From Joyful Jog to Data-Driven Drudgery: Why Student Runners Abandon Smart Wearables in Campus Recreation

Abstract

Smart wearable technologies present a paradox for student wellness, promising data-driven enhancement while often diminishing the intrinsic rewards of physical activity. This study explores this tension, framing student runners’ abandonment of wearables not as a failure of motivation, but as a proactive psychological strategy. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory, we analyze semi-structured interviews to identify how this abandonment serves to restore thwarted psychological needs. Three key mechanisms are identified: (1) The reclamation of autonomy in response to a “dual performance” pressure, where runners resist data surveillance that mirrors academic quantification in order to restore embodied awareness and playful leisure. (2) The reassertion of competence, where technical inaccuracies and relentless social comparison erode self-efficacy, triggering a shift away from external validation toward intrinsic motivation and the simple joy of running. (3) The reconstruction of relatedness, which reframes abandonment as a pro-social act, where the alienation of superficial virtual communities prompts runners to seek authentic, real-world emotional connections. Ultimately, the study reveals that for students, abandoning wearable technology is a rational act of psychological self-preservation. Findings offer critical insights for university wellness programs and technology designers on how to better support student well-being by prioritizing intrinsic motivation over pervasive quantification.