What Are the Ingredients for the Best Form of the Best Possible Self (BPS) Intervention?

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This study aims to determine the relevant 'ingredients' to make the best possible self (BPS) intervention most efficacious and test whether the BPS's efficacy can be enhanced by including mindfulness aspects.

Detailed Description
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The best possible self (BPS) intervention is a brief positive psychology intervention to increase a person's positive affect and optimism. The BPS has been used in different forms (writing vs. imagining/visualizing vs. writing + imagining/visualizing the best possible self). However, it remains unclear which 'ingredients' are necessary to let the BPS unfold its effects. This online study aims to determine the relevant 'ingredients' to make the best possible self (BPS) intervention most efficacious. Since mindfulness interventions have recently indicated promising effects on positive and negative affect, another goal of this study is to test whether the BPS's efficacy can be enhanced by including aspects of mindfulness.

Official Title
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What Are the Ingredients for the Best Form of the Best Possible Self (BPS) Intervention? Combining the BPS Intervention With Mindfulness

Conditions
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Healthy Participants

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Thinking, writing and imagination


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: fluent in the German language access to a computer/tablet/smartphone with audio output/headphones Exclusion Criteria: not willing to take part in an online-intervention (duration: 60 minutes) no access to a computer/tablet/smartphone with audio output/headphones

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Basic Science
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Best Possible Self (writing only)<br>Participants are asked to think and write about their best possible future self (15 min). | Behavioral: Thinking, writing and imagination<br>* All participants are asked to take some time to think and write about the respective intervention group's content. In some groups (after the writing exercise (approx. 15min)), participants are also asked to imagine that content or engage in a mindfulness activity or recall task for about 5 minutes.<br>|
| Experimental: Best Possible Self (writing+imagining)<br>Participants are asked to think and write about their best possible future self (15 min) and, then to imagine their positive future (5 min). | Behavioral: Thinking, writing and imagination<br>* All participants are asked to take some time to think and write about the respective intervention group's content. In some groups (after the writing exercise (approx. 15min)), participants are also asked to imagine that content or engage in a mindfulness activity or recall task for about 5 minutes.<br>|
| Experimental: Best Possible Self (writing+mindfulness)<br>Participants are asked to think and write about their best possible future self (15 min) and subsequently engage in a brief mindfulness sequence (5 min). | Behavioral: Thinking, writing and imagination<br>* All participants are asked to take some time to think and write about the respective intervention group's content. In some groups (after the writing exercise (approx. 15min)), participants are also asked to imagine that content or engage in a mindfulness activity or recall task for about 5 minutes.<br>|
| Experimental: Best Possible Self (writing+recall)<br>Participants are asked to think and write about their best possible future self (15 min) and subsequently engage in a brief recall imagination task about the past two days (5 min). | Behavioral: Thinking, writing and imagination<br>* All participants are asked to take some time to think and write about the respective intervention group's content. In some groups (after the writing exercise (approx. 15min)), participants are also asked to imagine that content or engage in a mindfulness activity or recall task for about 5 minutes.<br>|
| Active Comparator: Writing about the past<br>Participants are asked to think and write about activities of the past two days (15 min). | Behavioral: Thinking, writing and imagination<br>* All participants are asked to take some time to think and write about the respective intervention group's content. In some groups (after the writing exercise (approx. 15min)), participants are also asked to imagine that content or engage in a mindfulness activity or recall task for about 5 minutes.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in emotions (PANAS) | Change scores are calculated for positive and negative sum scores (post- minus pre-scores; pre-scores will be used as a covariate). | Change from pre (baseline) to post scores (approx. 30 minutes later) | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Change in state optimism ratings | State Optimism measure (SOM), 7 items (each item 1(strongly disagree)-5(strongly agree)). Change scores are calculated for positive and negative sum scores (post- minus pre-scores; pre-scores will be used as a covariate). | Change from pre (baseline) to post scores (approx. 30 minutes later) | 
| Change in emotional responses to imagery of neutral, pleasant and aversive narrative scripts | Nine narrative imagery scripts are used. Scenes included three neutral, standard social threat and positive/reward events. All scripts were developed according to the recommendations of Lang (1979). Participants are asked to rate the vividness of imagery (1= not vivid at all, 9= very vivid), the wish to avoid imagery (1 = no wish to avoid , 9 = strong wish to avoid imagery), their experienced anxiety (1= no anxiety, 9=very strong anxiety), displeasure (1 = pleasant, 9 = unpleasant), and emotional arousal (1 = relaxed, 9 = aroused) during imagery on a 9-point rating scale. Emotional responses are averaged per category. | Change from pre (baseline) to post scores (approx. 30 minutes later)] |