4 ms·
The problem with the data in this study is that it comes from the users of an app called Happify, which is likely installed by people who don't consider themsel
by reustle 10y ago
The problem with the data in this study is that it comes from the users of an app called Happify, which is likely installed by people who don't consider themselves happy to begin with.
- cs2818 10y agoYep, selection bias seems problematic. I think it's also somewhat difficult to make statements about change over lifespan without a longitudinal design that tracks the same participants over time. I would guess that engagement styles with an app like Happify also differ by age.
- vagab0ndk1ng 10y agoThey do link to a few scholarly studies that agree with their conclusions as a company, so I don't feel like this is totally reliant on the app users. Here is one of them that I was able to download and read: https://www.academia.edu/3633328/The_holistic_phase_model_of_early_adult_crisis https://www.academia.edu/3633328/The_holistic_phase_model_of...
- kpil 10y agoAs an anecdote, when talking with my friends, we typically agree on that the time in secondary school - around the years 13-16 was the worst time in the life, defined by angst and worries, and those that went to university typically says that was the most fun times, because of all the new friends and all the activities. But maybe no one asks the kids how they really are doing.
- madaxe_again 10y agoFurthermore, people who don't consider themselves happy to begin with and think an app is the solution. That's got to be a funky bubble.
- Disruptive_Dave 10y agoI'm gonna be nitpicky here for a second, but Headspace played a key role in furthering my quest for more sustainable happiness (actually, it'd be my quest for less dissatisfaction). An app may not "make someone happy" but it just might facilitate the process in a very reasonable way.
- ajkjk 10y agoIt's not about whether the app works, it's about the kind of person who would try to use an app for that purpose at all.
- iak8god 10y agoIf the app works, then we're talking about the "kind of person" who has a goal, then identifies and uses a tool that works to achieve the goal.
- mturmon 10y agoYes, exactly, and that kind of analytical approach (i.e.: identify specific steps to "solve problem") is less common than some people, especially the kind of analytical people who comment on HN, think. Further, as commenters above have said, making an app a part of your problem solution is an even narrower funnel. Some people might just go straight to "make some new friends", "join a club", "get involved politically", or whatever.
- trowawee 10y agoMeditate, see a therapist, exercise more, talk to a doctor...the mindset that says "I have a problem, I will search for an app to fix it" is vanishingly small, except within one thin demographic slice, where it is overwhelming.
- fredley 10y agoAnother Headspace user seconding this. I wouldn't say it changed my life, but using it has certainly had an impact on my overall happiness.
- kafkaesq 10y agoSurprising that their "data science" team didn't take take the observations in the above two comments into consideration.