You are an individual. So is your physiology. You might not be a mainstreamer when looking at your physics or psychological features. This is why the Moodmetric measurement has been developed so that the measurement only compares to yourself.
The term statistics refers to a range of techniques and procedures for making decisions based on data. They are important for instance when making predictions on public health. When talking about individual load and recovery, statistics might not lead to right conclusions. The Moodmetric measurement is not based on statistical data, only the reactions of your body count.
Reference data does not always give the answers
Reference data means statistics that is compiled over a large population and that is used to analyse a single value. Measurement result of one person is just a number. Its frequency and quality is evaluated based on how many matching values are found in the reference data. For instance, a man 165 cm tall might be considered short or tall depending whether he is compared against Norwegian or Korean men.
Height and weight are simple units, still also there can easily be interpretation errors. E.g. a body builder might be incorrectly classified as over-weight when just looking at the number on the weight scale.
Applying reference data has even bigger challenges when measuring a larger and less tangible matter. When studying load and recovery of an individual, might generalizations fit a person poorly. For instance, individual limits for heart rate can’t be determined just based on age. Someone might recover after hard training by jogging. For someone else this does not work, but recovery happens by listening to music. A person is not an average.
The Moodmetric measurement compares your result to your own limit values
The Moodmetric measurement result is not compared to reference data. This means that you are not asked to report your age, gender or exercising habits, and to use those to choose a suitable reference group for you. Your data is not compared to any value X that is assumed to be a reasonable average for you.
The Moodmetric measurement is built up differently. At first the measurement looks for the maximum and minimum reaction of the person and sets these as limit values. After this, the measured values are continuously compared to these limits.
High levels compared to own normal signify mental load, low levels recovery. The Moodmetric data tells about the balance between load and recovery just for you, and the measurement only compares to yourself.
The Moodmetric measurement data is completely individual and thus very motivating. It helps in making better decisions for your own well-being instead of comparing yourself to others.