Top 3 tech to boost our mental health

By , 2 October 2016 at 19:07
Top 3 tech to boost our mental health
Digital Life

Top 3 tech to boost our mental health

By , 2 October 2016 at 19:07

The power of future technologies to transform our day-to-day lives is unparalleled. One area that I am particularly fascinated with is the potential impact apps, gadgets and digital platforms could have on our mental wellbeing.

I hunted down three amazing inventions that are all aimed at boosting our emotional state of mind. Take a look…

The ‘brain-sensing headband’ Muse

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Rolled out by Interaxon, Muse wants to help take the guesswork out of meditation and offers real-time feedback on your mindfulness or meditation sessions.

While you are deep into your meditation session, the headband uses brain-sensing technology to ascertain whether your mind is calm or active. It then translates those signals into guiding sounds.

Features include a variety of soundscapes (Beach, Rainforest and Desert), milestones to keep you motivated, the ability to share progress with others and end of session results and graphs. After a one day trial, I can already say that this definitely gets my vote. Watch it in action here in their video.

Proactive Wearable anyone? Here’s Thync

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The next wave of wearables will physically do something to you.  They measure metrics that they believe reflect your emotional condition such as breathing, eye movement and temperature. Thync is one such pioneer.

Created by former MIT, Harvard and Stanford engineers, this ‘stick-on’ module needs to be placed on your forehead. An app then controls the stimulation it sends out. It triggers our inbuilt mechanisms for stress-relief by signalling nerves in our heads and necks to act on the adrenal glands. A must-try!

From the tips of your fingers… The Pip

the-pipWho knew our fingertips would be a hive of information about our fluctuating stress levels? The Pip asks you to gently press down with your thumb and index finger, and its sensors then evaluate your ‘electrodermal activity’, show you a real-time visualisation of this on your smartphone and then lets you pick one of many apps to lower your anxiety.

It allowed me to see how rising and falling stress is linked to our immediate thoughts. Give it a shot!

 

 

 

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