Higher Very Productive Score Predicts Moderately Higher Irritability for Population
Contents

Variables

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Very Productive Score 624
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Irritability 2164

Categories

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Goals 126
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Emotions 2028

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Your Data

Tags

High Confidence
Moderate Effect Size
Positive Relationship
Population Study
cause image gauge image effect image
Participants reported a 35.7% average increase in Irritability following above average Very Productive Score.
Abstract

Abstract

Irritability was generally 40.4% higher than average after 5.95 percent of Very Productive Score per 7 days.

Aggregated data from 1 study participants suggests with a HIGH degree of confidence (p=0.001, 95% CI 0.303 to 0.639) that Very Productive Score has a moderately positive predictive relationship (R=0.471) with Irritability.

The highest quartile of Irritability measurements were observed following an average 9.36 percent Very Productive Score.

The lowest quartile of Irritability measurements were observed following an average 6.02 percent of Very Productive Score.

After an onset delay of 0 seconds, Irritability is typically 8% lower than average over the 7 days following around 6.02 percent Very Productive Score.

Objective

Objective

The objective of this study is to determine the nature of the relationship (if any) between Very Productive Score and Irritability. Additionally, we attempt to determine the Very Productive Score (Rating) values most likely to produce optimal Irritability values.
Participant Instructions

Participant Instructions

Very Productive Score (Rating) Automatic Import of Very Productive Score via RescueTime

A Get RescueTime here and use it to record your Very Productive Score. Then, A import your data here .

Manual Recording Option

A Create a reminder for Very Productive Score here and record it daily by enabling notifications or using A the reminder inbox here .


Manual Recording Option

A Create a reminder for Irritability here and record it daily by enabling notifications or using A the reminder inbox here .

Design

Design

This study is based on data donated by 1 participants. Thus, the study design is equivalent to the aggregation of 1 separate n=1 observational natural experiments.

Data Analysis

Data Analysis

Very Productive Score Pre-Processing

No minimum allowed measurement value was defined for Very Productive Score. No maximum allowed measurement value was defined for Very Productive Score. No missing data filling value was defined for Very Productive Score so any gaps in data were just not analyzed instead of assuming zero values for those times.

Irritability Pre-Processing

Irritability measurement values below 1 out of 5 were assumed erroneous and removed. Irritability measurement values above 5 out of 5 were assumed erroneous and removed. No missing data filling value was defined for Irritability so any gaps in data were just not analyzed instead of assuming zero values for those times.

Predictive Analytics

It was assumed that 0 seconds would pass before a change in Very Productive Score (Rating) would produce an observable change in Irritability.

It was assumed that Very Productive Score (Rating) could produce an observable change in Irritability for as much as 7 days after the stimulus event.

Statistical Significance

Statistical Significance

Using a two-tailed t-test with alpha = 0.05, it was determined that the change in Irritability is statistically significant at 95% confidence interval.

After treatment, a 35.7% increase (0.668 out of 5) from the mean baseline 1.65 out of 5 was observed. The relative standard deviation at baseline was 50.6%. The observed change was 0.79686 times the standard deviation.

A common rule of thumb considers a change greater than twice the baseline standard deviation on two separate pre-post experiments may be considered significant. This occurrence would have only a 5% likelihood of resulting from random fluctuation (a p-value < 0.05).

Data Sources

Data Sources

Very Productive Score (Rating) data was primarily collected using RescueTime. Detailed reports show which applications and websites you spent time on. Activities are automatically grouped into pre-defined categories with built-in productivity scores covering thousands of websites and applications. You can customize categories and productivity scores to meet your needs.

Irritability data was primarily collected using QuantiModo. QuantiModo allows you to easily track mood, symptoms, or any outcome you want to optimize in a fraction of a second. You can also import your data from over 30 other apps and devices. QuantiModo then analyzes your data to identify which hidden factors are most likely to be influencing your mood or symptoms.

Limitations

Limitations

As with any human experiment, it was impossible to control for all potentially confounding variables. Correlation does not necessarily imply causation. We can never know for sure if one factor is definitely the cause of an outcome. However, lack of correlation definitely implies the lack of a causal relationship. Hence, we can with great confidence rule out non-existent relationships. For instance, if we discover no relationship between mood and an antidepressant this information is just as or even more valuable than the discovery that there is a relationship.

We can also take advantage of several characteristics of time series data from many subjects to infer the likelihood of a causal relationship if we do find a correlational relationship. The criteria for causation are a group of minimal conditions necessary to provide adequate evidence of a causal relationship between an incidence and a possible consequence.

Criteria For Causal Inference

Strength (A.K.A. Effect Size)

A small association does not mean that there is not a causal effect, though the larger the association, the more likely that it is causal. There is a moderately positive (R = 0.471) relationship between Very Productive Score and Irritability.

