Investigating the Key Success Factors of Chatbot-Based Positive Psychology Intervention with Retrieval- and Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (GPT)-Based Chatbots
Abstract
Technologically assisted methods have been extensively utilized in positive psychology interventions (PPIs), which aim to elevate the happiness levels of the widespread and diverse general public, a population that traditional methodologies struggle to comprehend and impact. Nevertheless, the literature provides insufficient insights into the effectiveness of chatbot-based PPIs (Chat-PPIs). This study endeavors to fill this void by employing both retrieval-based and generative pre-trained transformer (GPT)-based chatbots and executing three randomized controlled trials involving 326 participants to investigate the hypothesized effectiveness mechanisms. The statistical analysis affirms the effectiveness of Chat-PPI. Moreover, our results indicate that personalized PPI recommendations, adaptive multi-round dialogues, and real-time feedback significantly augment the efficacy of Chat-PPI. Besides exploring and confirming the mechanisms behind Chat-PPI, this study also endorses the use of generative chatbots, which, although less controllable, provide more natural interaction that can boost the efficacy of Chat-PPI.
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Emerging primary studies suggest that GenAI mental health chatbots can improve engagement and adherence by supporting between-session cognitive behavioral therapy tasks and delivering positive psychology interventions, such as gratitude or self-reflection exercises.
“Emerging primary studies suggest that GenAI mental health chatbots can improve engagement and adherence by supporting between-session cognitive behavioral therapy tasks [23] and delivering positive psychology interventions, such as gratitude or self-reflection exercises [24].”
From Generative AI Mental Health Chatbots as Therapeutic Tools: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Their Role in Reducing Mental Health Issues (2025) · cites this paper as [24]
One study incorporated NLP alongside GPT-3.5.
“one incorporated NLP alongside GPT-3.5 [24]”
From Generative AI Mental Health Chatbots as Therapeutic Tools: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Their Role in Reducing Mental Health Issues (2025) · cites this paper as [24]
Among the 26 studies, 1 study measured only positive well-being, 1 had chatbot designs in the control group, 3 did not report sufficient data, and 8 were not randomized trials, leaving 14 RCTs eligible for meta-analysis.
“Among the 26 studies, 1 study measured only positive well-being instead of mental health issues [29], 1 study had chatbot designs in the control group [24], 3 studies did not report sufficient data for calculating pooled effect size, and 8 studies were not randomized trials, leaving a total of 14 RCTs eligible for meta-analysis to estimate the effectiveness of GenAI chatbot on mental health issues”
From Generative AI Mental Health Chatbots as Therapeutic Tools: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Their Role in Reducing Mental Health Issues (2025) · cites this paper as [24]
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“Emerging primary studies suggest that GenAI mental health chatbots can improve engagement and adherence by supporting between-session cognitive behavioral therapy tasks [23] and delivering positive psychology interventions, such as gratitude or self-reflection exercises [24].”
Influential
- Authors
- Liu, I., Liu, F., Xiao, Y., Huang, Y., Wu, S., & Ni, S.
- Affiliations
- Beijing Normal University (CN)
- Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Ni, Shiguang
- Venue
- International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2024-01-08
- Volume
- 41
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 341-352
- ISSN
- 1044-7318 (ISSN-L)
- 1532-7590
- OpenAlex
- W4390668567
- Cited by
- 44
- References
- 29
- Citations by year
- 2026: 15 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 11
- FWCI
- 17.53
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai Researcher Activation Fund (Grant No., 1)
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Next Generation Interactive Media Innovative Technology (Grant No., 4)
- Chinese National Social Science Foundation (Grant No., 42)
- Shenzhen Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences for People’s Well-being Benchmarking Study (Grant No., 03)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Social Robot Interaction and HRI
- Keywords
- retrieval-based chatbots, success factors, personalized recommendation, adaptive dialogue, real-time feedback, happiness, chatbots
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