Quantified self

Instrumentation and analytics for body and soul. Punk DIY precision medicine.

January 11, 2022 — December 26, 2023

causality
drugs
economics
faster pussycat
fit
gene
graphical models
how do science
machine learning
mind
probability
statistics
Figure 1

Other people have written much more about principled self-experimentation, so I will not. Here are some links though.

Obligatory: The tragic morality fable, Seth Roberts’ Final Column: Butter Makes Me Smarter.

1 Experiment design

I mention some work-monitoring apps under time management.

2 Subjective things

Measuring moods? See the Experience Sampling Method (Verhagen et al. 2016; Hektner, Schmidt, and Csikszentmihalyi 2007) or Swan (2013).

3 Bio-markers

See bio-markers.

4 Tools

  • A set of watchers that record relevant information about what you do and what happens on your computer (such as if you are AFK or not, or which window is currently active).
  • A way of storing data collected by the watchers.
  • A data format accommodating most logging needs due to its flexibility.
  • An ecosystem of tools to help users extend the software to fit their needs.

5 Incoming

Figure 2

6 References

Backman, and Harris. 1999. “Case studies, single-subject research, and N of 1 randomized trials: comparisons and contrasts.” American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation.
Brien, and Demétrio. 2009. “Formulating Mixed Models for Experiments, Including Longitudinal Experiments.” Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Statistics.
Chapple, and Blackston. 2019. “Finding Benefit in n-of-1 Trials.” JAMA Internal Medicine.
Chrisinger. 2020. “The Quantified Self-in-Place: Opportunities and Challenges for Place-Based N-of-1 Datasets.” Frontiers in Computer Science.
Corti, Reddy, Choi, et al. 2015. “The Researcher as Experimental Subject: Using Self-Experimentation to Access Experiences, Understand Social Phenomena, and Stimulate Reflexivity.” Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science.
Daskalova, Desingh, Papoutsaki, et al. 2017. “Lessons Learned from Two Cohorts of Personal Informatics Self-Experiments.” Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies.
Daza, Eric J. 2018. “Causal Analysis of Self-Tracked Time Series Data Using a Counterfactual Framework for N-of-1 Trials*.” Methods of Information in Medicine.
Daza, Eric Jay. 2019. “Person as Population: A Longitudinal View of Single-Subject Causal Inference for Analyzing Self-Tracked Health Data.”
Dulaud, Di Loreto, and Mottet. 2020. “Self-Quantification Systems to Support Physical Activity: From Theory to Implementation Principles.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
Feng, Mäntymäki, Dhir, et al. 2021. “How Self-Tracking and the Quantified Self Promote Health and Well-Being: Systematic Review.” Journal of Medical Internet Research.
Fitzmaurice, and Ravichandran. 2008. “A Primer in Longitudinal Data Analysis.” Circulation.
Hektner, Schmidt, and Csikszentmihalyi. 2007. Experience Sampling Method: Measuring the Quality of Everyday Life. Experience Sampling Method: Measuring the Quality of Everyday Life.
Heyen. 2020. “From Self-Tracking to Self-Expertise: The Production of Self-Related Knowledge by Doing Personal Science.” Public Understanding of Science.
Johnston, and Mills. 2004. “N-of-1 Randomized Controlled Trials: An Opportunity for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Evaluation.” The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.
Karkar, Zia, Vilardaga, et al. 2016. “A Framework for Self-Experimentation in Personalized Health.” Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.
Pelayo. 2015. “Design and Application of Quantified Self Approaches for Reflective Learning in the Workplace.”
Roberts. 2004. “Self-Experimentation as a Source of New Ideas: Ten Examples about Sleep, Mood, Health, and Weight.” Behavioral and Brain Sciences.
Swan. 2013. “The Quantified Self: Fundamental Disruption in Big Data Science and Biological Discovery.” Big Data.
Taylor, Sano, Ferguson, et al. 2018. “QuantifyMe: An Open-Source Automated Single-Case Experimental Design Platform.” Sensors (Basel, Switzerland).
Verhagen, Hasmi, Drukker, et al. 2016. “Use of the Experience Sampling Method in the Context of Clinical Trials.” Evidence-Based Mental Health.
Zenner, Böttinger, and Konigorski. 2022. “StudyMe: A New Mobile App for User-Centric N-of-1 Trials.” Trials.
Zuidersma, Riese, Snippe, et al. 2020. “Single-Subject Research in Psychiatry: Facts and Fictions.” Frontiers in Psychiatry.