The DOI matches its Crossref record; 69 of the 69 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 9 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.
Enhancing well-being and alleviating depressive symptoms with positive psychology interventions: a practice-friendly meta-analysis
Open accessAbstract
Do positive psychology interventions-that is, treatment methods or intentional activities aimed at cultivating positive feelings, positive behaviors, or positive cognitions-enhance well-being and ameliorate depressive symptoms? A meta-analysis of 51 such interventions with 4,266 individuals was conducted to address this question and to provide practical guidance to clinicians. The results revealed that positive psychology interventions do indeed significantly enhance well-being (mean r=.29) and decrease depressive symptoms (mean r=.31). In addition, several factors were found to impact the effectiveness of positive psychology interventions, including the depression status, self-selection, and age of participants, as well as the format and duration of the interventions. Accordingly, clinicians should be encouraged to incorporate positive psychology techniques into their clinical work, particularly for treating clients who are depressed, relatively older, or highly motivated to improve. Our findings also suggest that clinicians would do well to deliver positive psychology interventions as individual (versus group) therapy and for relatively longer periods of time.
Overview
AI snapshot
Written from the paper’s full text.
TL;DR
This meta-analysis of 51 positive psychology interventions with 4,266 participants found that such interventions significantly improved well-being and reduced depressive symptoms. Effects were medium-sized and moderated by participant and intervention features, supporting clinical use especially for depressed, older, self-selected clients and individual, longer formats.
Key findings
- Across 49 well-being studies (4,235 participants), the mean effect size was r = .29 (median .24; range −.31 to .84; 96% positive), significant in fixed- and random-effects models; the fail-safe N was 2,519 versus a tolerance level of 255.
- Across 25 depression studies (1,812 participants), the mean effect size was r = .31 (median .26; range −.28 to .81; 80% favoring the intervention), significant in both models; the fail-safe N was 420 versus a tolerance level of 135.
- Moderators: depressed status and self-selection predicted greater benefit in fixed-effects analyses only; older age predicted greater benefit in both models; individual therapy outperformed group and self-administered formats in both models; longer duration predicted greater well-being gains in fixed effects (random-effects p = .09) but not depression; comparison group type moderated well-being in fixed effects only.
- A binomial effect size display indicated that in a hypothetical group of 200, 65 intervention recipients versus 35 controls would improve well-being, and 66 versus 34 would reduce depression.
Methods
- Meta-analysis of English-language positive psychology intervention studies from 1977–2008. Inclusion required an intervention aimed at increasing positive feelings, behaviors, or cognitions; pre- and post-intervention well-being or depression measures; a comparison group; and effect-size information. Physical health/physical activity and mood-induction studies were excluded.
- Coded moderators included depression status, age, self-selection, intervention format, duration, and comparison group type. Effect sizes were computed as r from d, F, t, p, or descriptive statistics; multiple measures were averaged via Fisher Z transformations.
- Analyses used fixed- and random-effects models, Stouffer-combined significance tests, one-sample t-tests on mean Fisher Z effects, fail-safe N and tolerance estimates, chi-square heterogeneity tests, and contrast/correlation tests for moderators.
Limitations
- The authors state that the meta-analysis is not exhaustive and that moderator findings cannot be interpreted causally because studies were not randomly assigned to moderator levels. They also note likely file-drawer bias for well-being, though the fail-safe N exceeded the tolerance level.
- Evident from the text: the review is limited to English-language studies from 1977–2008 and samples adjacent literatures (e.g., mindfulness, life review, forgiveness), which may restrict generalizability. Fixed- and random-effects models disagreed for some moderators (depression status, self-selection, and comparison group type for well-being), and older adults could not be analyzed for depression because too few studies were available.
Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
14 Own result · 4 Own interpretation · 2 Sources not found · 2 No full text of the sources · 2 Own method · 1 Not checked yet
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“For depression, however, the moderating effect of intervention duration was not significant based on both the fixed effects and random effects models.”
§ Enhancing Well-Being and Alleviating Depressive Symptoms With Positive Psychology Interventions: A Practice-Friendly Meta-Analysis m > Methodological Moderators
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Individuals who elected to participate in a PPI-perhaps expecting that the intervention would make them happier or less depressed-were more likely to experience greater gains in WB and depression compared with their non-self-selected counterparts, based on the fixed effects model.”
§ Enhancing Well-Being and Alleviating Depressive Symptoms With Positive Psychology Interventions: A Practice-Friendly Meta-Analysis m > Participant Moderators
hedgedcorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The results revealed that positive psychology interventions do indeed significantly enhance well-being (mean r 5 .29)and decrease depressive symptoms (mean r 5 .31).”
- Also stated in: § Depression · boosted
“The unweighted mean r of .31 was close to the median r (.26) and was highly significant based on both the fixed effects (one-tailed p 5 2 Â 10 À12 ) and the random effects (one-tailed p 5 .0001)models.”
- Also stated in: § Clinical Practices Do positive psychology interventions effectively boost well-being and ameliorate depression? · boosted
“The combined results of 49 studies revealed that PPIs do, in fact, significantly enhance WB, and the combined results of 25 studies showed that PPIs are also effective for treating depressive symptoms.”
§ Enhancing Well-Being and Alleviating Depressive Symptoms With Positive Psychology Interventions: A Practice-Friendly Meta-Analysis m > Abstract
boosteddirectn = 1,812 ·- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Also stated in: § Depression · boosted
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Although there were not enough studies to include the ''older adult'' group in the moderator analysis for depression, the other age groups nevertheless showed larger decreases in depression as a linear function of age.”
§ Enhancing Well-Being and Alleviating Depressive Symptoms With Positive Psychology Interventions: A Practice-Friendly Meta-Analysis m > Participant Moderators
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Depressed individuals benefited more from PPIs than nondepressed individuals, according to the fixed effects moderator analysis.”
§ Enhancing Well-Being and Alleviating Depressive Symptoms With Positive Psychology Interventions: A Practice-Friendly Meta-Analysis m > Participant Moderators
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The type of comparison group did not have a moderating effect on shifts in depression, based on both the fixed effects and the random effects models.”
§ Enhancing Well-Being and Alleviating Depressive Symptoms With Positive Psychology Interventions: A Practice-Friendly Meta-Analysis m > Methodological Moderators
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
In the paper
“In addition, causal conclusions cannot be drawn regarding the moderators because the studies were not randomly assigned to particular moderator levels (Rosenthal, 1991b, p. 81).”
§ Enhancing Well-Being and Alleviating Depressive Symptoms With Positive Psychology Interventions: A Practice-Friendly Meta-Analysis m > Clinical Practices Do positive psychology interventions effectively boost well-being and ameliorate depression?
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Rosenthal, 1991b
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Not matched
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Several studies have found that exerting high levels of effort to practice a happiness-boosting strategy, and continuing to practice it even after the intervention is over, results in greater improvements in WB and depression (e.g., Lyubomirsky et al., 2008;Seligman et al., 2005).”
§ Enhancing Well-Being and Alleviating Depressive Symptoms With Positive Psychology Interventions: A Practice-Friendly Meta-Analysis m > Clinical Practices Do positive psychology interventions effectively boost well-being and ameliorate depression?
What the sources say
- Not matchedcites Lyubomirsky et al., 2008
Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.
- Not checked — no full text of the sourcecites Seligman et al., 2005 source
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- Not matched
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“This indicates that participation in PPIs may be more effective for relieving depression than participation in a no-treatment control group, placebo activity, or treatment as usual.”
