Positive Psychology
Founded and led by scientists, Flourish makes the science of well-being simple, actionable, and fun for everyone!
Solving the last mile problem of science.
Positive psychology forms the core of Flourish’s mission. Grounded in the PERMA model of well-being—Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment—Flourish helps people enhance well-being through meaningful and actionable practices that amplify strengths, gratitude, purpose, and resilience.
By building emotional awareness, embracing emotional diversity, and practicing cognitive reappraisal grounded in decades of affective science research, Flourish empowers users to identify, understand, and manage their emotions. Through actionable and timely insights, users gain a proven pathway to calm and clarity amidst the overwhelm of modern life.
As social beings, relationships play a foundational role in our well-being. Flourish provides tools to help people recognize and celebrate the important individuals in their lives (“Flourish buddies”) and nurture meaningful connections through moments of micro-connection. From expressing gratitude to giving compliments and engaging in heartfelt conversations, Flourish empowers users to stay close and grow together.
Counseling psychology equips Flourish with evidence-based tools to help users navigate challenging situations. By incorporating insights and practices from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Flourish offers a range of benefits, from managing stress and improving sleep to helping users build their “emotional first aid kit.”
Behavioral science deeply informs Flourish’s habit-building tools, focusing on bridging the gap between intention and action. By tapping into motivation and offering reminders, rewards, and habit-tracking, Flourish helps users create lasting, positive habits for well-being.
Our cultural backgrounds shape our values, beliefs, behaviors, and sense of identity, each influencing well-being in unique ways. At Flourish, we honor this diversity by offering tools that are culturally sensitive and supportive of diverse identities. By embracing cultural perspectives, Flourish encourages users to explore their own values, fostering belonging and well-being that truly resonates with each person’s unique identity.
Through AI integration and mental health promotion initiatives, Flourish unites organizational infrastructure and key stakeholders to cultivate a culture of well-being within teams and communities. By helping institutions prioritize proactive mental health and embrace belonging and inclusion as core values, Flourish extends well-being practices far beyond individual self-care.
Research in neuroscience has found that our brains are wired with a “negativity bias”—an evolutionary tendency that keeps us more attuned to potential threats than to positive experiences. Flourish provides tools to counteract this bias, with practices like gratitude and mindfulness. Flourish taps into neural insights on stress and emotion to offer activities that calm the mind, boost focus, and build resilience.
User well-being is our highest priority. We’re reimagining what AI can do by combining joyful, accessible design with the latest large language model (LLM) technologies to deliver value at every interaction. Grounded in our STAR framework and insights from human-computer and human-robot interaction (HCI & HRI), we push the boundaries of technology for human well-being with responsible, safe, and value-aligned AI innovation.
Positive psychology forms the core of Flourish’s mission. Grounded in the PERMA model of well-being—Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment—Flourish helps people enhance well-being through meaningful and actionable practices that amplify strengths, gratitude, purpose, and resilience.
By building emotional awareness, embracing emotional diversity, and practicing cognitive reappraisal grounded in decades of affective science research, Flourish empowers users to identify, understand, and manage their emotions. Through actionable and timely insights, users gain a proven pathway to calm and clarity amidst the overwhelm of modern life.
As social beings, relationships play a foundational role in our well-being. Flourish provides tools to help people recognize and celebrate the important individuals in their lives (“Flourish buddies”) and nurture meaningful connections through moments of micro-connection. From expressing gratitude to giving compliments and engaging in heartfelt conversations, Flourish empowers users to stay close and grow together.
Counseling psychology equips Flourish with evidence-based tools to help users navigate challenging situations. By incorporating insights and practices from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Flourish offers a range of benefits, from managing stress and improving sleep to helping users build their “emotional first aid kit.”
Behavioral science deeply informs Flourish’s habit-building tools, focusing on bridging the gap between intention and action. By tapping into motivation and offering reminders, rewards, and habit-tracking, Flourish helps users create lasting, positive habits for well-being.
Our cultural backgrounds shape our values, beliefs, behaviors, and sense of identity, each influencing well-being in unique ways. At Flourish, we honor this diversity by offering tools that are culturally sensitive and supportive of diverse identities. By embracing cultural perspectives, Flourish encourages users to explore their own values, fostering belonging and well-being that truly resonates with each person’s unique identity.
Through AI integration and mental health promotion initiatives, Flourish unites organizational infrastructure and key stakeholders to cultivate a culture of well-being within teams and communities. By helping institutions prioritize proactive mental health and embrace belonging and inclusion as core values, Flourish extends well-being practices far beyond individual self-care.
Research in neuroscience has found that our brains are wired with a “negativity bias”—an evolutionary tendency that keeps us more attuned to potential threats than to positive experiences. Flourish provides tools to counteract this bias, with practices like gratitude and mindfulness. Flourish taps into neural insights on stress and emotion to offer activities that calm the mind, boost focus, and build resilience.
User well-being is our highest priority. We’re reimagining what AI can do by combining joyful, accessible design with the latest large language model (LLM) technologies to deliver value at every interaction. Grounded in our STAR framework and insights from human-computer and human-robot interaction (HCI & HRI), we push the boundaries of technology for human well-being with responsible, safe, and value-aligned AI innovation.
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The paradox of striving for happiness and the power of embracing all of our emotions.
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A three-step approach to emotion regulation: awareness, insight, and action.
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The human brain has a natural tendency to focus on negative events and information. This cognitive bias can cause us to overlook the positive aspects of life, contributing to stress, anxiety, and other mental health challenges.
