How To Hack Happiness

Thanks to science and artificial intelligence, physical, emotional and psychological fulfilment can be as simple as following a recipe for well-being

- Jennifer Chen

A video of a puppy riding on a rooster, with a little girl intoning, “You’re my best friend”—that’s the antidote to sadness, according to the mood‑recognising algorithm featured in the 2021 film Don’t Look Up. Regardless of what you feel about the merits of the Leonardo DiCaprio‑Jennifer Lawrence vehicle, there’s no denying that it holds a mirror to contemporary society. While our smartphones are not yet capable of intuiting human moods, they can, with the input of bodily information such as sleep habits, heart rate and daily footsteps, together with self‑evaluations, detect patterns that guide practices to achieve well‑being.

Research shows that data‑driven apps work, in as far as they motivate behavioural changes that lead to better physical and mental health. In Empowering Patients Using Smart Mobile Health Platforms, a study published last February analysing the effectiveness of health apps, co‑authors Anindya Ghose, Guo Xitong, Li Beibei and Dang Yuanyuan found that app users become more independent, motivated and consistent in self‑regulating their health behaviour.

Singapore wellness platform Mindfi reports that 68 per cent of the 100,000 employees surveyed from its 30 corporate clients across Asia experienced an improvement in mental well‑being within one month’s use of the app. Moreover, research done with a Singapore hospital shows that regular usage can reduce symptoms of depression, such as feelings of helplessness or hopelessness, irritability and a loss of energy.

Mindfi founder Bjorn Lee, 40, had his own experience to reference when he launched the app—12 years ago, a doctor pinned his acute chest pains on psychological stress. He began to practise meditation and today meditates up to 30 minutes daily.