At Circles, our mission is to end the loneliness epidemic, and, by extension, increase peoples’ emotional wellbeing and mental health. Especially following the coronavirus pandemic, resources for support are more important than ever.
We’re glad that there are other amazing companies in the mental health space that complement our services to ensure that everyone has access to support. One of our companions pushing forward this mission is Happify.
Happify was founded in New York City in 2012 with the belief that technology should be used to make peoples’ lives better. Happify uses positive psychology – the scientific study of what makes people thrive and lead meaningful lives – to help their uses strengthen their happiness. In a world that’s increasingly stressful and complex, Happify provides fun, individualized, and science-based pathways to help you take control of your feelings and thoughts and reach greater happiness.
Happify’s techniques are developed by experts who’ve been studying evidence-based interventions in positive psychology, mindfulness, and cognitive behavioral therapy for decades.
What Happify recognizes is that the brain you’re born with isn’t set in stone, it can be changed (the technical term is neuroplasticity). You can teach an old brain new tricks by training it as if it were a muscle. All of us have negative thoughts because we’re technically hard-wired to have them (blame evolution!), but by learning to adopt new thought patterns you can overcome them.
So how does it work? You begin by answering some basic questions about yourself as well as questions about how you deal with adversity or stress. Based on your answers, Happify identifies areas in your life that could use support and recommends a number of “tracks” for you to choose from (out of around sixty). Each track is themed and divided into parts, with each part composed of research-based activities such as guided meditations, reflective writing assignments, games, and more.
Once you select your activity there is a selection of three tabs: “You Decide How” (how to complete the activity), “Why it Works” (the research behind the activity), and “Benefits” (what area it will help you in). Not only are you flexing those positivity muscles, but you’re also enriching yourself with the how and why. You can then keep tabs on the skills you improve, such as gratitude, empathy, and aspirations, amongst others. Each skill has a corresponding status bar that fills up like a thermometer the more activities you do, so you can visualize the gauge on your emotional wellbeing. Happify also provides levels and badges that track your progress to keep you motivated to fulfill your goals!
So if you regularly use your phones or computer (who doesn’t?), Happify is a great way to shift your attitude. If you’re looking for something to complement your Circle sessions and exercises, we think Happify will brighten your day.