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Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: The recent growth of positive psychology has led to a proliferation in exercises to increase positive thoughts, behaviors, and emotions. Preliminary evidence suggests that these exercises hold promise as an approach for reducing depressive symptoms. These exercises are typically researched in isolation as single exercises. The current study examined the acceptability of several multi-exercise packages using online dissemination. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate methods of dissemination that could increase the acceptability and effectiveness of positive psychology exercises. To achieve this goal, we compared the use of positive psychology exercises when delivered in packages of 2, 4, or 6 exercises. METHODS: Self-help-seeking participants enrolled in this study by visiting an online research portal. Consenting participants were randomly assigned to receive 2, 4, or 6 positive psychology exercises (or assessments only) over a 6-week period. These exercises drew from the content of group positive psychotherapy. Participants visited an automated website that distributed exercise instructions, provided email reminders, and contained the baseline and follow-up assessments. Following each exercise, participants rated their enjoyment of the exercise, answered how often they had used each technique, and completed outcome measures. RESULTS: In total, 1364 individuals consented to participate. Attrition rates across the 2-, 4-, and 6-exercise conditions were similar at 55.5% (181/326), 55.8% (203/364), and 52.7% (168/319) respectively but were significantly greater than the attrition rate of 42.5% (151/355) for the control condition (χ(2)(3) = 16.40, P < .001). Participants in the 6-exercise condition were significant more likely than participants in the 4-exercise condition to use both the third (F(1,312) = 5.61, P = .02) and fourth (F(1,313 )= 6.03, P = .02) exercises. For 5 of the 6 exercises, enjoyment was related to continued use of the exercise at 6-week follow-up (r's = .12 to .39). All conditions produced significant reductions in depressive symptoms (F(1,656) = 94.71, P < .001); however, a significant condition by time interaction (F(3,656) = 4.77, P = .003) indicated that this reduction was larger in the groups that received 2 or 4 exercises compared with the 6-exercise or control condition. CONCLUSION: Increasing the number of exercises presented to participants increased the use of the techniques and did not increase dropout. Participants may be more likely to use these skills when presented with a variety of options. Increasing the number of exercises delivered to participants produced a curvilinear relationship with those in the 2- and 4-exercise conditions reporting larger decreases in depressive symptoms than participants in the 6-exercise or control conditions. Although research generally offers a single exercise to test isolate effects, this study supports that studying variability in dissemination can produce important findings.
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Written from the paper’s full text.
TL;DR
This online randomized trial compared dissemination of 2, 4, or 6 positive psychology exercises versus assessment-only control over 6 weeks. More exercises increased use without increasing dropout, but depressive symptom reductions were larger in the 2- and 4-exercise conditions than in the 6-exercise or control conditions.
Key findings
- Of 1364 consenting participants, attrition was similar across active conditions—55.5% (181/326) for 2 exercises, 55.8% (203/364) for 4 exercises, and 52.7% (168/319) for 6 exercises—but significantly greater than the 42.5% (151/355) control attrition (χ²₃=16.40, P<.001).
- Participants in the 6-exercise condition were significantly more likely than those in the 4-exercise condition to use the third (F₁,₃₁₂=5.61, P=.02) and fourth (F₁,₃₁₃=6.03, P=.02) exercises; mean usage days were 6.1 (SD 3.56), 7.94 (SD 4.77), and 12.1 (SD 7.36) for the 2-, 4-, and 6-exercise conditions.
- For 5 of the 6 exercises, enjoyment was related to continued use at 6-week follow-up (r’s=.12 to .39, P’s<.05).
- All conditions produced significant reductions in depressive symptoms (F₁,₆₅₆=94.71, P<.001), but a significant condition-by-time interaction (F₃,₆₅₆=4.77, P=.003) indicated larger reductions in the 2- and 4-exercise conditions than in the 6-exercise or control conditions; estimated marginal CES-D means were 12.31, 11.95, 15.89, and 14.53 for the 2-, 4-, 6-exercise, and control groups.
Methods
- Self-help–seeking participants enrolled through an online research portal associated with the University of Pennsylvania’s Positive Psychology Center and Seligman’s *Authentic Happiness*; 1364 consented and were randomly assigned to receive 2, 4, or 6 positive psychology exercises or assessments only over 6 weeks.
