The DOI matches its Crossref record.
Positive Computing: Technology for Wellbeing and Human Potential
Abstract
A case for building a digital environment that can make us happier and healthier, not just more productive, and a theoretical framework for doing so. On the eve of Google's IPO in 2004, Larry Page and Sergey Brin vowed not to be evil. Today, a growing number of technologists would go further, trying to ensure that their work actively improves people's lives. Technology, so pervasive and ubiquitous, has the capacity to increase stress and suffering; but it also has the less-heralded potential to improve the well-being of individuals, society, and the planet. In this book, Rafael Calvo and Dorian Peters investigate what they term “positive computing”—the design and development of technology to support psychological well-being and human potential. Calvo and Peters explain that technologists' growing interest in social good is part of a larger public concern about how our digital experience affects our emotions and our quality of life—which itself reflects an emerging focus on humanistic values in many different disciplines. Synthesizing theory, knowledge, and empirical methodologies from a variety of fields, they offer a rigorous and coherent foundational framework for positive computing. Sidebars by experts from psychology, neuroscience, human–computer interaction, and other disciplines supply essential context. Calvo and Peters examine specific well-being factors, including positive emotions, self-awareness, mindfulness, empathy, and compassion, and explore how technology can support these factors. Finally, they offer suggestions for future research and funding. Sidebars Timothy N. Bickmore, Jeremy Bailenson, danah boyd, Jane Burns, David R. Caruso, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Felicia Huppert, Mary-Helen Immordino-Yang, Adele Krusche and J. Mark G. Williams, Jane McGonigal, Jonathan Nicholas, Don Norman, Yvonne Rogers
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
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
“Calvo and Peters (62) indicated that emotion can be detected from measures of heart rate, respiration, blood-pressure, skin conductance, and so on.”
From Digital Therapeutic Alliance With Fully Automated Mental Health Smartphone Apps: A Narrative Review (2022) · cites this paper as Calvo and Peters (62)
In the citing paper
“Designers can express their empathy by using high-impact graphs (62) and creating scenarios (64).”
From Digital Therapeutic Alliance With Fully Automated Mental Health Smartphone Apps: A Narrative Review (2022) · cites this paper as [62]
Citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 301–376 of 376
Alrimawi, F., & Nuseibeh, B. (2022) · IEEE/ACM International Conference on Software Engineering: New Ideas and Emerging Results (ICSE-NIER) · doi:10.1109/icse-nier55298.2022.9793532
Special Interest Group on Positive Computing
Hochin, T. (2020) · Journal of Japan Society of Kansei Engineering · doi:10.5057/kansei.18.2_76
Positive Artificial Intelligence Meets Affective Walkability
Bandini, S., Gasparini, F., & da Silva, F. S. C. (2022) · Intelligent systems reference library · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-11593-6_9
Smith, N., Peters, D., Jay, C., Barrett, E., Sandal, G. M., & Wuebker, R. J. (2022) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4198483
Self-citationEmotional Development and Education in a Digital Society
WATANABE, Y., KOBAYASHI, T., HASEGAWA, K., Kozima, H., MATSUMOTO, Y., & Sawaumi, T. (2022) · The Annual Report of Educational Psychology in Japan · doi:10.5926/arepj.61.279
WellComp 2022: Fifth International Workshop on Computing for Well-Being
Spathis, D., López, M. B., Gashi, S., et al. (2022) · ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing (UbiComp) · doi:10.1145/3544793.3560375
“Also, the “Positive Computing” community has initiated activities in the human computer interaction (HCI) domain [7], being inspired from positive psychology [9] that focuses on people’s psychology under healthy conditions (not in the illed condition).”
BackgroundOHMORI, H., & Ogino, A. (2023) · International Symposium on Affective Science and Engineering · doi:10.5057/isase.2023-c000022
Experience Design Based on Values and Psychological Needs in a Corporate Context
Krüger, A. E., Ivanova, M., Rath, D., & Brandenburg, S. (2023) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-35699-5_12
WellComp 2023: Sixth International Workshop on Computing for Well-Being
Gashi, S., Spathis, D., Dang, T., et al. (2023) · doi:10.1145/3594739.3605110
“Also, the “Positive Computing” community has initiated activities in the human computer interaction (HCI) domain [7], being inspired from positive psychology [9] that focuses on people’s psychology under healthy conditions (not in the illed condition).”
BackgroundCan the Use of Avatars Contribute to Human Well-Being?
