Dynamic interactive network system for providing online service and social community for engaging, learning, and training skills for mental health

Description

INTRODUCTION

An exemplary embodiment comprises systems and methods for providing an on-line service referred to herein for convenience as “Happify.” Happify is a science-based online service and social community for engaging, learning and training the skills of happiness. It may be offered through a variety of devices including PC, tablet and mobile.

In an exemplary embodiment, a Happify service is based on a framework developed by psychologists and researchers in the science of happiness (which includes positive psychology and neuroscience), and assists users in the development of certain happiness skills: e.g., Savor, Thank, Aspire, Give and Empathize (or S.T.A.G.E.™). Each skill may be developed using various activities, ordered in increasing skill level, that gradually unlock as the user progresses in building that skill.

In an exemplary embodiment, users who use Happify may be given a range of activities from the S.T.A.G.E. skills, from reflective blogging and science-based games and quizzes, to real-life tasks they are asked to perform and report back on. Each activity is backed by scientific studies that are directly accessible to the user.

An exemplary aspect may comprise a system and method for providing on-line services. The system and method comprise: a server for receiving information from a plurality of sources of data via a network, the plurality of sources of data comprising a plurality of attributes; a storage device for storing the information received from the plurality of sources of data; and a processor for tracking the plurality of sources of data. The processor determines attribute levels for each of the plurality of attributes and transmits updated information to the plurality of sources of data to increase the determined attribute levels.

In one or more exemplary system and method embodiments: (1) the plurality of attributes are based on human psychological happiness skills; and (2) the processor calculates a match score between at least two of the plurality of sources of data based on the determined attribute levels.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary embodiment comprising a computer system.

FIG. 2 depicts a hierarchy of skills, activities and tasks.

FIGS. 3A and 3B depict sample activities.

FIG. 4 depicts an activity post.

FIGS. 5A-5C depict schematics for starting a track.

FIG. 6 depicts an example of a user's profile and posts.

FIG. 7 depicts an example of personalized suggested activities.

FIG. 8 depicts a schematic of the initial steps of the Happify compass.

FIG. 9 depicts the user's first week of activities.

FIG. 10 depicts a schematic of the user's happiness graph.

FIG. 11 depicts the user's happiness compass.

FIG. 12 depicts a schematic of insights obtained using the happiness compass.

FIG. 13 depicts examples of advantageous aspects of the happiness graph.

FIG. 14 depicts an example of a quiz.

FIG. 15 depicts an example of a poll.

FIG. 16 depicts an example of a relaxation game.

FIG. 17 depicts an example of a body talk game.

FIG. 18 depicts an example of a quiz.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Happify is a science-based online service and social community for engaging, learning and training the skills of happiness. Happify activities may be offered to users in several ways. Two examples described below are “Tracks” and “Personal Recommendation and a la Carte.”

Tracks: Tracks contain sets of activities programmed to address a specific life situation or goal (“Cope better with stress; “Enjoy parenting more”, etc.) in, for example, a 4-week time period. Upon signing up, users may complete self-assessments that give them their initial happiness level as well as an initial recommended track. Users may complete approximately one part of a track each week, spanning 4 weeks altogether. When users finish a track part, they may win, for example, a badge that represents their level of activity in that track part.

Personal Recommendation and a la Carte: When not in a track, a user may be offered a personalized daily activity (an unlocked activity from a skill they haven't accessed in the past week). They also may pick activities from a skill menu and choose any unlocked activity of their choice.

As users perform their activities, they may create activity posts that are saved in their personal profile and build up a ‘digital happiness wallet’ they can reflect on. Posts may include the type of activity performed by the user, any text and images the user added, other people involved, if any, as well as the time and location for the post. Posts also may appear on various activity feeds on the service, which allows other users to read, draw inspiration from, and offer encouragement in the form of comments and likes.

Users may also follow activities posted by other users they find interesting if those users allow themselves to be followed or mark their post “public”. Periodically, the service may make suggestions for users to follow other users whose profiles match in terms of demographics and psychographics, as well as level of activity on the site.

Users can keep track of their progress on Happify, thanks to periodic, scientifically-designed self-assessments that present them with their current happiness level compared to past levels.

Over time, Happify computer systems and software may build a ‘Happiness Graph’ for each user, consisting of activities, people, places and things correlated with the impact they had on the user's happiness levels. This information may be used to optimize the user experience and the activities the service suggests.

Happify is a science-based online service and social community for engaging, learning and training the skills of happiness. It is offered through a variety of devices including PC, tablet and mobile.

The service is based on a framework developed by psychologists and researchers in the science of happiness (which includes positive psychology and neuroscience), and consists of 5 essential happiness skills: Savor, Thank, Aspire, Give and Empathize (or S.T.A.G.E.™). Each skill contains various activities, ordered in increasing skill level, that gradually unlock as the user progresses in building that skill.

Users who join Happify are given a range of activities from the S.T.A.G.E. skills, from reflective blogging and science-based games and quizzes, to real-life tasks they are asked to perform and report back on. Each activity is backed by scientific studies that are directly accessible to the user.

Happify activities are offered to users in two ways:

- Tracks: Tracks contain sets of activities programmed to address a specific life situation or goal (“Cope better with stress; “Enjoy parenting more”, etc.) in a 4-week time period. Upon signing up, users complete self-assessments that give them their initial happiness level as well as an initial recommended track. Users complete approximately one part of a track each week, spanning 4 weeks altogether. When users finish a track part, they win a badge that represents their level of activity in that track part.
- Personal Recommendation and a-la-carte: When not in a track, a user is offered a personalized daily activity (an unlocked activity from a skill they haven't accessed in the past week). They can also pick activities from a skill menu and choose any unlocked activity of their choice.

As users perform their activities, they create activity posts that are saved in their personal profile and build up a ‘digital happiness wallet’ they can reflect on. Posts include the type of activity performed by the user, any text and images the user added, other people involved, if any, as well as the time and location for the post. Posts also appear on various activity feeds on the service, which allows other users to read, draw inspiration from, and offer encouragement in the form of comments and likes.

Users can also follow activities posted by other users they find interesting if those users allow themselves to be followed or mark their post “public”. Periodically, the service makes suggestions for users to follow other users whose profiles match in terms of demographics and psychographics, as well as level of activity on the site.

Users can keep track of their progress on Happify, thanks to periodic, scientifically-designed self-assessments that present them with their current happiness level compared to past levels.

Over time, Happify builds a ‘Happiness Graph’ for each user, consisting of activities, people, places and things correlated with the impact they had on the user's happiness levels. This information is used to optimize the user experience and the activities the service suggests.

Overview:

- 1. Framework: detailed description of the scientific framework, key concepts, features and algorithms for web and mobile product
- 2. Product Directory: list of activity types offered by the service
- 3. Web Spec: mocks and specifications of web product
- 4. Mobile Spec: mocks and specifications of mobile product
- 5. Science Reference: list of scientific studies being referred to by activities in the service
- 6. Creating a Happify track—Partners: guide used to inform partners on how to develop a Happify track
- 7. Follow suggestion: description of the algorithm used to recommend which users may be relevant for a user to follow
- 8. Activities: List of the key activities per skill by skill level. Does not include activities like games, quizzes and polls
- 9. Track recommendation survey: user questionnaire used to recommend the right tracks based on user's input. This questionnaire was developed by happiness researchers.
- 10. Happiness Assessment: user questionnaire used to establish their level of happiness, positive emotion and life satisfaction. This questionnaire was developed by happiness researchers and correlated with standard academy assessments. See Table 3, below, for the Happiness Assessment Questions and Calculations
- 11. Strengths Assessment: Self-assessment that determines the user's character strength profile
- 12. Skill Assessments: Set of questionnaires that determine the level of affinity and mastery for various skill categories for each of the STAGE™ skills

Exemplary embodiments comprise computer components and computer-implemented steps that will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, calculations and communications can be performed electronically, and results can be displayed using a graphical user interface.

An exemplary such system is depicted in FIG. 1. Computers 100 communicate via network 110 with a server 130. A plurality of sources of data 120-121 relating to, for example, Happify user information, also communicate via network 110 with a server 130, processor 150, and/or other components operable to calculate and/or transmit, for example, user track and related information. The server 130 may be coupled to one or more storage devices 140, one or more processors 150, and software 160.

Other components and combinations of components may also be used to support processing data or other calculations described herein as will be evident to one of skill in the art. Server 130 may facilitate communication of data from a storage device 140 to and from processor(s) 150, and communications to computers 100. Processor 150 may optionally include or communicate with local or networked storage (not shown) which may be used to store temporary or other information. Software 160 can be installed locally at a computer 100, processor 150 and/or centrally supported for facilitating calculations and applications.

For ease of exposition, not every step or element of the present invention is described herein as part of a computer system, but those skilled in the art will recognize that each step or element may have a corresponding computer system or software component. Such computer system and/or software components are therefore enabled by describing their corresponding steps or elements (that is, their functionality), and are within the scope of the present invention.

Moreover, where a computer system is described or claimed as having a processor for performing a particular function, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that such usage should not be interpreted to exclude systems where a single processor, for example, performs some or all of the tasks delegated to the various processors. That is, any combination of, or all of, the processors specified in the description and/or claims could be the same processor. All such combinations are within the scope of the invention.

Alternatively, or in combination, processing and decision-making may be performed by functionally equivalent circuits such as a digital signal processor circuit or an application specific integrated circuit.

Many routine program elements, such as initialization of loops and variables and the use of temporary variables, are not described in detail herein for brevity. Moreover, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that unless otherwise indicated, the particular sequence of steps described is illustrative only and can generally be varied without departing from the scope of the invention. Unless otherwise stated, the processes described herein are unordered—that is, the processes can be performed in any reasonable order.

All steps described herein will and should be understood by those skilled in the art as being capable of implementation by software, where feasible. Moreover, such software will be understood by those skilled in the art to be storable on a non-transitory computer readable medium and implementable by one or more computer processors.

FIG. 2 depicts a hierarchy of skills, activities and tasks. According to an exemplary embodiment, skills comprise the following:

5 Core Happiness Skills (in Short: S.T.A.G.E.™)

Savor
(savoring)

Thank
(gratitude)

Aspire
(optimism, meaning, hope)

Give
(kindness)

Empathize
(empathy)

Framework was developed by leading happiness scientists. The STAGE framework captures the essence of the science of positive psychology (hundreds of studies) and allows for presentation to mainstream consumers in an accessible way.

Each STAGE skill is associated with a characteristic color and iconography to simplify and reinforce its identity.

Skill Levels:

- Users interacting with the system start off at level-1 in all skills. As they complete activities they progress in each skill from level-1 to level-2 etc.
- New activities, self assessments and other options unlock as the user reaches a higher level.

According to an exemplary embodiment, skills comprise the following:

- For each skill, Happify offers relevant, science based activities that train the user in an entertaining way
- As the user levels up in a skill, they unlock new activities (Level 1 to level 5 activities are available in each skill)
- Each activity provides the user with several alternatives for completing the activity (“Suggested Tasks”) to pick from
- Users can view an explanation of “why it works”: a short summary of the science behind that activity, complete with footnotes to the actual study this activity is based on.
- Refer to “Happify Science Reference Studies” for the studies referred to from the activities.

