Haptic Feedback for Improved Interoceptive Awareness and Mental Well-being

September 8, 2026 updated by: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Haptic Feedback for Improved Interoceptive Awareness and Mental Well-being: A Comprehensive In-the-Wild Study for Wellness

This study investigates the relationship between heart-beat haptic feedback on interoceptive awareness and mental-wellbeing. Previous research showed non-significant results in short-term emotion regulation tasks when given heartbeat haptic feedback, suggesting the need for an extended adjustment training period to build trust with interoceptive feedback systems. To address this, the experimenters propose an in-the-wild study where participants wear a Bangle.js smartwatch for one week each under two conditions: (1) Real heartbeat feedback and (2) Off-set heartbeat feedback. This design aims to examine the influence of haptic feedback on psychological characteristics, including alexithymia, anhedonia, depression, anxiety, and general mental health. The experimenters will also explore the usability and comfort levels related to prolonged wearable use, as well as the participants' ability to distinguish between real and off-set heartbeat feedback, particularly across different levels of alexithymia traits.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
29

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Massachusetts
      • Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, 02142
        • MIT Media Lab

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • High alexithymia score at screening (TAS-20 >= 50)

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Severe psychiatric condition
  • Any type of heart arrythmia

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Real heartrate feedback
Participants wear a smartwatch during all waking hours which delivers vibration pulses at a frequency matching the current heart rate sensed by the smartwatch
Device: Heart rate feedback from smartwatch
Participants wear a smartwatch during their waking hours which delivers pulses of vibration which can be matched to the frequency of the current heart rate (real condition) or heart rate from one hour ago (sham condition)
Sham Comparator: Sham heartrate feedback
Participants wear a smartwatch during all waking hours which delivers vibration pulses at a frequency matching the heart rate from one hour ago as measured by the smartwatch. The time delay means that feedback does not match the current heartrate but maintains the overall descriptive statistics of the participant's heartbeat.
Device: Heart rate feedback from smartwatch
Participants wear a smartwatch during their waking hours which delivers pulses of vibration which can be matched to the frequency of the current heart rate (real condition) or heart rate from one hour ago (sham condition)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale
Time Frame: Difference from measurement at the start of each arm to end of each arm (1 week span)
Measured by the standard scoring procedure in each lab visit at the start of the week. Decrease is considered an improvement.
Difference from measurement at the start of each arm to end of each arm (1 week span)
Interoceptive accuracy
Time Frame: 1 week (difference between SensHB at the start of each arm and the end of each arm)
Interoceptive accuracy measured using SensHb (slope of the correlation of estimated heart rate with smartwatch-recorded heart rate measured over three 1-minute measurement periods during the in-lab questionnaire)
1 week (difference between SensHB at the start of each arm and the end of each arm)
Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale
Time Frame: Difference from measurement at the start of each arm to end of each arm (1 week span)
Measured at the lab visit at the start of each week. We sum the pleasure rating for each item so the score represents overall hedonic capacity (opposite of anhedonia). Increase is considered improvement
Difference from measurement at the start of each arm to end of each arm (1 week span)
General Anxiety Disorder-7 Anxiety Scale
Time Frame: Difference from measurement at the start of each arm to end of each arm (1 week span)
Measured by the standard scoring procedure in each lab visit at the start of the week. Decrease is considered an improvement.
Difference from measurement at the start of each arm to end of each arm (1 week span)
Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 Alexithymia Scale
Time Frame: Difference from measurement at the start of each arm to end of each arm (1 week span)
Measured by the standard scoring procedure in each lab visit at the start of the week. Decrease is considered an improvement.
Difference from measurement at the start of each arm to end of each arm (1 week span)
General Health Questionnaire-12 General Mental Distress scale
Time Frame: Difference from measurement at the start of each arm to end of each arm (1 week span)
Measured by the standard scoring procedure in each lab visit at the start of the week. Decrease is considered an improvement.
Difference from measurement at the start of each arm to end of each arm (1 week span)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Interoceptive confidence
Time Frame: 1 week (measure difference between start and end of each arm)
Self rated confidence in the accuracy of heartbeat count
1 week (measure difference between start and end of each arm)
Interoceptive awareness
Time Frame: Start of each arm to end of each arm (1 week)
Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness -2 total score. Increase indicates improved interoceptive awareness.
Start of each arm to end of each arm (1 week)
Daily mood
Time Frame: 1 week (measured each day of the arm)
Brief Mood Introspection Scale (BMIS) positive-negative axis measured each day. Increase indicates increased positive affect.
1 week (measured each day of the arm)
Daily mood variability
Time Frame: 1 week (measured each day of the arm)
Standard deviation of the Brief Mood Introspection Scale (BMIS) positive-negative mood axis across all the days in an arm. Increase indicates increased emotional variability.
1 week (measured each day of the arm)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Pattie Maes, PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 26, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
September 19, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
September 19, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 23, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 8, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
September 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 9, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 8, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2502001554

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Defidentified individual survey responses and sensHB accuracy data and analysis code

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Available indefinitely beginning March 2026

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Data are available to the general public. Data and analysis scripts can be found at https://osf.io/wfexj/overview and the preregistered analysis plan can be found at https://aspredicted.org/hnyw-cw85.pdf

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • SAP
  • ANALYTIC_CODE

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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