Marketing, Technology, and Medicine: Recommendations on How to Incorporate Psychological Principles into New Technologies to Promote Healthy Behaviors

Abstract

Although technologies have provided new forms of entertainment and improved our work efficiency, they have also reduced our need to engage in healthy physical activities. We believe that the psychological principles that make sedentary entertainment technologies (such as television and video games) engaging can be incorporated into new technologies to make new technologies both engaging and promote healthy behaviors. This short report aims to 1) describe how technology has traditionally reduced motivation to engage in health behaviors, 2) discuss key elements that may make sedentary technology (in this case, television) engaging, and 3) provide examples of how these same elements can be incorporated into new technologies to increase engagement and promote health behaviors.

KEYWORDS:

• Behavior change
• mobile technology
• wearable technology
• mhealth

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Asha H. Smith-Dektor

Sean D. Young, PhD, MS ([email protected]) is Assistant Professor of Family Medicine and Executive Director, Center for Digital Behavior (@cdbucla), University of California, 10880 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 1800, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095.

Sean D. Young

Asha H. Smith-Dektor, PhD ([email protected]) is Scientist, Human Factors, Exponent Failure Analysis Associates, 149 Commonwealth Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94025.