There are times when the world of technology presents us with very interesting accessories, but at other times everything seems to indicate that the placebo effect has escaped its cage for marketing reasons. That's how we came across the Thync, a not-so-wearable device that the user places on the right eyebrow to modify their mood through electrical stimulation. Thync had a good reception at CES 2015, and has received a lot of money from investors, but the question is: Does it work?
If someone asked me to write about stress, honestly I wouldn't know where to begin. My particular problem is that I have a true gift for somatization, and that's how I have to cross swords with pains and discomforts that have no physical cause. "It's all in your head" is a phrase repeated everywhere, and different solutions are proposed, psychological, chemical, environmental, or a combination of them. Then there are those who believe in technological solutions. This isn't the first time we talk about "hacking the brain" and it probably won't be the last, but there's a big difference between gathering information published under different studies and developing a commercial product.
This time, the "product" is called Thync. The small device has been making its rounds among the specialized press since last October, had a very positive pass at the last CES, and according to the company, more than three thousand individual tests have been carried out. Thync's promise is none other than changing our mood with a touch on our smartphone screen. The main module has a Bluetooth transmitter that allows linking to the phone, and works accompanied by an adhesive strip placed on the right eyebrow and on the neck. The two options of the Thync app are "Calm" and "Energy", but Thync's CEO Isy Goldwasser has explained that the stimulation is not carried out directly on neurons in the brain, but on the skin at our temple, activating the so-called "fight or flight response" to indirectly modify our emotional state.
Doubts? I'd say by the dozen, but Thync received 13 million dollars for product development, and it definitely is not vaporware. The price? 299 dollars per module. The adhesive strips stop working after several uses, and the pack of five (whether "Calm" or "Energy") will cost twenty dollars. The initial launch will deliver the first units during this month, and full availability is expected for October. Call me skeptical, but I can't close the door completely. If Thync really works and can help someone, welcome.
