Garmin & top researchers find sleep & exercise boost happiness
Does exercise really make you happier? Garmin is on a mission to find out. The company is teaming up with top researchers from the University of Oxford and Harvard on a massive study to explore how movement, sleep, and daily activity impact stress and overall well-being.
The first phase is actually behind us. But it was small—just 170 people over two months. The first results are in and it turns out there is a strong connection between staying active, getting good sleep, and feeling less stressed. For those of us who are mindful of these things, this comes as no surprise. Participants also reported being happiest when hanging out with friends and family or engaging in cultural activities.
The chart below highlights a clear rise in happiness as active calories burned increase. Having recently trained for a marathon, I’d bet that the steady climb would eventually level off—and start going the other way—once exhaustion kicks in.
The next phase of the study will be much bigger. Garmin looking to recruit 10,000 participants from different age groups and backgrounds to get an even broader perspective.
How the study works
You can join in on the fun on this link as long as there’s a Garmin watch strapped to your wrist. Other criteria are that you are over 18 and don’t have a neurological condition that affects daily life. With Garmin aiming to recruit 10,000 people, this could be one of the biggest studies yet on how movement and sleep impact mental health.
If accepted, you will get a quick survey three times a day, asking how happy you feel and what you’ve been up to since the last check-in. These will pop up on your phone, making it easy to respond on the go.
The pilot phase lasted two months. It gave researchers a detailed look at how daily habits impact mental well-being over time. Some participants even said the surveys made them more aware of how their activities affected their mood.
Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets
Once all the data is in we should get a clearer picture of how exercise and sleep contribute to mental well-being. This is something people often talk about but don’t always have hard data on.
Not the only study of its kind
Garmin isn’t the only one looking at how wearables can measure happiness. Fitbit has been used in studies at the University of Michigan, where researchers found that mood changes often line up with shifts in sleep patterns. The Oura Ring has also been used in research, showing that regular physical activity improves both sleep quality and mood.
What makes Garmin’s study stand out is the combination of large-scale data collection, real-time happiness tracking, and continuous smartwatch monitoring. With a long-term focus, we should learn exactly how different lifestyle habits contribute to better mental health over time.
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