Flexibility Versus Routineness in Multimodal Health Indicators: A Sensor-based Longitudinal in Situ Study of Information Workers Journal Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • Although some research highlights the benefits of behavioral routines for individual functioning, other research indicates that routines can reflect an individual's inflexibility and lower well-being. Given conflicting accounts on the benefits of routine, research is needed to examine how routineness versus flexibility in health-related behaviors correspond to personality traits, health, and occupational outcomes. We adopt a nonlinear dynamical systems approach to understanding routine using automatically sensed health-related behaviors collected from 483 information workers over a roughly two-month period. We utilized multidimensional recurrence quantification analysis to derive a measure of health regularity (routineness) from measures of daily step count, sleep duration, and heart rate variability (which relates to stress). Participants also completed measures of personality, health, and job performance at the start of the study and for two months via Ecological Momentary Assessments. Greater regularity was associated with higher neuroticism, lower agreeableness, and greater interpersonal and organizational deviance. Importantly, these results were independent of overall levels of each health indicator in addition to demographics. It is often believed that routine is desirable, but the results suggest that associations with routineness are more nuanced, and wearable sensors can provide insights into beneficial health behaviors.

publication date

  • July 31, 2022

has restriction

  • closed

Date in CU Experts

  • January 17, 2024 3:41 AM

Full Author List

  • Amon MJ; Mattingly S; Necaise A; Mark G; Chawla N; Dey A; D'mello S

author count

  • 7

Other Profiles

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 2691-1957

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 2637-8051

Additional Document Info

start page

  • 1

end page

  • 27

volume

  • 3

issue

  • 3