Using prosocial behavior to safeguard mental health and foster emotional well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: A registered report of a randomized trial.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic, the accompanying lockdown measures, and their possible long-term effects have made mental health a pressing public health concern. Acts that focus on benefiting others-known as prosocial behaviors-offer one promising intervention that is both flexible and low cost. However, neither the range of emotional states prosocial acts impact nor the size of those effects is currently clear-both of which directly influence its attractiveness as a treatment option.

Objective

To assess the effect of prosocial activity on emotional well-being (happiness, belief that one's life is valuable) and mental health (anxiety, depression).

Methods

1,234 respondents from the United States and Canada were recruited from Amazon's Mechanical Turk and randomly a

SUBMITTER: Miles A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9333215 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature