather than momentary.)
Alter says technology facilitates and amplifies the toxicity associated with perfectionistic goal-setting in three ways:
First, some technology imposes arbitrary goals, as when a language learning app recommends that you complete three lessons a day. (Shortform note: Arbitrary goals can make your mental load (the cognitive work you do to manage your life) heavier than necessary. To avoid maxing out your mental load, choose goals that are intentional over preset targets dictated by a developer who wants you to use their app. If you’d like to learn a new language, set your own pace based on your personal preferences, schedule, and learning style. You may, for example, benefit more from an in-person class than three AI-powered lessons per day.)
Second, some technology encourages obsessive progress-checking—for example, if a weight loss app prompts you to track your weight, you might feel compelled to weigh yourself more often than is healthy. Wearable technology can exacerbate this by providing constant feedback on your progress. (Shortform note: Obsessive checking behaviors are rooted in self-doubt and concerns about your well-being. They’re typically associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder as well as body dysmorphia and eating disorders, but they can also signal general anxiety. For example, if you’re worried about your finances, you might feel compelled to check your bank account multiple times a day, making sure you haven’t overdrafted.)
Finally, some technology creates social pressure to perform by giving you plenty of opportunities to compare yourself to your peers (for example, you might notice your selfie got fewer likes than a friend’s). (Shortform note: Professional performers, including athletes, often experience crushing pressure to perform because they’re being watched by a large audience that counts on them for entertainment and emotional (and even financial) satisfaction. When you use social media, you create a similar condition for yourself by turning yourself or your life into content to be consumed, which creates the sense that you’re always being surveilled and harshly judged.)
