The goal of this clinical trial is to test whether photography-based, smartphone exercises can increase well-being and reduce depressive symptoms in college and graduate students. The main questions it aims to answer are: Can savoring and/or social sharing of positive experiences via smartphone photography improve emotional well-being? Does attentional retraining toward positive stimuli reduce depressive symptoms? Researchers compared: Picture This! (21 days of taking daily photos of things that elicited a positive emotion, savoring the moment, and reviewing the photos at the end of each day) Picture This! Plus Social Sharing (21 days taking daily photos of things that elicited a positive emotion, savoring the moment, and reviewing the photos at the end of each day + sharing photos each week with a friend/family member) Document This! (21 days of taking "day in the life" photos each day and reviewing them each evening) Passive control group (21 days without instructions to take photos) To see if the positive emotion-focused intervention conditions (Picture This! and Picture This! Plus Social Sharing) outperformed neutral (Document This!0 or no-photo conditions in improving psychological health. Participants were: Randomly assigned to one of four groups. Asked to complete baseline and follow-up questionnaires and computer tasks. Three active conditions: Take 2+ photos daily for 3 weeks. Upload photos to a secure drive. Complete nightly savoring exercises and surveys. (Social Sharing group only) Share photos weekly with a friend/family member. All participants completed weekly surveys and a final lab visit with follow-up assessments.
Age range
18 Years
Sex
ALL
See this in plain English?
AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.
Bring these to your next appointment. They're a starting point for a shared conversation — not a sign you qualify or a recommendation to enrol.
Generated to help you prepare — always confirm anything about your own eligibility and care with the study team and your doctor.
The trial coordinator is the person who runs the study day to day. These cover the practical side — logistics, costs, and what taking part would actually mean for your life. The study team confirms whether you meet the criteria; these are questions to ask, not a sign you qualify.
A starting point for the conversation — always confirm anything about your own eligibility, costs, and care with the study team and your doctor.
Mean level change from baseline to study completion in depressive symptoms for individuals in the PT and PTPSS intervention groups
Timeframe: from baseline to study completion (approximately 21-30 days)
Increase in mean levels of positive affect from baseline to study completion for individuals in the PT and PTPSS intervention groups
Timeframe: from baseline to study completion (approximately 21-30 days)
Mean level Change in Savoring Beliefs from baseline to study completion for individuals in the PT and PTPSS intervention groups
Timeframe: from baseline to study completion (approximately 21-30 days)
Mean level Increase in mindfulness from baseline to study completion for individuals in the PT and PTPSS intervention groups
Timeframe: from baseline to study completion (approximately 21-30 days)
Mean level Increase in life satisfaction from baseline to study completion for individuals in the PT and PTPSS intervention groups
Timeframe: from baseline to study completion (approximately 21-30 days)
Mean level Increase in perceived social support for individuals in the PTPSS intervention group from baseline to study completion
Timeframe: from baseline to study completion (approximately 21-30 days)