FIGS. 3A and 3B depict sample activities. Table 1 provides a list of exemplary activities:

TABLE 1

Skill

Ac-

Ac-

Le-

tiv-

tiv-

vel

ity

ity
Activity
(1-

ID
Skill
Type
Name
5)
Activity Description

A-
Aspire
Essay
My
1
Imagine your life years

01

victo-

and years in the future,

rious

assuming all has gone as

self

well as possible. What would it

look like? Write about

it in as much depth as

possible. Try and address

every aspect of your

life—personal

and professional.

A-
Aspire
Essay
What's
1
From which activities

03

My

in your life do you

Why?

derive meaning? What is

unique about those

activities that makes

them feel meaningful to

you?

A-
Aspire
Essay
I'm
1
What upcoming events are you

11

looking

anticipating with

forward

joy and optimism

to . . .

instead of anxiety?

Think of a future event, big or

small, that you're really excited

about. Imagine the details,

including the sounds,

smells, and tastes.

Spend some time putting

yourself right in the

middle of it.

A-
Aspire
Plan-
I think I
2
Set a relatively short-term

04

Do
can

goal (i.e. one that can

be completed in the

span of 1-2 wks). Imagine the

benefits of achieving that goal.

How will you feel? What will

happen?

A-
Aspire
Essay
Find
2
Consider the broader meaning

05

meaning

the seemingly non-meaningful

in the

activities (hobbies,

mundane

chores, etc.) you

engage in day to day-how do

others benefit (directly,

through your actions, or

indirectly, through

your improved mood) from

you engaging in them?

A-
Aspire
Essay
My core
3
Consider yourself

02

values

at this point in

your life. When at your best,

what kind of a person are

you? What positive traits do

you associate with

yourself? What positive traits

would you like to work

towards developing?

A-
Aspire
Essay
Pursue
3
Take the essay you

07

meaning

composed in A-02 and

brainstorm some concrete

ways to change your

everyday life to better

pursue the character ideals

you identified as being most

important to you.

A-
Aspire
Essay
Setbacks
4
Think of a setback or negative

06

and steps

experience you have

forward

had in the past (at least a

year ago). Now, spend the

next ten minutes writing about

that event. What role did

that event have in

shaping who you are today?

Did anything good come of it?

A-
Aspire
Plan-
Spend on
4
Spend some money to create a

09

Do
what

leisure experience that will be

matters

meaningful and

rewarding for you

(emphasize experiences, NOT

material goods)—for

example, if you are

passionate about music,

take a music class or go to a

concert.

A-
Aspire
Plan-
Create
5
Using what you've learned in

08

Do
meaning

previous activities, find ways

to create meaning from

boring tasks or everyday

activities (ones that aren't

particularly beneficial

to anyone

but you). The idea is to take

something you already do and

transform it into something

meaningful.

A-
Aspire
Essay
I have a
5
Set a very long-term goal (i.e.

10

goal

one that can be completed

in the span of several years).

Imagine the benefits of

achieving that goal. How will

you feel? What will happen?

E-
Empa-
Essay
Give
1
Reflect on what it

01
thize

myself a

is like to be you.

break

What makes you great? What

challenges have you overcome?

What accomplishments

have you achieved?

Create a narrative or

“story” of your life thus far,

highlighting the aspects that

showcase your positive traits.

E-
Empa-
Essay
Whats
1
Keep a log of the nice

03
thize

my

things that you do for the

positive

people in your inner

impact?

circle and/or at work. Use this

information to draw some

conclusions about the positive

benefit that you have on those

around you.

E-
Empa-
Essay
Walking
2
Consider what it

02
thize

in their

would be like to be

shoes

someone very different from

yourself, with whom you

have very little interaction

and of whom you have

very little understanding. It

may help to do some informal

research on the web.

E-
Empa-
Essay
Weird..w
2
When someone in

04
thize

hy'd they

your inner circle behaves in

do it?

ways that you do

not understand,

see if you can look at

the context to better

understand their behavior.

E-
Empa-
Plan-
Get to
3
Consider something you

05
thize
Do
know

can do in your spare time

someone

that will allow you

to get to know someone very

different from

yourself and do it.

E-
Empa-
Essay
Empa-
3
Think of what it is like to be

06
thize

thize

someone with whom

with a

you disagree about something

different

somewhat minor. Why do

view-

they feel differently from

point

you?

E-
Empa-
Essay
Not
3
When someone in your

07
thize

cool-

inner circle behaves in

why'd

ways that hurts or upsets

they do

you, see if you can look at the

it?

context to better understand

their behavior.

E-
Empa-
Essay
Empa-
4
Think of what it is like to be

08
thize

thize

someone with whom

when

you disagree

you

strongly about something of

disagree

moderate important.

Why do they

feel differently from you?

E-
Empa-
Plan-
Help
4
Consider something

10
thize
Do
someone

you can do in

your spare time that will

allow you to improve

the life of someone very

different from yourself

and do it.

E-
Empa-
Essay
How
4
Imagine what it would be like

11
thize

will

for one of your close others

s/he

if you disappeared, or had

miss

never existed in the first

me?

place. In what ways

would their lives be

worse? What would they

miss the most about you?

E-
Empa-
Essay
That
5
Reflect on a recent conflict

09
thize

hurt!

you have had with

What

someone and see if

made

you can gain some insight into

them do

where they were coming from.

it?

Why were they

at odds with you?

What was their perspective?

E-
Empa-
Essay
Empa-
5
Think of what it is like to be

12
thize

thize

someone (real, or hypothetical)

when

with whom you vehemently

you're

disagree about something very

resentful

important to you-about a

political issue, for example.

What challenges

do they face? Why

do they feel as

they do? In your

mind, try to treat

this person with sympathy,

understanding, and acceptance.

G-
Give
Plan-
Give a
1
Spend a small amount

01

Do
small

of money on someone

gift

else-buy them a cup of

coffee, or some cute little

kitchy thing you saw in a

store that reminded you of

them, or a book

you think they'd like. Ideally,

it would be something

that will spark some

interaction with them (you

can discuss the book, or chat

while drinking the coffee).

G-
Give
Plan-
Make
1
What one nice thing did you

03

Do
someone

do (or are you planning to

smile

do) for someone else today?

Whether it's running

an errand for a busy

friend, baking cookies for a

neighbor or mentoring a child,

record it here.

G-
Give
Plan-
Spend
2
Select a skill that is

05

Do
time

valuable to you or to

on a

someone you love, and invest

valuable

an hour in developing it (for

activity

example, becoming better at

playing an instrument,

or learning to build coop

for the chickens your

spouse wants to

buy, or practicing

French so that you

can go on that

family vacation to France).

G-
Give
Plan-
Spend
3
Select an activity that costs

06

Do
$$

money, but is relatively

on a

inexpensive, and do that

shared

activity with someone in your

expe-

inner circle on your dime.

rience

Alternatively, you can spend a

small-moderate

amount of money

helping someone else. It can

be someone you know,

or a stranger-but be

sure to stick around to see

the other person benefit.

G-
Give
Plan-
Spend
3
Plan an excursion or

09

Do
time

activity with one or more

with

members of your inner

some-

circle (friends, family, etc). It

one

doesn't need to be

expensive, but in your

planning, emphasize new

experiences and

activities that will involve a

lot of interaction with

each other.

G-
Give
Do
One day,
4
Deliberately do five

02

5 nice

kind acts for someone

things

else today. They can be big

(helping a person cram for a

midterm or prepare for a

presentation at work) or small

(putting coins in

someone's nearly-expired

meter or telling a stranger

on the street that you like their

dress). They can be planned or

spontaneous, though

since you must

get five done in a single day, it

helps to plan. They

do not need to be for

the same person, and they

can be for people you know,

or for strangers, or for

some of both. Keep

a log of the kind acts you do,

including any kind

acts you do in

excess of the required five

G-
Give
Do
Cele-
4
Spend the week on

07

brate

the lookout for a victory,

some-

small or large, that one of

one′s

your friends or coworkers

good

experiences. Help

news

them savor that victory

using active-constructive

responding: 1) ask

lots of questions, 2) find a

way to become genuinely

excited about it, 3) help

the person see implications of

their victory that make

it even better than they had

realized, 4) prolong the

positive emotion associated

with the news

by celebrating and telling

other people about it.

G-
Give
Essay
Forgive
4
Identify something that

08

an

one or more close others

annoy-

in your life do that you

ance

often find yourself

upset about. See if you

can become more forgiving

about that particular behavior-

more understanding about why

people do it, and more patient

with people when they do it.

G-
Give
Essay
Forgive
5
Identify something

10

an

that someone

offense

else did that you hold a grudge

about. Do a forgiveness

exercise to see if you

can let go of the grudge.

G-
Give
Plan-
Volun-
5
Identify a cause that you care

11

Do
teer

about and volunteer your

time to furthering it in some

tangible way.

G-
Give
Plan-
Donate
5
Make a substantial charitable

12

Do
$$ for a

contribution. Do something

cause

that will allow you to

directly witness the other

person benefitting from

your kind act.

S-
Savor
Plan-
Savor
1
Consider a typical weekday.

01

Do
the

Review your morning

small

routine, your daily

stuff

activities, and your evening

rituals, and consider how much

time you spend noticing and

enjoying the pleasures of the

day, both small and large.

Every day for the

next week, be sure to savor at

least two experiences

(for example, your morning

coffee, or the sun on your

face as you walk to your car).

Spend at least 2-3 minutes

savoring each experience using

the following techniques: 1.

Sharing With Others:

You can seek out

others to share the

experience and tell others how

much you value

the moment. This is probably

the single best way to

savor pleasure. 2. Memory-

Building: Take mental

photographs or even a

physical souvenir of the

event and reminisce about

it later with others. 3.

Self-Congratulation:

Do not be afraid of pride. Tell

yourself how

impressed others are and

remember how long you've

waited for this to happen. 4.

Sharpening Perceptions:

Focus on certain

elements and block out

others. 5. Absorption:

Let yourself get totally

immersed and try not to

think, just sense.

S-
Savor
Do
Body
1
Dedicate a chunk of time

02

scan

(anywhere between 10 minutes

medi-

and an hour) to lie down,

tation

in silence, and systematically

pay attention to each

part of your body. Start by just

focusing on your breathing

for a minute or so. Then,

starting with your feet, work

your way through

your calves, thighs, pelvis,

stomach, back, chest,

arms, hands, neck, face,

and head, noticing any

sensations in each place, and

imagining that your breath is

focused on that

point. You can be

more specific if you have more

time-for example,

you can stop at your ankles

and knees on the way

up your leg, and you can go

through your low,

mid, and upper

back. There are

various YouTube

videos to guide you through a

body scan, which you might

use to get started.

