The challenge of measuring how we feel

The waiting room buzzed softly with quiet conversation and the sound of forms being filled out. I’d just finished answering the usual intake questions—sleep, diet, mood—and then came the classic one we all expect: “How much energy would you say you have today, on a scale of one to ten?” I paused for a second. “Hmm… maybe a seven?” But here’s the funny thing: yesterday, I might have also said “seven,” even though I’d hardly slept. Tomorrow, if I’m racing between meetings and skipping lunch, my “seven” could mean something totally different. It’s not that we don’t try to answer honestly—it’s just that human self-reporting is, by nature, a moving target.

Why self-reporting falls short

Healthcare providers, wellness coaches, and even we ourselves rely on simple questions—How do you feel? How’s your energy? How are you doing?—but we’re asking the wrong messenger. Our brains aren’t wired for subtle self-assessment; they’re wired for survival. When you ask your brain how you’re doing, it does a lightning-fast scan: Am I dying? No. Is a lion chasing me? No. Then I must be… fine. But “fine” isn’t good enough—not when we’re trying to measure emotional well-being, mental health, and what truly helps us thrive.

The limits of raw biometrics

Smartwatches have transformed personal health tracking. They log your steps, sleep, and heart rate. But all that raw data still has a flaw: it only tells us about the body. A racing heart could mean you’re anxious—or falling in love. A low heart rate could signal calm—or exhaustion. Numbers can’t tell the difference between thriving and merely functioning.

This tension between raw data and meaningful data was the focus of a recent interview between Sage Growth Partners CEO Dan D’Orazio and Cardiac Electrophysiologist Dr. Kenneth Civello, which asked the critical question: Is consumer wearable data consumable in healthcare? They surfaced several important points:

• Though wearables now collect massive amounts of health data, much of it remains “not consumable” for clinicians due to poor standardization, workflow constraints, and limited interpretation training.
  
  

• Dr. Civello highlights a paradox: while devices have evolved from fitness gadgets to clinical tools—“They’re not just toys—they’re tools”—practical adoption still lags behind potential.
  
  

• AI and machine learning are essential for filtering through noise, enabling signal extraction that clinicians can act on in real-time.
  
  

• The healthcare paradigm is shifting: consumers are now armed with wearable data and expect collaborative, technology-integrated care—not just physician-directed decisions.
  
  

• Dr. Civello advocates for “collaborative intelligence”, where AI augments—not replaces—clinical judgment.

The bottom line from D’Orazio and Civello: consumer wearables hold immense promise—but only if the data is interpreted in ways that clinicians can actually consume.

From raw data to smarter data

That’s where SIX comes in. We aren’t just another app—SIX is the first solution to combine the smartwatch you already wear with over 20 years of neuroscience research. Instead of logging steps or heartbeats, SIX using proprietary algorithms built on decades of research to decode subtle, subconscious patterns in your physiological signals, translating them into reliable, meaningful indicators of mental and emotional well-being. These insights are immune to subjective bias and inconsistencies. Your smartwatch is smart—SIX just makes the data smarter.

Why this matters for healthcare and wellness

There’s no truly objective measure of well-being today. Clinics rely on surveys and memory-dependent self-reports; wellness programs on mood logs. But human recollection is flawed, and mood is variable. And “I’m fine” doesn’t provide clarity.

SIX changes that. With neuroscience-guided, real-time data interpretations, SIX empowers:

• Clinicians, to monitor patient progress objectively—whether post-medication, therapy, or lifestyle intervention.
  
  

• Wellness programs, to evaluate impact—from retreats to corporate initiatives—based on how people truly feel, not just what they report.
  
  

• Researchers, to leverage objective signals that uncover patterns, inform interventions, and elevate study rigor.

The future of well-being measurement

As Dan D’Orazio and Dr. Civello emphasized, the healthcare industry isn’t lacking data—it’s lacking usable data. We don’t just need more metrics—we need smarter, consumer-ready, clinician-useful insights. SIX fills that gap. Your wearable knows your body. SIX helps you understand your mind, illuminating the moments when you restore, connect, and thrive—and giving you tools to cultivate more of them.

A call to action for healthcare providers & researchers

If you’re a healthcare provider, wellness innovator, or researcher seeking an objective, neuroscience-based approach to measuring emotional and mental well-being, let’s collaborate. 📩 Reach out to hello@your6.com to explore how SIX can support your clinical programs, wellness initiatives, or research studies. The future of well-being isn’t just about tracking bodies—it’s about understanding minds.