§ Enhancing Well-Being and Alleviating Depressive Symptoms With Positive Psychology Interventions: A Practice-Friendly Meta-Analysis m > Methodological Moderators
hedgedconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The file drawer problem was unlikely to threaten the significant results, given that the fail-safe N was 420, which exceeded the tolerance level of 135.”
§ Enhancing Well-Being and Alleviating Depressive Symptoms With Positive Psychology Interventions: A Practice-Friendly Meta-Analysis m > Depression
hedgedn = 1,812- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
- The authors state this as an assumption: The number of unpublished studies is not five times greater than the number of published studies.
- It may state two separate claims as one. 12
- The quote only partly states this claim. 2
- Probably not a substantial claim. 1
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Intervention format had a significant moderating effect on the effectiveness of PPIs, based on both the fixed effects and the random effects models.Specifically, the mean r effect size was greatest for individual therapy, followed by group-administered PPIs, then self-administered PPIs.”
§ Enhancing Well-Being and Alleviating Depressive Symptoms With Positive Psychology Interventions: A Practice-Friendly Meta-Analysis m > Methodological Moderators
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Moreover, as in the case of well-being, the set of effect sizes was heterogeneous”
§ Enhancing Well-Being and Alleviating Depressive Symptoms With Positive Psychology Interventions: A Practice-Friendly Meta-Analysis m > Depression
plainconditional- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one. The quote only partly states this claim.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“In particular, studies that compared a PPI to a notreatment control group showed the greatest boost in WB.Positive interventions that were compared with ''treatment as usual'' showed the second greatest benefit, suggesting that PPIs may be more effective than standard treatments.Finally, PPIs also produced greater boosts in WB compared with neutral control and placebo activities.”
§ Enhancing Well-Being and Alleviating Depressive Symptoms With Positive Psychology Interventions: A Practice-Friendly Meta-Analysis m > Methodological Moderators
hedgeddirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The fixed effects analysis revealed that the type of comparison group used in a PPI moderated the gains in WB but not when computed using the random effects analysis.”
§ Enhancing Well-Being and Alleviating Depressive Symptoms With Positive Psychology Interventions: A Practice-Friendly Meta-Analysis m > Methodological Moderators
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Longer interventions produced greater gains in WB based on the fixed effects model, and this effect approached significance according to the random effects model (one-tailed p 5 .09).”
§ Enhancing Well-Being and Alleviating Depressive Symptoms With Positive Psychology Interventions: A Practice-Friendly Meta-Analysis m > Methodological Moderators
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Furthermore, the set of effect sizes was heterogeneous (w 2 ð48Þ ¼ 230:92, one-tailed p 5 9 Â 10 À26 ), suggesting the presence of moderator variables.”
§ Enhancing Well-Being and Alleviating Depressive Symptoms With Positive Psychology Interventions: A Practice-Friendly Meta-Analysis m > Well-Being
hedgedcorrelationaln = 4,235- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: unclear — It is unclear whether the paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Both the fixed effects and random effects models revealed that the benefits of PPIs increase with age.”
§ Enhancing Well-Being and Alleviating Depressive Symptoms With Positive Psychology Interventions: A Practice-Friendly Meta-Analysis m > Participant Moderators
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A result the paper reports from its own data — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The results revealed that positive psychology interventions do indeed significantly enhance well-being (mean r 5 .29)and decrease depressive symptoms (mean r 5 .31).”
- Also stated in: § Well-Being · plain
“The unweighted mean r (.29) was close in magnitude to the median r (.24) and was highly significant based on both the fixed effects (one-tailed p 5 0) and the random effects (one-tailed p 5 4 Â 10 À9 ) models.”
- Also stated in: § Clinical Practices Do positive psychology interventions effectively boost well-being and ameliorate depression? · boosted
“The combined results of 49 studies revealed that PPIs do, in fact, significantly enhance WB, and the combined results of 25 studies showed that PPIs are also effective for treating depressive symptoms.”
§ Enhancing Well-Being and Alleviating Depressive Symptoms With Positive Psychology Interventions: A Practice-Friendly Meta-Analysis m > Abstract
boosteddirectn = 4,235 ·- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one. The quote only partly states this claim.
- Also stated in: § Well-Being · plain
What the paper did — it cites no source for this, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“Please bear in mind that these findings should be interpreted cautiously, as this meta-analysis is not comprehensive (i.e., does not include all PPI studies ever conducted).”
§ Enhancing Well-Being and Alleviating Depressive Symptoms With Positive Psychology Interventions: A Practice-Friendly Meta-Analysis m > Clinical Practices Do positive psychology interventions effectively boost well-being and ameliorate depression?
plain- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: fails — The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
Probably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
A claim is checked only against the cited paper’s full text, never its abstract, and none is available for its sources.
In the paper
“PPIs can be especially effective for treating residual symptoms (Fava et al., 1998) and preventing future relapse for formerly depressed clients (Seligman et al., 2006).”
§ Enhancing Well-Being and Alleviating Depressive Symptoms With Positive Psychology Interventions: A Practice-Friendly Meta-Analysis m > Clinical Practices Do positive psychology interventions effectively boost well-being and ameliorate depression?
What the sources say
plaindirect- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“In a hypothetical group of 200 individuals-half the group treated with a PPI, and half the group untreated-65 individuals treated with a PPI would experience gains in WB, compared with only 35 of the individuals in the control group.Similarly, 66 PPI-treated individuals would experience decreased depression, relative to only 34 individuals in the control group.”
§ Enhancing Well-Being and Alleviating Depressive Symptoms With Positive Psychology Interventions: A Practice-Friendly Meta-Analysis m > Clinical Practices Do positive psychology interventions effectively boost well-being and ameliorate depression?
plaindirectn = 200- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
A conclusion the paper draws from its own results — it cites no other source for it, so there is none to check. The quote shows it is in the paper.
In the paper
“The magnitude of these effects is medium-sized (mean r 5 .29 for WB, mean r 5 .31for depression), indicating that not only do PPIs work, they work well.”
§ Enhancing Well-Being and Alleviating Depressive Symptoms With Positive Psychology Interventions: A Practice-Friendly Meta-Analysis m > Clinical Practices Do positive psychology interventions effectively boost well-being and ameliorate depression?
plaincorrelational- Asserted: passes — The authors put it forward as true.
- Checkable: passes — It can be checked against evidence.
- Load-bearing: passes — The paper’s conclusions depend on it.
- Based: passes — The paper gives a reason why it holds.
It may state two separate claims as one.
The authors state this as an assumption.
The number of unpublished studies is not five times greater than the number of published studies.
“The tolerance level was also computed to estimate the number of irretrievable studies that possibly exist, based on the assumption that the number of unpublished studies is not five times greater than the number of published ones (Rosenthal & Rosnow, 2008, p. 689).”
The paper relies on this without support.
No systematic quantitative review of positive psychology intervention research had been published before this meta-analysis.
“The general effectiveness of PPIs remains unclear, as no systematic quantitative review of the research has yet been published.”
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The cited source doesn’t support the claim as written.
In the citing paper
“The lack of clarity in the inclusion criteria constitutes a third limitation.”
From Positive psychology interventions: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies (2013) · cites this paper as Sin and Lyubomirsky (2009)
Checked by a reasoning model — may be wrong.
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe cited source doesn’t support the claim as written.
In the citing paper
“Furthermore, both previous meta-analyses focused on specific positive psychological interventions, whereas our study included a number of different therapeutic interventions.”
