Technology giant Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) announced that it is narrowing in on the intersection of technology, physical health and mental health.

The Cupertino, California-based company announced on Wednesday that it is launching a new study in collaboration with Brigham and Women’s Hospital to investigate technology’s role in improving physical health, mental health and “overall wellbeing.”

The study will also explore the intersection between mental and physical health, including how mental health impacts biometrics like heart rate.

“Research and validation are part of the foundation of all of our work in health, supporting the innovative features we bring to our users across devices,” Dr. Sumbul Desai, Apple’s vice president of Health, said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to bring forward the Apple Health Study, which will only accelerate our understanding of health and technology across the human body, both physically and mentally.”

The virtual study aims to discover how technology data, including from Apple and other devices, can predict, detect, monitor and manage changes in health. Information from iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods will be included in the study.

The study is currently open for voluntary enrollment through the iPhone Research app. Data will be de-identified, and participants can withdraw at any time.

This is far from the first time wearables have been floated as behavioral health tools.

In 2022, Maryland-based substance use disorder (SUD) treatment provider Ashley Addiction Treatment announced a research program with wearables company WHOOP, though the partnership was primarily exploratory in nature.

“From our standpoint, the best use [of wearables] right now is to collect that data to figure out how we can best utilize that data,” Dr. Greg Hobelmann, co-CEO and president of Ashley Addiction Treatment, previously told Behavioral Health Business.

Investors have signaled some interest in the field. In July 2024, Denver, Colorado-based INVI MindHealth scored $1.5 million in a seed round for its app, which uses biometric information from wearables along with other data to track users’ mental health.