Smart ring brand Oura has launched a new social feature, which enables users to share their sleep, readiness and activity.
In the Oura app, users can create up to 10 circles of fellow Oura users, to share key progress information with – according to the Oura blog.
According to Oura, the feature is a response to an “epidemic of loneliness” and the company says that there’s evidence that sharing data on key metrics can promote better habits.
Within the Circles feature, Oura members can create or join virtual “circles” with friends, family, and peers of their choosing — from a running group to healthcare providers. Within these circles, you’ll have the option to share your daily stats: your Sleep, Readiness, and Activity Scores.
Probably more interestingly for users, the principles of Circles play into common themes of building better behaviours.
Oura
Accountability is a huge part of rebuilding better behaviors – if you know your circle will see that you stayed up until 2 am playing Animal Crossing, or have low recovery because of drinking wine late at night, you’re less likely to succumb.
The same can be said for motivation – and this can help us stick to behaviors.
“Sharing bio-data, as with Circles, can provide a sense of connection where people might not otherwise be able to connect very often,” said Sofia Strömmer, a behavioral scientist at Oura said.
“For instance, you can form a circle with family who may live long distances away, and still feel connected in knowing they are well, and being able to reach out if they might not be.”
Look out for the new features landing in the Oura app.
How we test
James is the co-founder of Wareable, and he has been a technology journalist for 15 years.
He started his career at Future Publishing, James became the features editor of T3 Magazine and T3.com and was a regular contributor to TechRadar – before leaving Future Publishing to found Wareable in 2014.
James has been at the helm of Wareable since 2014 and has become one of the leading experts in wearable technologies globally. He has reviewed, tested, and covered pretty much every wearable on the market, and is passionate about the evolving industry, and wearables helping people achieve healthier and happier lives.