Description
Behavioral activation is a widely used tool in psychotherapy. Its main use is in the treatment of depression. But it is also known for its benefits in improving and maintaining mood.
Possible Benefits
- May help improve mood
- Can decrease negative emotions
- Can help increase happiness
- Can help increase productivity
- Can strengthen willpower
Required Equipment
None
How to Do It
- Identify the things that matter most to you in your life. These are your values.
- The habit of value reflection in our directory can help you.
- Define activities that relate to what you learned in Step 1.
- Make a list of weekly activities and commit to doing them.
For example, if one of your values is learning: study a topic of your interest for one or two hours each week.
Why it works
- According to operant conditioning, the actions that reinforce us in a positive way can improve our mood.
- Inactivity leads to a pattern of avoidance behavior. We become overly sedentary and our mood decreases.
- Having a more active life, with a routine, makes us more likely to feel happy.
- The consistent effort to be active trains our willpower and discipline.
Time Commitment
+30 minutes
Suggested Frequency
Weekly
Time of Day
Any
Possible Side Effects
None known.
Tips
- If you reflect properly on your values, the actions you choose will be more meaningful and more satisfying to you. This leads to more happiness.
- Ideally, you should create a routine of two or three activities per week.
- The more active you are, the more satisfied you will be.
- A good idea is to share part of your routine with someone you like.
Supporting Studies and Articles
Expand Collapse- Behavioral Activation. https://sdlab.fas.harvard.edu/behavioral-activation
- Behavioural Activation for Depression; An Update of Meta-Analysis of Effectiveness and Sub Group Analysis. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4061095/
- What is behavioral activation?: A review of the empirical literature. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0272735810000504?via%3Dihub
- Behavioral Activation Is an Evidence-Based Treatment for Depression. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0145445509350094
- Behavioral Activation. A Strategy to Enhance Treatment Response. https://journals.lww.com/practicalpsychiatry/Abstract/2014/07000/Behavioral_Activation__A_Strategy_to_Enhance.4.aspx
- Behavioral activation interventions for well-being: A meta-analysis. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2882847/
- Behavioural Activation Therapy: Philosophy, Concepts, and Techniques. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/behaviour-change/article/behavioural-activation-therapy-philosophy-concepts-and-techniques/1006F300A65553880DB220C5CFFB8A4E
- Behavioural Activation Delivered by the Non-Specialist: Phase II Randomised Controlled Trial. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21200079/
