Computational positive psychology: advancing the science of wellbeing in the digital era

ABSTRACT

Positive psychology (PP) is in its third wave, evolving towards an interdisciplinary study of wellbeing. This article proposes computational positive psychology (CPP) as an emerging interdisciplinary field that integrates PP with computational science and technology to advance the understanding of wellbeing and develop evidence-based strategies to promote sustainable flourishing. The key features of CPP include addressing novel research questions that have received limited investigation in the existing literature, collecting large-scale and multimodal data, constructing computational models, and utilizing the results to advance theories, research, and the practice of wellbeing. We review CPP research topics such as: (1) advancing theoretical wellbeing models, (2) efficiently measuring wellbeing and positive traits, (3) exploring interdependent dynamics between individual and systemic wellbeing, (4) enhancing positive psychology interventions, and (5) improving collective wellbeing. The transformative potential of CPP for understanding and promoting wellbeing in the digital era is highlighted, and future research directions are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Positive psychology
• interdisciplinary research
• wellbeing science
• computational approach

Acknowledgments

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Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the following funding sources: Shenzhen R & D Sustainable Development Funding [KCXFZ20230731093600002] Guangdong Digital Mental Health and Intelligent Generation Laboratory [2023WSYS010] Guangdong Philosophy and Social Science Foundation [GD23SQXY01] Shenzhen Education Science Policy Research Project [ZDZC23013] National Natural Science Foundation of China [32371121].