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Quantified self movement grows, but what do we learn?

Thanks to an array of gadgets and apps, we can track all sorts of personal information, but what does it really tell us about ourselves?

By Beth Teitell

 |  Globe Staff  

  May 08, 2012

At the moment the so-called quantified self movement is populated mainly by tech geeks, fitness devotees, eager dieters, and people with chronic health issues, but it’s starting to go mainstream. Devotees use wearable gadgets and apps to track all sorts of information about themselves—mood state, heart rate, sweat level, sleeping patterns, miles walked, steps climbed, and, with the Boozelyzer app, even post-drinking binge emotions. Why do they do it, and what does it tell us about ourselves?

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