From Can We Increase Psychological Well-Being? The Effects of Interventions on Psychological Well-Being: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (2016) · cites this paper as [11]
Checked by a reasoning model — may be wrong.
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Their results show that PPIs can indeed be effective in enhancing well-being (r = 0.29, standardized mean difference Cohen’s d = 0.61) and help to reduce depressive symptom levels in clinical populations (r = 0.31, Cohen’s d = 0.65).”
From Positive psychology interventions: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies (2013) · cites this paper as Sin and Lyubomirsky (2009)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“The practice of mindfulness has been found to enhance various qualities including empathy and self-compassion (Birnie et al., 2009), wellbeing and positive emotions (Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009), emotional self-regulation and cognitive flexibility, and reduce stress and anxiety (Hölzel et al., 2011;Meiklejohn et al., 2012).”
From The influence of teacher-guided mindfulness practice on inter and intra-personal abilities among Israeli Arab students (2024) · cites this paper as Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Several meta-analyses have shown that positive psychology interventions targeting feelings of gratitude, savoring of experiences and sensations, and hope and meaning lead to improved well-being and reduced depressive and anxiety symptoms in both general populations and those considered vulnerable [73-75].”
From Optimization of a Transdiagnostic Mobile Emotion Regulation Intervention for University Students: Protocol for a Microrandomized Trial (2023) · cites this paper as [75]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Meta-analytic reviews of positive psychological interventions designed to cultivate well-being have demonstrated that these interventions can not only have robust effects on increasing well-being, they can also decrease associated depressive symptoms (Sin & Lyubmirksy, 2009).”
From Trajectories of change in well-being during cognitive behavioral therapies for anxiety disorders: Quantifying the impact and covariation with improvements in anxiety (2020) · cites this paper as Sin & Lyubmirksy, 2009
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Interventions that explicitly target positive emotion show promise for improving health outcomes in a number of chronic illnesses, including diabetes [16,17], heart disease [18,19], hypertension [20,21], depression [22,23], and HIV [24].”
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“interventions based on increasing positive emotion have been shown to relieve symptoms of depression in a meta-analysis [23]”
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Intervention studies, although related to positive psychology but not strictly developed within this new framework (e.g. mindfulness, life-review) were included in the meta-analysis.”
From Positive psychology interventions: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies (2013) · cites this paper as Sin and Lyubomirsky (2009)
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Their results show that PPIs can indeed be effective in enhancing well-being (r = 0.29, standardized mean difference Cohen’s d = 0.61) and help to reduce depressive symptom levels in clinical populations (r = 0.31, Cohen’s d = 0.65).”
From Positive psychology interventions: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies (2013) · cites this paper as Sin and Lyubomirsky (2009)
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Second, study quality was not addressed as a potential effect moderator.”
From Positive psychology interventions: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies (2013) · cites this paper as Sin and Lyubomirsky (2009)
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“In addition, we applied stricter inclusion criteria than those used by Sin and Lyubomirsky (2009) and therefore did not include studies on any related areas such as mindfulness and life review therapy.”
From Positive psychology interventions: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies (2013) · cites this paper as Sin and Lyubomirsky (2009)
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Remarkably, effect sizes in the current meta-analysis are around 0.3 points lower than the effect sizes in the meta-analysis by Sin and Lyubomirsky (2009) [37].”
From Positive psychology interventions: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies (2013) · cites this paper as Sin and Lyubomirsky (2009) [37]
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Two meta-analyses of PPIs for depression and well-being found that these interventions have small to moderate effects in enhancing well-being and decreasing depressive symptoms and that effects are stronger for individual vs. group formats [30, 31].”
From Skills to Enhance Positivity in adolescents at risk for suicide: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial (2023) · cites this paper as [30]
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“They are effective in the improvement of depression and well-being [36, 37].”
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“A meta-analysis that reviewed 51 positive psychology interventions across a spectrum of domains, found that positive psychology programs significantly increased well-being (mean r=.29) [29] and led to significant reductions in depressive symptoms (mean r=.31).”
From Feasibility and effectiveness of a web-based positive psychology program for youth mental health: Randomized controlled trial (2014) · cites this paper as [29]
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“A meta-analysis that reviewed 51 positive psychology interventions across a spectrum of domains, found that positive psychology programs significantly increased well-being (mean r=.29) [29] and led to significant reductions in depressive symptoms (mean r=.31).”
From Feasibility and effectiveness of a web-based positive psychology program for youth mental health: Randomized controlled trial (2014) · cites this paper as [29]
The cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“Positive psychology interventions (PPIs), such as mindful self-awareness, gratitude expression, and identifying and utilizing strengths, have been shown to impact both well-being and depressive symptoms [29-31].”
From MoodHacker Mobile Web App With Email for Adults to Self-Manage Mild-to-Moderate Depression: Randomized Controlled Trial (2016) · cites this paper as [29]
The check wasn’t confident either way, so it gives no verdict — never disputed.
In the citing paper
“First, the meta-analysis included both randomized studies and quasi-experimental studies.”
From Positive psychology interventions: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies (2013) · cites this paper as Sin and Lyubomirsky (2009)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn the citing paper
“Vlaeyen and colleagues suggest that avoidance behavior persists due to certain beliefs, such as catastrophic cognitions 25, 337, 338.”
From Evaluating psychosocial contributions to chronic pain outcomes (2018) · cites this paper as [338]
In the citing paper
“The efficacy of PPIs increased linearly with participant age, and depressed individuals benefitted more than non-depressed individuals252.”
From Psychobiological factors of resilience and depression in late life (2019) · cites this paper as [252]
In the citing paper
“A recent meta-analysis of PPIs including data from over four thousand adults indicated a highly significant, moderate effect of PPIs on both well-being (r = 0.29) and depressive symptoms (r = 0.31)252.”
From Psychobiological factors of resilience and depression in late life (2019) · cites this paper as [252]
In the citing paper
“The efficacy of PPIs increased linearly with participant age, and depressed individuals benefitted more than non-depressed individuals252.”
From Psychobiological factors of resilience and depression in late life (2019) · cites this paper as [252]
In the citing paper
“Interventions delivered individually were most effective, followed by those administered in a group, then by self-administered PPIs.”
From Psychobiological factors of resilience and depression in late life (2019) · cites this paper as [252]
In the citing paper
“A recent meta-analysis of PPIs including data from over four thousand adults indicated a highly significant, moderate effect of PPIs on both well-being (r = 0.29) and depressive symptoms (r = 0.31)252.”
From Psychobiological factors of resilience and depression in late life (2019) · cites this paper as [252]
In the citing paper
“Although PPIs are not recommended as a stand-alone treatment for moderate-to-severe MDD, research suggests that PPIs may be useful for the prevention or adjunct treatment of depression252.”
From Psychobiological factors of resilience and depression in late life (2019) · cites this paper as [252]
In the citing paper
“A meta-analysis established that positive psychology interventions as diverse as writing gratitude letters, practising optimistic thinking, replaying positive experiences and socializing have beneficial effects on levels of depression 91.”
From Resilience in mental health: linking psychological and neurobiological perspectives. (2013) · cites this paper as [91]
In the citing paper
“The effect of kindness is small-to-mediumcomparable to other positive psychology interventions (such as 'mindfulness', 'positive thinking' and 'counting your blessings'; d = 0.34, Bolier et al., 2013;d = 0.31, Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009;d = 0.44, Weiss, Westerhof, & Bohlmeijer, 2016).”
