Oura launches a new feature to measure your resilience against stress

Smart ring maker Oura is rolling out a new feature called Resilience, which measures how much stress users can withstand.

The company is measuring resilience using parameters like stress load during the daytime and recovery during the day and night (sleep). It doesn’t assign a score but categorizes resilience into five types: Limited, Adequate, Solid, Strong and Exceptional.

Oura will also show insights and suggestions to increase resilience in the app. There is also a section showing the trend line for the newly released feature for the week.

In October, the hardware startup launched the ability to measure daytime stress along with a mood journaling feature called Reflections.

The company said on average users experience 96.5 minutes of stress per day. Plus, it observed that users show a high-stress duration during Fridays and Saturdays as compared to weekdays because of increased activity and alcohol contributing to increasing stress.

Apart from measuring stress, Oura seems to be keen to provide ways to manage it. In December 2023, the company partnered with meditation service platform Headspace to launch 15-minute sessions it the Oura app.

Oura’s rival Ultrahuman also has recovery scores, but that focuses more on physical readiness and resilience rather than psychological resilience.

Recently, in reaction to Samsung announcing its own ring, Oura CEO Tom Hale told TechCrunch that its ring is for everyone who wants to manage stress better.

“Since our founding over a decade ago, we’ve invested relentlessly in the service of creating the best smart ring that gives everybody a voice. Our members span from Gen Z to Boomers, from pro athletes to those seeking to improve their sleep and health, from women tracking their cycles to those who want to better manage their stress,” he said.

Last June, Oura launched the “Circles” feature to let users share their fitness stats with friends and family.