S-
Savor
Plan-
Savor
2
Using the skills you learned in

03

Do
together

Savoring Level 1, find an

experience to savor

that you can do

together with other people. For

example, you might

go to a music

performance, savor it while

it is happening (you may

need to walk

them through the savoring

techniques), and then discuss it

afterwards. You

could also savor a

shared meal, a walk through a

beautiful park, or

a piece of good

news you have received

(go out and celebrate).

S-
Savor
Essay
Savor a
2
Think back on a positive

04

memory

event or experience

you have had in your

life and reminisce

about it. Walk through

that experience in your

mind in as much

detail as possible,

using the savoring skills you

learned in Level 1

to re-experience

every aspect of the memory,

including your

emotional reactions

at the time and the emotional

reactions you are having

now as you imagine it.

S-
Savor
Do
Avoid
3
Create a plan to

05

over-

distract yourself or

thinking

re-focus yourself on the task at

hand whenever

your mind starts to wander

into over-analyzing your

experiences. It can be anything

from a mantra (“what

is happening right now?”)

to a game you play, a

poem you recite to yourself,

or a rubber band you wear

on your wrist

and snap every time you catch

yourself getting lost in worries.

Anything that will help you to

“reset” your brain and derail

overthinking.

S-
Savor
Do
Basic
3
Sit still, in a comfortable

06

medi-

position, and just breathe.

tation

Pay attention to your

breathing-to the rise and fall

of your chest, or to the

air tickling your upper

lip as it comes out of

your nose, or to any

other sensation

you experience as a result of

breathing. See if you

can keep your attention on

your breathing, even as

thoughts or feelings arise that

distract you. You are

very likely to experience

thoughts such as “This

isn't working,” or “I am

not doing it right.” You

may also have thoughts

about other things you feel you

should be doing.

Acknowledge the

thoughts and return to your

breathing. Set a timer

so that you do not need

to check your clock-

start with 5 minutes

every day, and

work your way up to 30.

S-
Savor
Plan-
Moving
3
Choose a low-energy physical

07

Do
medi-

routine, such as yoga or gentle

tation

stretching, that takes about 20

minutes to complete. Ideally, it

should be something you do

not have to think about

too much. As you go

through each pose or stretch,

pay close attention to the

effect it has on your body.

Hold the stretch,

focusing your attention on

every place where you feel

something in your

body, one place at

a time. What is the sensation

like? Repeat this for each pose.

S-
Savor
Plan-
All-day
4
Deliberately arrange a day of

08

Do
savoring

leisure. Fill your day

with different types

of activities to savor-food,

or music, or a beautiful

walk, or a visit to a

museum-and savor each

of them in turn using

the techniques you have

learned in previous levels.

S-
Savor
Essay
Reframe
4
Each day, write down

09

negative

at least one unpleasant

thoughts

thing that happened to

you. Spend some

time exploring why you

think it happened. Once

you come up with

an explanation

that you are fairly

confident about,

see if you can come

up with other explanations.

What are all of the

possible reasons why what

happened happened? Once you

have a list of at least 3

possibilities (the bigger the

better), read through each of

them. Which seems most

plausible to you? Which seems

least plausible?

What evidence do you

have in favor of and against

each possibility? When this is

done, go back to your original

explanation. How sure do

you feel about it now?

S-
Savor
Plan-
Walking
4
Choose a place to spend about

10

Do
medi-

30 minutes walking. Ideally, it

tation

should be a place with many

things to notice-scenery,

activity, or both (a

park is a great choice). Walk

around, slowly at first,

with your eyes looking

down at the ground.

Notice all of the tactile

sensations associated with

walking: the feeling

of your feet on the ground, the

temperature of the air as it

stirs from your motion,

the way your body feels

at each stage of each

step, and so on.

Continue to do this

until you are able to walk at a

normal pace while still paying

attention to everything

sensory that is happening

to you. Once you have

achieved this, begin paying

attention to the sounds

around you. Try not

to think too much about

what is happening; just notice.

When you are able to continue

attending to both your

tactile and auditory

sensations, begin looking

around you, taking in the

sights, noticing any activity

around you. If, at any point,

you lose track of your

tactile sensations, go back to

looking at the ground

until you are focused again,

then build back up to

noticing everything

around you.

S-
Savor
Plan-
Or-
5
Decide on something

11

Do
ganize

to savor with a large

a

group of people—a church

savoring

group, or all of your

event

coworkers, for example.

Examples might include a

community wine

tasting or a class trip to a

garden. Instruct the group

on how to savor the experience

using what you have used from

practicing Social Savoring.

S-
Savor
Essay/
Living
5
Catch yourself when

12

Do
in the

you are in the midst of an

moment

unpleasant experience.

It can be an emotional state

(being stressed) or an activity

(like waiting

in line, being at a frustrating

meeting, having an unpleasant

conversation, etc). Notice

everything you can

about what is happening to

you internally: your

physical sensations,

your thoughts, your

feelings. Do your best not to

evaluate your

experience (whether

it is ok to feel what you

are feeling, whether you are

thinking rationally, etc). Just

experience it. Afterwards, see

what you can write down

about what happened to

you. Look at each

aspect of the experience

(physical, thought, and

emotional) and see if

you can see some ways

that your physical

sensations, thoughts, and

feelings interacted

with each other.

T-
Thank
Essay
Thx Thx
1
Each night before bed,

04

Thx

write down three things

that happened THAT

DAY that you are grateful

for in 2-3 sentences.

Also complete a rating of how

good the day was, and of

how difficult it was to come up

with three good things.

Track how those two

ratings change over time.

T-
Thank
Essay
Today's
1
Think of something,

09

grateful

great or small,

moment

that you feel grateful for and

describe it in a few words.

T-
Thank
Essay
Weekly
2
Once a week, write

01

Grati-

down a list of everything

tude

in your life for which you

check-in

are grateful. Keep a record of

your entries so that you

can review them periodically.

Look for themes

in the types of things you often

say you are grateful.

T-
Thank
Plan-
A week's
2
Pick someone in your social

02

Do
worth of

“inner circle” and keep a

thanks

gratitude log. Write down

(about a

everything they do that

person)

you are grateful for for a fixed

period of time

(we recommend a

month), then, at the end of

that period, review the log.

Are there any patterns

in what this person tends

to do that you are grateful

for? What generalizations

can you draw about

who this person is and

what they mean to you?

T-
Thank
Plan-
Deliver
3
Show your gratitude log to the

03

Do
a week's

person you wrote

worth of

it about, in effect

thanks

giving them a

“gratitude report.”

You can make this a regular

practice, reporting

in periodically.

T-
Thank
Essay
What
3
Each time you do something

05

am

that makes you proud of

I proud

yourself, write it down for an

of?

entire month. At the

end of each month,

review the log.

What types of activities

do you seem to value

and take pride in?

T-
Thank
Do
Thank
4
Pick some individual

06

you note

to whom you

are grateful, but who you have

never properly thanked. Your

gratitude could be for

a particular time when

they assisted you, or it

could be very general

(or both). It can be

someone you see all the

time, or someone

you haven't seen

in a while; it can be

someone with

whom you have an ongoing

relationship, or

someone who you

do not know very

well, or someone with

whom you have a strained

relationship. As long

as you are very grateful

to that person, they

are a good candidate for this

activity. Now, write a letter

detailing your gratitude to that

person-at least one page, but

longer, if possible.

Reflect, in as much

detail as possible, on why

you feel gratitude

towards them.

T-
Thank
Plan-
I'm
4
Discuss something or

08

Do
than-

someone for which/whom

kful,

you are very grateful

let's

with someone else

talk!

who shares that

gratitude. It may help

if you have written a

gratitude letter about the

target of the discussion,

and can share it with

the other person to

spark the discussion.

T-
Thank
Do/
Deliver
5
Deliver the gratitude letter you

07

Plan-
a thank

wrote in level 3 to the person

Do
you

for whom it was intended.

note

FIG. 4 depicts an activity post. Every activity a user completes creates a post that is added to the user's profile. Users can mark their posts private (only visible to them) or viewable to other people (people who follow them and people doing the track in group mode with them—see slide 10 for tracks). Users can like and comment on posts to encourage each other and discuss their contents.

The framework offers different types of science-based activities to users. The following provides a sample list, with the complete list provided in the product directory:

Reflective Micro Blogging

- The user is asked to reflect on a topic and write down their thoughts (e.g. what they are grateful for, what they look forward to, taking another person's perspective etc.)
  
  “Plan-Do”
- The user is asked to perform an activity in real life and write about his/her experience (e.g. do a savoring exercise)
  
  Quizzes
- Multiple choice questions and answers around the relevant track domain and the science of happiness
  
  Polls
- Polling the user's opinion about a related topic and showing them the community's vote breakdown
  
  Games
- Mini games training the user on a specific happiness skill

FIGS. 5A-5C depict schematics for starting a track. Tracks are sets of activities that are programmed together to address specific life situations or concerns that users have. Each track is composed of 4 parts. The number of activities and their level of difficulty increases as the user progresses from part 1 to parts 2, 3, and 4.

Track Rules

- Users have approximately one week to complete a track part and thus earn badges (regular/honors badge, depending on the number of activities they completed.
- Users are allowed to extend beyond a week and still win the regular badge.
- If a user reaches the regular badge threshold they are allowed to ‘win’ it and move to the next part, or continue for the honors badge. This allows them to skip the remaining activities and win the regular badge if they prefer.
- Track activities can be ‘time-locked’, ‘queue-locked’, or available. At start, 2 activities are available for the user to perform, and one is ‘queue-locked’—which means that if the user performs an available activity, it will make the ‘queue-locked’ activity become available.
- Each day, 3 time-locked activities become ‘queue-locked’, and queue-locked activities become available up to a limit of 4 available activities. This 4 limit is intended to avoid showing the user too many available activities when they next log in.
  
  Social Interaction

Users can view the shared posts of other people who are doing the track and like/comment on them or follow the authors of those posts.

Premium and Expert Tracks

Happify offers special tracks created by experts and thought leaders in the field of emotional well-being and happiness science as Premium Tracks.

The following provides a sample list of tracks:

Career And Money

- Appreciate what I have (currently available)
- Reduce on-the-job stress
- Get energized about my job
- Stay upbeat while out of work
- Balance work and home life
- Control my spending habits
  
  Family and Kids
- Enjoy parenting more (currently available)
- Better cope with new parenthood
- Better adjust to becoming an empty nester
- Forgive and forget feud (with a family member)
- Better cope with the stresses related to my aging parents
  
  Leisure and Friends
- Be more socially connected (currently available)
- Talkers and listeners (currently available)
- Explore the Art in Happiness (currently available)
- Find more “me” time
- Be a better friend
  
  Love and Intimacy
- Feel more loved by my partner (currently available)
- Feel and be more devoted to my spouse
- Fight less and love more in my relationship
- Find Mr. Right—or Mr. Right Now
- Get over a broken heart
- Feel hopeful to start dating after divorce
  
  Mind and Body
- Cope better with stress (currently available)
- Nurture my Body and Soul (currently available)
- Come to terms with getting older
- Feel healthier
- Be more optimistic about my potential
- Find more purpose and meaning in my life

FIG. 6 depicts an example of a user's profile and posts. The profile and posts include the following:

- User's “Digital Happiness” wallet
- Search posts by skill, track, location and topic
- Track progress by Skill level
- View and manage follower/following

FIG. 7 depicts an example of personalized suggested activities. The personalized suggested activities include the following:

- When not in a track, users are offered a personalized daily activity
- User's can also pick any activity directly from the skills menu
- New activities unlock as the user achieves higher skill levels

A component of Happify is continuous progress tracking, as well as gaining insight into the user's happiness profile. The self-assessments include the following:

My Happiness Score

- Taken initially and every 2 weeks, scientifically valid test correlated with standard well-being tests.
  