From Happy to help? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of performing acts of kindness on the well-being of the actor (2018) · cites this paper as Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009
In the citing paper
“Positive psychology (PP) interventions, which utilize systematic exercises to increase optimism, well-being, and positive affect, consistently increase positive states and are easily delivered to patients with chronic illnesses.”
From Positive Psychological Interventions for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Rationale, Theoretical Model, and Intervention Development (2015) · cites this paper as [43]
In the citing paper
“PP interventions have been used in over 4000 mostly healthy subjects and have been found to increase well-being and decrease depression [41, 43], with effect sizes comparable to other psychological interventions [44, 45].”
From Positive Psychological Interventions for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Rationale, Theoretical Model, and Intervention Development (2015) · cites this paper as [43]
In the citing paper
“moderation analysis revealed higher effect sizes associated with “shotgun” approaches, that is, packages that incorporate multiple positive psychology strategies.”
From Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial (2012) · cites this paper as [23]
In the citing paper
“A recent meta-analysis demonstrated that compared with control conditions, positive interventions lead to reliable and moderate boosts in well-being and improvements in depressive symptoms [23].”
From Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial (2012) · cites this paper as [23]
In the citing paper
“Past research in positive psychology interventions has found that variety is an important moderator of intervention gains and that several techniques are more effective than a single technique [23,36].”
From Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial (2012) · cites this paper as [23]
In the citing paper
“Studies supporting the efficacy of positive activity interventions (PAIs) have been primarily conducted in unselected (non-clinical) community samples and examined single positive activities in isolation (for a meta-analysis, see66, 67).”
From Upregulating the positive affect system in anxiety and depression: Outcomes of a positive activity intervention: Taylor et al. (2017) · cites this paper as [66]
In the citing paper
“Overall, PP exercises have been successfully used by more than 4000 participants in over 50 clinical trials [20,21], though typically in nonclinical populations.”
From Feasibility and utility of positive psychology exercises for suicidal inpatients (2014) · cites this paper as [20]
In the citing paper
“These differences may be related to the fact that the first meta-analyses focused on subjective well-being whereas the second one included 10 different measures of psychological well-being in addition to the PWBS and MHC-SF, for example hope, mastery and purpose in life.”
From Can We Increase Psychological Well-Being? The Effects of Interventions on Psychological Well-Being: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (2016) · cites this paper as [11]
In the citing paper
“The effect size of psychological well-being is somewhat lower than the standardized mean difference of .61 that was reported in a meta-analysis by Sin and Lyubomirsky (11) and somewhat higher than the effect of .20 for psychological well-being in a meta-analysis by Bolier et al. [12].”
From Can We Increase Psychological Well-Being? The Effects of Interventions on Psychological Well-Being: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (2016) · cites this paper as [11]
Citations
Cites
Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being.
Ryff, C. D. (1989) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.57.6.1069 · Cited by 14,847
Diener, E. (1984) · Social indicators research series · doi:10.1007/978-90-481-2350-6_2 · Cited by 12,609
On Happiness and Human Potentials: A Review of Research on Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-Being
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2001) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.141 · Cited by 11,567
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR)
American Psychiatric Association (2000) · doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890423349 · Cited by 11,069
Diener, E. (1984) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.95.3.542 · Cited by 11,023
The file drawer problem and tolerance for null results.
Rosenthal, R. (1979) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.86.3.638 · Cited by 9,068
ФАКТОРЫ ПСИХОЛОГИЧЕСКОГО БЛАГОПОЛУЧИЯ ЛЮДЕЙ ПОЖИЛОГО ВОЗРАСТА
Р., Н. М., & Ю., Б. С. (2026) · CyberLeninK (CyberLeninka) · doi:10.60797/irj.2026.170.43 · Cited by 7,969
The benefits of frequent positive affect: Does happiness lead to success?
Lyubomirsky, S., King, L., & Diener, E. (2005) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.131.6.803 · Cited by 7,143
Self-citationPositive Psychology Progress: Empirical Validation of Interventions.
Seligman, M. E. P., Steen, T. A., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/0003-066x.60.5.410 · Cited by 5,947
Taking time seriously: A theory of socioemotional selectivity.
Carstensen, L. L., Isaacowitz, D. M., & Charles, S. T. (1999) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037//0003-066x.54.3.165 · Cited by 5,377 · cited 1×
“Third, the benefits of PPIs increased linearly with age, perhaps due to the greater wisdom and more effective emotional regulation and self-regulation associated with older age (Carstensen, Isaacowitz, & Charles, 1999; Linley et al., 2007).”
Background
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- Della Porta M.D., 2008, Searching for the placebo effect in happiness‐enhancing interventions: An experimental longitudinal study with depressed and nondepressed participants
- *Lyubomirsky S. Dickerhoof R. Boehm J.K. &Sheldon K.M.(2008).Becoming happier takes both a will and a proper way: Two experimental longitudinal interventions to boost well‐being. Manuscript under review.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 201–300 of 2,952
Major, B., Nguyen, K. D. L., Lundberg, K. B., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2018) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167218771324 · Cited by 133
“It is well-established that positive affect promotes health and well-being (Fredrickson, Cohn, Coffey, Pek, & Finkel, 2008; Kok et al., 2013; Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009).”
Positive Psychology and Gratitude Interventions: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Cunha, L. F., Pellanda, L. C., & Reppold, C. T. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00584 · Cited by 116
“Sin and Lyubomirsky (2009) had already pointed out that the benefits from carrying out these activities increased according to age.”
BackgroundFeicht, T., Wittmann, M., Jose, G., Mock, A., von Hirschhausen, E., & Esch, T. (2013) · Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine · doi:10.1155/2013/676953 · Cited by 113
Kemp, A. H., Koenig, J., & Thayer, J. F. (2017) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.09.006 · Cited by 114
“Research has highlighted the beneficial effects of positive psychological interventions on risk for future cardiac outcomes (Boehm and Kubzansky, 2012; Dubois et al., 2012; Sin and Lyubomirsky, 2009), and these effects may persist over and above addressing chronic negative emotions.”
BackgroundThe student voice in well-being: a case study of participatory action research in positive education
Halliday, A. J., Kern, M. L., Garrett, D. K., & Turnbull, D. A. (2018) · Educational Action Research · doi:10.1080/09650792.2018.1436079 · Cited by 158
“Article 12 of the UNICEF Convention on the Rights of the Child states that when adults are making decisions that affect children, children have the right to express an opinion and have that opinion taken into account (UN General Assembly 1989).”
BackgroundInfluentialCook, C. R., Miller, F. G., Fiat, A., Renshaw, T., Frye, M., Joseph, G., & Decano, P. (2017) · Psychology in the Schools · doi:10.1002/pits.21980 · Cited by 110
The role of resilience in the clinical management of chronic pain
Hassett, A. L., & Finan, P. H. (2016) · Current Pain and Headache Reports · doi:10.1007/s11916-016-0567-7 · Cited by 107
Aschbacher, K., Epel, E., Wolkowitz, O. M., Prather, A. A., Puterman, E., & Dhabhar, F. S. (2012) · Brain, Behavior, and Immunity · doi:10.1016/j.bbi.2011.10.010 · Cited by 112
“A metaanalysis of 51 positive psychology interventions also concluded that treatment methods that cultivated positive feelings, behaviors and cognitions were effective in decreasing depressive symptoms (Sin and Lyubomirsky, 2009).”
