Introduction 

Wearables have become a part of everyday life. They are a part of a routine that guides us toward a healthier lifestyle. As at 2023, over 300 million people used wearables globally, and this number is expected to double by next year. Remember that these devices started off as watches with basic physical health metrics. 

Yet, today, they have evolved into tracking tools for even the most subtle wellness metrics like stress and recovery. In fact, the chances of you wearing one while you read this are quite high. It could remind you to stand, take a deep breath, or get some rest. Incredible as that evolution sounds, wearables have some way to go in monitoring emotional fitness. 

Emotional fitness goes beyond physical well-being. It encompasses the mental and emotional conditions that shape how we experience life. What drives these emotions are neurochemicals in the body, such as dopamine and oxytocin. As such, emotions like stress, joy, and love have measurable biological underpinnings. Luckily, there is an emerging focus on emotional fitness through wearable technology. Companies like SIX are at the forefront of exploring the intersection of neuroscience and technology. But, how far have they come? 

Evolution of Wearables

To understand how far wearables have come, we must first appreciate their progress over time. Wearable technology started with the simple promise of movement. It helped you count your steps, hit your goals, and feel accomplished. One of the earliest devices that did this was Fitbit. Fitbit made wearable technology accessible, encouraging users to move more and sit less. Little did we know that this was laying the foundation for wearable fitness culture.

Over time, wearables became more sophisticated. The Apple Watch introduced heart rate monitoring. WHOOP advanced strain and recovery metrics that were particularly great for athletes. Fitbit even included advanced sleep tracking. These innovations transformed wearables into comprehensive health tools. They became capable of measuring more complex metrics. This includes heart rate variability (HRV), respiratory rates, and even oxygen saturation. Sleep scores are now a staple feature, helping users understand how deep sleep and REM cycles influence their energy levels.

Despite these advancements, most wearables continue to focus on physical health. Metrics like HRV offer a glimpse into stress levels, but they fail to provide a comprehensive picture. Emotional fitness, for the most part, remains uncharted territory. Meanwhile, society’s awareness of mental and emotional health continues to grow, highlighting the need for more comprehensive tools. It’s clear that the next frontier for wearables is emotional well-being.

The Gap in the Market: Emotional Fitness

The majority of today's wearables excel only at tracking physical fitness. They do well to identify physical markers of stress. But there's no shying away from the fact that they struggle to address emotional fitness. Both are crucial to an individual's well-being. However, only one gets the bulk of attention from wearable technology. The most obvious reason for this is that physical fitness markers show up in biometrics. Emotional fitness markers, like fulfillment, joy, or contentment, are, in contrast, harder to quantify.

Emotions are indicators of one's circumstances, mood, or relationship with others. They are driven by complex neurochemical interactions. Dopamine, for instance, rewards us for accomplishing tasks, thereby boosting motivation and pleasure. It's like your body telling you, "Well done, I'm proud of you." Another example is oxytocin, which deepens our sense of connection with others. Bonding activities and physical touch are general triggers for its release. It is often referred to as the “love hormone.” These two are vital to recognizing and nurturing these emotional states. They are key to mental fitness, but few wearables address them directly.

This gap leaves users with an incomplete picture of their health. It's not enough to know that you’re stressed after a tough day. A full picture should show the moments when your brain was all-in and thriving, filled with joy, focus, or motivation These are called “Key Moments,” which are instances that flood us with dopamine or oxytocin. Key Moments are critical to understanding emotional fitness. SIX not only understands but also addresses this.

How SIX Bridges the Gap

SIX addresses this gap by focusing on emotional health. The company was founded by Dr. Paul Zak, and is built on 20 years of neuroscience research. The result is that it doesn't just show you stress signals. Instead, it interprets wearable data through a neuroscience lens to identify Key Moments. Which is outstanding for wearable technology. SIX is an application that is compatible with most common wearables on the market, including the Fitbit, Garmin, Oura Ring, and Apple Watch. The app transforms wearables from passive trackers into proactive emotional fitness coaches. With its algorithm, it can track, guide, and offer insights that can help you create a life filled with more of what brings you joy and helps your brain and body thrive.

SIX turns heart rhythm patterns into actionable insights. It focuses on analyzing subtle changes in heart rhythm. These changes are directly linked to the release of neurochemicals. These include dopamine, oxytocin, ACTH, and cortisol. The first translates into Value, which is the emotional impact. The others measure Safety, which is the comfort and confidence found in an experience. 

We don't have conscious access to the way our brain is connecting in the moment, but SIX gives insight into that. By mapping these neurological signals, SIX identifies Key Moments when your brain and body are fully aligned. These are moments when you feel confident, engaged, or energized. It uncovers the wellness activators you may not have consciously been aware of. It also helps you self-reflect on the activities that you should prioritize, as they contribute to your overall wellness. These activities range from picking up the phone and catching up with a friend, to taking a walk outside instead of doomscrolling. 

SIX has published research to show that people who get 6 Key Moments a day are more likely to report better mood, energy, and overall thriving. This is why the app is called SIX! The app allows you to label these experiences. This enables its algorithms to learn what uniquely supports your emotional well-being. It also operates passively throughout your day. This means it can capture live scores that reflect your emotional state without disrupting your routine. With its calendar sync feature, you can pinpoint which activities boost your mood and energy as well as which ones drain you. These insights empower you to prepare for challenges and cultivate resilience.

The app also provides a weekly summary that highlights your top five and lowest five moments. This offers a clear view of trends, such as your best day or time of day. Additionally, it provides a two-day forecast of your mood and energy. Actionable tips accompany this forecast to enhance your emotional well-being.

Future of Wearable Tech

As wearable technology advances, emotional health is likely to become a growing focus. Imagine devices that not only track your mood but also predict it. This will provide effective solutions to help you manage your emotions. Well, this future is closer than we think. Technologies such as smart rings and mood-sensing earbuds already exist. So, we're getting a glimpse into it. Soon, these devices will go beyond recording data to providing real-time recommendations.

The potential to turn even mundane parts of our daily lives into highly curated and personalized  experiences based on these insights is remarkable. Imagine being suggested to listen to a specialized playlist curated to stimulate feel-good neurochemical release, based on your wearable detecting rising stress levels. Or even personalized food recommendations and diets based on dopamine levels and your unique brain chemistry. It has the power to make dietary decisions easy, and revolutionize the food industry.

The precision with which this could occur is exciting. And, SIX is leading this evolution. Unlike traditional wearables that focus mainly on physical metrics, SIX takes a holistic approach. It is designing technology that prioritizes emotional well-being. It is thereby ahead of the curve when it comes to merging neuroscience with fitness tech.

Looking ahead, advancements in AI will further refine these capabilities. We can expect wearables to become smarter. We can also expect it to become a part of our lives and routines. The future of wearables isn’t just about tracking our sleep, calories, and steps. It’s about understanding, informing, and ultimately improving our emotional health.

Conclusion

Your body already knows what feels good and fuels you, it's encoded in the neurochemical signals that guide your emotional responses. But these are happening at an unconscious level, and feelings aren't always easy to unravel. Now, technology can help decode your brain and body and show it to you in real-time. Now you can see the data behind the dopamine rush of completing a goal or the oxytocin warmth of a shared laugh. Advancements in wearable devices are finally catching up to emotional well-being, turning innate knowledge into actionable insights. 

As wearables evolve, they’re becoming more than just fitness trackers. They’re companions in well-being. They help us experience a life filled with purpose, connection, and joy. By focusing on emotional fitness, SIX isn’t just tracking. It’s empowering. It is leading the charge on emotional wellness, and you should follow.