Moodflx is revolutionary

Moodflx is a world’s first smart phone App technology that tracks our lifestyle data (mood in context analytics) including physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep patterns, screen time, weather, and light, identifying the triggers and trends that impact our moods – the good and the bad.

Moodflx offers innovation in evidence-based mood tracking, mood insights and committed actions, designed to improve psychological flexibility and enhance emotional wellbeing.

Moodflx is evidence-based and grounded in research

The Circumplex Model of Affect

Drawing on this strong theory and advanced statistical techniques, our team of researchers have recently developed and validated an 8-item survey instrument, which has strong psychometric properties and high utility for broad population-level use. Researchers’ purposely sampled two prototypical words from the outer rim each of the established quadrants of the Circumflex Model of Affect to create an eight-item scale. The 8-item scale was longitudinally tested in a large-scale trial with Australian participants (n=<2000). Exploratory factor analysis detected a 2-factor solution with acceptable fit, which was validated by subsequent confirmatory factor analyses, indicating that moodflx has strong psychometric properties and high utility for monitoring mood at a population level. The 8 core mood states are the foundation of the moodflx input screen, providing an evidence-based conceptual model designed to enhance awareness of all moods (the good and the bad), and is a critical step towards improved psychological flexibility.

Behavioural and environmental influences

The contextual influences associated with mood, that is; physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep, screen time, weather and light, have been generated through a rigorous synthesis of scientific literature. The specific categories within each context (e.g., levels of physical activity and its impact on mood) are guided by evidenced-based recommendations (for example World Health Organisation, 2020).

Ecological momentary assessment and mood in context analytics

Via personalised and engaging prompts and nudges, moodflx invites users to regularly in-put their mood (i.e., three-to-four mood inputs per day). This methodology, known as ‘ecological momentary assessment’ (Csikszentmihalyi, 2014), is well-established as providing a more valid and reliable insight into a person’s affective state. Carefully developed and strategically aligned with the processes that promote psychological flexibility, ecological momentary assessment helps the user be aware of the present moment, the here-and-now, so they can fully experience what is going on inside them (i.e., mood), and in the world around them (i.e., contexts).

From this, moodflx provides regular and detailed ‘mood in context analytics’, where the user receives daily, weekly and monthly feedback on how specific lifestyle and environment contexts may be influencing how they feel. These personalised, evidence-based insights provides the foundation for targeted and committed action, a critical process to improved psychological flexibility (Hayes et al., 2011; Reid et al 2011).

Journaling

Moodflx offers the opportunity for mood journaling as an integrated component of the app. Journaling requires the application of the analytical, rational left side of the brain; while your left hemisphere is occupied, your right hemisphere is given the freedom to wander and play (Grothaus, 2015). Allowing your creativity to expand can be cathartic and enhances wellbeing (Robinson, 2017).

Journaling is also a simple and sustainable way to integrate mindfulness into daily routines. Journaling as a form of mindfulness can lift and empower people to understand their mood. One of the most cited definitions of mindfulness is the awareness that arises through paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally (Kabat-Zinn, 1994). This acceptance, without defence, is a core step in promoting psychological flexibility (Hayes et al., 2011). Mindfulness has been theoretically and empirically associated with wellbeing and improved behavioural regulation. Furthermore, the core elements of mindfulness, namely awareness and nonjudgmental acceptance of one’s moment-to-moment experience, are regarded as potentially effective antidotes against common forms of negative mood (Keng, Smoski & Robins, 2011). There is a clear convergence of findings from correlational studies, clinical intervention studies, and laboratory-based, experimental studies, that suggest that mindfulness practices are positively associated with more positive affective states.

Moodflx provides an easy to navigate journaling platform following every mood input. Simply, yet effectively, following each mood input, moodflx provides a dashboard that prompts users to ‘add notes’ about ‘why’ they have input that particular mood. This immediate reflective journaling exercise enables the users to make in-the-moment connections to their mood, context, thoughts and behaviour.

Usability testing

Moodflx has been through extensive pilot usability testing (UX and UI) (Lemon et al., 2020), with 128 individual users. This process has been used to clarify user needs and expectations, the response to moodflx app features, and identify usability improvements to primary functions that enhance adoption, engagement and the quality of insights. Importantly, engagement rose by 56% from the start to the end of the testing period.