- Exercises were drawn from group positive psychotherapy and delivered in a fixed order: three good things, strengths, gratitude visit, savoring, active-constructive responding, and life summary; participants completed baseline and weekly assessments, including the 20-item CES-D.
- Analyses included chi-square tests comparing attrition across conditions, repeated measures ANCOVA on completers controlling for baseline depressive symptoms, and regressions testing whether days of exercise use mediated changes in depressive symptoms.
Limitations
- Stated: the sample was overwhelmingly female, highly affluent, and well educated, and was not representative of the world population; recruitment through a positive psychology book website and the University of Pennsylvania Positive Psychology Center may have contributed to this.
- Stated: because content was delivered through an automated system, the authors could not be sure participants actually read and understood the instructions; exercises were also delivered one per week over subsequent weeks, whereas real-world users may receive several activities at once and use them at will.
- Evident from the text: high attrition and the use of completer-only efficacy analyses may bias results, and adherence was based on self-report rather than objective tracking.
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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
“All conditions produced significant reductions in depressive symptoms (F 1,656 = 94.71, P < .001); however, a significant condition by time interaction (F 3,656 = 4.77, P = .003) indicated that this reduction was larger in the groups that received 2 or 4 exercises compared with the 6-exercise or control condition.”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Abstract > Results
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesA 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
“All conditions produced significant reductions in depressive symptoms (F 1,656 = 94.71, P < .001); however, a significant condition by time interaction (F 3,656 = 4.77, P = .003) indicated that this reduction was larger in the groups that received 2 or 4 exercises compared with the 6-exercise or control condition.”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Abstract > Results
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesA 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 5 of the 6 exercises, enjoyment was related to continued use of the exercise at 6-week follow-up (r’s = .12 to .39).”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Abstract > Results
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesA 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
“Estimated marginal means in the CES-D were 12.31, 11.95, 15.89, and 14.53 for the 2-, 4-, and 6-exercise groups and control condition, respectively.”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Results > Efficacy of Exercises
Load-bearingStrength:hedged· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passes- Rests on an assumption: The completers (participants who completed the pretest and posttest measures) are representative of the randomized sample, so that analyses of completers yield unbiased estimates of intervention effects.
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
“At baseline, the average scores on the CES-D were consistent with mild-to-moderate levels of depressive symptoms (mean 16.93, SD 12.64).”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Results > Efficacy of Exercises
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesA 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 5 of the 6 exercises (all of the 6 with exception of the life summary), enjoyment was related to continued use of the exercise at the 6-week follow-up (r’s = .12 to .39, P’s < .05).”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Results > Use of Exercises
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesA 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
“There were no significant differences between the 6 exercises on use of the techniques.”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Results > Use of Exercises
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesA 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
“Of the 1364 participants who consented to participate, 1140 (83.6%), 966 (70.8%), 851 (62.4%), 770 (56.4%), 705 (51.7%), and 661 (48.4%) completed measures each week at the week 1 through week 6 assessments respectively.”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Results > Attrition
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesA 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
“At the end of the 6 weeks, the three active conditions differed significantly on the number of days that the techniques were used (F 2,358 = 33.84, P < .001).”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Results > Use of Exercises
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesA 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
“A significant main effect of time (F 1,656 = 94.71, P < .001) demonstrates that depression scores dropped over time in all conditions.”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Results > Efficacy of Exercises
Strength:boosted· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passes- Rests on an assumption: The completers (participants who completed the pretest and posttest measures) are representative of the randomized sample, so that analyses of completers yield unbiased estimates of intervention effects.