Li, J., Mo, P. K. H., Wu, A. M. S., & Lau, J. T. F. (2016) · AIDS and Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10461-016-1321-1 · Cited by 111
“Positive psychology interventions (PPI) have been developed and tested among general populations, such as undergraduate students, and were found effective in enhancing positive affect [83].”
Santos, V., Paes, F., Pereira, V., Arias-Carrión, O., Silva, A. C., Carta, M. G., Nardi, A. E., & Machado, S. (2013) · Clinical Practice & Epidemiology in Mental Health · doi:10.2174/1745017901309010221 · Cited by 112
“According to Sin & Lyubormirsky [4], extending the positive emotion in daily life of patients is one of the main goals of positive psychology.”
BackgroundImpact of the Interactive Learning Environments in Children’s Prosocial Behavior
Villardón-Gallego, L., García-Carrión, R., Yáñez-Marquina, L., & Estévez, A. (2018) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su10072138 · Cited by 114
“Anyhow, studies such as the one led by Sin and Lyubomirsky [49] showed that longer interventions bear more beneficial results in well-being and other aspects: when the activity is maintained over a longer period of time, participants have the opportunity to transform activities into daily habits.”
ResultThe benefits of reflecting on and discussing purpose in life in emerging adulthood
Bundick, M. J. (2011) · New Directions for Youth Development · doi:10.1002/yd.430 · Cited by 128
Hendriks, T., Schotanus-Dijkstra, M., Hassankhan, A., Graafsma, T., Bohlmeijer, E. T., & de Jong, J. T. V. M. (2018) · International Journal of Wellbeing · doi:10.5502/ijw.v8i1.711 · Cited by 125
“Sin and Lyubomirsky (2009) introduced a broad definition, defining PPIs as all interventions that are aimed at increasing positive feelings, behaviors, and cognition.”
BackgroundThe Complementary Roles of Eudaimonia and Hedonia and How They Can Be Pursued in Practice
Huta, V. (2015) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9781118996874.ch10 · Cited by 115
Strengthening personal growth: The effects of a strengths intervention on personal growth initiative
van Woerkom, M., & Meyers, M. C. (2018) · Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology · doi:10.1111/joop.12240 · Cited by 128
A pilot digital intervention targeting loneliness in young people with psychosis
Lim, M. H., Gleeson, J., Rodebaugh, T. L., Eres, R., Long, K. M., Casey, K., Abbott, J.-A., Thomas, N., & Penn, D. L. (2019) · Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology · doi:10.1007/s00127-019-01681-2 · Cited by 113
Experimental manipulation of extraverted and introverted behavior and its effects on well-being.
Margolis, S., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2019) · Journal of Experimental Psychology General · doi:10.1037/xge0000668 · Cited by 105
“Researchers have developed and tested multiple well-being interventions based on established correlates of well-being—for example, gratitude, optimism, savoring, and forgiveness (see Bolier et al., 2013; Lyubomirsky & Layous, 2013; Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009, for reviews).”
BackgroundSelf-citationFurthering Proactivity and Career Adaptability Among University Students: Test of Intervention
Green, Z. A., Noor, U., & Hashemi, M. N. (2019) · Journal of Career Assessment · doi:10.1177/1069072719870739 · Cited by 129
Seo, E. H., Kim, S.-G., Kim, S. H., Kim, J. H., Park, J. H., & Yoon, H. (2018) · Annals of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12991-018-0223-1 · Cited by 113
Shao, K., Nicholson, L. J., Kutuk, G., & Lei, F. (2020) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02142 · Cited by 139
“…49 and 39 studies, respectively, supported the effectiveness of PP interventions for improving well-being and lowering depression, and the positive effects of these interventions on psychological well-being remained significant after 6 months (Sin and Lyubomirsky, 2009; Bolier et al., 2013).”
ResultEmotional Intelligence in Organizations: Bridging Research and Practice
Lopes, P. N. (2016) · Emotion Review · doi:10.1177/1754073916650496 · Cited by 130
“…competencies can be trained comes from evaluations of stress management training (Richardson & Rothstein, 2008), positive psychology interventions (Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009), sensitivity and self-awareness training (Faith, Wong, & Carpenter, 1995), treatments of anger and other emotion-related…”
BackgroundLau, J. T. F., Walden, D. L., Wu, A. M. S., Cheng, K., Lau, M. M. C., & Mo, P. K. H. (2018) · Journal of Behavioral Addictions · doi:10.1556/2006.7.2018.87 · Cited by 108
Shaping tourists’ wellbeing through guided slow adventures
Farkić, J. M., Filep, S., & Taylor, S. (2020) · Journal of Sustainable Tourism · doi:10.1080/09669582.2020.1789156 · Cited by 106
Gratitude and depression in young adults: The mediating role of self-esteem and well-being
Lin, C.-C. (2015) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2015.07.017 · Cited by 124
Hone, L. C., Jarden, A., & Schofield, G. M. (2015) · The Journal of Positive Psychology · doi:10.1080/17439760.2014.965267 · Cited by 105
“…sustainability (see, for example, Seligman, Steen, Park, & Peterson, 2005), evidence suggesting that longer interventions are more effective (Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009) and that hedonic adaptation occurs several months into practising a happiness activity (Parks et al., 2012), less than half…”
BackgroundInfluentialAn affective neuroscience model of boosting resilience in adults
Tabibnia, G. (2020) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.05.005 · Cited by 115
Coelhoso, C. C., Tobo, P. R., Lacerda, S. S., Lima, A. H., Barrichello, C. R. C., Amaro Jr, E., & Kozasa, E. H. (2019) · Journal of Medical Internet Research · doi:10.2196/14269 · Cited by 95
“Results from a meta-analysis of 51 positive psychology interventions with more than 4000 individuals revealed that such interventions do indeed significantly enhance well-being [15].”
Positive affect and reward processing in the treatment of depression, anxiety and trauma
Craske, M. G., Dunn, B. D., Meuret, A. E., Rizvi, S. J., & Taylor, C. T. (2024) · Nature Reviews Psychology · doi:10.1038/s44159-024-00355-4 · Cited by 110
“…psychology intervention studies have proliferated and encompass treatment methods or intentional activities to cultivate positive feelings, behaviours or cognitions 190 , including gratitude, positive relationships, kindness, forgiveness, mindfulness or optimistic and/or hopeful thinking 190,191 .”
Nelson, S. K., Fuller, J. A. K., Choi, I., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2014) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167214533389 · Cited by 103
Self-citationHollis, V., Konrad, A., Springer, A., Antoun, M., Antoun, C., Martin, R., & Whittaker, S. (2017) · Human–Computer Interaction · doi:10.1080/07370024.2016.1277724 · Cited by 103
“A meta-analysis of 51 interventions showed that these positive thinking interventions increase well-being and reduce depressive symptoms (Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009).”
Backgroundvan Dierendonck, D., & Lam, H. (2022) · Applied Psychology Health and Well-Being · doi:10.1111/aphw.12398 · Cited by 103
Huffman, J. C., Millstein, R. A., Mastromauro, C. A., Moore, S. V., Celano, C. M., Bedoya, C. A., Suarez, L., Boehm, J. K., & Januzzi, J. L. (2016) · Journal of Happiness Studies · doi:10.1007/s10902-015-9681-1 · Cited by 102
“A meta-analysis of 39 trials in over 6000 participants found that PP programs consistently led to increased happiness, less depression, and improvements in overall wellbeing (Bolier et al. 2013), and such benefits can last months post-intervention (Sin and Lyubomirsky 2009; Seligman et al. 2005).”
