A growing number of Apple Watch users are abandoning their devices, citing psychological pressure from constant notifications to close activity rings and meet daily fitness goals.
Why it matters: The backlash against Apple’s gamified fitness tracking fundamentally challenges the decade-old assumption that constant activity monitoring and achievement-based motivation improve overall health and wellness.
Mental Health Impact: Medical experts and users report that the constant pressure to meet daily activity goals can trigger anxiety and obsessive behaviors. Studies show that motivation often drops when users can’t track their activities on their smartwatch, indicating an unhealthy dependency on digital validation.
- Anxiety over missed fitness goals
- Obsessive checking of metrics
- Decreased enjoyment of exercise
User Experience: Former Apple Watch enthusiasts describe a transformation from helpful motivation to harmful compulsion. Many report feeling bullied by notifications and experiencing guilt when unable to meet daily targets, leading them to prioritize closing rings over genuine wellness.
- Multiple daily notifications
- Guilt over missed goals
- Constant metric monitoring
Redditt User Sushithecake said, “I’ve fallen to the complete your ring thing, so far that is was always in the back of my mind. I feel ashamed but I’ve been taking walk at 11.30 pm just to complete my ring before midnight. I was feeling angry if I exercise and forget to activate the exercise app, adding the exercice manually through the health app on the phone later.”
Professional Response: Mental health professionals warn that the gamification of fitness can create an unhealthy relationship with exercise, particularly among those predisposed to obsessive behaviors or eating disorders.
- Increased eating disorder risks
- Anxiety about performance
- Diminished intrinsic motivation
Looking Forward: While Apple has not directly addressed these concerns, the company’s recent focus on rest days and recovery in watchOS updates suggests growing awareness of the need to balance motivation with mental well-being.
