Digital "nudges" to workout do work, study says

Need motivation to get moving? Your phone or watch might be able to help.

Driving the news: A new study from researchers at the University of Minnesota suggests "digital nudges" meant to encourage users to exercise can make a difference.

Zoom in: The authors of the paper, set to be published in the Journal of Association of Information Systems, analyzed four years of data from a Midwestern corporate wellness program that used cash incentives, motivational test messages and social media-style "kudos" posts.

• Both types of messages led to increases in self-reported exercise, with "kudos" viewings resulting in a 5% uptick in weekly activity frequency at first.

The intrigue: Motivational messages, which worked best for workers who didn't exercise much to begin with, got more effective over time, while the impact of the "kudos" faded.

What they're saying: "The trick will be to find new ways to inject excitement into the platform to keep the users involved and active," co-author De Liu, a professor at the Carlton School of Management, said in a statement.