  Track Recommendation Survey
- Find out which track is right for the user
- Refer to Table 2, below, for the Question Table and Calculation rules.

TABLE 2

Happify Track Recommendation Survey

Question Table

—
TR-8talkers and listeners
—

—
TR-7body and soul
—

—
TR-6 art in happiness
—

—
TR-5enjoy parenting more
—

—
TR-4appreciate what I have
—

—
TR-3 be more socially connected
—

—
TR-2feel more loved by my spouse
2x, 0 disables track

Track
TR-1cope better with stress
—

Multiplier

—
O4
—

—
O3
—

—
O2
No

(0)

Answer
O1
Yes

Score

(1)

—
—
Are you in a serious relationship?

—
Page
1

—
—
O1

—
—
0 disables track, 1 -> 0.5 points, 2 -> 4 points

—
—
—

—
—
—

—
2x, 0 disables track
—

—
—
—

—
—
—

—
—
—

Track
—
—

Multiplier

—
—
—

—
—
Often

(2)

—
No
a little

(0)
(1)

Answer
Yes
Very rarely

Score
(1)
(0)

—
Do you have kids? (enables “enjoy parenting
How often to you interact with people

more”)
as part of your work?

—
1
1

—
Q2
Q3

—
—
—

—
—
0 disables track, 1 -> 0.5 points, 2 -> 4 points

—
0 disables track, 1 -> 0.5 points, 2 -> 4 points
—

—
—
—

—
—
—

—
—
—

—
—
—

Track
—
—

Multiplier

—
Very much
Very much

(2)
(2)

—
a little
a little

(1)
(1)

Answer
Not at all
Not at all

Score
(0)
(0)

—
To what degree do you consider yourself creative?
Do you value physical well-being?

—
2
2

—
Q4
Q5

—
—
—

—
—
—

—
—
2x

—
—
2x

—
1x
2x

—
1x
—

—
—
—

Track
1x
—

Multiplier

—
Very
Very

(3)
(3)

—
Somewhat
Somewhat

(2)
(2)

—
A little
A little

(1)
(1)

Answer
Not at all
Not at all

Score
(0)
(0)

—
Do you feel like you are not very resilient when
Do you feel like your life is full of drudgery?

bad things happen?

—
2
3

—
Q6
Q7

—
—
—

—
—
—

—
1x
—

—
1x
2x

—
2x
—

—
—
2x

—
1x
2x

Track
—
—

Multiplier

—
Very
Very

(3)
(3)

—
Somewhat
Somewhat

(2)
(2)

—
A little
A little

(1)
(1)

Answer
Not at all
Not at all

Score
(0)
(0)

—
Do you feel like there isn't much good in
Do you wish you felt more connected

your life?
with others in your life?

—
3
3

—
Q8
Q9

—
—

—
1x

—
—

—
—

—
1x

—
—

—
—

Track
2x

Multiplier

—
Very

(3)

—
Somewhat

(2)

—
A little

(1)

Answer
Not at all

Score
(0)

—
Do you have an ongoing stressful situation that you would like to learn to manage better?

—
4

—
Q10

—
2x

—
—

—
—

—
—

—
—

—
2x

—
—

Track
—

Multiplier

—
Very

(3)

—
Somewhat

(2)

—
A little

(1)

Answer
Not at all

Score
(0)

—
Are you a very sociable person?

—
4

—
Q11

—
—

—
2x

—
—

—
—

—
—

—
—

—
—

Track
2x

Multiplier

—
Very

(3)

—
Occasionally

(2)

—
Rarely

(1)

Answer
Not at all

Score
(0)

—
Do you find yourself overly focused on things that happened in the past, or on things that will

happen in the future?

—
4

—
Q12

Calculation Rules

1. Generate a score for each track (TR-1 to TR-8), made up of the score it gets per question (Q1-Q12) in the following manner:
52. for each question, if the appropriate track multiplier is greater than zero—take the score specified in the option chosen by the user for that question in “( )”, multiply it by the track multiplier for the question (“1×”, “2×” etc.) and add to the track score
3. if an option with a value specified as ‘disabling’ has been picked then score for the track should be zeroed.
104. Track with highest score is the recommended one.

TABLE 3

Happify Happiness Assessment Questions

#
Question
Option 1
Option 2
Option 3
Option 4
Option 5
Option 6
Option 7

q
in the past month,
Never
Rarely
Occasionally
Frequently
Very
—
—

1
how often have

(once or
(about
(more
often

you felt joyous,

twice a
once per
than
(almost

exuberant, inspired,

month)
week)
once per
every

or awestruck?

week)
day)

q
In the past month,
Never
Rarely
Occasionally
Frequently
Very
—
—

2
how often have

(once or
(about
(more
often

you felt serene,

twice a
once per
than
(almost

grateful, or

month)
week)
once per
every

relaxed?

week)
day)

q
In the past month,
Never
Rarely
Occasionally
Frequently
Very
—
—

3
how often have

(once or
(about
(more
often

you felt sad,

twice a
once per
than
(almost

guilty, or lonely?

month)
week)
once per
every

week)
day)

q
In the past months,
Never
Rarely
Occasionally
Frequently
Very
—
—

4
how often have

(once or
(about
(more
often

you felt angry,

twice a
once per
than
(almost

anxious, or

month)
week)
once per
every

afraid?

week)
day)

q
How satisfied do
Very
Somewhat
A little
Neutral
A little
Somewhat
Very

5
you feel with the
dissatisfied
dissatisfied
dissatisfied

satisfied
satisfied
satisfied

relationships in

your life?

q
How satisfied do
Very
Somewhat
A little
Neutral
A little
Somewhat
Very

6
you feel with
dissatisfied
dissatisfied
dissatisfied

satisfied
satisfied
satisfied

your work life?

q
How satisfied do
Very
Somewhat
A little
Neutral
A little
Somewhat
Very

7
you feel with
dissatisfied
dissatisfied
dissatisfied

satisfied
satisfied
satisfied

your leisure time?

q
How satisfied do
Very
Somewhat
A little
Neutral
A little
Somewhat
Very

8
you feel with
dissatisfied
dissatisfied
dissatisfied

satisfied
satisfied
satisfied

yourself as a

person?

q
How satisfied do
Very
Somewhat
A little
Neutral
A little
Somewhat
Very

9
you feel with the
dissatisfied
dissatisfied
dissatisfied

satisfied
satisfied
satisfied

conditions of

your life?

Calculation

Positive Emotion Score

PES=(q1+q2+(6−q3)+(6−q4)−4)/16*100

Life Satisfaction

LSS=(q5+q6+q7+q8+q9−5)/30*100

Happiness Score Number

HS=(PES+LSS)/2

Happiness Score Title

14 < HS <=
29 < HS <=
43 < HS <=
57 < HS <=
71 < HS <=

HS <= 14
29
43
57
71
86
86 < HS

Very
Moderately
Mildly
Neutral
Mildly
Moderately
Very

unhappy
unhappy
unhappy

happy
happy
happy

Skill Assessments

- Helps the user discover which aspects of that skill they're best at, and which they may be interested in further training. Measures affinity and proficiency and is unlocked when the user reaches a certain level in a skill.
  
  Happify Skill Assessments: Method
  
  Assessment

Each skill assessment is composed of an ‘affinity’ and a ‘mastery’ assessment for a group of skill categories. The skill ‘Give’, for example, includes skill categories ‘Forgiveness’, ‘material things’ and ‘immaterial things’.

The user answers a set of questions for affinity and mastery in each of the skill categories by specifying a number between 1 and 7.

Scoring

Affinity

The user's skill affinity profile is presented as a list of skill categories in decreasing order of average score as answered by the user. Higher average score in a skill category corresponds with a higher level of affinity with that category.

Mastery

The user's skill mastery profile is presented as a list of skill categories in decreasing order of average score as answered by the user. Higher average score in a skill category corresponds with a higher level of affinity with that category.

Recommendation

In addition to the ordered lists, the system flags categories that have these score combinations:

“Keep it Up”

High Affinity/High Mastery—These categories are both preferred by, and mastered by the user. The user may benefit from increasing awareness and using this skill category.

“Try it Out”

High Affinity/Low Mastery—These categories are liked by the users but not yet mastered by them. The user may benefit from engaging in and building their skill level in this category.

Savor Assessment

Step 1: Affinity

What types of savoring experiences do you like?

Please rate the extent to which each of the following is true for you (1=not at all true, 7=very true)

Food

1. I really enjoy it when I take the time to savor food

2. I would consider myself a “foodie”

3. I get very excited when I have the opportunity to eat great food

Beauty

4. I find listening to music and/or viewing art to be very enjoyable

5. Watching artists (i.e. actors and musicians) perform fills me with awe

6. I am able to lose myself in art

Sensory

7. I love to be in places that are beautiful

8. When I'm outside, I notice the temperature, wind, and other weather conditions and appreciate their impact on me

9. Beautiful scenery fills me with a sense of wonder

Social

10. When I am spending time with someone, I often stop and realize how valuable that experience is

11. I am happiest when I am interacting with someone else

12. When I relive some of my most precious moments, they involve other people

Novelty

13. I get excited when I have the opportunity to do something new

14. I appreciate activities the most when I am trying them for the first time

15. It is so much easier to notice every aspect of an experience when it's a new experience

Step 2: Mastery

Rate, on a scale of 1-7 (1=not at all, 7=completely), the extent to which you are able to appreciate—with deliberate effort, in the moment or in retrospect—the complexities of:

