The science behind Qappy

Optimistic people tend to adopt healthier habits, and may live 10-15% longer.

(Lee, James, Zevon, Kim, Trudel-Fitzgerald, Spiro, Grodstein, Kubzanksky, 2019; Rogers & Wadsworth, 2015; Carstensen et al, 2011; Lawrence, Chida & Steptoe, 2008)

Optimistic people have 13-26% lower risk of heart disease. Beyond this, they also have a stronger immune system.

(Kim, Smith & Kubzansky, 2014; Boehm et al, 2011; Davidson, Mostofsky & Whang, 2010; Kubzansky & Thurston, 2007; Marsland et al, 2006)

Happy people are associated with having consistently lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

(Steptoe et al 2008, Lai et al 2005)

Happy people may experience less pain, especially for chronic conditions

(Berges, Seale & Ostir 2011; Trief, Ploutz-Snyder & Fredrickson 2006; Finan & Garland 2015)

Happier employees may be 12% more productive

(Sgroi 2015)

Optimistic people tend to adopt healthier habits, and may live 10-15% longer.

(Lee, James, Zevon, Kim, Trudel-Fitzgerald, Spiro, Grodstein, Kubzanksky, 2019; Rogers & Wadsworth, 2015; Carstensen et al, 2011; Lawrence, Chida & Steptoe, 2008)

Optimistic people have 13-26% lower risk of heart disease. Beyond this, they also have a stronger immune system.

(Kim, Smith & Kubzansky, 2014; Boehm et al, 2011; Davidson, Mostofsky & Whang, 2010; Kubzansky & Thurston, 2007; Marsland et al, 2006)

Happy people are associated with having consistently lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

(Steptoe et al 2008, Lai et al 2005)

Happy people may experience less pain, especially for chronic conditions

(Berges, Seale & Ostir 2011; Trief, Ploutz-Snyder & Fredrickson 2006; Finan & Garland 2015)

Happier employees may be 12% more productive

(Sgroi 2015)

The neural network in our brain can change and be rewired over time. Recent research show that this can happen throughout our life – is not formed and fixed during adolescence as previously thought. This process is called neuroplasticity.

Neuroplasticity is powerful as it means we can create lasting changes in our brain through the right training. (Gobbi Porto, Murphy Fox, Tusch, Sorond, Mohammed, Daffner, 2015; Castaldi, Lunghi, Concetta Morrone, 2020)

Now you might be thinking, that's all interesting, but can happiness be trained? Fortunately, the answer is: Yes! This was shown in an exhaustive academic review covering 61 studies in 2020, conducted by a Dutch research team (Ad Bergsma, Ivonne Buijt and Ruut Veenhoven).

The average effect of happiness training was an increase of 5% on overall life satisfaction. That might not sound like much at first, but keep in mind this is about the same impact as a 30% increase in income or the joy of getting married. No, it's not like winning the lottery - which only increases long-term happiness by 0.5%. So all things considered, that's an impressive gain.

There is a lot of in-depth research on what actually improves our happiness and mental well-being after the emergence of positive psychology in the last two decades. It's rarely things like 'money' or 'success'. Our psychologist Dr Alyson Smith has curated the most important ones for you. The Qappy boxes aligns with these topics, so that you can steadily train yourself in an affordable, easy and fun way.

You might be surprised by some of them, but give them a go - they are likely to make a difference in your life.

Meet Dr Alyson Smith, our qualified in-house psychologist with 25 years of experience, focusing on mental health. Join her in exploring 12 carefully curated themes, each backed by ample scientifical evidence. Each theme comes to life in a fun Qappy box.

Spending time in nature can make us happier as well as reduce stress and anxiety

(Pritchard, Richardson, Sheffield, McEwan, 2019; Bratman, Daily, Levy, Gross, 2015; Tyrväinena, Ojalaa, Korpela et al, 2014)

Regular mindfulness practice can structurally alter our brains for the better, improving mental well-being by reducing stress and anxiety.

(Sedlmeier, Eberth, Schwarz, Zimmermann et al, 2012; Chiesa, Serretti, 2009; Fox, Nijeboer, Dixon, Floman et al, 2014)

Poor sleep can actually result in anxiety and depression, highlighting the need for a good night’s sleep to protect our mental health

(Alvaro, Roberts, Harris, 2013)

Having a strong sense of purpose is associated with lower all-cause mortality and greater life satisfaction.

(Alimujiang, Wiensch, Boss et al., 2019; Wnuk, Marcinkowski, Fobair, 2012; Li, Dou, Liang, 2021)

Extreme events such as winning the lottery or losing a limb has no or small impact on our long-term happiness. It's all about perspective.

(Brickman, Coates, Janoff-Bulman, 1978)

Regular gratitude habits can lead to substantial improvements in physical and mental well-being

(Emmons, McCullough, 2003; Wood, Joseph, Maltby, 2008)

Creative activities such as painting or drawing can improve our mental health by reducing stress and anxiety. Even better? Simply encouraging creativity often leads to more creative ideas.

(Stuckey, Nobel, 2010; Nusbaum, Silvia, Beauty, 2014)

Time spent with friends and family is correlated with higher day-to-day happiness

(Waldinger, Schulz, 2010)

A humour intervention programme resulted in materially higher well-being across different metrics (e.g. as optimism), and reduced depression, stress and anxiety.

(Crawford, Caltabiano, 2011)

There is not a trade-off between happiness and eating well. In fact, eating healthier can directly result in greater happiness.

(Veenhoven, 2019)

There is a strong correlation between happiness and compassion, as long the task of helping is not overwhelming. Happiness increased when people counted their acts of kindness.

(Post 2005; Otake et al 2006)

Self-compassion is associated with greater happiness, optimism, curiosity, resilience and reduced anxiety.

(Neff, 2009)