Small actions, big impact: discover how tiny daily habits can boost your wellbeing in just one week.
I’ve been spending more time in the literature recently, because I am a party animal 🥳
An interesting study just dropped titled “Scaling a Brief Digital Well-Being Intervention (the Big Joy Project) and Sociodemographic Moderators: Single-Group Pre-Post Study‘.
The Big Joy Project, led by researchers at UC Berkeley, invited tens of thousands of people to try a series of micro-acts of wellbeing over seven days. They call it “the largest-ever citizen science project on JOY”.
The activities were short (5 to 10 minutes), accessible/ free, and drawn from the science of positive psychology. Think expressing gratitude, showing kindness, or pausing for awe.
And the results? Participants (over 17000 of them!) reported increases in emotional wellbeing, positive emotions, and a sense of agency. They also noticed decreases in stress and improvements in sleep and health. These weren’t just statistical blips either. A number of the effect sizes (a way of conceptualising the magnitude of change) suggested medium or moderate changes over 7 days. That means they were the kind of changes you’d actually feel in your everyday life.
And if you think it is just white people getting happier, then……….. you’d be partly right.
The sample did contain a lot of white educated women from developed countries.
But there was diversity in the sample and one of the more encouraging findings was that the biggest benefits were often experienced by people starting with the lowest levels of wellbeing and highest levels of disadvantage (i.e. lower socioeconomic status).
So, even very small, low-effort actions, done daily for just a week, can make a meaningful difference to how we feel, and this effect seems to cross socioeconomic boundaries.
Sound Familiar? We’ve Been on This Path Too 🛣
Here at Flinders, we’ve been running our own version of this idea for a while. It’s called the Good Vibes Experiment, a homegrown campaign packed with student-tested micro-actions for better mental health. You can still access the activity books (contact me if you are having trouble getting one). We even drew on the same catalogue of activities that the Big Joy Project did.
We didn’t get to do a big evaluation at the time like the Big Joy team did (perhaps more correctly we were exhausted from building the campaign itself), but it’s heartening to see our approach reflected in international research. Namely the idea that we can build mental health through small, low-effort but targeted activities.
Good Vibes ended up becoming part of the furniture at Flinders, and in some ways, that quiet integration speaks for itself.
Where We Can Grow from Here 💹
It wasn’t all roses and chocolates though. The study reminded me of something I’ve known for a while which is that we aren’t reaching anywhere near as many men as we are women with these mental health approaches.
84% of the Big Joy Project were women. This is an unfortunately familiar pattern in many mental health campaigns, including ours. It raises an important question. What kinds of wellbeing actions are more likely to resonate with men?
I ask that sincerely because I don’t know the answer. I’ve been embedded in the mental health world for 20+ years now, so I’ve lost sight of what might have appealed to me before I got into psychology (I wonder what made that Gareth tick?). Maybe actions that involve mastery or skill-building? Maybe activities with a sense of challenge, calculated risk, or adventure? Maybe something about mate ship and doing things together?
If you are a man, reading this, at Flinders, and you have some ideas, get in contact with me (gareth.furber@flinders.edu.au).
But I am excited about the idea that if we set off to find out what resonates with men, we can carry that same energy to find out what resonates for other gender and cultural groups: international students, neurodiverse students, LGBTQIA+ students.
There is a core idea here that is sound: evidence-based low-intensity mental health boosting activities. Now we just need to build campaigns that are more inclusive and more adaptable. Not everyone finds joy the same way. That’s something we need to work with, not against.
What This Means for You (Student or Staff) 🎯
My pontifications about the future of such campaigns aside, here’s the main idea. You don’t need to completely overhaul your life to start feeling a bit better.
Micro-acts of wellbeing are small, low-effort things you can try. And the evidence that they help and that they help a diverse range of people is growing nicely. If you’ve been feeling like you don’t have the time, energy, or headspace for something big (and to be honest, this seems like most people nowadays), this kind of approach might be just what you need. If you’re curious to try the Big Joy Project yourself, you still can. Just head to https://ggia.berkeley.edu/bigjoy and sign up.
This doesn’t mean the bigger stuff isn’t important. It can feel really good to give your life an overhaul (much like decluttering your house). But little steps count as well. Especially when you’re not sure where to start.
What’s Next?
I’ve made no secret about the fact I’d love to revisit the Good Vibes Experiment and give it a refresh. Mix up the choice of actions. Explore different visual identifies. Involve more diverse students in shaping the activity catalogue. Try different delivery methods like SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram, or TikTok. Let people choose their own 7-day vibe challenge.
But that project is a big one and will require me to put on my big boy pants.
In the meantime, I asked AI for an infographic of the 7 activities used in the study. It did an OK job! Some room for improvement, but hey, don’t we all. Stare at it a while and see if inspiration hits. If not, maybe go see Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning.