Ando, H., & Ono, N. (2023) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-48041-6_33
Ong, E., Go, M. J., Lao, R., Pastor, J., & To, L. B. (2023) · International Journal of Asian Language Processing · doi:10.1142/s2717554523500170 · Cited by 1
From Supplementary to Core Digital Educational Materials Design Strategies and Models
Nami, F. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-981-99-7070-4_5
User Experience and Emotional Resonance in Human-Smartwatch Interaction: A Diary-Study ApproachPreprint
Salim, F., & Kim, S. (2024) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4785069
Six Shades of Grey - Designer Perspective to Dark Patterns and Dark UxPreprint
Silvennoinen, J. M., Havinen, L., Rousi, R., et al. (2024) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4863668
Aygun, K. (2024) · Health and Society · doi:10.51249/hs.v4i04.2138
WellComp 2024: Seventh International Workshop on Computing for Well-Being
Dang, T., Gashi, S., Spathis, D., et al. (2024) · doi:10.1145/3675094.3677568
“Also, the “Positive Computing” community has initiated activities in the human computer interaction (HCI) domain [7], being inspired from positive psychology [9] that focuses on people’s psychology under healthy conditions (not in the ill-ed condition).”
Enhancing Mental Wellbeing Among College Students Using Autogen
Reddy, C. R., Devi, B. M., Reddy, K. P., & Medarametla, L. (2025) · IEEE International Students' Conference on Electrical, Electronics and Computer Science (SCEECS) · doi:10.1109/sceecs64059.2025.10940967
The Wellbeing Compass: Navigating Towards a Humanity-Centered Tech Future
Grosse-Buening, I., & Kukarina, A. (2025) · Integrated science · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-87023-1_17
Litherland, B. (2025) · International Journal of Cultural Studies · doi:10.1177/13678779251337761 · Cited by 1
“Positive media psychology has signi fi cantly in fl uenced policy and design approaches in Silicon Valley around ‘ positive computing ’ (Calvo and Peters, 2014).”
Chang, K.-Y., & Lee, C. (2025) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-93502-2_9
Beyond Usability: Introducing Wellbeing-Driven End-User Development Design
Krings, K., Bohn, N. S., Sauter, L. M., & Ludwig, T. G. (2025) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-95452-8_12 · Cited by 1
Fine-Tuned Mistral Model for Multi-Agent Mental Health Counseling System
Patel, A., Lohumi, P., Shah, V., Dash, M., & Arya, M. S. (2025) · International Conference on Computing and Artificial Intelligence (ICCAI) · doi:10.1109/iccai66501.2025.00056
“Similarly, Calvo and Peters [3] introduced the concept of ”positive computing,” where AI technologies are developed to promote well-being.”
Şat, M. (2025) · e-Kafkas Eğitim Araştırmaları Dergisi · doi:10.30900/kafkasegt.1691337
“With technology’s pervasive ness, digital well-being is essential for mitigating risks such as technology addiction and mental health challenges, promoting a balanced interaction with digital environments (Calvo & Peters, 2014).”
Saber, A., Hassan, E., Elbedwehy, S., & Emara, T. Z. (2025) · IGI Global eBooks · doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-3048-8.ch009 · Cited by 1
Hermann, J., & Doğangün, A. (2025) · Australian Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (OzCHI) · doi:10.1145/3764687.3764698
Smart and Digital Wellbeing Initiatives in Healthcare
Varma, A., Saraiya, A. S., Tuli, K., Suresh, S., & Srivastava, S. (2025) · IGI Global eBooks · doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-7917-3.ch009 · Cited by 1
Lima, A. P., Caldwell, J. P., & Strussmann, C. (2009) · INFM-OAR (INFN Catania) · doi:10.5281/zenodo.185504
Press Play to Feel: Repensando o Papel do Som na Interação
Nunes, C., Cruz, G., & Darin, T. (2025) · doi:10.5753/ihc_estendido.2025.15993
“Essas práticas dialogam com os princípios do Positive Computing [Calvo e Peters 2014], que propõe projetar tecnologias orientadas ao bem-estar psicológico dos usuários, e não apenas à efciência ou ao desempenho funcional.”
Cheerbot: A Socially Assistive Robot for Workplace Wellbeing
Webb, H., Barnard, P., Caleb-Solly, P., et al. (2025) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-981-95-2379-5_32
WellComp 2025: Eighth International Workshop on Computing and Software Systems for Well-Being
Jia, H., Keikhosrokiani, P., Chatterjee, S., & Dang, T. (2025) · ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing (UbiComp) · doi:10.1145/3714394.3750584
“Also, the “Positive Computing” community has initiated activities in the human computer interaction (HCI) domain [7], being inspired from positive psychology [13] that focuses on people’s psychology under healthy conditions (not in the ill-ed condition).”