Food

1. Your favorite dessert

2. Your favorite special-occasion dish

3. A dish that you eat very often

4. An unusual-tasting dish

5. A dessert that you have never had before, and like

6. A dessert that you have never had before, and do not particularly like

7. A dish that contains flavors you don't like

8. Wine or beer

9. Scotch or other hard liquor

Beauty

10. A piece of art by an unseasoned but talented artist

11. A piece of beautiful art

12. A piece of music from a genre that you love

13. A piece of music from a genre that you are unfamiliar with

14. A piece of music from a genre that you dislike

15. A familiar scenic view—out of your office window, house, on your daily commute, etc.

16. A scenic view that you are seeing for the first time

17. The sight of beautiful architecture

18. A bustling city or other crowded area that's full of activity

Sensory

19. Sitting in a hot tub

20. Receiving a massage

21. Feeling a mild breeze blowing on your face

22. Feeling a bittersweet emotion

23. The feeling of being excited

24. The feeling of being sad

25. Having a foot ache or back ache after a long day of activity

26. Taking a shower

27. Feeling content

Social

28. Hugging or cuddling with someone

29. Sharing a fun experience with someone you care about

30. Sharing a meaningful experience with someone you care about

31. Meeting someone new

32. Having a conversation in which you connect deeply with someone else

33. Having a mild disagreement with someone you care about

34. Sharing a difficult experience with someone you care about

35. Having a conversation with someone you don't have much in common with

36. Sharing an everyday task (cooking, running errands, etc.) with someone you care about

Novelty

37. Trying a new sport

38. Visiting a city you've never been to before

39. Trying a new hobby for the first time

40. Eating a new food for the first time

41. Listening to a new piece of music for the first time

42. Going to a party full of new people, with whom you may or may not connect

43. Watching a movie for the first time

44. Your first day working in a new job, or living in a new town

45. Doing something that is meaningful to you, but not particularly pleasant

Thank Assessment

Step 1: Affinity

Please rate the extent to which the following statements are true for you (1=not at all true, 7=very true)

Expressing to Others

1. I am most happy when I know that the other people in my life feel appreciated.

2. I am thrilled when I have the opportunity to show someone I know how thankful I am for him/her.

3. I never assume that anyone I know is aware of the gratitude I feel for them; I make sure to express it.

Feeling about Others

4. When I step back and think about it, the people in my life give me a lot to be thankful for.

5. So many people have contributed to my being where I am today.

6. I cannot imagine life without my friends, family, and/or coworkers.

Feeling about Circumstances

7. I am lucky to have had many great opportunities in my life.

8. I feel fortunate to have all of my basic needs met (e.g. a place to live, food and clean water).

9. Rather than dwell on what I do not have, I instead focus on the good things that I DO have.

Step 2: Mastery

Expressing to Others

In the last week, how frequently did you engage in each of the following behaviors (1=not at all, 7=as frequently as humanly possible):

1. Complimenting your partner on his/her appearance (if applicable)
2. Expressing your gratitude to someone you know for something he/she did recently
3. Telling your partner, child, or friend about one of his/her quirks that you find endearing
4. Sending a thank-you email or note
5. Verbally thanking someone on the spot in a meaningful way (beyond saying “thanks” when someone opens the door for you)

Feeling to Others

While most people are grateful for other people in their lives, they may not actually FEEL that gratitude on a daily basis. In the last week, did you feel grateful for the following, and if so, how often (1=very rarely, 7=all the time)
6. The emotional support you receive from others in your life
7. Your partner, child, or friend's sense of humor
8. One of your loved ones' quirks
9. The love you feel from someone else in your life
10. The help you receive from others at work or at home

Feeling about circumstances

While most people are grateful for other people in their lives, they may not actually FEEL that gratitude on a daily basis. In the last week, did you feel grateful for the following, and if so, how often (1=very rarely, 7=all the time)
11. The ways in which you have been lucky in life
12. The opportunities that have been given to you by others
13. The successes in your life for which you have had to work very hard
14. The ways in which your life has improved over time
15. The ways in which others are less fortunate than you are

Aspire Assessment

Step 1: Affinity

Please rate the extent to which the following statements are true for you (1=not at all true, 7=very true)

Finding Meaning

Involving things that are happening or that have already happened:
1. I have an easier time doing everyday tasks if I have an important reason for doing those tasks.
2. When I look back on the life I lived so far, I am comforted by the idea that I have done things that are important.
3. I find it helpful to look at the positive things that have come out of my most negative experiences.

Creating Meaning

Involving new behavior:
4. When I have had the opportunity to do something new that sounds meaningful to me, I have found it very rewarding.
5. I would prefer do something meaningful over something pleasant.
6. I would feel better investing my money in something important to others rather than something that is likely to benefit me directly.

Goals
7. I feel best about myself when I am living a life in accordance with what I value.
8. I am uneasy without a future goal that I can work towards.
9. I aspire to become the best version of myself.

Step 2: Mastery

Finding Meaning

In the past, how successful have you been at finding meaning in each of the following (1=not successful, 7=very successful):
1. Household chores like dishwashing, sweeping, or doing laundry
2. Doing something together with friends or family
3. Having a major success, like getting a promotion
4. Experiencing a loss (lost job, someone passes away)

Creating Meaning

How frequently do you engage in the following behaviors (1=never, 7=very frequently)
5. Donate money to a good cause.
6. Choose to spend your spare time on activities that are meaningful rather than activities that are pleasant.
7. Find new ways to do something meaningful with your time.
8. Work to promote something you deeply believe in.

Goals

How frequently do you engage in the following behaviors (1=never, 7=very frequently)
9. Make day to day decisions that are consistent with your long-term goals.
10. Choose to spend your time in ways that will help you improve yourself.
11. Keep the “big picture” of your long-term goals in mind when living your everyday life.
12. Approach any significant activity with some time of goal for yourself.

Give Assessment

Step 1: Affinity

Please rate the extent to which the following statements are true for you (1=not at all true, 7=very true)

Forgiveness
1. I find it to be a big relief when I am able to let go of a grudge.
2. I think of forgiveness as a gift that I can give to someone else.
3. I do better if I can avoid getting hung up on things people say or do that I do not like.

Material Things
4. I find giving gifts to other people very rewarding.
5. I would rather give my money away to someone I care about than to spend it on myself.
6. I can think of no better use for money than to have a great experience with the people I care about.

Immaterial Things
7. I feel most content after I have done something nice for someone else.
8. I feel most connected to someone when I have had the chance to do something to help them.
9. I like to be the person people go to first in order to share their good news.

Step 2: Master

In general, how often do you do each of the following when you have the opportunity (1=not at all, 7=very frequently)

Forgiveness
1. Quickly getting over it when I have a disagreement with my significant other, child, or friend
2. Let it go when someone says something that unintentionally hurts me
3. Recovering from a significant conflict with someone else

Material Things
4. Bringing a cup of coffee or other treat to a friend/coworker for no reason
5. Buy wonderful but expensive gifts on birthdays or holidays
6. Choose to spend money on others instead of yourself Immaterial things
7. Go out of your way to help a friend celebrate good news
8. Spent time helping a friend, colleague, or child with something (e.g. homework, a project)
9. Say something to a friend, colleague, or child with the goal of lighting up their day

Empathize Assessment

Step 1: Affinity

Please rate the extent to which the following statements are true for you (1=not at all true, 7=very true)

With Self
1. I find it helpful to “turn off” my inner critic and accept myself as I am.
2. I find it useful to take my extenuating circumstances into consideration before passing judgment on myself.
3. Remembering the positive impact that I have on other peoples' lives helps me to feel good about myself.

With Known Other
4. It is much easier for me to interact with someone who is behaving badly if I can understand where they are coming from.
5. I feel more connected to people I care about when I think of “the whole picture” of their lives.
6. I am more secure in my relationships when I have a clear understanding of how the other person benefits from my presence in their life.

With Unknown Other
7. I want to understand the viewpoints of people who are very different from me.
8. Even if another person does something I strongly disagree with, I think there is benefit in knowing their motivation.
9. I believe that in order to judge a person, I need to put myself in their position.

Step 2: Mastery

With Self

In general, how difficult is it for you to do each of the following (1=not difficult at all, 7=extremely difficult):
1. Remember the ways in which you have a positive impact on the world around you
2. Forgive yourself for making a minor mistake (locking yourself out of your car, forgetting a meeting)
3. Forgive yourself for making a significant mistake (missing an important deadline, forgetting a child's sports game or concert, forgetting a close friend or family member's birthday)
4. Forgive yourself for making a grievous mistake (making a job-related error that gets you fired, crashing your car with other people in it)

With Known Other

In general, how difficult is it for you to do each of the following (1=not difficult at all, 7=extremely difficult):
5. Be understanding when your friend, significant other, or child gets stressed out and snaps at you
6. Be a good listener to a friend, significant other, or child who is distressed about something
7. Understand why the others in your life care about you—what impact you have on them
8. Help someone else understand where your friend, significant other, or child is coming from

With unknown other

In general, how difficult is it for you to do each of the following (1=not difficult at all, 7=extremely difficult):
9. Have an extended conversation with someone whose views you do not understand
10. Feel sympathy for someone else's perspective when you strongly disagree with it
11. Imagine the factors that impact someone whose life is very different from yours
12. Help someone else understand a perspective that is very different from their own

Activity Mood
- As part of reporting an activity, 1-click mood picker
  
  Strength Test
- Finding out one's top character strengths
  
  Happify Strengths Assessment: Method
  
  Assessment
  
  The assessment is composed of five subscales with 6 items each, each with user rating on a scale of 1 to 7.
  
  Classification
  
  Users would be classified based on which of the two subscales are highest for them:
- 1. Emotional-Interpersonal
- 2. Emotional-Intellectual
- 3. Emotional-Restrained
- 4. Emotional-Future Oriented
- 5. Intellectual-Interpersonal
- 6. Intellectual-Restrained
- 7. Intellectual-Future Oriented
- 8. Interpersonal-Restrained
- 9. Interpersonal-Future Oriented
- 10. Future Oriented-Restrained
  
  Questions
  
  For each of the statements below, please choose the degree to which it describes what you are like, from 1 (“very much unlike me”) to 7 (“very much like me”):
  
  Interpersonal
- 1. I tend to be most focused on other people and the ways in which I am connected to other people.
- 2. I get more gratification from treating someone else with kindness than I do from being treated kindly.
- 3. I prefer to make decisions collaboratively with others rather than independently.
- 4. If I can do a project or activity in a group, I prefer that over working alone.
- 5. It is important to me that others in my life feel heard and respected.
- 6. Harmony with the other people in my life is very important to me, so I work hard to resolve disagreements or misunderstandings as quickly and effectively as possible.
  
  Emotional
- 7. At a social event or dinner party, I always manage to make other people laugh.
- 8. I am skilled at perceiving what people want, expect, and need.
- 9. I am able to overcome fear to persist in doing something intimidating.
- 10. When I am presented with two options, I am usually able to choose the most sensible one over the one that is most fun/exciting.
- 11. I am often able to help mediate conflicts or misunderstandings between other people.
- 12. I thrive in tasks that require creativity.
  
  Intellectual
- 13. I like to spend my spare time reading about new and interesting things.
- 14. Nothing is more moving to me than a place with beautiful scenery.
- 15. I feel a deep connection to art and/or music and/or literature.
- 16. If I meet someone who works in a field I know nothing about, I am very eager to learn more about it by talking to them.
- 17. My favorite hobbies are those that involve learning a new skill.
- 18. I can enjoy doing nearly anything as long as it's a new experience.
  
  Restraint
- 19. I will be honest with someone even if they won't like what I have to say.
- 20. I value being authentic above being pleasant or agreeable.
- 21. I usually persist until I meet my goals, regardless of how difficult things get.
- 22. When people describe a situation to me, I am generally able to offer a new perspective they have not thought of.
- 23. I am often able to explore a problem from many different points of view.
- 24. When a challenge occurs, I find a way around the challenge rather than giving up.
  
