A positive technology system for the promotion of well-being: From the lab to the hospital setting

Abstract

There is growing evidence of the effectiveness of Positive Psychology Interventions (PPIs) to enhance subjective and psychological well-being in different populations, and the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are becoming into a key help to increase the efficiency of this type of interventions. Recently, the use of technology to foster well-being and personal growth has been named as Positive Technology. The aim of this paper is to describe and to present data about a positive technology example (EARTH of Well-being system) and to examine its usefulness in different populations and settings. Data of four studies are presented: two with non-clinical population (university students) and two with clinical population (cancer patients). Outcomes show that this system is capable of promoting subjective well-being in both populations. Also, its efficacy was proved in different settings (laboratory and hospital contexts). Limitations and future research are discussed.