title: ENHANCE: Design and rationale of a randomized controlled trial for promoting enduring happiness & well-being.
abstract: Individuals who are higher in subjective well-being not only feel happier, they are more likely have fulfilling relationships, increased work performance and income, better physical health, and longer lives. Over the past several decades, the science of subjective well-being has produced insights into these benefits of happiness, and-recognizing their importance-has begun to examine the factors that lead to greater well-being, from cultivating strong relationships to pursuing meaningful goals. However, studies to date have typically focused on improving subjective well-being by intervening with singular constructs, using primarily college student populations, and were short-term in nature. Moreover, little is understood about the impact of a well-being treatment delivered online vs. in-person. In the present article, we describe a comprehensive intervention program including 3-month initial treatment followed by a 3-month follow-up, ENHANCE: Enduring Happiness and Continued Self-Enhancement. One-hundred and sixty participants will be recruited from two different sites to participate in one of two versions of ENHANCE: in-person (n=30) vs. wait-list control (n=30); or online (n=50) vs. wait-list control (n=50). Assessments will be completed at baseline, three months and six months. Our primary outcome is change in subjective well-being across treatment (3months) and follow-up (6months). Secondary outcomes include self-report and objective measures of health, as well as a psychological mediators (e.g., psychological needs) and moderators (e.g., personality) of treatment outcomes. We hope to provide researchers, practitioners, and individuals with an evidence-based treatment to improve happiness and subjective well-being.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, 102 Gilmer Hall, PO BOX 400400, Charlottesville, VA 22904, United States. Electronic address: kushlevk@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Kostadin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kushlev
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, 102 Gilmer Hall, PO BOX 400400, Charlottesville, VA 22904, United States.
authors.forename: Samantha J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Heintzelman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 3187 University Way, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada.
authors.forename: Lesley D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Lutes
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 3187 University Way, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada.
authors.forename: Derrick
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wirtz
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, 102 Gilmer Hall, PO BOX 400400, Charlottesville, VA 22904, United States.
authors.forename: Shigehiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oishi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, 102 Gilmer Hall, PO BOX 400400, Charlottesville, VA 22904, United States; Department of Psychology, University of Utah, 380 S 1530 E Beh S 502, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, United States.
authors.forename: Ed
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Diener
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001955:British Columbia; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006240:Happiness; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D014768:Virginia
keywords: Clinical trial; Happiness; Health; Intervention; Skill-based training; Subjective well-being