Real-world use of these apps doesnt always match the aspirational use， researchers have found.
研究人员发现，这些应用程序的实际使用情况与其雄心勃勃的初衷并不相符。
“A lot of mood-tracking tools are built on the idea that people would track their mood at least once a day because theyre supposed to identify patterns and triggers，“ says Stephen Schueller， associate professor of psychological science at the University of California， Irvine.
加州大学欧文分校心理学副教授斯蒂芬·舒勒（Stephen Schueller）表示：“许多情绪追踪工具都是建立在这样的理念之上：人们至少会以每天一次的频率追踪自己的情绪，因为他们需要识别情绪的模式规律和触发因子。”
Schueller and his colleagues found that most people really only track their moods a couple of times a week. They also discovered a paradox: While people are drawn to such apps by negative life events—a divorce， a death—they are more inclined to document positive moods.
舒勒和他的同事发现，大多数人实际上追踪情绪的频率是每周只有两三次。他们还发现了一个悖论：吸引人们使用这些应用程序的，通常是像离婚或死亡这类负面人生事件，然而，当他们在进行记录时，却更倾向于记录积极情绪。
Schueller said that while there isnt enough evidence to say definitively that tracking your moods makes you happier， there arent any downsides—except the few extra minutes a day on your phone.“If it allows you to get a more nuanced picture of your life， why not?“
舒勒说，虽然没有足够的证据可以让我们断言，追踪情绪能让人变得更快乐，但是，它除了会让你每天多花几分钟刷手机以外，也没什么损失。“如果它能让你对自己的生活有更细致入微的了解，为什么不呢？”
