We are excited to release a Harvard University working paper featuring the world’s first longitudinal randomized controlled trial (RCT) on an AI platform for promoting well-being!

What did the study find? Flourish works!

How it all started

Since launching the Flourish app in 2024, we’ve heard countless stories about how it’s helped people feel calmer, more grounded, and more supported.

But as scientists, we wondered… how can we test this rigorously?

So last fall, we partnered with three campuses (Foothill College, Chapman University, and University of Washington) and Harvard Professor Julian De Freitas to run a randomized controlled trial (RCT)—the gold standard for evaluating product effectiveness in science.

Students were randomly assigned to one of two groups: 

1. The Flourish app group got access to the app and were asked to use it at least 2 days a week in whatever way fit their life — chatting with Sunnie, journaling, breathing exercises, science-based activities, etc.
2. The waitlist control group kept life as usual and got no Flourish access during the six weeks (but they got access at the end of the study!)

Everyone filled out short surveys over time, and we used a conservative intention-to-treat approach — meaning everyone stayed in the data, even if they barely used the app.

What we found

Compared to college students who didn’t have access to the Flourish app (the control condition), those with access to the Flourish app reported:

☀️ More positive emotions
☀️ Less loneliness
☀️ Greater sense of belonging
☀️ Higher resilience
☀️ More mindfulness
☀️ More flourishing overall 

For fellow psychology nerds among us, you can read the paper here!

The part that still blows my mind

As part of the study, we told students: “Use it 2 times a week.”

They ended up using it 3–4 days a week, on average.

These were busy college students. Commuting. Working. Studying. Stressing. And still, they kept coming back.

And when we asked why, here’s what they said:

🌱 “It was fun and made me connect a lot with myself and with other people that I don't necessarily speak to on that level all of the time.”

🌱 “It was eye opening and I found new ways to calm myself and destress.”

🌱 “It was really nice! I enjoyed it because I was able to check-in on myself which nobody does with me and which I don't do for myself so I really appreciated doing this.”

As a researcher, the data truly come alive when I read these kinds of responses.

Because this is exactly what we set out to build: An engaging, kind, science-based tool that fits into busy life and helps you feel a little better every day.

Fostering meaningful connections

You know how much this matters to us: Flourish has always advocated for meaningful human connection.

Amid the loneliness epidemic—and in a world where AI can easily become more isolating—we, as social psychologists, built Flourish to demonstrate how AI should be used responsibly to foster real-life connection — with oneself, each other, and our communities.

That’s why so many of our activities focus on deeper connection: writing a gratitude note, sharing Three Good Things, flourishing with buddies….

Seeing real improvements in belonging and reduced loneliness means so much to us. It affirms that when designed with kindness and connection at its core, an AI-powered tool can help people become more connected.

This is just the beginning…

Here’s the other crazy part: All of this data is from Fall 2024.

Since then, we’ve improved a lot thanks to your feedback, feature suggestions, bug reports, and unbelievably sweet app store reviews (we really do read every single one!).

My honest guess? These results are probably a conservative estimate of what Flourish can do now.

And that makes me so excited for what’s ahead.

A huge thank you

Mostly, our hearts are just so full of gratitude.

If you were one of the students who joined this study: thank you for sharing your time and experiences with us. You literally made this work possible.

A heartfelt thank you to our brilliant co-authors and collaborators, Professor Eta Lin, Professor Delancey Wu, Professor John Hunter, and Professor Julian De Freitas. They championed this project from the very beginning.

And to YOU — for using Flourish, sharing feedback, and cheering us on. Thank you for helping us grow and improve every day.