InfluentialProyer, R. T., Wellenzohn, S., Gander, F., & Ruch, W. (2015) · Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being · doi:10.1111/aphw.12039 · Cited by 101
“One of its central aims is the development and evaluation of positive psychology interventions; i.e., “[…] treatment methods or intentional activities that aim to cultivate positive feelings, behaviors, or cognitions” (Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009; p. 468).”
BackgroundThe neurobiology of stress management.
Esch, T., & Stefano, G. B. (2010) · PubMed · Cited by 103
Koopman, J., Rosen, C. C., Gabriel, A. S., Puranik, H. G., Johnson, R. E., & Ferris, D. L. (2019) · Personnel Psychology · doi:10.1111/peps.12354 · Cited by 106
Well‐being of higher education consumers: A review and research agenda
Khatri, P., & Duggal, H. K. (2022) · International Journal of Consumer Studies · doi:10.1111/ijcs.12783 · Cited by 113
Wellenzohn, S., Proyer, R. T., & Ruch, W. (2016) · The Journal of Positive Psychology · doi:10.1080/17439760.2015.1137624 · Cited by 100
Academically buoyant students are less anxious about and perform better in high‐stakes examinations
Putwain, D. W., Daly, A., Chamberlain, S., & Sadreddini, S. (2015) · British Journal of Educational Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjep.12068 · Cited by 117
Tian, L., Zhang, L., Huebner, E. S., Zheng, X., & Liu, W. (2015) · Applied Research in Quality of Life · doi:10.1007/s11482-015-9436-5 · Cited by 117
“This finding may thus inform positive educational practices and policies because both students’ perceptions of school belonging and SWB in school can be altered through interventions, especially early interventions, unlike personality/temperament variables that are more resistant to interventions (Lyubomirsky et al. 2…”
BackgroundHalstead, E. J., Ekas, N. V., Hastings, R. P., & Griffith, G. M. (2018) · Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders · doi:10.1007/s10803-017-3447-z · Cited by 113
“A meta-analysis showed that a number of interventions have been successful in the general population in improving positivity, and therefore well-being (Sin and Lyubomirsky 2009).”
BackgroundTrait Meta-Mood and Subjective Happiness: A 7-week Prospective Study
Extremera, N., Salguero, J. M., & Fernández‐Berrocal, P. (2010) · Journal of Happiness Studies · doi:10.1007/s10902-010-9233-7 · Cited by 109
An introduction to positive psychology
ALTMAIER, E. M. (2019) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-811975-4.00002-2 · Cited by 99
Role of Well‐Being Therapy in Achieving a Balanced and Individualized Path to Optimal Functioning
Ruini, C., & Fava, G. A. (2012) · Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy · doi:10.1002/cpp.1796 · Cited by 98
Effects of gratitude intervention on mental health and well-being among workers: A systematic review
Komase, Y., Watanabe, K., Hori, D., Nozawa, K., Hidaka, Y., Iida, M., Imamura, K., & Kawakami, N. (2021) · Journal of Occupational Health · doi:10.1002/1348-9585.12290 · Cited by 132
Peters, M. L., Meevissen, Y. M. C., & Hanssen, M. M. (2013) · Terapia psicológica · doi:10.4067/s0718-48082013000100009 · Cited by 102
“A meta-analysis of the efficacy of positive interventions demonstrated the overall effectiveness of a variety of such interventions on wellbeing and depressive symptoms (Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009).”
Backgroundvan Mierlo, M. L., Schröder, C. D., Heugten, C. M. V., Post, M. W. M., de Kort, P. L. M., & Visser‐Meily, J. M. A. (2013) · International Journal of Stroke · doi:10.1111/ijs.12149 · Cited by 97
Tailoring positive psychology interventions to treat depressed individuals.
Sin, N. L., Porta, M. D. D., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2011) · Cited by 95
Self-citationAre positive psychology exercises helpful for people with depressive personality styles?
Sergeant, S., & Mongrain, M. (2011) · The Journal of Positive Psychology · doi:10.1080/17439760.2011.577089 · Cited by 95
“Converging evidence indicates that techniques which successfully harness personal strengths and resources can improve well-being and reduce depression in the general population (Seligman, Steen, Park, & Peterson, 2005; Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009).”
BackgroundSchueller, S. M., Kashdan, T. B., & Parks, A. C. (2014) · International Journal of Wellbeing · doi:10.5502/ijw.v4i1.5 · Cited by 95
“This difference was even more pronounced for depressive symptoms (d = .23 for Bolier et al., 2013; r = .31 for Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009, which corresponds to d = .65).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialNature Involvement Increases Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-Being: A Two-Week Experimental Study
Passmore, H., & Howell, A. J. (2014) · Ecopsychology · doi:10.1089/eco.2014.0023 · Cited by 106
“However, many positive psychology interventions have been validated on student populations (Bolier et al., 2013; Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009).”
Baños, R., Etchemendy, E., Mira, A., Riva, G., Gaggioli, A., & Botella, C. (2017) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00010 · Cited by 108
“Haworth CM, Nelson SK, Layous K, Carter K, Bao KJ, Lyubomirsky S, et al.”
BackgroundInfluentialSin, N. L., Moskowitz, J. T., & Whooley, M. A. (2015) · Psychosomatic Medicine · doi:10.1097/psy.0000000000000238 · Cited by 94
“Interventions that aim to improve psychological well-being, rather than solely addressing maladaptive thoughts or behaviors, are effective for enhancing positive states and alleviating depressive symptoms (51,52); such interventions have been adapted for patients experiencing health-related stress (53).”
Self-citationStiglbauer, B., Gnambs, T., Gamsjäger, M., & Batinic, B. (2013) · Journal of School Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2012.12.002 · Cited by 119
“The recent shift from a focus on problems and deficits to a more positive perspective, with an emphasis on strengths and resilience, has also become increasingly popular in educational research (e.g., Kristjánsson, 2012; Seligman, Ernst, Gillham, Reivich, & Linkins, 2009; Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009).”
BackgroundA qualitative analysis of the Three Good Things intervention in healthcare workers
Rippstein-Leuenberger, K., Mauthner, O. E., Sexton, J. B., & Schwendimann, R. (2017) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2017-015826 · Cited by 107
Is resilience a protective factor of internet addiction?
Robertson, T. W., Yan, Z., & Rapoza, K. A. (2017) · Computers in Human Behavior · doi:10.1016/j.chb.2017.09.027 · Cited by 93
Effects of Integrated Resort Experience on Customers’ Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-Being
Ahn, J., Back, K., & Boger, C. A. (2019) · Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research · doi:10.1177/1096348019861740 · Cited by 100
“To improve one’s happiness and invoke positive emotions, simple cognitive and behavioral strategies can be employed (Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009).”
MethodOwens, R. L., & Waters, L. E. (2020) · The Journal of Positive Psychology · doi:10.1080/17439760.2020.1789706 · Cited by 93
Working with LGBT individuals: Incorporating positive psychology into training and practice.
Lytle, M. C., Vaughan, M. D., Rodriguez, E. M., & Shmerler, D. L. (2014) · Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity · doi:10.1037/sgd0000064 · Cited by 114
Witarto, B. S., Visuddho, V., Witarto, A. P., Bestari, D., Sawitri, B., Melapi, T. A. S., & Wungu, C. D. K. (2022) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0274177 · Cited by 89
“The longer length of psychological interventions will cultivate positive feelings, behaviors, and cognition, leading to an improvement in well-being and other mental health components [48].”