- It may state two separate claims as one. 27
- Probably not a substantial claim. 15
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
“Attrition rates across the 2-, 4-, and 6-exercise conditions were similar at 55.5% (181/326), 55.8% (203/364), and 52.7% (168/319) respectively but were significantly greater than the attrition rate of 42.5% (151/355) for the control condition (χ2 3 = 16.40, P < .001).”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Abstract > Results
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedn = 1,364Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt 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
“Participants in the 6-exercise condition were significant more likely than participants in the 4-exercise condition to use both the third (F 1,312 = 5.61, P = .02) and fourth (F 1,313 = 6.03, P = .02) exercises.”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Abstract > Results
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt 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
“This was a highly educated sample with 77.2% (1053/1364) of participants reporting they had received a bachelor’s degree or higher.”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Results > Sample
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
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
“Neither term was significant, suggesting that the number of days of engagement did not relate to changes in depressive symptoms.”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Results > Efficacy of Exercises
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
- Rests on an assumption: The completers (participants who completed the pretest and posttest measures) are representative of the randomized sample, so that analyses of completers yield unbiased estimates of intervention effects.
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 in the 6-exercise condition were significant more likely than participants in the 4-exercise condition to use both the third (F 1,312 = 5.61, P = .02) and fourth (F 1,313 = 6.03, P = .02) exercises.”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Results > Use of Exercises
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt 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
“For the 2-exercise condition, mean usage was 6.1 days (SD 3.56); for the 4-exercise condition, mean usage was 7.94 days (SD 4.77); and for the 6-exercise condition, mean usage was 12.1 days (SD 7.36).”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Results > Use of Exercises
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt 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
“These analyses showed that at the end of the intervention period, participants in both the 2-exercise condition and the 4-exercise condition reported significantly fewer depressive symptoms than those in the 6-exercise condition and numerically (but not significantly) lower than participants in the control condition.”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Results > Efficacy of Exercises
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
- Rests on an assumption: The completers (participants who completed the pretest and posttest measures) are representative of the randomized sample, so that analyses of completers yield unbiased estimates of intervention effects.
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
“Participants were predominantly women (1038/1364, 76.1%) and middle aged with a mean age of 42.38 years (SD 12.08).”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Results > Sample
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. 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
“At the end of the 6-week assessment period, attrition rates across the active treatment conditions were similar, that is, 55.5% (181/326) for 2 exercises, 55.8% (203/364) for 4 exercises, and 52.7% (168/319) for 6 exercises, but all were significantly greater than the 42.5% (151/355) attrition rate for the control condition (χ2 3 = 16.40, P < .001).”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Results > Attrition
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedn = 1,364Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt 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 largest proportion of participants lived in the United States (743/1364, 54.5%), although many participants were from other countries (621/1364, 45.5%).”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Results > Sample
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. 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
“Income was generally high as 24.7% (337/1364) reported earning over US $99,000, and only 11.7% (160/1364) reported earning under US $20,000.”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Results > Sample
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Compared with students assigned to an assessment-only control group, students assigned to group PPT experienced significantly greater symptom reduction and improvements in life satisfaction, and these improvements remained at the 1-year follow-up [24].”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Introduction > The Efficacy of Positive Interventions
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [24] source
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. 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
“Increasing the number of exercises presented to participants increased the use of the techniques and did not increase dropout.”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Abstract > Conclusion
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
- Rests on an assumption: The attrition rates in the exercise conditions being similar to each other, despite being higher than the control condition, can be interpreted as increasing the number of exercises did not increase dropout.
In the 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].”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Introduction > The Efficacy of Positive Interventions
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [23] source
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Indeed, this effect remained even when controlling for baseline levels of depressive symptoms, suggesting that positive mental health is different from merely the absence of psychological distress [16].”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Introduction > The Potential of Positive Psychology
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [16] Keyes, CL, 2002, J Health Soc Behav source
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“The gratitude visit produced the largest initial gains in happiness; however, at three months, these participants were no happier than they had been at baseline.”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Introduction > Positive Psychology Interventions
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [20] source
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt 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
“Thus, increasing well-being might not only increase positive factors but also reduce negative states and psychopathology.”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Introduction > The Potential of Positive Psychology
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Participants who practiced using their signature strengths each day showed increase happiness and decreased depressive symptoms compared with participants in a placebo control group that wrote about early memories.”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Introduction > Positive Psychology Interventions
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [20] source
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“The gratitude journaling or the three good things exercise did not display benefits for participants until one month after the intervention, but these participants maintained these gains at 3- and 6-month follow-ups.”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Introduction > Positive Psychology Interventions
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [20] source
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Gratitude, for example, promotes both the formation and the upkeep of friendships [10].”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Introduction > The Potential of Positive Psychology
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [10] source
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. 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
“Although research generally offers a single exercise to test isolate effects, this study supports that studying variability in dissemination can produce important findings.”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Abstract > Conclusion
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“College students who noted good things reported increased levels of positive affect, increased levels of exercise, better sleep quality, and fewer physical symptoms compared with a control condition where participants wrote about daily hassles.”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Introduction > Positive Psychology Interventions
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [18] Emmons, RA, 2003, J Pers Soc Psychol source
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes? Load-bearing: unclear✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“The three good things exercise was even integrated into Facebook through an application that provided users with tools to complete the gratitude journaling online and share with friends in their network [29].”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Introduction > Taking Positive Psychology Online
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [29] source
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“People who tended to reflect on the positive moments of their life reported increased ability to savor life and had higher levels of positive emotions [22].”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Introduction > Positive Psychology Interventions
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [22] source
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:correlational· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. It may state two separate claims as one.
