Savoring Life During The Pandemic: An online intervention to promote well-being in emerging adults

Background: Savoring, that is the ability to create and increase positive emotions, represents a promising approach to enhance subjective well-being (SWB) in emerging adults in times of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to investigate the preliminary effects of a self-help e-savoring intervention on increasing savoring beliefs and strategies and SWB in emerging adult participants. It also examines the user experience and the perceived usefulness of the intervention. Methods: Forty-nine participants were involved, and the experimental group (N = 23) completed six online exercises (two exercises per week for three weeks) while the control group (N = 26) did not follow the intervention. Both groups filled out online questionnaires before and after the intervention. Results: A repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant increase for the experimental group in savoring beliefs (especially toward the present and the future) and in positive emotions compared to the control group. The perspicuity, attractiveness, and efficiency of the online platform were very positively evaluated, and most participants rated the intervention as useful. Conclusions: The results of this preliminary study are promising and indicate its potential for promoting savoring and positive emotions in emerging adults. Future research could evaluate its long-term effects and verify its results with other age groups.