> Are people feeling like they are more fit because they walked to lunch "the long way" so they can reach the 10000 step goal that Fred from accounting has set for them?
I think it would be hard to argue that it DOESN'T make you more fit? If you normally have say 500 steps in a day, and the FitBit convinces you (through gamification, visibility into the metrics, or whatever it may be) to now take 2,000 steps in a day, then it's not a "feeling like they are more fit", it will indeed make them more fit (assuming nothing else were to change). The health benefit in 2,000 steps vs 500 steps is probably pretty cut and dry.
It's possible that spending time on those 1500 extra steps might help. However, it takes a decent chunk of time to walk 1500 steps, and there are so many forms of exercise you could do in that same time that might be far more valuable for your health... and a lot of them actually could be a lot more fun for most people if they take some effort to discover them.
I worry that these tools perform a sort of psychological trick on people that resembles a "denial of service attack", fooling them into thinking they are using their time wisely by just walking around more, even if the benefits are negligible & leading them to avoid exploring other options.
I think it would be hard to argue that it DOESN'T make you more fit? If you normally have say 500 steps in a day, and the FitBit convinces you (through gamification, visibility into the metrics, or whatever it may be) to now take 2,000 steps in a day, then it's not a "feeling like they are more fit", it will indeed make them more fit (assuming nothing else were to change). The health benefit in 2,000 steps vs 500 steps is probably pretty cut and dry.