  Future Orientation
- 25. More so than the average person, people call me “positive” or “upbeat.”
- 26. Whatever happens, I am able to see a positive way that things can work out.
- 27. I am often thinking about and planning for the future.
- 28. I am skilled at improving my own mood when I feel down.
- 29. I feel strongly connected to something larger than myself.
- 30. I believe that what I do now has a meaningful impact on someone or something in the future.
  
  Track Customization
- Modify track behavior based on self-assessments and past behavior

Users can share their posts, then comment on and like others' posts. Users can follow other users and users can invite other users to Happify.

New users are encouraged to follow others who are similar to them. Match is composed of Demographic, Psychological and Happify Reputation score (see ‘happify follower matching’ doc).

FIG. 8 depicts a schematic of the initial steps of the Happify compass. The user finds out what her Happiness Score is. The user picks a personalized track and is given fun activities to do her first week.

FIG. 9 depicts the user's first week of activities.

FIG. 10 depicts a schematic of the user's happiness graph.

FIG. 11 depicts the user's happiness compass.

FIG. 12 depicts a schematic of insights obtained using the happiness compass.

The following provides some examples of information obtained using the happiness compass, which are a rich array of implicit user input sensors:

Presence

- Location
- Calendar
  
  Social
- Level of interaction
- Meaningful relationships
- Preferred locations
  
  Spending
- Purchase preferences
- Spending levels
  
  Communications
- Natural language processing
- Pattern analysis
- Facebook, Twitter, email
- Happify posts
  
  Self Reporting
- Preferred Activities
- Scientifically backed self tests

Biometrics

- Exercise
- Sleep patterns
- Nutrition
- Voice analysis
- Facial expressions
- Heartbeat

FIG. 13 depicts examples of advantageous aspects of the happiness graph.

Some benefits of the embodiments described herein are:

Clarity

- 5 skills, level progression
  
  Integrated Self Assessments
- Provides self-insights
- Recommends tracks & activities
  
  Progress Measurement
- Periodic happiness measurements allow the user to monitor their progress
  
  Guided Experience
- 4 week track experience optimizes habit formation
- Enables continued focus on a specific topic (e.g. parenting, stress)
  
  Flexible
- Track structure allows the user to pick the activities and tasks they prefer from a wider selection of options
  
  Personalized
- COMPASS activity recommendations are based on past user behavior and preference
  
  Integrated Social Experience
- Users share and follow, like and comment on other users' posts
  
  Increasingly Challenging
- As they progress, tracks require increased number of activities and higher level of challenge
  
  Entertaining
- Variety of activity types
- Track content
  
  Extendible in Several Dimensions
- Content: new tracks and track content (tasks, quizzes, polls etc.)
- Activity types: adding new games and activity types (see product directory)
- Framework: adding new skills
  
  Multi Screen
- web, mobile accessibility

The following attributes are unique to Happify compared to other digital well-being services:

Science-to-Action Framework

- Translation of the science of happiness into 5 skills, named activities per skill and actionable tasks per activity
  
  Sustained Guidance
- Other feedback mechanisms either track external user activity with visually-limited feedback, or allow users to grow visual environments by interacting with them directly (and not use them to provide feedback on external activities)
  
  Contextual Social Interaction
- Users socialize around contextual activity posts prescribed to others
  
  Activity Variety
- “One stop show” happiness service with real-life, reflective and gaming activities
  
  Measure—Act—Measure loop
- Allowing users to track their progress as they go
  
  1. All Skills
  
  Reflective Micro-Blogging
  
  User is asked to reflect on an aspect of their life an write a few sentences about it. For example—what they are grateful for, what is the true meaning of their job or in what ways they make the life of their spouse better.
  
  Plan-do Activities
  
  User is given an activity to do in real life and write a few sentences about how it felt to do it. This could be giving a small gift to someone, savoring their favorite food or spending an hour doing something meaningful to them.
  
  Quizzes:

FIG. 14 depicts an example of a quiz.

Polls

FIG. 15 depicts an example of a poll.

Inner Circle

Allow the user to build a list of their closest people who affect their happiness the most, then direct the users to do certain activities with the Inner Circle—like sharing posts and experience boards (see below) etc.

Happiness Check-In

Quick report of user's mood from mobile or web, show stats/people nearby on map

Happify Compass

Recommends activities for users based on the Happiness Graph (=happiness ‘GPS’)

2. Savor

Music Moments

Identify and share the music that makes you happy. User picks a decade they love, scan through top music by year/genre and build their happy music wallet.

Relaxation Game (Savoring—Mindfulness)

FIG. 16 depicts an example of a relaxation game.

Introduction to mindfulness/meditation: user picks a beautiful video scene they like, and just relaxes for 2 to 5 minutes

3. Thank

Don't Break the Thank Chain!

User sends a quick gratitude note to a friend, tasking them to continue the chain of thanks. Present leaderboards with longest chains and map view.

4. Aspire

Positive Popper (Optimism)

Balloons containing positive/negative emotions launch into the game board, user needs to only click the ones with positive emotions

5. Give

Send an e-Gift

Allow users to give a small gift to a friend directly from the site

Donate

Allow users to make a donation directly from the site

6. Empathize

FIG. 17 depicts an example of a body talk game. The user click on the emotion that matches the photo. See photo of a person displaying an emotion, click on the right emotion from a list of four emotions.

Step 1: Track Name and Introduction

What is a Track?

A Happify track consists of sets of activities programmed together to address a specific life issue or goal.

A track name is actionable and concise (5 words max). A track description (140 words max) introduces the user to the track and explains what the user will achieve by completing the track.

The partner may write an intro OR provide key messaging points for Happify staff to write the introduction to the track.

- Examples of existing tracks: Cope Better with Stress; Enjoy Parenting More; Strengthen My Friendships; Appreciate What I Have
  
  Tracks fall under one of 5 life domains:

Career & Money

Family & Kids

Leisure & Fun

Love & Intimacy

Mind & Body

Track Parts and Activities

Each track consists of 4 parts—each of which takes approximately one week for users to complete. (If they run out of time, they have the option to extend their time by another week.)

Each Part of a track contains a balanced mix of “reporter” activities and “light” activities (see explanation below). The reporter activities gradually increase in difficulty as users progress through each of the 4 Parts.

“Light Activities” include:

- Games (currently, Hidden Object “mindfulness” game)
- Quizzes (4 multiple-choice or true/false questions about a happiness topic)
- Activity Quizzes (Users read a science paragraph about a Happify activity and are quizzed with multiple-choice questions at the end)
- Polls
  
  “Reporter activities” fall into two categories:
- “Essay” or “Do” activity (Reflective microblogging): Asks user to reflect on a subject and make a log entry
- “Plan-Do” activity: Requires user to plan and perform an action in the real world, then come back and report on how it went
  
  S.T.A.G.E.: The 5 Happiness Skills

Happify's psychologists have created 55 science-based activities to help users build 5 essential happiness skills (Happify's “S.T.A.G.E.” framework):

- 1. Savor—Noticing the good stuff around you and taking time to prolong and intensify your enjoyment of the moment. It can involve the past (reminiscing) the present (mindfulness) or the future (positive anticipation)
- 2. Thank—Practicing gratitude; identifying and appreciating the things we have and the people in our lives
- 3. Aspire—Feeling hopeful, having a sense of purpose and meaning in our lives, being optimistic.
- 4. Give—Performing acts of kindness; being generous and forgiving
- 5. Empathize—Imagining and understanding the emotions, behaviors, or ideas of others; having compassion

BELOW: Example of 11 activities that teach the skill of Giving. (Refer to Happify Activity spreadsheet for detailed list of all 55 activity descriptions)

*What Can't be Added to a Happify Track:

New skills beyond S.T.A.G.E. skills cannot be added to a Happify track. In rare cases, a new activity may be added to an existing Happify skill ONLY if the creator can provide substantial scientific research on the intervention's effectiveness.

ID
Skill
Name of Activity
Skill Level

G-01
Give
Give a small gift
1

G-03
Give
Make someone smile
1

G-04
Give
Act of kindness (3 in one day)
1

G-05
Give
Spend time on a valuable activity
2

G-06
Give
Spend money on a shared experience
3

G-09
Give
Spend time with someone
3

G-02
Give
One day, 5 nice things
4

G-07
Give
Celebrate someone's good news
4

G-08
Give
Forgive an annoyance
4

G-10
Give
Forgive an offense
5

G-11
Give
Volunteer
5

G-12
Give
Donate money for a cause
5

Step 2: Create a Track Outline

The key to programming a track is to select activities that will build happiness skills in the context of a specific life domain or goal.

The track creator can choose from the 55 activities (see Happify Activity spreadsheet for names, descriptions, skill levels) when programming a track.

Key Points:

- What are the underlying “emotional issues” (ex: low self-esteem, loneliness, lack of motivation) that are most likely linked to the “problems” underlying the issue that the Track targets?
- Which S.T.A.G.E. skills and their activities are most effective in helping users overcome these issues?
- The 7-day sequence of every track Part should have a narrative purpose and feel like it has a beginning, middle, and an end that gives the user a sense of accomplishment.
  - First days of a track Part: These activities jump-start a key positive emotion the user will need for subsequent activities or asks the user to try something new, intriguing, fun, or funny—which rattles the user out of her funk and gets her in a good mood for what's next.
  - Middle of a track Part: These activities build on (or complement) previous ones. Here's where we may introduce an activity that requires some extra thought or action. By Day 4 or 5, user feels a little more committed or motivated and willing to take on slightly more demanding activities.
  - End of a track Part: On the last day of a track Part, users want something that's fun, easy or inspiring—avoid unfamiliar/demanding tasks. The user anticipates a feeling of accomplishment but is intrigued enough to commit to the next Part of their track.
- Goal: Create an appealing balance between activities that can be completed immediately by writing after a few minutes of reflection VS. activities that require action (and in some cases, pre-planning) before reporting on how it went.

In general, easier (level 1 and 2) activities are programmed towards the beginning of a track (Parts 1 and 2) and as a user progresses to the later Parts of a track, the activities become more difficult (level 4 and 5 activities), but this isn't required.

Users are awarded badges based on how many activities they complete in each Part of a track. (see chart below for explanations)

- The Happify team can design special badges for each Part of a track.

