A new study published in Frontiers in Psychology suggests that teaching individuals with depression how to reflect on their daily lives could help improve their mental health and overall satisfaction with life – at least in the short term. Researchers found that combining traditional psychotherapy with “art of living” techniques led to significant reductions in depression and boosts in well-being compared to therapy alone.
Depression is a widespread mental health issue, with millions struggling to manage its debilitating effects. Despite advances in psychotherapy, relapse rates for depression remain high.
Therapists and researchers are increasingly recognizing the importance of not only reducing negative emotions, such as persistent sadness or fatigue, but also cultivating positive ones. Positive psychology interventions, which encourage practices like gratitude and optimism, have shown promise in past research. The concept, referred to as the “art of living,” involves developing skills for self-reflection and leading a more mindful, intentional life.
Based at the Technical University Darmstadt in Germany, Elena Renée Sequeira-Nazaré and Bernhard Schmitz sought to build on those findings by testing whether structured daily reflection exercises could amplify the benefits of psychotherapy.
The study included 161 participants diagnosed with mild to severe depression. The participants were divided into three groups: one group (53 participants) received weekly psychotherapy sessions (50 minutes each) for four weeks; a second group (54 participants) received the same therapy plus a daily set of self-reflection questions they recorded in a journal; the third group, serving as a control (53 participants), received no treatment.
The reflective exercises asked participants to consider questions such as what they were grateful for that day and what they would do differently if they could relive the day. The researchers measured participants’ levels of depression, life satisfaction, and “art of living” skills before the intervention, immediately after, and three months later.
The results were encouraging but mixed. Both therapy groups experienced a reduction in depression symptoms over four weeks, with the group practicing daily reflections showing the greatest improvement. Participants in this group also reported enhanced life satisfaction and mastery of “art of living” skills, such as self-reflection and maintaining a positive outlook.
However, the benefits were short-lived. By the three-month follow-up, the differences between groups had diminished, with many participants reporting a decline in well-being. This suggests that while “art of living” exercises can be beneficial, their impact may wane without ongoing practice or reinforcement.
As promising as these findings are, the study has limitations. The short duration of the intervention (only four weeks) and follow-up period may have been insufficient to observe lasting effects. The study also faced practical challenges, including a high dropout rate and possible inconsistencies in how therapists implemented the interventions.
Sequeira-Nazaré and Schmitz concluded, “it would be interesting for future studies to extend the art of living interventions and change the questions or the art of the intervention like a video based intervention for example.”
The study, “Learn to Be Happy—An Experimental Study in Clinical Context with Depressive Patients in Germany,” was authored by Elena Renée Sequeira-Nazaré and Bernhard Schmitz.