BackgroundHealth-related quality of life of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder
Karras, H. C., Morin, D. N., Gill, K. K., Izadi‐Najafabadi, S., & Zwicker, J. G. (2018) · Research in Developmental Disabilities · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2018.05.012 · Cited by 93
COVID-19: implicações e aplicações da Psicologia Positiva em tempos de pandemia
Zanon, C., Dellazzana‐Zanon, L. L., Wechsler, S. M., Fabretti, R. R., & da Rocha, K. N. (2020) · Estudos de Psicologia (Campinas) · doi:10.1590/1982-0275202037e200072 · Cited by 125
Rusk, R. D., & Waters, L. (2015) · The Journal of Positive Psychology · doi:10.1080/17439760.2014.920409 · Cited by 93
Effects of positive interventions and orientations to happiness on subjective well-being
Giannopoulos, V. L., & Vella‐Brodrick, D. (2011) · The Journal of Positive Psychology · doi:10.1080/17439760.2010.545428 · Cited by 97
“…intervention groups led to an increase in well-being adds further support to a number of previous findings (Fordyce, 1977; Seligman et al., 2005, 2006; Sheldon & Lyubomirsky, 2006; Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009), which have established the effectiveness of positive interventions in increasing well-being.”
BackgroundResultSmith, O. R. F., Alves, D. E., Knapstad, M., Haug, E., & Aarø, L. E. (2017) · BMC Psychiatry · doi:10.1186/s12888-017-1343-x · Cited by 93
“For example in clinical psychology, it has been shown that interventions focusing on strengths and positive emotions can be as effective in treating mental disorders as more traditional approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy [5, 6].”
BackgroundSchofield, T. J., Martin, M. J., Conger, K. J., Neppl, T. M., Donnellan, M. B., & Conger, R. D. (2011) · Child Development · doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2010.01539.x · Cited by 92
“…is more than the simple absence of maladjustment (see Christopher & Campbell, 2008), this work on positive development offers alternative pathways for interventions and programs focused on promotion of resilience under stressful conditions (Joseph & Linley, 2009; Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009).”
BackgroundPositive Psychology and Brain Injury Rehabilitation
Evans, J. J. (2011) · Brain Impairment · doi:10.1375/brim.12.2.117 · Cited by 91
Harzer, C., & Ruch, W. (2015) · Journal of Happiness Studies · doi:10.1007/s10902-015-9692-y · Cited by 103
“We suggest a training period of at least 3 months (cf. Sin and Lyubomirsky 2009) and periodic meetings (e.g., in form of workshops or individual coaching; cf. Hagger and Luszczynska 2014) in order to improve the effects of the strengths-based intervention.”
BackgroundCelano, C. M., Beale, E. E., Mastromauro, C. A., Stewart, J. G., Millstein, R. A., Auerbach, R. P., Bedoya, C. A., & Huffman, J. C. (2017) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291716002798 · Cited by 89
“…lead to reductions in depression and increased well-being (Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009; Bolier et al. 2013), as well as a prior meta-analysis suggesting that the impact of PP interventions is greater in depressed individuals, compared with those without depression (Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009).”
BackgroundResultInfluentialHappiness intervention decreases pain and depression, boosts happiness among primary care patients
Lambert, L., Moliver, N., & Thompson, D. (2014) · Primary Health Care Research & Development · doi:10.1017/s146342361300056x · Cited by 95
“The fi ndings were consistent with results from previous studies (eg, Duckworth et al. , 2005; Seligman et al. , 2005; 2006; Sin and Lyubomirsky, 2009; Lyubomirsky et al. , 2011; Mongrain and Anselmo-122 Matthews, 2012).”
InfluentialThe evidence-base for positive psychology interventions: a mega-analysis of meta-analyses
Carr, A., Finneran, L., Boyd, C., Shirey, C., Canning, C. J., Stafford, O., Lyons, J., Cullen, K., Prendergast, C., Corbett, C., et al. (2023) · The Journal of Positive Psychology · doi:10.1080/17439760.2023.2168564 · Cited by 122
“These results were largely consistent with those of previous meta-analyses of PPIs (Bolier et al., 2013; Chakhssi et al., 2018; Hendriks et al., 2020, 2018; Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009; Weiss et al., 2016).”
MethodResultInfluentialRethinking Health: ICT-Enabled Services to Empower People to Manage Their Health
Honka, A. M., Kaipainen, K., Hietala, H., & Saranummi, N. (2011) · IEEE Reviews in Biomedical Engineering · doi:10.1109/rbme.2011.2174217 · Cited by 93
“There is indicative evidence that positive psychology interventions, which focus on cultivating positive feelings, behaviors or cognitions, can result in significant increases in wellbeing and reductions in depression symptoms [23].”
BackgroundOuweneel, E., Blanc, P. M. L., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2013) · The Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1080/00223980.2012.742854 · Cited by 104
“These types of larger scale programs are referred to as interventions based on a “shotgun approach” (Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009).”
BackgroundInfluentialStrengths in older adults: differential effect of savoring, gratitude and optimism on well-being
Salces-Cubero, I. M., Fernández, E. R., & Martínez, A. R. O. (2018) · Aging & Mental Health · doi:10.1080/13607863.2018.1471585 · Cited by 100
“These activities have proven to be effective in older adults, although few studies have been conducted on this population (Jim enez, Izal, & Montorio, 2016; Layous, Nelson, & Lyubomirsky, 2013; Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009; Sutipan, Intarakamhang, & Macaskill 2017).”
BackgroundChanges in values and well-being amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland
Bojanowska, A., Kaczmarek, L. D., Kościelniak, M., & Urbańska, B. (2021) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0255491 · Cited by 106
Reduction of bodily pain in response to an online positive activities intervention
Hausmann, L. R. M., Parks, A., Youk, A. O., & Kwoh, C. K. (2014) · The Journal of Pain · doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2014.02.004 · Cited by 82
“Studies testing the health effects of positive activities have mostly examined outcomes such as well-being or depressive symptoms, and report improvements in these outcomes in both depressed and nondepressed populations.(32) Observational and experimental evidence suggests that completing positive activities may also…”
BackgroundTeaching Happiness to Teachers - Development and Evaluation of a Training in Subjective Well-Being
Rahm, T., & Heise, E. (2019) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02703 · Cited by 88
The Impact of Well - Being Therapy on Symptoms of Depression
Moeenizadeh, M., & Salagame, K. K. K. (2010) · International Journal of Psychological Studies · doi:10.5539/ijps.v2n2p223 · Cited by 89
Parks, A. C., Williams, A. L., Tugade, M. M., Hokes, K. E., Honomichl, R. D., & Zilca, R. D. (2018) · International Journal of Wellbeing · doi:10.5502/ijw.v8i2.745 · Cited by 87
“…not as “clinical trials,” and therefore do not follow clinical trial conventions such as CONSORT reporting or intent-to-treat analysis (see the meta-analysis of Sin & Lyubomirsky (2009) for a broad review; all claims about the wellbeing literature are based on our reading of this meta-analysis).”
BackgroundStratman, J. L., & Youssef‐Morgan, C. M. (2019) · Safety Science · doi:10.1016/j.ssci.2019.02.031 · Cited by 94
Adolescents’ Life Satisfaction: The Role of Classroom, Family, Self-Concept and Gender
Povedano, A., Rivas, M. M., & Vera, M. (2019) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph17010019 · Cited by 86
“Considered the key indicator of SWB, LS is a cognitive, subjective, and comprehensive assessment of the person’s quality of life [8,9].”
