A company has just launched a smartwatch-based system that measures heart activity measured at your wrist and creates metrics for “immersion” and “psychological safety” using algorithms that infer central and peripheral activity in the nervous system. The combination of the two is indicative of the positivity of the experience. The development is based on the work of Paul Zak who is best known for his research on oxytocin.

Immersion Neuroscience are now actively using the technology to evaluate responses to ads, video content and even live experiences. Although Paul Zak proclaims to have “democratized neuroscience”, it feels more like another way for big companies to monitor everything we do and shape our experiences accordingly. I stopped wearing an analogue watch many years ago, and I’m unlikely to start wearing digital versions any time soon. Would you wear one?

For more details, you can read Roger Dooley’s article in Forbes magazine here.