How nudges help motivate virtual race participants

Life is busy, and we’ve all got too many things to remember to do. A tide of to-do lists washes over us daily. It’s hard enough remembering all the things we HAVE to do like… buying milk… or turning out the light… or emptying the dishwasher… or changing the oil. …

Research shows that virtual races can double exercise rates

As companies seek to promote fitness using monatary rewards and gift cards, a key solution often gets ignored. New research by the University of Pennsylvania shows that simply putting people in a competition can nearly double their workout levels. “Competitive groups frame relationships in terms of goal-setting by the most …

Fitbit Charge charts a wild heart and calm mind

A few days ago I bought a Fitbit Charge. A colleague had praised its heart rate monitor’s accuracy and I wondered about my own heart rate when running up hills. According to the Charge, my heart rate goes up and down more than I’d previously realized. A lot more. I’d always pictured …

What will be 2017’s top fitness equipment? Your brain.

Americans spend $6.5 billion every year on exercise equipment. More than 50 million of us — one in five adults — have fitness club memberships. Companies like Fitbit spend nearly $50 million dollars a year just advertising their tiny fitness devices.  Google “best fitness equipment,” and the first thing you …

Why a longer commute makes me 4X happier

I’m writing this on a Friday evening while travelling on the Triangle Transit 405 bus from Durham to Chapel Hill. What started a few weeks back as a one-day experiment has turned into an psychic journey that’s been full of pleasant surprises. A photo posted by henry copeland (@wonderfill) on Sep 9, …

How far away is a Racery virtual race?

A new study suggests that words with front vowels are perceived to be closer, while back vowel words are further away. For example, you might say that a town called Fleen was closer than a town called Floon… that is if anyone asked. 🙂 Funnily enough, this means the vowel …