Prevalent elements of consumer wellbeing in wearable technology use: An interdisciplinary systematic review and future research agenda

Abstract

The impact of wearable technology (wearables) on user wellbeing requires closer examination given the growth in adoption across multiple domains including workplaces, leisure, and healthcare. This paper consolidates research on consumer wellbeing and wearables through an interdisciplinary systematic review of 23 empirical journal articles from psychology, information technology and business domains. Our analysis highlights the principal conceptualizations of wellbeing and offers insights into theories, methods, and key variables in these studies. The findings reveal an overemphasis on adoption and usage of wearables in the literature; a narrow definition of wellbeing; and a limited range of theoretical and methodological perspectives. We propose that future research should be holistic, drawing on mainstream wellbeing theories and examining micro, meso, and macro level conceptualizations of wellbeing. Employing diverse methodologies such as longitudinal, time sampling, cross-sectional, qualitative, and quantitative approaches, and randomized control trials. We develop a framework outlining avenues for future research to extend current understanding in this research domain.