can a positive activity intervention based on a mobile application improve well-being?

Background: positive psychology emphasizes the importance of mental well-being. this study evaluated the effectiveness of a mobile application-based positive psychology intervention (ppi) in improving the well-being of university students in hamadan, iran. methods: using a multistage, cluster-randomized approach, this experimental study was conducted on 251 students from two universities in hamadan, west of iran, in 2021. the intervention consisted of fourteen educational courses delivered via a mobile app. flourishing, depressive symptoms, and fear of covid-19 were measured three months post-intervention. the obtained data were analyzed using spss-23 with chi-squared tests, independent samples t-tests, and ibm amos-26 software (p<0.05). results: at the initial assessment, there were no notable discrepancies between the educational and comparison groups in flourishing, positive affect, hope, need satisfaction, and person-activity fit. however, three months after the intervention, the academic group demonstrated significant improvements in the aforementioned variables, except for depressive symptoms and fear of covid-19, which decreased significantly. thus, 34% of the variance of flourishing, a 0.05% decrease in depression, and 28% fear of covid-19 can be explained based on the ppi. in other words, ppi had more effects on flourishing, fear of covid-19, and depressive symptoms, respectively. conclusion: the mobile app-based ppi could noticeably improve well-being indicators in the experimental group. given the importance of enhancing happiness and well-being while reducing depression among the students, these findings underscore the need for serious actions, updated educational plans focused on well-being, and strategies to decrease health anxiety.