Hermann, J., & Doğangün, A. (2026) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-12781-5_6
Vineeth, K., & Melbin, M. S. (2025) · Research Review Journal of Indian Knowledge Systems. · doi:10.31305/rrjiks.2025.v2.n2.010
Affective Computing and the Future of Education
Tag, B., & Gao, N. (2026) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-981-95-1622-3_6
Communication Mentoring System for Connection: A Study on Linking Isolated Users
Lee, J. (2026) · Communications in computer and information science · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-12767-9_38
A Digital Public Health Platform for Combating Isolation and Loneliness
Prasad, S., Rehanna Parveen, A., Yazhini, S., & Prakash, E. P. (2025) · IEEE International Conference on ICT in Business Industry & Government (ICTBIG) · doi:10.1109/ictbig68706.2025.11323273
Digital Well-Being of Public Servants
Verina, N., Strazda, A., Štaube, T., & Actiņa, G. (2025) · SUSTAINABILITY SOCIAL INNOVATIONS AND DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION · doi:10.2478/ssidt-2025-0005
From The Sentiment Exchange to Emotional Economics 2.0
Campagnolo, L. (2026) · Journal of Ethics and Emerging Technologies · doi:10.55613/jeet.v36i1.198
Cognitive Sovereignty and Happiness Governance
Diaz-Llairo, M. A. (2026) · Advances in computational intelligence and robotics book series · doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-4480-5.ch010
Computer Support to Well-Being Based on Emotions: A Systematic Mapping and Snowballing
Ancioto, A. S. R., de Oliveira, F. C. J., & Néris, V. P. D. A. (2026) · International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1080/10447318.2026.2640459
Liu, Y., Xu, C., Jia, J., Liao, Y., & Yang, W. (2026) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-8827560/v1
Future Human–Technology Interactions and Their Intelligent Applications
Faria, D. R. (2026) · Applied Sciences · doi:10.3390/app16073224
Wu, Y., & Tan, H. (2026) · International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1080/10447318.2026.2638545
Tarmissi, K., & Marref, A. (2026) · Frontiers in Computer Science · doi:10.3389/fcomp.2026.1773479
Tech Footprint Toolkit: Supporting Designers in Anticipating Technology Impact
Colombo, S., Zhu, Q., & Pietrzykowski, K. (2026) · Extended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA) · doi:10.1145/3772363.3798662
Rivera, J. A., & Situ, J. (2026) · CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA) · doi:10.1145/3772363.3798999
Moodialogue: Transforming Emotions into Personified, Conversational Agents
Jang, S., Kim, S., Bae, G., & Hong, H. (2026) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3772318.3790807 · Cited by 1
“Collectively, these studies highlight both the importance of naming conventions that resonate with users [9] and the need for flexible, user-defined recording methods that can reflect subtle variations in emotion [2].”
InfluentialHumanising Language Learning in MALL Environments
Montakantiwong, A., & Jitpaisarnwattana, N. (2026) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-51447-0_334-1
Texting While Listening: Polychronicity and Increased Phubbing Others
Bok, S., Shum, J., & Lee, M. (2025) · New Review of Information Networking · doi:10.1080/13614576.2025.2575260
Giesteira, B., & Souza, T. (2026) · Lecture notes of the Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-26999-7_16
Nasa, A., Singh, A., Srivastava, A., Tiwari, A., Garg, S., SAHU, J., & GUHA, M. (2025) · International Conference on Intelligent & Innovative Practices in Engineering & Management (IIPEM) · doi:10.1109/iipem65914.2025.11548357
“Positive Computing and Emotional Design: The domain of positive computing [3] advocates designing digital systems that foster psychological flourishing.”
Agentic AI as an Empathy Scaffolding Tool
Dubey, D. (2026) · Advances in computational intelligence and robotics book series · doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-6650-0.ch012
Employee Digital Well-Being in the Age of Agentic AI
Vihari, N. S. (2026) · Advances in computational intelligence and robotics book series · doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-6650-0.ch010
Designing Emotionally Supportive AI Tools for International Students in Higher Education
Mpolomoka, D. L., Kabundula, P., Leakey, L. M., Banda, F., Beirat, M. A., Muvombo, M., & Ngambi, S. N. (2026) · Advances in computational intelligence and robotics book series · doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-6571-8.ch010
Zebua, N., Waruwu, Y., Maghfiroh, A. M., Aulia, E. D., & Ziraluo, Y. P. B. (2026) · Advances in computational intelligence and robotics book series · doi:10.4018/979-8-2600-2438-6.ch003
SOTATE: Visualizing Personal Social Battery Levels and Recharging States in Open-Plan Offices
Kim, N., Moon, J., & Park, Y.-W. (2026) · Designing Interactive Systems Conference · doi:10.1145/3800645.3812945
“Although we considered estimating depletion by measuring the amount or frequency of social interactions through sensors, prior research suggests that the energy consumed by social interactions is highly dependent on personal traits and affective states, making objective measurement difficult [13].”
