Supporting Research
Here is some of the science and research that sits behind the four principles that we teach in our programs.
Gratitude
- HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL – Giving thanks can make you happier
- PSYCHOLOGY TODAY – How Gratitude Leads to a Happier Life – Melanie Greenberg Ph.D.
- HAPPIER HUMAN – The Science of Gratitude: More Benefits Than Expected; 26 Studies and Counting
- JOURNAL OF HAPPINESS STUDIES- Letters of Gratitude: Further evidence for author benefits
- POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY PROGRESS: Empirical Validation of Interventions
- JOURNAL OF HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY: The impact of a brief gratitude intervention on subjective well-being, biology and sleep
Empathy (more specifically compassion)
- THE GREATER GOOD SCIENCE CENTER AT UC BERKELEY – Three Insights from the Cutting Edge of Compassion Research
- THE GREATER GOOD SCIENCE CENTER AT UC BERKELEY – Kindness Makes You Happy… and Happiness Makes You Kind
- THE UNBOUNDED SPIRIT – The Power of Empathy: How Helping Others Can Make You Happy and Improve Your Well-being
- AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION: Empathy and Attitudes: Can feeling for a member of astigmatized group improve feelings toward the group?
- JOURNAL OF HAPPINESS STUDIES: Can Gratitude and Kindness Interventions Enhance Well-Being in a Clinical Sample?
- THE JOURNAL OF POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY: It’s good to do good and receive good: The impact of a ‘pay it forward’ style kindness intervention on giver and receiver well-being
- PLOS ONE: Kindness counts: Prompting prosocial behaviour in preadolescents boosts peer acceptance and well-being
Mindfulness
- AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION – What are the benefits of mindfulness – Daphne M. Davis, PhD, and Jeffrey A. Hayes, PhD
- BE MINDFUL – Evidence & Research
- MINDFUL – The Science of Mindfulness – Dr. Daniel J. Siegel
- ASSOCIATION FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE: Meditation increases compassion responses to suffering
- SCIENCEMAG.ORG: A Wandering Mind is an Unhappy Mind
- ANNALS OF BEHAVIORAL MEDICINE: Effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention on psychological well-being and quality of life: Is increased mindfulness indeed the mechanism?
- PLOS ONE: Six-year positive effects of a mindfulness-based intervention on mindfulness, coping and well-being in medical and psychology students
Emotional Literacy
- CENTER ON THE SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL FOUNDATIONS FOR EARLY LEARNING – Fostering Emotional Literacy in Young Children: Labeling Emotions
- MINDFUL – We Should Be Teaching Emotional Literacy in Schools – Daniel Goleman
Devices
- ROY MORGAN RESEARCH: 9 in 10 Aussie teens now have a mobile
- THE ROYAL CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL: Screen Time and Kids: what’s happening in our homes?
- NSW DEPT OF EDUCATION: Impact of Mobile Digital Devices in Schools
- FRONTIERS IN PSYCHIATRY: Problematic Use of Smartphones in Australia… is it Getting Worse?
- THE LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF AUSTRALIAN CHILDREN ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT 2015: Australian children’s screen time and participation in extracurricular activities
General Statistics
Below is a list of resources and references providing general statistics on mental health
- THE YOUTH 19 RANGITAHI SMART SURVEY https://www.youth19.ac.nz/
- THE UNIVERSITY OF AUCKLAND PUBLICATION "YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH IN AOTEAROA - GREATER URGENCY REQUIRED". https://informedfutures.org/wp-content/uploads/Youth-Mental-Health-in-Aotearoa-NZ.pdf
Further Reading
Below is a list of books and articles we recommend for further reading on resilience and positive mental health strategies.
- AUTHENTIC HAPPINESS – Martin Seligman
- FLOURISH – Martin Seligman
- PARENTING FOR A PEACEFUL WORLD – Robin Grille
- LOVE 2.0 – Barbara Fredrickson
- BEING HAPPY – Tal Ben-Shahar
- THE RESILIENCE FACTOR – Karen Reivich & Andrew Shatté
- THE HAPPINESS PROJECT – Gretchen Rubin
- PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE: Voluntary Smiling Changes Regional Brain Activity- Paul Ekman and Richard J. Davidson (1993)
