A team of students from Rice University is developing a mobile app to “make happiness a daily habit.” Named Sprout Wellness, the technology’s goal is to provide users with positive psychology-based activity plans to foster social connection, improve well-being and decrease depressive symptoms. It is available for download from the Apple App Store and will soon be available on GooglePlay.
“Sprout offers two main functions: a daily check-in, where users can record and track their mood, and a personalized daily activity plan, which incorporates scientifically proven activities to boost happiness and mental well-being,” senior Erica Friedman said. “We’re also working on implementing a tracker that will enable users to visualize their mental health progress over time.”
The team developing the software includes Friedman, senior David Zhu, junior Samhita Vinay, sophomore Faith Zhang and alumnae Lia Kim ’24 and Emma Ting ’24. Sandra Parsons, associate teaching professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences, serves as an expert adviser.
Friedman explained the motivation behind creating the app.
“Mental health has become an increasingly urgent crisis, especially on college campuses, and I was determined to find a solution,” she said. “Through taking a course on positive psychology, the study of human strengths and flourishing, I discovered this methodology could support others in cultivating well-being practices, but many Rice students were unaware of the field. After teaming up with several similarly enthused friends and peers, we decided to build an app that would make positive psychology interventions accessible to all.”
Since January 2024, the team has conducted extensive research, launched a beta version of Sprout on the Apple App Store and completed a successful pilot study, which showed significant improvements among daily app users across three psychological metrics. The team is currently working on improving the app based on initial feedback as well as wrapping up a follow-up study with additional users.
“With Sprout, we aim to give students practical tools to build resilience and take control of their mental well-being,” Friedman said. “By integrating positive psychology strategies into an accessible, engaging platform, we hope to empower students to develop habits that enhance their mindfulness, interpersonal relationships and ability to thrive in and out of the classroom.”
This project is part of the Moody Experience at Rice and is financed by the Ann McLeod Moody Fund for Student Wellbeing which is one of twelve endowed funds included in a $100 million gift made from the Moody Foundation to Rice in 2021. The Moody Experience is a university-wide effort to offer students an extensive array of enhanced educational opportunities "beyond the classroom." The Ann McLeod Moody Fund for Student Wellbeing enables Rice’s Wellbeing and Counseling Center to expand programming and professional staff positions designed to promote the mental and physical well-being of all students.
The $100 million grant is the largest gift in the university’s history. Since 1964, the Moody Foundation has contributed over $125 million to Rice.