HappyCal: Designing Text and Image-Based Supports for Savouring Positive Work Experiences
Stewart, M. A., Cai, M., Tang, A., Liu, S., Mosunic, C. J., & Somanath, S. (2026) · Annual Symposium on Human-Computer Interaction for Work (CHIWORK) · doi:10.1145/3808045.3808067
“More recently, digital applications aimed to facilitate PPIs, such as savouring, have been increasingly developed as an alternative to traditional on-paper or in-person methods [13, 82].”
Designing for the Just-Right Moment: Driving Human Behavior Through Temporal Scaffolding in PAL
Betts, A. L., Ryon, B., Laski, E. V., et al. (2026) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-30015-7_27
Digital Health and Emotional Resilience in Global Markets
Mallick, M. K. (2026) · IGI Global eBooks · doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-8357-6.ch017
Typology of civil engineers’ mental model about artificial intelligence
Feili, A., Shabankareh, M. R., Alipour, S., Entezaralmahdi, S., & Sorooshian, S. (2026) · Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence · doi:10.3389/frai.2026.1812314
“By combining qualitative and quantitative approaches, it enables the discovery and definition of common thought patterns (Calvo and Peters, 2014; Dziopa and Ahern, 2011).”
Body-technology interfaces: digital corporeality and emerging psychopathology
Ricci, V., Martinotti, G., & Chiappini, S. (2026) · Frontiers in Psychiatry · doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1740203
ASADI, N., Dezfuli, M. S., Naeini, A. B., et al. (2026) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2026-118472
“11 12 Fourth, although salutogenic and biophilic design principles are increasingly discussed conceptually, there is no established analytical framework that systematically classifies these principles in compact residential environments and links them to mental health outcomes.”
Integrating real-world situation awareness cues in virtual reality to enhance user wellbeing
Fereydooni, N., & Walker, B. N. (2026) · Frontiers in Human Dynamics · doi:10.3389/fhumd.2026.1654475
Folorunso, J. O. (2026) · Advances in computational intelligence and robotics book series · doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-5213-8.ch020
Yasui, T. (2026) · Emerald Group Publishing Limited eBooks · doi:10.1108/s1479-363620260000025004
Designing for rhythm: tempo-setting infrastructures and the temporal conditions of digital life
Atkinson, R. (2026) · AI & Society · doi:10.1007/s00146-026-03229-w
Ethics at the Interface: Ethical Design and User Experience for AI
Peters, D. (2026) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-12201-8_8
Self-citationDigital Sustainability and Mindfulness
O’Brien, O. (2026) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-52643-5_99-1
Cybersophy: A framework for human cognition, identity, and values in the age of artificial agents
Ning, H., & Ding, J. (2026) · Computers in Human Behavior Artificial Humans · doi:10.1016/j.chbah.2026.100385 · Cited by 1
AI Influencers and Consumer Well‐Being: The Roles of Parasocial Interaction, Trust and Authenticity
Nair, A. J., & Manohar, S. (2026) · Journal of Consumer Behaviour · doi:10.1002/cb.70242 · Cited by 1
Family Values in the Digital Environment: Problems and Guarantees of Legal Protection
Nikishina, A. V. (2026) · Courier of Kutafin Moscow State Law University (MSAL) · doi:10.17803/2311-5998.2026.142.6.181-189
Artificial Intelligence and Well-Being
van der Schyff, E. L., & Campbell, A. (2026) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-52643-5_290-1
Towards VAD-Based Emotional Reasoning in the Goal-Oriented Requirements Language
Cao, F., & Alwidian, S. (2026) · IEEE International Requirements Engineering Conference Workshops (REW) · doi:10.1109/rew72749.2026.00055
Bazan, D. (2026) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.7471820
Nair, A. J., Rao, S. R., & Manohar, S. (2026) · Journal of Consumer Marketing · doi:10.1108/jcm-11-2025-8511
Governance and accountability in compassionate AI: a normative framework for responsible design
Tachu, B., Ighade, A., & Yogeeswaran, G. (2026) · AI and Ethics · doi:10.1007/s43681-026-01412-9
“Research in affective computing and positive computing shows that emotional and well-being-related outcomes depend heavily on early design decisions [12, 56].”
Influential
Metadata
- Authors
- Calvo, R. A., & Peters, D.
- Venue
- The MIT Press eBooks
- Publisher
- The MIT Press
- Published
- 2014-11-28
- OpenAlex
- W4249654063
- Cited by
- 376
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 51 · 2025: 42 · 2024: 24 · 2023: 39 · 2022: 35 · 2021: 34 · 2020: 35 · 2019: 25 · 2018: 31 · 2017: 23 · 2016: 24 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 14.14
- Type
- book
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The MIT Press eBooks (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Human-Computer Interaction › Innovative Human-Technology Interaction
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Keywords
- positive computing, psychological well-being, positive emotions, self-awareness, mindfulness, empathy, compassion, humanistic values, quality of life, human-computer interaction, emotion regulation
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.
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