The basic structure of every Part of every Happify track is as follows: (Note that Games and activity quizzes already exist on Happify)

Track Name:
Appreciate What I Have

Part 1

Task 1
Task 2
Task 3

General recommendation: Reporter

activities from Skill Levels 1 and 2

6 total activities: Users must

complete 4 to get a badge, 5 for a

blue-ribbon badge

reporter
(T-04) Thx Thx Thx
Not that
Love
You

into you
what
Decide

(anymore!)
you
How

have

quiz
Glory of Gratitude
—
—
—

game
The Street
—
—
—

reporter
(G-03) Make Someone
For
Spur of
You

Smile
someone
the
Decide

close to
moment
How

you

poll
You Just Won the
—
—
—

Lottery

reporter
(S-01) Savor
Savor
Savor
You

the Small Stuff
home
your
Decide

sweet
neighbor-
How

home
hood

Part 2

Task 1
Task 2
Task 3

General recommendation: Reporter

activities from Skill Levels 2 and 3

7 total activities: Users must

complete 5 to get a badge, 6 for a

blue-ribbon badge

reporter
(A-03) What's my
Find
Find
The big

why?
meaning at
meaning
picture

home
at work

activity quiz
Power of meditation
—
—
—

reporter
(S-03) Savor Together
Start
Cel-E-
You

spreadin'
brate
Decide

the news
good
How

times

game
The Beach
—
—
—

reporter
(E-01) Give myself a
Take
Reverse
Be your

break
another's
the
biggest

point of
golden
fan

view
rule

poll
Happiness and sleep
—
—
—

reporter
(T-04) Thx Thx Thx
Angelina is
Pretend
You

jealous
shop
Decide

of . . .

How

Part 3

Task 1
Task 2
Task 3

General recommendation: Reporter

activities from Skill Levels 3 and 4

9 total activities: Users must

complete 6 to get a badge, 8 for a

blue-ribbon badge

reporter
(T-04) Thx Thx Thx
Thanks for
Thanks
You

your time
for the
Decide

laughs
How

quiz
A little money goes a
—
—
—

long way

reporter
(G-01) Give a Small
For a friend
For
You

Gift
or
some-
Decide

coworker
one you
How

love

poll
Your down time
—
—
—

reporter
(S-02) Body Scan
Body scan
—
You

Meditation
meditation

Decide

How

game
The folly
—
—
—

reporter
(E-03) What's My
All in the
That's
You

Positive Impact?
family
what
Decide

friends
How

are for

activity quiz
Savor the moment
—
—
—

reporter
(T-04) Thx Thx Thx
About
—
You

yourself

Decide

How

Part 4

Task 1
Task 2
Task 3

General recommendation: Reporter

activities from Skill Levels 4 and 5

9 total activities: Users must

complete 6 to get a badge, 8 for a

blue-ribbon badge

reporter
(T-02) A week's
Love the
Love
You

worth of thanks
things you
the
Decide

say
things
How

you do

activity quiz
Avoid overthinking
—
—
—

reporter
(G-06) Spend Money
Familiar in
New
You

on a Shared
a new way
and
Decide

Experience

unfamili-
How

ar

game
Snow walk
—
—
—

reporter
(T-02) A Week's
Thanks for
It could
You

Worth of Thanks
not
be
Decide

happening
worse!
How

poll
Top thanks
—
—
—

reporter
(T-05) What Am I
From your
From
You

Proud Of?
past
your
Decide

future
How

quiz
Spend Time with
—
—
—

Someone

reporter
(T-02) A Week's
The best in
What
You

Worth of Thanks
you
if?
Decide

How

How Strict are these Guidelines?

- The mix of activities doesn't have to adhere strictly to the framework above. However, we recommend incorporating a mix of approximately 50% “reporter” activities and 50% “light” activities in each track Part to avoid overwhelming the user.
- It's okay for an activity to appear more than once in a track if it's a crucial activity for the track theme and there are new/different suggested tasks for each use.
- Number of activities per track Part is flexible.
  
  Step 3: Come Up with 2-3 Suggested Tasks for Each Activity

Once the “reporter” activities are determined for each track Part, come up with 2-3 suggested tasks for each activity. These tasks retain the essence and the science of the proven intervention activity, but make sense within the theme of the track. They're fun, yet give clear and concise directions. A user will pick ONE of these tasks to complete in order to get credit for the activity.

When a user selects this activity, s/he can choose one of the 2 suggested tasks or a 3rd “You Decide How” option (which already exists in the Happify system).

Partner may come up with general idea for the suggested task, and Happify's writers can flesh these out into 80-word instructions (OR, partner may wish to write all tasks in instruction form)

Each suggested task is accompanied by a “Why It Works” section, which includes science references and explains why the activity is useful and how it relates to happiness.

- Why it Works” already exists for each activity on Happify, but in certain cases, the track creator may want to add new science references that relate specifically to the theme of the suggested task. (For example, an empathy activity may reference a few studies about empathy and its effects, but in the context of a Parenting track, the Why It Works for a suggested task may reference a study about parents empathizing with kids.)
  
  Sample Activity and Suggested Tasks:
  
  Track: Feel More Loved by My Partner
  
  Activity Name: Today's Grateful Moment [Skill: Thank]
  
  Suggested Task #1:
  
  Name: The Little Stuff Counts

Think of the reason you first fell in love with your partner or spouse—a trait or characteristic he/she still holds today.

It could be his sense of humor, her kind generosity, or maybe his sex appeal. Jot down some thoughts and spend a minute appreciating those same traits today.

Suggested Task #2:

Name: Thanks, Partner!

Think of one good thing that happened today involving your partner or spouse.

Write it down here and add a few details about how it made you feel and the role you played, if any, in the positive experience.

You Decide How: (already exists on Happify)

Think of something, great or small, that you feel grateful for and describe it in a few words. Add a photo, too!

Why It Works:

Numerous studies show that gratitude is one of the strongest predictors of positive mental health. People who are grateful are more satisfied with their relationships with friends and family. They're happier, less depressed and less stressed. They feel more in control of their lives, have higher self-esteem and cope better with stress.

When the going gets tough, grateful people learn from the experience. They don't avoid the problem, deny there is a problem or blame themselves for the problem. That's probably why grateful people also sleep better!

In a 2005 study ^[T-2], some participants were asked to transcribe, every night for one week, three positive events that happened during their day, as well as the causes of these events. Compared to participants in the control group, participants who reflected on three positive events experienced more happiness.

Users only need to complete ONE of the task options in order to get credit for a given activity.

Step 4: Determine Quiz Topics and/or Write Quizzes

Each track typically has 3 multiple-choice quizzes, but this can be more or less if desired. FIG. 18 depicts an example of a quiz.

- Quizzes can have two answer choices (usually True/False) or 4 answer choices
- Quiz questions may be based on studies or factoids relating to the track theme, or they can be based on one specific S.T.A.G.E. skill learned in that particular track Part. (Ex: A quiz about gratitude)
  - Track creator may provide suggested topics for Happify staff to write multiple-choice quizzes (providing relevant studies from which to draw questions if desired) OR creator can write complete quizzes with a 1-2 sentence intro, questions, answer choices, and a few sentences explaining the correct answer, citing references (many already exist on happify.com/research) whenever possible.
  - Word counts:
  - Quiz name: 2-4 words
  - Quiz intro: 50 words max
  - Quiz question: 20 words max
  - Quiz choice: 10 words max
  - Quiz answer: 50 words max
    
    Step 5: Suggest Poll Topics

Each track typically contains 4 polls, one for each Part of the track. Again, track creator may suggest topics OR write the entire poll.

Each poll question has up to 4 possible answer choices, plus a 2-3 sentence summary citing any interesting research around that particular poll topic.

Recap

- 1) Work with Happify staff to determine track topic and goals/description of the track.
- 2) Create a track outline: What activities will be used? What mix of reporter activities and light activities will be used in each Part of the track?
- 3) Come up with 2-3 suggested tasks for each reporter activity. Include additional research or write-up for “Why It Works” with related science references if appropriate. (Happify staff can write full instructions for the suggested tasks, or you can!)
- 4) Quizzes: Creator may provide topics for Happify staff to write into quizzes OR write quiz questions and answers him/herself
- 5) Polls: Creator may provide topics for Happify staff to write OR write quiz questions and answers him/herself
  
  Happify Follower Matching:
  
  When a user signs up, they autofollow existing users according to the following method:
  
  Step 1: Create a List of Candidates
  
  All Users who's reputation level is above a certain threshold AND
  
  have approved that their profile would appear for follow suggestion
  
  Step 2: Calculate Fit Levels

Criteria
High Fit for . . .
Formula

—
—
—

Demo Fit
—
Average of below

Age
age close to
1 − ABS(Age − UserAge)/UserAge

user's

Location
close to user
same city: 1, same state: 0.75,

same country: 0.5

—
—
—

Psych Fit
—
Average of below

Happiness Score
high result
(100 − HS)/100

Track
close to user
1 if all 3 recommended tracks

Recommendation

are same and in same order

results

0 if there is no match

—
—
—

Reputation Fit
—
—

Reputation
high
1 − 1/Reputation

reputation

Step 3: Calculate Match Score

Match Score=⅓*Demo-Fit+⅓*Psych-Fit+⅓*Reputation-Fit

Step 4: Pick Auto Followers

Same gender: pick 4 people at random from the top 20 matches of the user's same gender.

Opposite gender: pick 2 users at random from the top 10 matches of the other gender

While certain exemplary aspects and embodiments have been described herein, many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, exemplary aspects and embodiments set forth herein are intended to be illustrative, not limiting. Various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