In the paper
“Indeed, the vast literature on choice suggests that although multiple options are beneficial, the relationship between choice and human happiness is curvilinear with too many options actually leading to various psychological and economic factors (time trade-offs, remorse, rumination, etc) that decrease psychological well-being [37].”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [37] Schwartz, B, 2002, J Pers Soc Psychol source
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt 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
“Disseminating these programs, however, is limited by the need to train personnel and the ability of the programs to reach others.”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Introduction > The Efficacy of Positive Interventions
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt 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
“This suggests a curvilinear relationship such that some exercises are better than none but that 6 exercises was associated with fewer gains.”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Discussion
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt may state two separate claims as one.
- Rests on an assumption: The completers (participants who completed the pretest and posttest measures) are representative of the randomized sample, so that analyses of completers yield unbiased estimates of intervention effects.
In the paper
“Reminiscence interventions lead to a variety of emotional benefits, especially among elderly individuals.”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Introduction > Positive Psychology Interventions
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [22] source
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedCausal:direct· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
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 Internet allows dissemination of these techniques throughout the world, anywhere participants have Web access, rather than having to rely on trained professionals to provide access to these techniques.”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Introduction > Taking Positive Psychology Online
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✗ Based: failsProbably not a substantial claim. The paper may give no reason why it holds.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the 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].”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Discussion
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [23] source
- Not checked yetcites [36] Tkach, CT, 2006, Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering
Tests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesIt 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
“Positive psychology techniques also lend themselves to Internet research, as these techniques might be less stigmatizing than other interventions that deal with difficulties and deficits.”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Introduction > Taking Positive Psychology Online
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedCausal:conditional· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✗ Checkable: fails✗ Load-bearing: fails✗ Based: failsProbably not a substantial claim. It may be too vague to check against evidence. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no 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
“After completing the baseline questionnaires that assessed demographics as well as mood and depressive symptoms, participants were randomly assigned to one of the four groups.”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Methods > Study Procedures
Load-bearingStrength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✓ Load-bearing: passes✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim.
None of the sources cited for this claim have been checked yet.
In the paper
“Other programs that have combined content from individual exercises into longer and more involved intervention packages have been delivered in a variety of settings including schools and have also been delivered to military personnel [25,26].”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Introduction > The Efficacy of Positive Interventions
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
In the paper
“During the baseline assessment and at each weekly follow-up, participants also completed the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale (CES-D), a 20-item self-report scale designed to measure the current level of depressive symptoms [33].”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Methods > Measures
What the sources say
- Not checked yetcites [33] source
Strength:plain· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✓ Based: passesProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it.
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
“Furthermore, instructions were delivered over subsequent weeks, and participants were asked to use one activity per week although in the real world, participants are more likely to receive several potential activities at once and use them at will.”
§ Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial > Discussion
Strength:hedged· not yet calibratedTests✓ Asserted: passes✓ Checkable: passes✗ Load-bearing: fails✗ Based: failsProbably not a substantial claim. The paper’s conclusions may not depend on it. The paper may give no reason why it holds. It may state two separate claims as one.
The paper relies on this without support.
