Looking at our data-perspectives from mindfulness apps and quantified self as a daily practice

Mindfulness apps offer an interesting object of study if one wishes to understand how a daily awareness type of practice can result in positive changes in an individual. Apps offer a concrete object for studying something as elusive as a daily practice and its consequences. When mindfulness practice is contrasted with daily self-measurement using various tools, the similarities help us to understand more clearly why also self-measurement can lead to positive changes in behavior and even to improvements in health. However, there are also notable differences. In particular, the role of acceptance towards any observations is currently little understood among QS, while it is an essential component in mindfulness practices. We are led to ask whether acceptance should be adopted as an conscious design principle also in QS.