The Science
For decades, medicine has treated the body in isolation, measuring heart rate, blood pressure, glucose, and sleep. But the science has always known something more fundamental: the quality of your relationships is one of the strongest predictors of your health outcomes.
Datable is built on the Biopsychosocial Model, the clinical framework that recognizes biological, psychological, and social factors as inseparable determinants of health. This is not a wellness philosophy. It is peer-reviewed science.
The Framework
First proposed by Dr. George Engel in Science (1977), the Biopsychosocial Model is the foundational framework of modern integrative medicine. It holds that health is not determined by biology alone , but by the continuous interaction of biological, psychological, and social forces.
Social Determinants of Health
The World Health Organization defines Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) as "the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age." These factors account for 30–55% of health outcomes , more than genetics and clinical care combined.
Relationship quality and social connection are among the most powerful SDOH factors, yet they are the only ones with zero continuous measurement infrastructure. Healthcare systems track housing, food security, and economic stability. No one has built the layer for relationship health.
The Gap Datable Fills
Datable is the first platform to provide continuous, wearable-integrated measurement of relationship quality as a Social Determinant of Health , creating a data layer that has never existed before.
SDOH Factors . Tracked vs. Untracked
Housing Stability
Tracked by others
Food Security
Tracked by others
Economic Stability
Tracked by others
Education Access
Tracked by others
Healthcare Access
Tracked by others
Relationship Quality
✓ Tracked by Datable
Social Support Networks
✓ Tracked by Datable
Community Cohesion
Tracked by others
60 Years of Evidence
The relationship between social connection and health is not a new idea. It is one of the most replicated findings in all of medicine. The technology to act on it, at scale, is new.
1977
George Engel, MD
·University of Rochester
Publishes the Biopsychosocial Model in Science, arguing that biological, psychological, and social factors all play a significant role in human health , challenging the purely biomedical model that had dominated medicine for a century.
Foundation of modern integrative medicine1988
House, Landis & Umberson
·University of Michigan
Landmark Science paper demonstrates that social relationships have a significant effect on health, comparable to well-established risk factors such as smoking, blood pressure, blood lipids, obesity, and physical activity.
Social isolation recognized as a clinical risk factor2000s
John Gottman, PhD
·University of Washington
40+ years of research identifies specific behavioral patterns (The Four Horsemen: criticism, contempt, defensiveness, stonewalling) that predict relationship dissolution and health decline with 93% accuracy.
Relationship patterns become clinically measurable2010
Julianne Holt-Lunstad
·Brigham Young University
Meta-analysis of 148 studies (308,849 participants) finds that adequate social relationships increase survival odds by 50%. Social isolation rivals smoking and obesity as a mortality risk factor.
Social health elevated to public health priority2023
U.S. Surgeon General
·Vivek Murthy, MD
Declares loneliness and social isolation a public health epidemic. Advisory states the mortality risk is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes per day , and calls for systemic intervention.
Social health becomes a national health emergency2026
Datable
·Houston, TX
Builds the first platform to operationalize the Biopsychosocial Model for everyday relationships, mapping the Social Genome and delivering the Bio-Social Health Score as a continuous, wearable-integrated vital sign.
Relationship health becomes measurable and actionableThe Convergence
The infrastructure for continuous biometric monitoring already exists at scale. Apple Watch, Oura, Whoop, and Garmin collectively generate billions of data points daily , but capture zero social health signals.
Attachment theory, Gottman Method, CBT, and EFT are not experimental; they are the gold standard of clinical relationship science. The frameworks exist. The technology to apply them continuously has not.
The 2023 Surgeon General Advisory, WHO SDOH frameworks, and CMS value-based care initiatives are creating regulatory and reimbursement pathways for social health measurement at scale.
66% of Americans report chronic loneliness. Divorce rates remain above 40%. Relationship conflict is the #1 driver of therapy-seeking behavior. The demand for relationship health tools has never been higher.
The Platform
Datable is building the infrastructure to make that future possible, starting now.