Up to the challenge
A little friendly competition can help fuel the desire to maintain a fitness routine
When it comes to motivating people to exercise, social networking seems like the ideal tool to make it happen. Connecting individuals with like goals and interests and supporting people trying to make lifestyle changes are what social networks are all about. Yet even though most fitness apps talk a big game, there’s little evidence that their ability to create an online exercise community actually translates into more people working out more often. In fact, the science behind the ability of social media to boost exercise among the masses lags significantly behind the marketing of the idea. And unlike traditional group exercise, which functions within a specific time and place, the engagement of online fitness communities knows few such boundaries. But it’s clear that when it comes to connecting exercisers online, there are two distinct strategies; support and competition.
In support-based social networks, members are each other’s cheerleaders, support squad, sounding board and information hub — with the goal being to help members realize their individual exercise goals. The other brand of social network appeals to those with a more competitive nature, using leaderboards and rankings to motivate exercisers to elevate their game by way of sharing the success of others.
Given the popularity of both approaches, but realizing the lack of data regarding which results in more people achieving their exercise goals, a research team from the University of Pennsylvania decided to test their effectiveness.
Using an online registration tool, the researchers randomly assigned individuals (primarily university students) signing up for a university fitness program into one of four groups, each with a different type of incentive.
The first set of exercisers formed the research team’s control group. They weren’t placed in an online community, but were eligible to receive a $20 gift card if their attendance ranked among the top 10 per cent of their group.
The second group was placed in a six-person network that kept competitive rankings based on individual activity levels. The rankings and activity levels were shared among the whole network with a $20 gift card offered to the top 10 per cent based on their attendance record. The group members had no opportunity to interact with each other but were able to view all the rankings, which were anonymous.
The third group featured six-person teams with teammates able to have direct contact with each other through a chat group. Team members could see the individual attendance records of everyone on their team, as well as the collective attendance of the group. They were encouraged to communicate and support each others’ efforts by way of the chat group. Rewards were presented to the individual members of all teams whose collective attendance record put them in the top 10 per cent.
The fourth group was a combination of social support and competition, with individuals placed on six-person teams complete with the ability to communicate with each other but also to compare their team’s attendance against the other five teams. All members on the teams who ranked in the top five per cent of attendance received a $20 gift card.
Surprisingly, it was the individuals in the competitive social networks (the second and fourth groups) that logged the highest rates of attendance. The addition of a little competitive spirit resulted in attendance 90 per cent higher compared to individuals who were part of a supportive social network.
“We found that social comparison in online networks provided a significantly greater source of social incentives for increasing physical activity than social support,” said the research team.
The suggestion that competition better motivates people to get moving than social support offers a unique insight as to what makes exercisers get up off the couch. It also provides valuable information to teams, employers, schools and other groups who are trying to get their own communities to be more active. Keeping in mind that competition doesn’t motivate everyone and that this particular study involved only university students, it’s still worthwhile to consider ways in which a little friendly rivalry can be used as motivation to get more people moving more often.
Popular fitness apps like Strava and Nike Run Club play on the competitive theme. They have leaderboards and allow users to track the progress of active friends.
And while there are opportunities to give friends a virtual high-five, the main focus of both apps is on sharing exercise stats within a community of like-minded individuals, complete with monthly challenges.