Claims

1. A system for providing an online service and social community for engaging, learning, and training skills for happiness, the system comprising: a processor; andmemory storing instructions which when executed by the processor configure the processor to: provide the online service via a network to a plurality of computing devices used by users to interact with the online service via the network;provide a plurality of tracks, wherein each track includes a set of activities, and wherein: the activities are programmed to address a specific goal,the activities are arranged in subsets such that the number and difficulty level of activities increase as the users progress through the subsets,the activities are gradually made available to the users based on progress made by the users in building their skills, andthe activities include links to studies about the activities directly accessible by the users;provide an initial happiness score and a track from the plurality of tracks to a user based on: a self-assessment completed by the user upon signing up for the online service;receive from the user, after completing each of the activities from the track, a post including the completed activity and data added by the user to the post, wherein the post is marked by the user as private or publishable to other users following the track to offer comments;store the posts in a profile of the user to allow the user to subsequently search the posts based on skills and tracks for reflection;monitor progress of the user based on self-assessments periodically completed by the user, wherein each self-assessment includes: a happiness score (“HS”) determined based on a first set of rules, the first set of rules including:
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions further configure the processor to determine the happiness score using the first set of rules by: presenting a plurality of questions to the user;receiving answers to the questions from the user;generating a positive emotions score based on a first combination of a first plurality of the answers;generating a life satisfaction score based on a second combination of a second plurality of the answers;and generating the happiness score based on the positive emotion score and the life satisfaction score.
3. The system of claim 2 wherein the instructions further configure the processor to select the first plurality of the answers that are different than the second plurality of the answers.
4. The system of claim 2 wherein the instructions further configure the processor to generate the happiness score based on an average of the positive emotions score and the life satisfaction score.
5. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions further configure the processor to elect the recommended track using the second set of rules by: presenting a plurality of questions to the user, wherein for each question, a first weight is assigned to each track;receiving answers to the questions from the user, wherein an answer for each question is selected from a plurality of choices, and wherein each choice is assigned a second weight;generating a score for each track by taking products of the second weights of the choices selected by the user in the answers to the questions and the first weights assigned to the track for the questions, and by adding the products; andselecting the track with the highest score as the recommended track.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions further configure the processor to suggest the followers using the third set of rules by: generating a list of candidates that have ratings on the online service above a threshold and that have approved that their profiles to appear on the online service for follow suggestions;generating fit levels for the candidates, wherein the fit levels include a demographic fit level, a psychological fit level, and a rating of each candidate on the online service;generating a match score for each candidate based on the fit levels; andsuggesting the followers by selecting some of the candidates based on their match scores and gender.
7. The system of claim 6 wherein the instructions further configure the processor to: generate the demographic fit level of a candidate based on a relationship of age and location of the candidate relative to the user; andgenerate the psychological fit level of a candidate based on a relationship of a happiness score and track recommendations for the candidate relative to the user.
8. The system of claim 6 wherein the instructions further configure the processor to generate the match score for a candidate by adding one third of each of the demographic fit level, the psychological fit level, and the rating of the candidate.
9. The system of claim 1 wherein each of the skills includes skill categories, and the instructions further configure the processor to: present to the user a set of questions for assessing affinity and mastery of the user in each of the skill categories;receive answers from the user to the set of questions;generate, based on the answers, an assessment for the user for each of the skills, wherein the assessment includes an affinity assessment and a mastery assessment for each of the skill categories;generate an affinity profile of the user for each of the skills, wherein the affinity profile includes a list of the skill categories in decreasing order of average score of the answers, and wherein higher average score in a skill category indicates higher affinity for that skill category; andgenerate a mastery profile of the user for each of the skills, wherein the mastery profile includes a list of the skill categories in decreasing order of average score of the answers, and wherein higher average score in a skill category indicates higher mastery for that skill category.
10. The system of claim 9 wherein the instructions further configure the processor to: identify and indicate to the user some of the skill categories in which the user has high affinity and high mastery, wherein the user benefits from increasing awareness and using the identified categories; andidentify and indicate to the user some of the skill categories in which the user has high affinity and low mastery, wherein the user benefits from engaging in and building skill level in the identified categories.
11. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions further configure the processor to: present to the user questions for assessing strength of the user in a plurality of character traits including emotional, intellectual, interpersonal, restraint, and future orientation;receive answers from the user to the questions; andindicate dominant character trait or traits of the user based on the answers.
12. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions further configure the processor to generate the tracks including the activities for a plurality of life domains including career and money, family and children, leisure and fun, love and intimacy, and mind and body.
13. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions further configure the processor to: receive, from the user, a completed subset of activities of a track in a limited time period and provide rewards to the users based on the number of activities completed in the limited time period, wherein a reward for a subset represents a level of activity of the user in the subset;receive from the user a request to extend the limited time period and yet provide the rewards; andreceive from the user a request to skip some of the activities in one subset and move to a next subset and yet provide some of the rewards.
14. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions further configure the processor to: provide each subset including an initial portion, a middle portion, and an end portion;provide the initial portion including activities to motivate the user;provide the middle portion including activities to build on or complement the initial portion; andprovide the end portion including activities to lead the user to a next subset of the track.
15. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions further configure the processor to: provide each activity in a track including tasks that are consistent with a theme of the track;provide with each task a scientific reference and an explanation of usefulness and relationship of the task to the happiness of the user;receive, from the user, a selection of one of the tasks; andprovide the user a credit for the activity in response to the user completing the selected task.
16. The system of claim 1 wherein the activities include one or more of: reflecting on a topic and writing about the topic in a blog;performing a real life activity and writing about the experience of performing the real life activity;answering multiple choice questions;polling an opinion of the user about a topic and showing the user a breakdown of votes of other users; andtraining the user on a skill by playing a game.
17. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions further configure the processor to provide to the user several alternatives to complete each activity by providing suggested tasks for the user to select from.
18. The system of claim 1 wherein the number of activities per subset of a track is configurable.
19. The system of claim 1 wherein the activities include: a first type of activities including games, quizzes, activity quizzes, and opinion polls; anda second type of activities including writing a blog by reflecting on a topic, and planning and performing an activity in real world and providing a report thereon.
20. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions further configure the processor to: offer the user a personalized daily activity when the user is not in a track; orreceive, from the user, a selection of an available activity from a skill menu.
21. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions further configure the processor to: build a list of people having maximum impact on the happiness of the user; anddirect the user to perform some of the activities with the people in the list, wherein the activities include sharing posts and experiences with each other.
22. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions further configure the processor to: obtain information about the user using a happiness compass of the user, which is an array of implicit user inputs regarding personal data of the user; andrecommend activities for the user based on the information.
23. The system of claim 22 wherein the personal data includes demographic data, social activity data, spending data, data regarding connectivity to social networks and communications, and biometric data.
24. The system of claim 1 wherein the skills include savor, thank, aspire, give, and empathy.
25. A system for providing an online service and social community for engaging, learning, and training skills for happiness, the system comprising: a processor; andmemory storing instructions which when executed by the processor configure the processor to: provide the online service via a network to a plurality of computing devices used by users to interact with the online service via the network;provide a plurality of tracks, wherein each track includes a set of activities, and wherein: the activities are programmed to address a specific goal,the activities are arranged in subsets such that the number and difficulty level of activities increase as the users progress through the subsets,the activities are gradually made available to the users based on progress made by the users in building their skills, andthe activities include links to studies about the activities directly accessible by the users;provide an initial happiness score and a track from the plurality of tracks to a user based on a self-assessment completed by the user upon signing up for the online service;monitor progress of the user based on self-assessments periodically completed by the user as the user performs the activities in the track, wherein each self-assessment includes a happiness score determined by: presenting a plurality of questions to the user;receiving answers to the questions from the user;generating a positive emotion score (“PES”) based on a first combination of a first plurality of the answers, including,
26. A system for providing an online service and social community for engaging, learning, and training skills for happiness, the system comprising: a processor; andmemory storing instructions which when executed by the processor configure the processor to: provide the online service via a network to a plurality of computing devices used by users to interact with the online service via the network;provide a plurality of tracks, wherein each track includes a set of activities, and wherein: the activities are programmed to address a specific goal,the activities are arranged in subsets such that the number and difficulty level of activities increase as the users progress through the subsets,the activities are gradually made available to the users based on progress made by the users in building their skills, andthe activities include links to studies about the activities directly accessible by the users;provide an initial happiness score and a track from the plurality of tracks to a user based on a self-assessment completed by the user upon signing up for the online service, the happiness score determined by: presenting a plurality of questions to the user;receiving answers to the questions from the user;generating a positive emotion score (“PES”) based on a first combination of a first plurality of the answers, including,
27. A system for providing an online service and social community for engaging, learning, and training skills for happiness, the system comprising: a processor; andmemory storing instructions which when executed by the processor configure the processor to: provide the online service via a network to a plurality of computing devices used by users to interact with the online service via the network;provide a plurality of tracks, wherein each track includes a set of activities, and wherein: the activities are programmed to address a specific goal, the activities are arranged in subsets such that the number and difficulty level of activities increase as the users progress through the subsets,the activities are gradually made available to the users based on progress made by the users in building their skills, andthe activities include links to studies about the activities directly accessible by the users;provide an initial happiness score to the user based on a self-assessment completed by the user upon signing up for the online service, the happiness score determined by: presenting a plurality of questions to the user;receiving answers to the questions from the user;generating a positive emotion score (“PES”) based on a first combination) of a first plurality of the answers, including,
28. A system for providing an online service and social community for engaging, learning, and training skills for happiness, the system comprising: a processor; andmemory storing instructions which when executed by the processor configure the processor to: provide the online service via a network to a plurality of computing devices used by users to interact with the online service via the network;provide a plurality of tracks, wherein each track includes a set of activities, and wherein: the activities are programmed to address a specific goal,the activities are arranged in subsets such that the number and difficulty level of activities increase as the users progress through the subsets,the activities are gradually made available to the users based on progress made by the users in building their skills, andthe activities include links to studies about the activities directly accessible by the users;wherein each of the skills includes skill categories, and the instructions further configure the processor to perform a skill assessment of a user by: presenting to a user a set of questions for assessing affinity and mastery of the user in each of the skill categories;receiving answers from the user to the set of questions;generating, based on the answers, an assessment for the user for each of the skills, wherein the assessment includes an affinity assessment and a mastery assessment for each of the skill categories;generating an affinity profile of the user for each of the skills, wherein the affinity profile includes a list of the skill categories in decreasing order of average score of the answers, and wherein higher average score in a skill category indicates higher affinity for that skill category;generating a mastery profile of the user for each of the skills, wherein the mastery profile includes a list of the skill categories in decreasing order of average score of the answers, and wherein higher average score in a skill category indicates higher mastery for that skill category;identify and indicate to the user some of the skill categories in which the user has high affinity and high mastery;identify and indicate to the user some of the skill categories in which the user has high affinity and low mastery;recommending a track from the plurality of tracks to the user based on the skill assessment;provide an initial happiness score to the user based on a self-assessment completed by the user upon signing up for the online service, the happiness score determined by: presenting a plurality of questions to the user;receiving answers to the questions from the user;generating a positive emotion score (“PES”) based on a first combination of a first plurality of the answers, including,
29. A system for providing an online service and social community for engaging, learning, and training skills for happiness, the system comprising: a processor; andmemory storing instructions which when executed by the processor configure the processor to: provide the online service via a network to a plurality of computing devices used by users to interact with the online service via the network;provide a plurality of tracks, wherein each track includes a set of activities, and wherein: the activities are programmed to address a specific goal,the activities are arranged in subsets such that the number and difficulty level of activities increase as the users progress through the subsets,the activities are gradually made available to the users based on progress made by the users in building their skills, andthe activities include links to studies about the activities directly accessible by the users;provide an initial happiness score to the user based on a self-assessment completed by the user upon signing up for the online service, the happiness score determined by: presenting a plurality of questions to the user;receiving answers to the questions from the user;generating a positive emotion score (“PES”) based on a first combination of a first plurality of the answers, including,

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 16/600,903, filed Oct. 14, 2019, entitled “Dynamic Interactive Network System For Providing Online Service And Social Community For Engaging, Learning, And Training Skills For Mental Health”, which is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 14/284,229, filed May 21, 2014, entitled “Systems And Methods For Providing On-Line Services”, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/825,742, filed May 21, 2013, entitled “Systems And Methods For Providing On-Line Services.” The entire contents the above-referenced applications are incorporated herein by reference.

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Related Publications (1)

	Number	Date	Country
	20220217199 A1	Jul 2022	US

Provisional Applications (1)

	Number	Date	Country
	61825742	May 2013	US

Continuations (2)

	Number	Date	Country
Parent	16600903	Oct 2019	US
Child	17494407		US
Parent	14284229	May 2014	US
Child	16600903		US

Dynamic interactive network system for providing online service and social community for engaging, learning, and training skills for mental health

Information

Patent Number

Date Filed

Date Issued

Inventors

Original Assignees

Examiners

Agents

CPC

Field of Search

US

International Classifications

Abstract