The positive psychology exercises used in group PPT can be effectively translated to an online self-help format.
“The design of the investigation that we report in this paper translated the individual exercises used in group PPT for online dissemination.”
The paper relies on this without support.
Self-help-seeking participants who enroll via an online research portal are an appropriate population for testing the acceptability and effectiveness of positive psychology exercises.
“Self-help–seeking participants enrolled in this study by visiting an online research portal.”
The paper relies on this without support.
The meta-analysis finding that packages with multiple positive psychology strategies have higher effect sizes applies to online self-help positive psychology exercises.
“consistent with the findings of the meta-analysis of positive interventions, we predicted that participants receiving more exercises would experience greater benefits.”
The paper relies on this without support.
The attrition rates in the exercise conditions being similar to each other, despite being higher than the control condition, can be interpreted as increasing the number of exercises did not increase dropout.
“Attrition rates across the 2-, 4-, and 6-exercise conditions were similar at 55.5% (181/326), 55.8% (203/364), and 52.7% (168/319) respectively but were significantly greater than the attrition rate of 42.5% (151/355) for the control condition (χ2 3 = 16.40, P < .001).”
The paper relies on this without support.
The package of positive psychology exercises used in the study had been previously validated.
“The main aim of this study was to translate a previously validated package of positive psychology exercises for online dissemination.”
The paper relies on this without support.
The completers (participants who completed the pretest and posttest measures) are representative of the randomized sample, so that analyses of completers yield unbiased estimates of intervention effects.
“Given the high rates of attrition in Internet-based studies, we conducted analyses of the completers, that is, participants who completed the pretest and posttest measures.”
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?
In the citing paper
“Importantly, positive psychological states are not simply the flipside of depression.”
From Positive Psychological Interventions for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Rationale, Theoretical Model, and Intervention Development (2015) · cites this paper as [34]
In the citing paper
“Constructs like optimism (r = 0.3) and gratitude (r = 0.2–0.3) are only somewhat correlated with depression [34, 35]”
From Positive Psychological Interventions for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Rationale, Theoretical Model, and Intervention Development (2015) · cites this paper as [34]
In the citing paper
“In contrast to complex multicomponent health behavior or psychology interventions, PP exercises are simple, can be delivered remotely (e.g., by phone), and require minimal training of providers [34, 41, 42].”
From Positive Psychological Interventions for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Rationale, Theoretical Model, and Intervention Development (2015) · cites this paper as [34]
In the citing paper
“Participants had relatively low baseline optimism (LOT-R = 13.0 ± 6.8, compared to general population mean of 15.2 ± 3.8 [34])”
From Positive Psychological Interventions for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Rationale, Theoretical Model, and Intervention Development (2015) · cites this paper as [34]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.
Discussion claims significant benefits over control that the results deny
MajorThe Discussion says the 2- and 4-exercise groups had significant reductions compared with the control group, but the Results state that their depressive-symptom scores were only numerically, not significantly, lower than control.
“Participants who received 2 or 4 exercises, on the other hand, both experienced significant reductions compared with participants in the control group and those in the 6-exercise condition.”
“These analyses showed that at the end of the intervention period, participants in both the 2-exercise condition and the 4-exercise condition reported significantly fewer depressive symptoms than those in the 6-exercise condition and numerically (but not significantly) lower than participants in the control condition.”
Citations
Cites
The CES-D Scale: A Self-Report Depression Scale for Research in the General Population
Radloff, L. S. (1977) · Applied Psychological Measurement · doi:10.1177/014662167700100306 · Cited by 53,267
Positive psychology: An introduction.
Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/0003-066x.55.1.5 · Cited by 11,351 · cited 1×
“Positive psychology focuses on factors that help promote optimal well-being and investigates the functional consequences of these states [7].”
BackgroundSocial Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review
Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., & Layton, J. B. (2010) · PLoS Medicine · doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316 · Cited by 7,272 · cited 1×
“Consistent findings suggest that stronger social relationships reduce mortality and help us cope with life stressors [12].”
BackgroundThe 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 · cited 1×
“Experimental and longitudinal studies have found that increased positive emotions lead to social, occupational, and health benefits [9].”
