A closer look
Fitness tracking apps are heavily designed to motivate you, but they routinely hijack a primal instinct that makes you completely miserable. By constantly shoving the highlight reels of elite runners and cyclists into your feed, apps like Strava force your brain into a state of continuous upward social comparison. Instead of feeling proud of your five-mile jog, your brain contextualizes it against an Olympian's marathon pace, transforming genuine personal achievement into feelings of chronic inadequacy.
