Digital fitness tracking and psychological impact on athletes

Research studies conducted in Austria have examined the psychological impact of digital fitness platforms and tracking technologies on endurance athletes.

One study utilized a randomized crossover design with 40 active adults to investigate how active use of the social fitness platform Strava affects motivation, stress, well-being, affect, and sports behavior. The results indicated no significant interaction effects between the use of Strava and the measured psychological variables compared to a control group. While significant main effects of time were observed for subjective stress and sports behavior, they occurred independently of platform use.

A second study surveyed 130 hobby and competitive athletes to explore the relationships between attribution styles, intrinsic motivation, and the intensity of data tracking. The findings showed no significant differences in attribution styles based on gender or performance level, nor was there a significant correlation between attribution style and intrinsic motivation. Additionally, the attribution style did not significantly moderate the relationship between tracking intensity and intrinsic motivation.