Abstract
BackgroundWith the increasing quality of smartphone cameras, taking photos has become ubiquitous. This paper investigates how smartphone photography can be leveraged to help individuals increase their positive affect.MethodsApplying findings from positive psychology, we designed and conducted a 4-week study with 41 participants. Participants were instructed to take one photo every day in one of the following three conditions: a selfie photo with a smiling expression, a photo of something that would make oneself happy and a photo of something that would make another person happy. FindingsAfter 3 weeks, participants’ positive affect in all conditions increased. Those who took photos to make others happy became much less aroused. Qualitative results showed that those in the selfie group observed changes in their smile over time; the group taking photos to improve their own affect became more reflective and those taking photos for others found that connecting with family members and friends helped to relieve stress.ConclusionsThe findings can offer insights for designers to create systems that enhance emotional well-being.
Highlights
With the increasing quality of smartphone cameras, taking photos has become ubiquitous
We aimed to leverage the prevalence of smartphone photography along with theories of positive psychology to help college students become happier and reduce stress
We conducted a 4-week study with 41 participants to investigate the effects of taking daily photos using their smartphones in three conditions: the Selfie condition in which participants took a smiling selfie, the Personal condition in which participants took a photo of something that made themselves happy and the Other condition in which participants took and sent a photo of something to make another person happy
Summary
With the increasing quality of smartphone cameras, taking photos has become ubiquitous. This paper investigates how smartphone photography can be leveraged to help individuals increase their positive affect. Methods: Applying findings from positive psychology, we designed and conducted a 4-week study with 41 participants. Findings: After 3 weeks, participants’ positive affect in all conditions increased. Those who took photos to make others happy became much less aroused. College students in particular are a vulnerable population that experience stress Their stress may come from living away from family for the first time, feeling lonely or isolated, experiencing pressure from coursework, or worrying about finances (Mark et al 2014; NIMH 2015). Writing down three things that went well during the day can significantly help people increase their level of happiness (Seligman et al 2005). Dunn et al (2008) found that people were happier when they spent money on others instead of
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