| Why is this study being performed? |
| For people with diabetes, it can be a real challenge to stick to a healthy diet, be physically active, and follow a medication |
| plan. Research suggests that experiencing positive thoughts and feelings (like feeling hopeful, satisfied, or proud) can help |
| people to stick to healthy behaviors. For this reason, we are trying to find ways to help people with diabetes experience |
| more positive emotions in their daily lives. |
| Positive psychology, a new approach to helping people, focuses on improving positive emotions and might help people to feel |
| more hopeful, grateful, and happy. Positive psychology is an area of psychology that focuses on helping people to experience |
| greater life satisfaction through specific, intentional activities. These include identifying and using your personal strengths, |
| appreciating pleasant events during your day, performing kind acts for others, and using past successes to accomplish |
| future goals. |
| We have studied positive psychology exercises in patients with other medical illnesses, and these participants found the |
| exercises easy and helpful. However, positive psychology has not been scientifically studied in people living with diabetes, |
| and we want to learn more about whether they can help people with this condition to have happier and healthier lives. |
| What is my role? |
| We strongly believe that these exercises will help people like you who have diabetes—but we need your assistance to find out |
| for sure! Based on our experience, we have specifically selected the positive psychology exercises that we think will be most |
| helpful to people who are dealing with diabetes. |
| We will ask you to complete 7 exercises over the course of 10 weeks. For each exercise, you will complete the exercise |
| and then write about your experience. Each week you will also speak with a study trainer by phone to |
| review the exercise and learn about the next one. |
| So what is this “positive psychology”, anyway? |
| Positive psychology is an area of psychology that is interested in helping people to experience more positive emotions |
| and better mental health. This is done through specific, intentional activities that are designed to improve mood. These |
| exercises include savoring pleasant events during your day, using your strengths, performing kind acts for others, or |
| remembering past successes. |
| There is an increasing amount of scientific research about the lasting power of positive psychology. At this stage, positive |
| psychology exercises have been studied in over 4000 people, and we’ve found that they can improve mood, quality of life, |
| and health. |
| Is it really possible for a person to experience more positive emotions? |
| Yes. It appears that almost half of a person’s happiness is directly under one’s own control (the rest is determined |
| by genetics and life circumstances), and specific activities (like the ones you will perform in this study) can improve |
| feelings of peace, happiness, and optimism. Like other activities that can benefit health, positive psychology exercises take |
| practice, and there will be some exercises that may really be a great match for you, while others may be less effective. |
| But with some effort, we believe that you will discover positive psychology activities that you will enjoy and that will |
| provide you with lasting benefit. |
| What are some myths about positive emotions? |
| Myth #1: “My circumstances must change before I could possibly feel good.” |
| It is normal to believe that if only something about the circumstances of our lives would change, then we would be happy. |
| It can seem that finding a new roommate, getting a job, or having a life partner are required before one can experience more |
| hope, happiness, or life satisfaction. |
| Circumstances absolutely can have an impact on happiness. There is also no question that people can improve their |
| level of happiness without a change in circumstances. In fact, intentional activity (like the exercises you will be completing) |
| appears to have a more powerful effect on happiness than life events! |
