Can a Wristband Shock You into Breaking Bad Habits?

Wearables, as they're called, are the hottest fad in connected devices. Whether it's an Apple watch or a fitness tracker, there are a lot of things you can now do, right from your wrist. But can they also help you break some bad habits?

Well, according to a company named Pavlok, they think it can. And they've developed a wristband that'll give you a mild electric shock when you start to do whatever bad habit it you're looking to stop-- like lighting up a cigarette or heading into a fast food place. The thinking is, the Pavlok wristband will eventually train your brain to break the habit-- in order to avoid the shocks.

Will it work? I think it just might. I got a Fitbit fitness tracker a few weeks ago, and I find I'm ALWAYS checking to see how many steps I have in at any given minute (trying to hit that 10,000 steps goal, of course.)

And, the fitbit wristband I have also includes a silent alarm you can set that will vibrate on your wrist for whatever time you set. You could use it to remind yourself to do certain tasks during the day, or you could use it as an actual alarm-- as I do, so I won't wake my wife up when I get out of bed at 3:20 in the morning. I didn't think it would be powerful enough to wake me up, but it works pretty well.

I was skeptical at first, thinking I'd never want a connected device on my wrist, but I have to say, I now really kind of like it-- and it's helped me both stay more active and get up each morning too. So, who knows, this thing might just take off.

Here's more on how it works...