Consistency (A.K.A. Reproducibility)

Consistent findings observed by different persons in different places with different samples strengthens the likelihood of an effect. Furthermore, in accordance with the law of large numbers (LLN), the predictive power and accuracy of these results will continually grow over time. 298 paired data points were used in this analysis. Assuming that the relationship is merely coincidental, as the participant independently modifies their Very Productive Score values, the observed strength of the relationship will decline until it is below the threshold of significance. To it another way, in the case that we do find a spurious correlation, suggesting that banana intake improves mood for instance, one will likely increase their banana intake. Due to the fact that this correlation is spurious, it is unlikely that you will see a continued and persistent corresponding increase in mood. So over time, the spurious correlation will naturally dissipate.

Specificity

Causation is likely if a very specific population at a specific site and disease with no other likely explanation. The more specific an association between a factor and an effect is, the bigger the probability of a causal relationship.

Temporality

The effect has to occur after the cause (and if there is an expected delay between the cause and expected effect, then the effect must occur after that delay). The confidence in a causal relationship is bolstered by the fact that time-precedence was taken into account in all calculations.

Biological Gradient

Greater exposure should generally lead to greater incidence of the effect. However, in some cases, the mere presence of the factor can trigger the effect. In other cases, an inverse proportion is observed: greater exposure leads to lower incidence.

Plausibility

A plausible bio-chemical mechanism between cause and effect is critical. This is where human brains excel.

Based on our responses so far,

0 humans feel that there is a plausible mechanism of action for a relationship between Very Productive Score and Irritability.

0 humans feel that any relationship observed between Very Productive Score and Irritability is coincidental.

Coherence

Coherence between epidemiological and laboratory findings increases the likelihood of an effect. It will be very enlightening to aggregate this data with the data from other participants with similar genetic, diseasomic, environmentomic, and demographic profiles.

Experiment

All of human life can be considered a natural experiment. Occasionally, it is possible to appeal to experimental evidence.

Analogy

The effect of similar factors may be considered.

Plausibility

Plausibility

A plausible bio-chemical mechanism between cause and effect is critical. This is where human brains excel. Based on our responses so far, 0 humans feel that there is a plausible mechanism of action and 0 feel that any relationship observed between Very Productive Score and Irritability is coincidental.

Relationship Statistics

Property Value
Cause Variable Name Very Productive Score
Effect Variable Name Irritability
Sinn Predictive Coefficient 0.04482157476644
Confidence Level HIGH
Confidence Interval 0.16815
Forward Pearson Predictive Coefficient 0.471
Critical T Value 1.646
Average Very Productive Score Over Previous 7 days Before ABOVE Average Irritability 9.36 percent
Average Very Productive Score Over Previous 7 days Before BELOW Average Irritability 6.02 percent
Duration of Action 7 days
Effect Size moderately positive
Number of Paired Measurements 298
Optimal Pearson Product 0.38871944781363
P Value 0.001
Statistical Significance 0.9998
Strength of Relationship 0.16815
Study Type population
Analysis Performed At 2021-08-30
Number of Participants 1

Very Productive Score Info

Property Value
Variable Name Very Productive Score (Rating)
Aggregation Method MEAN
Analysis Performed At 2020-10-11
Duration of Action 7 days
Kurtosis 15.991447741274
Mean 17.41425808522 percent
Median 1.6499715874074 percent
Number of Aggregate Predictors 597
Number of Aggregate Outcomes 27
Number of Measurements 3795
Number of Measurements (including those generated by tagged, joined, or child variables) 456
Public true
Onset Delay 0 seconds
Standard Deviation 36.773532978965
Unit Percent
User Variables 27
Variable Category Goals
Variable ID 6051179
Variance 2760.2835632428

Irritability Info

Property Value
Variable Name Irritability
Aggregation Method MEAN
Analysis Performed At 2021-04-24
Duration of Action 24 hours
Kurtosis 1.9396417204894
Maximum Allowed Value 5 out of 5
Mean 2.5563854177215 out of 5
Median 2.5011050632911 out of 5
Minimum Allowed Value 1 out of 5
Number of Aggregate Predictors 1940
Number of Aggregate Outcomes 224
Number of Measurements 48786
Number of Measurements (including those generated by tagged, joined, or child variables) 48786
Public true
Onset Delay 0 seconds
Standard Deviation 0.55855204814277
Unit 1 to 5 Rating
User Variables 2228
UPC 0
Variable Category Emotions
Variable ID 1358
Variance 0.64983545400519

Principal Investigator

Cite This Study

APA Format
Sinn, M. P. (2026). Higher Very Productive Score Predicts Moderately Higher Irritability for Population. The Journal of Citizen Science. https://studies.crowdsourcingcures.org/study/cause-6051179-effect-1358-population-study
BibTeX
@misc{sinn_cause_6051179_effect_1358_population_study_2026,
  author = {Sinn, Mike P.},
  title = {Higher Very Productive Score Predicts Moderately Higher Irritability for Population},
  year = {2026},
  publisher = {The Journal of Citizen Science},
  url = {https://studies.crowdsourcingcures.org/study/cause-6051179-effect-1358-population-study},
  note = {Accessed: January 3, 2026}
}
Chicago/Turabian
Sinn, Mike P. "Higher Very Productive Score Predicts Moderately Higher Irritability for Population." The Journal of Citizen Science. Accessed January 3, 2026. https://studies.crowdsourcingcures.org/study/cause-6051179-effect-1358-population-study.