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  • NEWS FEATURE

Happy with a 20% chance of sadness

Researchers are developing wristbands and apps to predict moods — but the technology has pitfalls as well as promise.
  1. Matt Kaplan

    1. Matt Kaplan is a science journalist and author based in Hertfordshire, UK.

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In the winter of 1994, a young man in his early twenties named Tim was a patient in a London psychiatric hospital. Despite a happy and energetic demeanour, Tim had bipolar disorder and had recently attempted suicide. During his stay, he became close with a visiting US undergraduate psychology student called Matt. The two quickly bonded over their love of early-nineties hip-hop and, just before being discharged, Tim surprised his friend with a portrait that he had painted of him. Matt was deeply touched. But after returning to the United States with portrait in hand, he learned that Tim had ended his life by jumping off a bridge.

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Nature 563, 20-22 (2018)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-018-07181-8

References

  1. Taylor, S. et al. IEEE Trans. Affect. Comput. https://doi.org/10.1109/TAFFC.2017.2784832 (2017).

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  2. Sano, A. et al. in 2015 IEEE 12th Int. Conf. Wearable and Implantable Body Sensor Networks. https://doi.org/10.1109/BSN.2015.7299420 (2015).

  3. Dagum, P. Digit. Med. 1, 10 (2018).

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