BackgroundCharacter Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification
Morrow, C. E. (2004) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.42-0624 · Cited by 6,166 · cited 1×
“” A signature strength is based on a classification of positive characteristics of individuals that are morally valued in general, that are fulfilling, and that are trait-like [21].”
BackgroundPositive 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 · cited 4×
“One study comparing five different positive psychology exercises head-to-head used two different gratitude-boosting strategies [20].”
BackgroundInfluentialFlourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being
(2011) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.48-7217 · Cited by 5,543
The mental health continuum: from languishing to flourishing in life.
Keyes, C. L. M. (2002) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.2307/3090197 · Cited by 5,133 · cited 1×
“Indeed, this effect remained even when controlling for baseline levels of depressive symptoms, suggesting that positive mental health is different from merely the absence of psychological distress [16].”
BackgroundResilient Individuals Use Positive Emotions to Bounce Back From Negative Emotional Experiences.
Tugade, M. M., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2004) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.86.2.320 · Cited by 3,947 · cited 1×
“Furthermore, psychological well-being in general, and positive emotion in particular, appear to promote meaning-making in stressful situations, which in turn leads to more effective coping [13].”
BackgroundEmmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-3514.84.2.377 · Cited by 3,826 · cited 1×
“One exercise designed to increase gratitude asks participants to reflect each day on three good things that happened by writing these things down in a journal [18].”
Background
Flagged first, then by citations
2 of the 37 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Research works printed but not linked: 3
- Seligman, ME, 2002, Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment
- Parks, AC, 2012, Emotion, in press
- Tkach, CT, 2006, Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 201–247 of 247
A Public Health Approach to Delinquency and Incarceration
Jensen, E., Fazio-Ruggiero, K., & Belsham, D. (2021) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108678971.027
Thompson, C. M., Datchi, C. C., & Eure, L. (2021) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108678971.018
Supporting Communities through Educational Access
Pasquerella, L. (2021) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108678971.024 · Cited by 1
Stern, A., Wartman, E. C., Scott, M., & Hunter, S. J. (2021) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108678971.030
Clauss‐Ehlers, C. S. (2021) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108678971.036
Conducting Culturally Responsive Community Needs Assessments
Suzuki, L. A., Caso, T. J., West‐Olatunji, C. A., & Prendes-Lintel, M. (2021) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108678971.009
Comprehensive Evaluation of a Rural School Mental Health Program
Hartley, S. N., Strompolis, M., Collins, C., Bradley, W. J., Collins, D., Bresnan, P. M., & Weist, M. D. (2021) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108678971.010
Responding to Gaps in Research and Practice in Community Psychology
Graham, T. (2021) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108678971.034
Constructive Diversity Pedagogy for Challenging Classroom Dialogues
Jackson, M. A., & Waite, S. R. (2021) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108678971.011
Public Service Organizations and Community Empowerment
Oppenheimer, M. F., & Miller, E. W. (2021) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108678971.028
Baptiste, D. R., & Burch, K. (2021) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108678971.014
Garagiola, E. R., Hunter, S. J., Villarreal, M. A., Renfro, R. L., & Clauss‐Ehlers, C. S. (2021) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/9781108678971.032
Session Fifteen: Meaning and Purpose
Rashid, T., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med-psych/9780195325386.003.0021
Session Eleven: Slowness and Savoring
Rashid, T., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med-psych/9780195325386.003.0017
Rashid, T., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med-psych/9780195325386.003.0012
Session Four: A Better Version of Me
Rashid, T., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med-psych/9780195325386.003.0010
Session Three: Practical Wisdom
Rashid, T., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med-psych/9780195325386.003.0009
Session Five: Open and Closed Memories
Rashid, T., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med-psych/9780195325386.003.0011
Session Ten: Posttraumatic Growth
Rashid, T., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med-psych/9780195325386.003.0016
Session Two: Character Strengths and Signature Strengths
