The Promise and Peril of Mental Health Apps

Happy Tech Lab researchers Kostadin Kushlev, Kibum Moon, Maureen Harris, and Grace Falgoust published a paper on mental health apps in Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences. They found that mental health apps can improve symptoms for certain mental health disorders when compared to no treatment. However, this evidence of efficacy is lacking in populations that are underserved by existing mental health services, and many mental health apps claim to be evidence-based without any publicly available peer-reviewed evidence. Read the full paper here!

"App-stinence" - NBC's Today Show Features Dr. Kushlev

Many people are practicing various forms of so-called “app-stinence” as a New Year’s resolution. Dr. Kushlev was featured on NBC’s Today Show to discuss the benefits of these increasingly popular digital detox practices. Watch the full segment here.

Dr. Kushlev Featured on NPR's "Here & Now"

Dr. Kushlev joined Celeste Headlee on NPR’s “Here & Now” to discuss the relationship between happiness and screen time. He offers practical tips for how to reduce our fixation on our devices. Listen to the show here.

A New D.C. Bar Bans Phones - Dr. Kushlev Discusses

There’s a new bar in D.C. taking digital detox to the next level. In an effort to curb our constant digital distraction, Hush Harbor is banning customers from using cellphones while inside. Multiple news organizations reached out to Dr. Kushlev to discuss the research behind this idea. He’s featured in an article in The Washington Post and in interviews by NBC News and CNN Newsource.

How a Math Major Learned the Value of Public Service

We're excited to share that one of our Happy Tech Lab research assistants recently published an op-ed in The Boston Globe reflecting on her summer experience working in the Massachusetts Governor's office.

Drawing from her firsthand policy-making experience, she reflects on what she's learned about the power of public service—experiencing the fast pace of responding to an often tumultuous news cycle, seeing the necessity of relationships, and witnessing the change that dedicated, hardworking individuals can make. In the piece, she explains how her time in government will strengthen her work as she continues researching technology laws and adolescent well-being at the Happy Tech Lab.

Read her full op-ed here to learn more about her journey.