This document summarizes a study on using text messages to induce calming habits. The study tested two interventions: "Fountain-Smile" which prompted participants to smile when seeing fountains on campus, and "Homework-Breathe" which prompted deep breathing during homework. Fountain-Smile received more responses and higher participation over time. Personalized, positive triggers sent at optimal times proved most effective at eliciting responses. Users preferred more open-ended, varied and flexible engagement. The study demonstrates the potential of mobile technologies to form calming habits but highlights the need for simplicity, adoptability and user input in application design.

1. FOUNTAIN-SMILING
&
HOMEWORK-BREATHE
by txt2calm = Using text to induce calming habits
Tim Pusnik Jausovec | stanford university | May 2011 | timpj@stanford.edu | @timpj

2. Smiling and breathing 101
even a forced smile induces a visceral response similar to a
smile natural one (Ekman, 1993)
a ‘smiley’ state of body reduces anxiety and stress
related states
breathing regulation has been shown to
effective in tackling depression, asthma, breathe
hypertension, anxiety, etc.
proper breathing can also increase
cognitive performance and reduce body’s
response to stress (Jella & Shannahoff-
Khals, 1993)
Tim Pusnik Jausovec, stanford university

3. Trial
Homework-breathe (HB) Fountain-smile (FS)
Setup Setup
- take 3 deep breaths every time - smile every time you see a
your assigned homework fountain on campus
- reinforced by sporadic daily text - reinforced by periodic daily text
messages (triggers) massages
- txt back with a “:)” when done - txt back with the location of the
- for 3 days fountain when smiled
- for 3 days
Users Users
- 14 participants - 13 participants (1 drop-out)
- 21x3 breathes in 3 days - 32 smiles in 3 days
Tim Pusnik Jausovec, stanford university

4. Insights (from stats)
it’s all about 95% of all the responses were
timing received within 5min of the trigger
FS received more responses overall, and
participation frequency was highest at the triggers
end of trial (vs. HB lowest at the end) periodic > sporadic
a trigger telling users that they’re behind but
triggers have an opportunity to make evoked 44% less
positive > negative responses than saying “you’re ahead of your
game, keep up the good work”.
Including the user’s name in the txt massages trigger
increased the response rate by 74% personalization
Tim Pusnik Jausovec, stanford university

5. Insights (from user feedback)
FH users liked reporting the location
response of the fountain. HB felt constrained, by
open-endedness > specificity not being able to say what kind of
HW they’re doing.
Spelled “they” instead of “day”. As a result:
lowest response of the whole trial, 1 user trigger
dropped-out, received response: “dude... proof-read
spell right. ‘day’ not ‘they’.”
After a day, started to change response
communication messages, 7 users mentioned it on feedback as
diversity positive improvement. They txt0back so to see
what the new feedback will be.
Users reported forgetting to do task.
Would have liked to receive txt when
trigger
homework assigned or at fountain! limitations of txting
Tim Pusnik Jausovec, stanford university

6. Recommendations
increasing Both the trigger and process of
responding could (=>should) be even
simplicity easier, e.g. shake your phone.
Each user is different, must design a product
which fits within their life-style, allows them increasing
to adopt, e.g. what times is it best to trigger adoptability/flexibility
behavior.
Users felt frustrated and incomplete if they
allowing couldn’t change the way the app interacted
users to impact app with them. Don’t try to create apps that
change users, allow users to change apps.
Tim Pusnik Jausovec, stanford university

7. Contact me Tim Pusnik Jausovec
timpj@stanford.edu
@timpj