BackgroundLyubomirsky, S., Boehm, J. K., Kasri, F., & Zehm, K. (2011) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/a0025479 · Cited by 85
“However, their dwelling on themselves and their world is not thoughtful and insightful, but rather maladaptive and disruptive—a cognitive process that brings to bear a host of adverse outcomes and may ultimately both result from and promote unhappiness.”
BackgroundSelf-citationHow imagining personal future scenarios influences affect: Systematic review and meta-analysis
Schubert, T., Eloo, R., Scharfen, J., & Nexhmedin Morina, B. (2019) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2019.101811 · Cited by 96
Measuring Positive Emotion Outcomes in Positive Psychology Interventions: A Literature Review
Moskowitz, J., Cheung, E., Freedman, M., Fernando, C., Zhang, M. W., Huffman, J., & Addington, E. (2020) · Emotion Review · doi:10.1177/1754073920950811 · Cited by 75
“…usually grouped together, combining positive emotion with outcomes such as meaning and purpose, life satisfaction, and optimism (Chakhssi et al., 2018; Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009), or with other cognitive and affective appraisals of one’s life as a whole (Bolier et al., 2013; Hendriks et al., 2019).”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialAn online optimism intervention reduces depression in pessimistic individuals.
Sergeant, S., & Mongrain, M. (2014) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0035536 · Cited by 94
“Sin and Lyubomirsky (2009) noted self-administered PPIs tend to have lower effectiveness compared to individual therapy and group-administered formats.”
BackgroundZhang, Y., & Chen, M. (2018) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01040 · Cited by 97
Howell, A. J., & Passmore, H.-A. (2019) · Journal of Happiness Studies · doi:10.1007/s10902-018-0027-7 · Cited by 83
Nikrahan, G. R., Laferton, J. A. C., Asgari, K., Kalantari, M., Abedi, M. R., Etesampour, A., Rezaei, A., Suarez, L., & Huffman, J. C. (2016) · Psychosomatics · doi:10.1016/j.psym.2016.02.007 · Cited by 84
Non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation boosts mood recovery after effort exertion
Ferstl, M., Teckentrup, V., Lin, W. M., Kräutlein, F., Kühnel, A., Klaus, J., Walter, M., & Kroemer, N. B. (2021) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291720005073 · Cited by 79
“…negative mood is a key symptom of major depression and related mental disorders ((Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-5, 2013) and ICD-10 (World Health Organization, 2004)), treatments of affective disorders often target improvements in mood (Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009).”
BackgroundPira, G. L., Aquilini, B., Davoli, A., Grandi, S., & Ruini, C. (2023) · JMIR Mental Health · doi:10.2196/44998 · Cited by 92
“This may represent an existing imbalance between the traditional and the positive psychology perspective [7,9] or simply the need to limit the survey burden and time dedicated to assessment in current research.”
BackgroundInfluentialLoveday, P. M., Lovell, G. P., & Jones, C. M. (2016) · Journal of Happiness Studies · doi:10.1007/s10902-016-9824-z · Cited by 93
Can positive affect attenuate (persistent) pain? State of the art and clinical implications
Hanssen, M. M., Peters, M. L., Boselie, J. J. L. M., & Meulders, A. (2017) · Current Rheumatology Reports · doi:10.1007/s11926-017-0703-3 · Cited by 88
Positive Psychological Interventions in Counseling
Magyar‐Moe, J. L., Owens, R. L., & Conoley, C. W. (2015) · The Counseling Psychologist · doi:10.1177/0011000015573776 · Cited by 97
“In general, a meta-analysis demonstrated positive psychological interventions significantly enhance well-being (and decrease depressive symptoms; Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009).”
BackgroundTaylor, C. T., Pearlstein, S. L., Kakaria, S., Lyubomirsky, S., & Stein, M. B. (2020) · Cognitive Therapy and Research · doi:10.1007/s10608-020-10102-7 · Cited by 81
“2018; Sin and Lyubomirsky 2009).”
ResultSelf-citationCarter, J. W., & Youssef‐Morgan, C. M. (2022) · Education and Information Technologies · doi:10.1007/s10639-021-10824-5 · Cited by 85
“This “shotgun” approach has been found to be more effective in positive psychological interventions in general (Seligman et al., 2005; Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009).”
BackgroundMethodBlasco‐Belled, A., Tejada‐Gallardo, C., Fatsini-Prats, M., & Alsinet, C. (2022) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-022-02913-6 · Cited by 80
“In the general population, literature showed that aspects such as the lockdown and problematic access to health-care or housing have significantly disadvantaged people from countries with lower HDI (Smith, 2020), which can be related to higher risk of psychological distress.”
Siegler, I. C., Elias, M. F., Brummett, B. H., & Bosworth, H. B. (2012) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9781118133880.hop209020 · Cited by 81
Koenig, H. G., Pearce, M., Nelson, B., & Daher, N. S. (2015) · Depression and Anxiety · doi:10.1002/da.22398 · Cited by 80
“29.[20] One experimental study in college students that emphasized regularly practicing optimism and gratitude over an 8-week period found increases in positive affect, life satisfaction, and happiness both immediately following the intervention and 6 months later.”
BackgroundGeschwind, N., Arntz, A., Bannink, F., & Peeters, F. (2019) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.brat.2019.03.005 · Cited by 79
Roberts-Wolfe, D., Sacchet, M., Hastings, E., Roth, H., & Britton, W. (2012) · Frontiers in Human Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnhum.2012.00015 · Cited by 84
“Results indicate that successful modification of cognitive biases resulted in decreased symptoms of anxiety and depression and greater well-being in clinical populations (Mathews and MacLeod, 2005; Mathews et al., 2007; Salemink et al., 2007; Beard and Amir, 2008; Li et al., 2008; Amir et al., 2009; Hazen et al., 2009…”
BackgroundMethodSavouring and Self‐compassion as Protective Factors for Depression
Ford, J., Klibert, J. J., Tarantino, N., & Lamis, D. A. (2017) · Stress and Health · doi:10.1002/smi.2687 · Cited by 78
Metadata
- Authors
- Sin, N. L., & Lyubomirsky, S.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Riverside (US)
- Corresponding author
- Sin, Nancy L.
- Lyubomirsky, Sonja
- Venue
- Journal of Clinical Psychology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2009-03-19
- Volume
- 65
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 467-487
- ISSN
- 0021-9762 (ISSN-L)
- 1097-4679
- OpenAlex
- W2038506024
- Cited by
- 2,955
- References
- 69
- Citations by year
- 2026: 107 · 2025: 175 · 2024: 168 · 2023: 196 · 2022: 231 · 2021: 319 · 2020: 257 · 2019: 246 · 2018: 214 · 2017: 186 · 2016: 212 · 2015: 182 · 2014: 157 · 2013: 104 · 2012: 80
- FWCI
- 9.14
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Clinical Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Keywords
- positive psychology interventions, well-being, depressive symptoms, depression treatment, intervention effectiveness, self-selection, intervention duration, age differences, clinician guidance
- MeSH terms
- Depression, Depressive Disorder, Emotions, Humans, Personal Satisfaction, Psychology, Clinical, Psychotherapy, Treatment Outcome
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
A language model drew the claims from the paper on 2026-10-11, under version 3 of the claim definition (model deepseek-v4.1-flash, prompt extract-v3).
A second model labelled each claim on 2026-10-11 (model jev-1.13-20260917, definition revision gold-guideline-v0.2).
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
