The right kind of motivation is key when you have a difficult or mundane task at hand. For example, when I wanted to learn Spanish, I tried several top-rated, online language tools to no avail because they felt like work to me. Then, half as a joke, my boyfriend suggested an app that associates Spanish phrases with images of cats acting out the meaning of the words. The app was so silly I used it often, and — to our amazement — it actually worked.
So when I saw this story on MedCity News about a company that plans to use cat photos to motivate people to take their medicine, I knew they were on to something. As the story explains, the texts are part of an online assistant that will pair irresistibly cute cat images with health prompts so the reminders are memorable and fun.
The company, called Memotext, plans to pilot test this tool on Type 2 diabetes patients (followed by patients with other chronic illnesses) to gain insights on the patients' state of mind when they skip or forget to take a medication. They also hope to learn more about what can be done to change patients' behavior so they're able to follow their medication regimen better.
“We’re not only asking whether you did something, but why did you do it,” said Amos Adler, the company's founder and president. Based on what I've learned about motivation so far, I think a cute cat text or two probably can't hurt.
Previously: “Nudges” in health: Lessons from a fitness tracker on how to motivate patients, Study offers clues on how to motivate Americans to change and Understanding the science and psychology of how habits work
Photo courtesy of Anna MacCormick
