Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that depression affects more than 100 million people. The use of antidepressants is only fully effective in about 30-40 % of depressed persons, initially. One-third of depressed individuals remain so, even after using 3 or 4 antidepressants.1 Now new strategies are emerging as powerful weapons against depression. What are they? Practicing positive activities (PAIs) may serve as an effective, low-cost treatment for people suffering from mild depression.
Positive activity interventions (PAIs) include performing acts of kindness, practicing optimism, writing letters of gratitude, using one’s unique strength to bless others, meditating on one’s positive feelings toward others, and counting one’s blessings. Researchers from Duke University and the University of California combed over decades of research and found that positive activity interventions have the potential to benefit depressed individuals who don’t respond to drug therapy, or are either unable or unwilling to obtain treatment.
Positive activity interventions are effective in teaching individuals ways to increase their positive thinking, positive affect, and positive behaviors.2 Additionally, PAIs are less expensive to administer, are relatively less time-consuming, promise to yield rapid improvement of mood symptoms, hold little to no stigma, and carry no side effects. One PAI may energize a person to engage in another and even provide a domino effect.3 PAI may provide at least 6 months of relief from mild depression. More evidence, please!
Gratitude
A meta-analysis of 64 randomized controlled trials shows that patients who cultivated gratitude and performed acts of gratitude and thought about their blessings daily experienced a greater sense of gratitude and had better mental health, and fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression. Additionally, they experienced more positive mood and emotions. 4 Listing or performing acts of kindness increases greater positive emotions in university students.5
Kindness
Disinterested acts of kindness performed where there is no motivation for reward also boost mental health. Researchers from the University of Ohio randomly assigned individuals with elevated symptoms of depression or anxiety into three groups: to engage in acts of kindness, join in social activities, or participate in a brief intervention based on cognitive behavioral therapy. All three intervention therapies were found to reduce symptoms, lessen distress, and improve life satisfaction. The acts of kindness, however, showed greater benefits for social connection than either of the other two interventions.6 Other research has revealed that kindness increases happiness and self-esteem, while concurrently decreasing stress and emotional reactivity. Performing kind acts towards others helps reduce depressive symptom levels in young populations.7 8
We at Wildwood have observed that PAIs, when combined with regular exercise, a well-balanced, healthful plant-based diet, and the identification and replacement of distorted thought patterns with healthy ones, can be even more effective.
Sources
- University of California – Riverside. “Restoring happiness in people with depression.” ScienceDaily. 31 July 2011. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110729175803.htm.[↩]
- Layous, Kristin. Delivering Happiness: Translating Positive Psychology Intervention Research for Treating Major and Minor Depressive Disorders. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 2011; 17 (8): 675 DOI: 10.1089/acm.. 2011.0139.[↩]
- University of California – Riverside. “Restoring happiness in people with depression.” ScienceDaily. 31 July 2011. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110729175803.htm.[↩]
- Diniz G, et al., The effects of gratitude interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Einstein (Sao Paulo). 2023 Aug 11;21:eRW0371. https://journal.einstein.br/article/the-effects-of-gratitude-interventions-a-systematic-review-and-meta-analysis/ [↩]
- Datu, Jesus Alfonso D., Jana Patricia M. Valdez, Dennis M. McInerney, and Ryan Francis Cayubit. 2022. The effects of gratitude and kindness on life satisfaction, positive emotions, negative emotions, and COVID-19 anxiety: An online pilot experimental study. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being 14: 347–61.[↩]
- Cregg, D.R., Cheavens, J.S. 2022. Healing through helping: an experimental investigation of kindness, social activities, and reappraisal as well-being interventions. The Journal of Positive Psychology. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17439760.2022.2154695 [↩]
- Totzeck, Christina, Tobias Teismann, Stefan G. Hofmann, Ruth von Brachel, Verena Pflug, Andre Wannemüller, and Jürgen Margraf. 2020. Loving-kindness meditation promotes mental health in university students. Mindfulness 11: 1623–31[↩]
- Palacios-Delgado J, Ambriz-Flores M, Cruz-Vargas DJ. The Effectiveness of Kindness Intervention for Promoting Positive Emotions and Reducing Depressive Symptoms in Mexican Adults. Social Sciences. 2025; 14(2):61. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/14/2/61#B61-socsci-14-00061[↩]