Ahologram bracelet or energy bracelet[1] is a smallrubber wristband supposedly fitted with ahologram. Manufacturers have said that the holograms supposedly "optimise the natural flow ofenergy around the body," and, "improve an athlete's strength, balance and flexibility".[2] Onlyanecdotal evidence supports these claims and tests performed by theAustralian Skeptics,[3] theUniversity of Wales Institute, Cardiff,[4] and theRMIT's School of Health Sciences[5] have been unable to identify any effect on performance.
Hologram bracelets include a small hologram which manufacturers say is "programmed" through an undisclosed process.[1][6][7]Power Balance, who have manufactured the bracelets since 2007, say that the programming "mimics Eastern philosophies".[7] The holograms are most usually installed in bracelets and wristbands but are also sold aspendants or necklaces,anklets,shoe inserts,pet tags, or separately for users to apply to the back of a watch, for example.
Manufacturers including Power Balance and EFX Performance make no claims on their websites for their products, but carry testimonials from users who say that they improve athletic performance.[7][8][9] Until 2010, Power Balance said that their bracelets helped improve an athlete's strength, balance and flexibility[2][10] because the holograms are embedded with an "electrical frequency" that restores the body's "electrical balance" on contact with its naturalenergy field.[11] In December 2010, following a successful legal action by theAustralian Competition & Consumer Commission, Power Balance admitted that there was no credible scientific evidence for these claims.[10][12]
Mark Hodgkinson, writing inThe Daily Telegraph in 2010, called hologram bracelets a fad[2] with many professional athletes seen wearing them and several actively endorsing them. FootballersDavid Beckham[2] andCristiano Ronaldo[3] have worn them, and tennis playersSam Querrey andMardy Fish both wore them during the final of the2010 Queen's Club Championships.[2][3] Endorsements for the Power Balance bracelet have come fromShaquille O'Neal,Rubens Barrichello,[2] and theLondon Wasps rugby team,[3] while ice hockey team theCardiff Devils announced a partnership with Power Balance in early 2010.[4]NASCAR reported in 2011 that many drivers wore EFX Performance bracelets with theHendrick Motorsports andStewart–Haas Racing teams entering into licensing deals.[13]
Several groups have investigated the effects of hologram bracelets on athletic performance. A 2011 study by RMIT University's School of Health Sciences found that there was an overall decrease in the balance and stability of wearers, although it was not statistically significant, and the overall conclusion was that the bracelets did not affect performance.[5] TheAustralian Skeptics group found that the bracelets have no more than a placebo effect.[3]
Research by theUniversity of Wales Institute, Cardiff, commissioned by the BBC, also found that wearing the bracelets did not affect performance in standard sports industry tests, adding that neither the physiology nor the biology of wearers was changed.[4] However, Dr Gareth Irwin, who carried out the tests, said that there may be changes in performance because of theplacebo effect, a view which has been echoed by sports psychologists.[14] Sports psychologist Victor Thompson says the bracelets play on superstition, simply giving people the expectation that they can improve their sporting performance.[3] Cricket coachJeremy Snape said he prefers that athletes have belief in themselves rather than in an external product, while Roberto Forzoni described the bracelets as "gimmicks" which allow athletes to avoid addressing real issues in their performance, with the high-profile endorsements giving the sense of belonging to an elite group of athletes.[2]
