Enduring Happiness and Continued Self-Enhancement (ENHANCE) 2.0
Condition: Well-being
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The study is designed to compare the efficacy of two programs intended to improve happiness
      and well-being among healthy, community adults between the ages of 25 and 75 years.
      Participants will complete either an in-person program (ENHANCE) or a mindfulness-based
      stress reduction (MBSR) self-help program over 3-months. The ENHANCE program will include
      12-weekly sessions based on researched principles of happiness. Alternatively, the MBSR
      self-help guide will teach ways to replace stress-promoting habits. Participants will be
      asked to complete a series of measures at three points of the study: at the start of the
      study, the end of the study, and 3-months following the study.
    

Detailed description: 
      In 2011, the United Nations defined happiness as a "fundamental human goal" and invited
      Member States to pursue measures that enhance the happiness of their citizens. The majority
      of people across the globe agree that happiness is an important goal. In accordance with this
      global goal to be happy, the psychological literature abounds with interventions to combat
      problems that may prevent people from being happy-from obesity to depression and physical
      pain. However, happiness is not simply the absence of problems. Yet, interventions to help
      people attain and maintain higher levels of happiness are rare. Accordingly, in a previous
      study, the investigators designed and evaluated the efficacy of a theoretically-grounded,
      evidence-based randomized controlled trial for enhancing happiness and well-being. In the
      present study, it is the goal to assess the efficacy of modifications made to the original
      program, and compare the program to a self-help comparison group. All participants in the
      study will complete weekly questionnaires, as well as the same battery of online assessments
      at baseline, the end of the study, and 3-months following the study. The investigators will
      be examining if changes seen from baseline to the end of the interventions are maintained
      through a maintenance intervention in both arms for 3 months following the primary
      intervention.

      It is expect that participants actively completing the in-person ENHANCE program will report
      greater increase in their overall levels of happiness/well-being at the end of the 12-week
      program compared to participants in the MBSR self-help group. It is predicted that there will
      be a downstream effect on happiness for all participants' mental and physical health,
      cognitive function, social relationships, and other positive outcomes, but that this effect
      will be greater for participants in the active in-person ENHANCE group. The insights gained
      from this research could be used in future intervention research towards promoting health,
      achievement, citizenship, and better relationships.
    

Intervention name(s): ENHANCE group; MBSR group
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): The ENHANCE program includes an initial 3-month treatment of 12 weekly sessions (including an introductory session, a final session, and 10 content sessions) followed by a 3-month maintenance phase intervention with bi-weekly sessions. Over the course of the program, participants will learn about 10 evidenced-based principles of happiness and how these principles can be applied effectively in their lives. At the final session, participants will receive feedback outlining the happiness principles and activities that fit them best, and will then be asked to work on creating a plan for integrating those principles into their daily lives.; The MBSR program is based on the self-help workbook entitled, "A Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Workbook". This workbook is authored by Drs. Bob Stahl and Elisha Goldstein - who are both certified MBSR trainers. The workbook is written to help everyday people learn how to replace stress-promoting habits with mindfully-based ones to improve overall well-being. The workbook begins by providing a thorough introduction to the basic tenets of mindfulness, and improving well-being through the use of mindfulness-based skills. The workbook outlines, in detail, several skills-based exercises for practicing mindfulness across different aspects of a person's life. The MBSR group will be provided with a recommended weekly schedule for the initial 3-month treatment and a list of additional resources to be completed over the 3-month maintenance phase.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Other
Keywords: Well-being; Comparative Clinical Trial; Positive Psychology Intervention; Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR); Group Therapy; Happiness; Bibliotherapy