Does Bryan Johnson name tell you something? With his BluePrint project, this entrepreneur from the tech community has made eternal life his life objective.
To reach the state of perpetual rejuvenation it aims at, the American monitors his vital functions constantly and assiduously controls his sleep and his diet. The battery of health professionals he hired and the tests to which he submits every day cost him two million dollars (!) Per year. Bryan Johnson is one of the many disciples of a movement born in California in 2007, the quantified self – in French “connected self -mesure” -, popularized by magazine journalists Wired. This advocates self-knowledge through figures, data.
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Know yourself … But at what price?
The spread of this movement was facilitated by the appearance of more and more connected tools, such as watches and other bracelets and, more recently, by the marketing of the Oura Ring, a discreet ring which harvested all kinds of statistics on the one that carries it on its finger. In recent years, the popularity of genetic tests like Ancestrydna also believes impressively. From the comfort of our living room, we can trace our origins or know if we carry certain diseases.
Why are we trying to measure everything-from our sleep cycles to our DNA-through data?
Tell me your DNA, I’ll tell you who you are
For psychologist Jacinthe Fortier, the obsession that we have to collect information thanks to genetic tests is intrinsically linked to an identity quest. “People seek to know their history and where they come from, to better understand who they are and where they are going; Whether they are their ethnic roots, their genetic heritage or family medical conditions, “she said. DNA tests provide individuals with a way of answering their questions, “giving them a feeling of connection, self-understanding and perhaps also control over their history.” According to Ms. Fortier, DNA tests prove to be a kind of lighthouse in the night, a way to help us erect certain benchmarks within the complex world in which we live.
Jeanne Maltais, authorized genealogist master and president of the Quebec Federation of Genealogy Societies, abounds in the same sense. “It has become a motivation to trace our ancestors, to understand where we come from,” she said last November at the Pénélope Mcquade microphone at the first Radio-Canada channel. I think it’s a quest that is still there, people need. Today, with exploded families and different family models, it is all the more interesting to know where we come from. ”
Cécile Petitgand, Ph. D., founder and president of Data Lama, a company of democratization of knowledge related to data and artificial intelligence, raises that the popularity of DNA tests has been stimulated above all by lower costs for consumers. “At first, this kind of test cost thousands of dollars and was really reserved for research institutes, for government organizations. It was completely democratized with the collapse of sequencing costs. ”
Why try to measure everything?
The ease of access to DNA tests, applications and other connected tools has certainly encouraged several to try to quantify certain aspects of their lives that they would not have thought of measuring before. But why is it stronger than us?
Ms. Petitgand believes that this tendency to want to know everything about yourself stems in fact from a movement that already appeared a few centuries ago: individualism. This one enters that one is responsible for his own life and brings his share of freedom, but also for constraints. When we were sick, once, we prayed to ask the deities to heal us. Then, with the XXe century has come “medical paternalism”, as evoked by Ms. Petitgand; That is to say that we relying on the doctor to tell us. With growing accessibility to technologies, individuals were able to collect their own information themselves.
Today, we have all kinds of tools to measure elements of our life such as the menstrual cycle, heart pressure, respiratory intensity or blood oxygenation. It is also part of a fear that comes with the freedom of individualism: the fear of uncertainty. We can no longer bear it, she believes. Now we have data, we have the possibility of predict. Science is not always exact, but it is believed that by always measuring more, we can control the future more. ”
For Jacinthe Fortier, our obsession with data can actually come from a need to have a certain grip on our life. “This behavior can give a feeling of control in a world where many factors escape our control.” We may also want to improve and optimize our health in general; The connected tools and the data they harvest often offer a way of quantifying our progress in various aspects of our lives. Finally, our desire to raise statistics can also be linked to the need to feel validated by its peers. “The sharing of health and well-being data, especially on social networks, can be linked to the search for social validation. Individuals feel motivated to share their progress to receive recognition. ”
Both sides of the medal
Combining data concerning us can be beneficial as much as harmful, depending on the degree to which we indulge in it. “Some people may find that following their data helps them set goals and remain motivated to adopt healthier lifestyle,” said the psychologist. We want to beat our own record, and we also motivate ourselves positively by sharing it with his peers.
On the other hand, excessive use of connected tools can lead to an anxiety spiral which can go as far as obsession or even dependence. “By dint of focusing on data, individuals can lose sight of their lived experience. This phenomenon can lead to disconnection with its internal sensations, to the detriment of emotional and mental well-being. ” In addition, too much compared to others can exacerbate our feeling of dissatisfaction or anxiety.
The president of Data Lama also warns us against the breaches of information. “There are significant legal risks. Health data, if recovered by the bad person, can be used in a discriminatory manner. ” It mentions the example of an insurer who could refuse to ensure us by making calculations from data obtained without our consent. She also notes that certain diagnoses are sometimes likely to overestimate when using excessively connected gadgets. “Do I want to know everything about myself, even if it means being worried?” Asks Ms. Petitgand. Cardiologists have noticed to receive lots of calls from people who put the Apple Watch and who signaled cardiac alerts which were false, she notes. In addition, these objects do not all go through Health Canada or the US Food and Drug Administration. They are not all validated medical instruments. They can mislead. “
A question of balance
“The technology and quantification of our lives can offer tools for better functioning, but it is crucial to adopt a conscious and balanced approach, ensuring that this data does not become a burden or a source of psychological suffering,” said Fortier. She tells us that we must remain vigilant and not be obsessive by them. “The data must serve mainly goals which promote the healthy functioning of a person and not a search for obsessive control or external motivations such as social validation,” she adds. The psychologist considers that we must keep in mind that perfection is neither realistic nor necessary and accept natural fluctuations. She advises us to take time in our everyday life to detach ourselves from our connected tools in order to focus on real experiences and encourage human interactions. And above all, we remember that all these figures are far from representing our history and which we are in all our complexity!
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