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Beyond Biometrics
Why Human Subjectivity Matters in Physical Health Outcomes
In recent years, medicine has been on a rampage to correlate measurable physiologic markers with health outcomes. For instance, low heart rate variability (HRV) has been associated with a higher risk of death from any cause. And walking an additional 1000 steps per day can help lower the risk of all-cause mortality. Also, eye movement characteristics can be used as biomarkers of Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, schizophrenia, and other diseases.
Despite these seemingly promising predictors of health outcomes, the chase after biometrics—these physiologic markers—is fraught with “fine print” exceptions that complicate their value. For instance, HRV has chaotic signatures that need to be considered for its proper use. And while the number of steps per day may impact mortality, the intensity of steps may not be as important, though other studies have demonstrated that exercise intensity matters.
In the search for objective measurable correlates, these complexities are often missed, and the more subjective aspects of the human condition have been relatively ignored despite indications that they may play significant roles in health outcomes and mortality.
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