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Happiness–There’s An App for that

June 27th, 2009 by AV Flox in iPhone

There seems to be an app for everything, but an app for happiness? Really?

I’ve been following the work of Signal Patterns Labs since I took a personality test of theirs a year or so ago. Signal Patterns develops psychology-based web applications like the personality test I took. Recently, they’ve been expanding their efforts and moving into the mobile territory with self-help, positive psychology apps that are supposed to “help people improve their well-being and relationships with others.”

livehappyLive Happy is one of these apps. Developed by the iPhone by the Signal Patterns Labs research team together with Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky, author of the book The How of Happiness and a professor of psychology, Live Happy offers mood tests, a diary for random acts of kindness, an album for photos so users may “savor moments,” and a way to track goals.

I bought it on impulse early one morning after receiving an e-mail from Signal Patterns. I’ve had it for a few weeks now and been surprisingly active in recording things like goals and things that make me happy. When my friend Atherton Bartelby and I were discussing useless but fun iPhone apps, I suggested it to him.

“That’s way too California hippie for me,” the Manhattan-based designer told me.

Maybe it is. But you know what? I kind of like it.

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9 Responses to “Happiness–There’s An App for that”

  1. Reggie Greene / The Logistician
    June 29th, 2009 at 2:32 am



    Thanks for taking the time to visit our blog, and provide a comment.

    Little did I suspect that when I visited your blog to gain some appreciation of your subject matter, than I would find this post on “happiness software.” I lived in Los Angeles for 30 years, and actually worked in the intellectual property and technical field for many years. This is very California software. Interesting.

    reply

    AV Flox Reply:
    June 29th, 2009 at 2:49 am

    Isn’t it? I didn’t think I would enjoy it as much as I am. But I really am digging it. ;)

    reply

  2. Atherton Bartelby
    June 29th, 2009 at 2:46 am



    Either I’m becoming WAY too cynical in my old age / busy lifestyle, or I’m happy enough living my life as it is that I don’t *think* I need an app for it. *smile*

    All right, except perhaps in the relationship arena; that can always use some happiness.
    Atherton Bartelby´s last blog ..May Flights Of Angels Sing Thee To Thy Rest My ComLuv Profile

    reply

    AV Flox Reply:
    June 29th, 2009 at 2:50 am

    Whatever you do, that Black Book app is not worth the $1.99. I think we need to develop our own to keep track of of our wild chariot hearts.

    reply

  3. David Markowitz
    June 29th, 2009 at 8:57 am



    Glad you like our app!

    Funny that some folks thinks it’s “California hippie.” Sonja is at UC Riverside…but all the design/development is done at Signal Patterns – in Westchester, NY!

    reply

    AV Flox Reply:
    June 29th, 2009 at 9:06 am

    Thanks for dropping by! I am enjoying the app a great deal. Funny you should mention you’re based out of NY. I’ll have to remember to tell Atherton that! ;)

    reply

    Atherton Bartelby Reply:
    July 6th, 2009 at 2:19 pm

    Hi, David!

    I am typically cynical regarding anything even remotely approaching happiness, so I hope you will forgive the flippant tone of my comment to Ms. Flox regarding your app; it certainly was not meant to criticize before I had even tried it. Which now I’ll have to, since I’ve learned it was developed in Westchester; I did my undergrad training in that county. :-)

    Best,
    Atherton Bartelby
    Atherton Bartelby´s last blog ..May Flights Of Angels Sing Thee To Thy Rest My ComLuv Profile

    reply

    AV Flox Reply:
    July 6th, 2009 at 6:23 pm

    J’suis snob. J’suis snob.
    C’est vraiment l’seul défaut que j’gobe
    Ça demande des mois d’turbin
    C’est une vie de galérien
    Mais quand je sors avec Hildegarde
    C’est toujours moi qu’on r’garde
    J’suis snob–Foutrement snob
    Tous mes amis le sont
    On est snobs et c’est bon!

    reply

    David Markowitz Reply:
    July 7th, 2009 at 7:57 am

    Atherton – appreciate the note; hope you get a chance to try out our NY-CA app! Let us know what you think.

    We also have a Gratitude Stream online app (and in iPhone format as well) that lets anyone simply add their thanks/good thoughts; it’s been proven to help improve one’s happiness. You can even just check out what everyone else is grateful for as well; we’re getting submissions from literally around the world. You can check it out at http://bit.ly/gstreamweb.

    reply

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  • AV Flox writes about web culture; new media’s gradual overthrow of old media; trends in social media; and the complicated entanglements people get themselves into as we venture forth into this new world where, more and more, the analog is colliding with the digital.

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