Pebble data says the key to happiness is alcohol, yoga and friends

Plus a couple of tweaks to the mood and energy tracking experiment
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Pebble has taken the data of 10,000 users of its experimental Happiness app and shared the first graphs of its findings into what makes us happy.

According to the data, based on one week programs since the app launched in June, alcohol is the strongest indicator of happiness in the moment (though Pebble is keen to stress that's often short-lived).

Healthier activities to build into your routine include yoga, which comes second, exercise, socialising and meditation. Right down the bottom are commuting, meetings and work.

Not exactly bombshells but the charts make for interesting reading. So, for instance, Pebble users are happier in the company of friends than their partner or family.

And peak alertness and energy seems firmly set in the morning, dropping off all day with a small bump at 7pm when most people finish work.

Pebble data says the key to happiness is alcohol, yoga and friends

Head to Pebble's blog post by data scientist Heather Shapiro, published over on Medium, to view the full set of graphs and findings. It looks at mood, energy, groups of people, location, times of day and what times we're doing certain activities.

Shapiro concludes: "For individuals, the power of this data will be in identifying one's personal triggers for mood and energy, and understanding the flow of one's daily patterns. One can then use this information to optimize when/where/how to feel one's best, and also understand more deeply why they might be feeling certain ways in different situations."

Pebble also announced that it has added a couple of new features to the Happiness app. Namely, users of the app can now monitor their happiness levels for 10 or 30 days periods or indefinitely and there's now the option to check in and report your mood as many as four times per day.

We're taking part in our own Pebble Happiness experiment so look out for the results later this month. And let us know if you've used the app in the comments below.

Pebble data says the key to happiness is alcohol, yoga and friends




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Sophie was Wareable's associate editor. She joined the team from Stuff magazine where she was an in-house reviewer. For three and a half years, she tested every smartphone, tablet, and robot vacuum that mattered. 

A fan of thoughtful design, innovative apps, and that Spike Jonze film, she is currently wondering how many fitness tracker reviews it will take to get her fit. Current bet: 19.

Sophie has also written for a host of sites, including Metro, the Evening Standard, the Times, the Telegraph, Little White Lies, the Press Association and the Debrief.

She now works for Wired.


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