Evaluating Positive Psychology Interventions at Work: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Positive psychology interventions (PPIs) in the workplace aim to improve important outcomes, such as increased work engagement, job performance, and reduced job stress. Numerous empirical studies have been conducted in recent years to verify the effects of these interventions. This paper provides a systematic review and the first meta-analysis of PPIs at work, highlighting intervention studies explicitly aligned within the theoretical traditions of positive work and organizations (PWO). We draw from streams of PWO, including positive organizational scholarship (POS), positive organizational behavior (POB) and positive organizational psychology literature (POP) to evaluate PPIs at work. The meta-analytic findings from 22 studies showed that the five workplace positive psychology interventions had a small positive effect on improving desirable work outcomes (g = .25), and a small to moderate effect on reducing undesirable work outcomes (g = −.34). Thus, this paper provides valuable insight on the effectiveness of PPIs at work and future directions for scholars and practitioners.

Positive Psychological Interventions for Teachers: a Randomised Placebo-Controlled Field Experiment Investigating the Effects of Workplace-Related Positive Activities

“…The effectiveness of PPIs embedded in private-life contexts has raised the question of whether workplace-related PPIs could be beneficial for workplace-related factors, such as job satisfaction, work engagement, and emotional exhaustion (McCullough 2015). In fact, a growing body of the literature provides evidence that PPIs tailored to a specific occupational context can be beneficial with regard to the aforementioned factors (e.g., Abbott et al 2009;Demerouti et al 2011;Donaldson et al 2019;Liossis et al 2009;Luthans et al 2008Luthans et al , 2010McCullough 2015;Millear et al 2008;Ouweneel et al 2013;Page and Vella-Brodrick 2013).…”

“…Workplace-related PPIs were shown to be beneficial in enhancing job satisfaction and engagement and reducing emotional exhaustion (e.g., Donaldson et al 2019;Liossis et al 2009). However, the effects of the PPIs that are especially designed for school teachers are largely unknown.…”

Enhancing Student’s Self-Leadership Through a Positive Psychology Intervention? A Randomized Controlled Trial Using an Idiographic Perspective

“…Third, the results of this study should be interpreted in light of the methodologically rigorous evaluation of the effectiveness of a PPI, including a study with a randomized controlled trial that allowed us to derive valid estimates and draw convincing conclusions (for a meta-analysis, see Donaldson et al 2019). However, a single study is inherently limited to its target population and the number of interventions and outcomes, which potentially limit generalizability.…”

“…Positive psychology interventions focus on individuals' overarching emotional and cognitive strengths and competencies by emphasizing positive emotion, engagement, and meaning (Seligman et al 2005). In the recent past, positive psychology has stimulated both theoretical and applied research to improve individuals' occupational performance and their perceived quality of work (Donaldson et al 2019;Meyers et al 2013;Avey et al 2011).…”

Más Allá Del Papel De Los Recursos Personales Positivos en El Bienestar De Estudiantes Universitarios Españoles: ¿importa La Inteligencia Emocional?

“…Así pues, el bienestar y la salud mental se encontrarían en un continuo de dos extremos compuestos por bajos niveles de afectividad negativa y sintomatología asociada a la depresión, junto a la experimentación de altos niveles de afectividad positiva y una valoración positiva de plenitud vital (i.e., flourishing; Keyes, 2002). Los resultados obtenidos por la literatura científica que profundiza en el logro positivo del desarrollo del bienestar han mostrado que existen recursos positivos cuyas diferencias individuales pueden actuar como mecanismos de protección, para disminuir las experiencias emocionales negativas y aumentando mayores niveles de bienestar (Donaldson et al, 2019;Hendriks et al, 2020;Schutte y Malouff, 2019;White et al, 2019;Wingate et al, 2007).…”