To overcome this bias, research shows it is important to cultivate frequent, mild positive emotions. For example, Professor Barbara Fredrickson’s work on the “positivity ratio” recommends balancing every negative emotion with several positive ones, which can lead to greater resilience and life satisfaction.
“Three Good Things” is a classic positive psychology exercise! It guides people to notice, remember, and savor the good things in life that we often take for granted, helping to restore emotional balance within minutes.
Nature offers incredible benefits to the body and the mind. A simple walk in nature, whether in a park or down a tree-lined street, can increase the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the brain, enhancing cognitive functions, improving concentration and reducing fatigue.
And by focusing on discovering new sensory experiences, like a new Sight, a new Sound, and a new Smell (a technique inspired by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), we divert attention from ruminating thoughts, anxieties, or stressors, and instead anchor ourselves in the present moment.
Taking a walk outdoors also gives us a chance to get some sunshine, which helps regulate our circadian rhythm, improve sleep quality, and boost mood. Additionally, walking promotes cardiovascular health and releases endorphins, making it great for our bodies too!
Noticing and savoring beautiful moments can have profound impacts on our well-being. Shifting focus away from ruminating on negative thoughts to noticing positive, present-moment experiences around us can help reduce stress and anxiety.
Experiencing beauty, whether in nature, art, or everyday moments, can elicit feelings of joy, awe, and wonder. These positive emotions can improve mood and overall life satisfaction, creating a buffer against negative emotions.
This activity serves as a gentle reminder to slow down, be fully present, and savor the beauty and significance of our daily lives. And sharing it with others can further deepen our connections and spread positivity, enhancing both our own well-being and that of those around us.
A compliment is easy and costless to give, and it can benefit the social and emotional well-being of both the recipient and the giver. Yet, we often notice something nice in another person but hold back from expressing our kind words.
Might we be missing out?
Research by Dr. Xuan Zhao (CEO and co-founder of Flourish!) and colleagues have found that we tend to underestimate how positive our compliment will make our recipient feel. In other words, a simple compliment can make someone’s day — likely even more so than we would expect.
Giving compliments can also benefit the giver. By actively seeking out positive qualities in others to compliment, we train ourselves to notice and appreciate the good around us. This shift in focus can help us cultivate a more positive mindset.
A common misconception about gratitude is that it only arises after great things happen to us. Instead, practicing gratitude in everyday life can help shift our focus from what we lack to what we have, fostering a positive mindset and enhancing emotional well-being.
Practicing gratitude has even been linked to better physical health, including fewer aches and pains, lower blood pressure, improved immune function, and better sleep quality.
And expressing gratitude to others can foster a sense of connection, strength our relationships, and create a positive feedback loop of mutual appreciation and support. In fact, research shows that our thank-you notes can brighten the recipient’s mood more than we often realize!
A common misconception about gratitude is that it only arises after great things happen to us. Instead, practicing gratitude in everyday life can help shift our focus from what we lack to what we have, fostering a positive mindset and enhancing emotional well-being.
What’s more, recalling happy memories and positive experiences in the past can boost mood and reduce stress and anxiety. It also fosters a sense of social connectedness and provides a feeling of continuity and meaning in life.
This activity inspires us to rediscover a hidden gem and share it with someone who may also appreciate it. Reliving these nostalgic moments together is sure to bring a delightful surprise and meaningful moment for both of you!
Connecting over meaningful conversations can be surprisingly fun! Recent studies find that we tend to underestimate how happy and connected we will feel after meaningful conversations — and overestimate how awkward it will be!
Conversation prompts can spark meaningful exchanges and foster vulnerability, trust, and intimacy. Professor Arthur Aron’s famous study, highlighted in the New York Times article "The 36 Questions That Lead to Love," demonstrates how thoughtful prompts can create significant emotional connections.
And guess what? We also tend to underestimate how much other people like us after a conversation! In other words, other people tend to like us more than we expect, a phenomenon known as the “liking gap".
Life isn’t always rainbows and butterflies. This heartwarming activity guides us to view current challenges from the perspective of our future selves and practice self-compassion by treating ourselves with the same kindness we would offer a good friend.
Most challenges are temporary, even if they don't always feel that way. By stepping back from our immediate emotions—a technique known as "self-distancing"—we can view a situation more objectively for clearer insights. This helps reduce emotional reactivity, making challenges feel less overwhelming and more manageable.
Did you know that giving advice can be more motivating than receiving it? You have a wealth of wisdom and strength within you — all you need is to uncover it! By becoming our own advisor and laying out the next steps, we can unlock a new source of motivation and mental clarity.
Life isn’t always rainbows and butterflies. This heartwarming activity guides us to view current challenges from the perspective of our future selves and practice self-compassion by treating ourselves with the same kindness we would offer a good friend.
Did you know? Multitasking often decreases performance and productivity. By contrast, the Pomodoro Technique encourages “monotasking” and task prioritization, which can significantly improve efficiency and reduce stress.
After each focus session, the timer reminds you to take a short break. Studies have shown that taking regular short breaks reduces fatigue and distractions, making this timer a useful tool for maintaining productivity throughout your day.
Deep breathing can activate the autonomic nervous system, reduce cortisol levels (a stress hormone), lower heart rate and blood pressure, and increase oxygen intake. These benefits make intentional breathing a great tool for reducing stress, increasing mental clarity, and improving sleep.
This technique, also known as “box breathing,” enhances a sense of calm focus, making it ideal for enhancing concentration and reducing stress.
This technique promotes deeper relaxation. By encouraging a slower, more deliberate breathing pattern, it is particularly useful for falling asleep.
