Reminder emails about a step bonus raised walking, but the gain faded
Who it’s about: Adults
- Helped
With a two-week step bonus, people who got reminder emails walked about 330 more steps a day.
Large randomised trial of 2,055 users of a step-reward app with a Fitbit · vs the same step bonus without reminder emails · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ student thesis, not checked by other scientists; summary claims more than the results show
- Mixed
The reminder group still walked about 300 more steps a day for two weeks after the bonus, but not later.
Large randomised trial of 2,055 users of a step-reward app with a Fitbit · vs the same step bonus without reminder emails · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ student thesis, not checked by other scientists; summary claims more than the results show
The study
Who took part
2,055 people who used the AchieveMint rewards app with a linked Fitbit, probably in the US. People who already walked a lot were left out. Age and sex were not reported.
What they did
For two weeks, everyone earned 40 times the usual points for steps: $40 instead of $1 for every 200,000 steps. One group also got a starting email with a calendar of bonus days and seven reminder emails. The other group got the same bonus with no extra emails. Fitbits recorded everyone's steps.
What happened
During the bonus, the reminder group walked about 330 more steps a day than the other group, about 5,800 against 5,600. In the two weeks after the bonus ended, the gap was about 300 steps a day. Three to four weeks after, there was no clear difference. This is from an unpublished thesis, and its summary claims a lasting habit that the numbers don't show.
Source
Essays in Behavioral Economics (2015)
Tools in this study
Rule · how5
Get a reward or payment for doing itIncentives, prizes, lotteries or points for doing it.