Rashid, T., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med-psych/9780195325386.003.0008
Session Twelve: Positive Relationships
Rashid, T., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med-psych/9780195325386.003.0018
Baltic Journal of Psychology; Volume 17, Number 1&2
University of Latvia (2016) · BALTIC JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY · doi:10.22364/bjp.17.01-02
Session Nine: Hope and Optimism
Rashid, T., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med-psych/9780195325386.003.0015
Session Seven: Maximizing versus Satisficing
Rashid, T., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med-psych/9780195325386.003.0013
Rashid, T., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med-psych/9780195325386.003.0020
Rashid, T., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med-psych/9780195325386.003.0014
Session Thirteen: Positive Communication
Rashid, T., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med-psych/9780195325386.003.0019
الأشرم, ر. إ. م. (2022) · مجلة التربية الخاصة · doi:10.21608/mtkh.2022.283500
Strebel, A., Tantik, M. A. S., & Braun, O. L. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-662-65454-5_13 · Cited by 1
Jornada de actualización en Psicología educativa: Nuevos retos, Nuevas prácticas
Caracas, U. M. D. (2021) · Almanaque · doi:10.58479/almanaque.2021.21
Relaxation #amp; Mindfulness Practices
Rashid, T., & Seligman, M. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med-psych/9780195325386.005.0001
Rashid, T., & Seligman, M. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med-psych/9780195325386.005.0004
Rashid, T., & Seligman, M. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med-psych/9780195325386.005.0005
Online Appendix of Positive Clinical Psychology Resources
Rashid, T., & Seligman, M. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med-psych/9780195325386.005.0006
Rashid, T., & Seligman, M. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med-psych/9780195325386.005.0002
Rashid, T., & Seligman, M. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med-psych/9780195325386.002.0007
Rashid, T., & Seligman, M. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med-psych/9780195325386.002.0003
Rashid, T., & Seligman, M. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med-psych/9780195325386.002.0006
Ewert, C., Palme, L., Voigt, W. H. A., & Tomczyk, S. (2025) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1631713
Jalalabadi, E., Rahimi, S., Taheri, I., Ramezani, M., & Matourypour, P. (2025) · Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.5812/ijpbs-160142
“Psychological exercises have also been found to be effective in improving positive attitudes and reducing hopelessness (32).”
Mrazek, A. J., Texter, A. R., Jennings, J. K., Podell, J. R., Zapalac, K., Maul, A., Rutila, B. A., Trotter, A. N., Woodson, E. J., Zhu, Y., et al. (2026) · Frontiers in Education · doi:10.3389/feduc.2026.1660005
The effect of PPIs in improving college students’ well-being: a systematic literature review
Jingwei, Z., & Nen, S. B. (2026) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-026-09153-y · Cited by 1
“Positive psychologists have developed various exercises and interventions to enhance well-being (Seligman et al., 2005; Schueller & Parks, 2012 ).”
Corman, M. (2020) · theses.fr (ABES) · doi:10.70675/74a76275z07abz47d6zb249z4ba89cead767
Tönis, K. J. M., Drossaert, C. H. C., ten Klooster, P. M., Segers, J., Keren, N., Staal, W., & Bohlmeijer, E. T. (2026) · Research in Neurodiversity · doi:10.1016/j.rin.2026.100050
Fortuna, P. (2026) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9781394399680.refs
Metadata
- Authors
- Schueller, S. M., & Parks, A. C.
- Affiliations
- University of Pennsylvania (US)
- Hiram College (US)
- Corresponding author
- Schueller, Stephen M
- Venue
- Journal of Medical Internet Research
- Publisher
- JMIR Publications Inc.
- Published
- 2012-06-25
- Volume
- 14
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- e63
- ISSN
- 1438-8871 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3414858
- OpenAlex
- W2084068173
- Semantic Scholar
- 2dda3ab86fbc9b438f331e01cd997bd1a766165d
- Cited by
- 246
- References
- 37
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 48 · 2020: 17 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 47 · 2017: 19 · 2016: 19 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 15 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 23.47
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by
- Locations
- Journal of Medical Internet Research (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Funders
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of California, San Francisco
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Keywords
- self-help, digital dissemination, depressive symptoms, attrition, exercise enjoyment, digital mental health interventions, dissemination of evidence-based interventions, email reminders, exercise duration, exercise frequency
- MeSH terms
- Online Systems, Psychology, Self Care
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