1. Txt2Smile: a Pilot to
Decrease Stress
through Smiling
Frank Chen
Stanford University
Txt2Smile: Methods and Analysis 1

2. 2
Outline
 Txt2Sleep pilot study (3 day)
 Mindfulness survey / test (2 days)
 Txt2Smile as proxy for awareness and emotional
happiness (3 days)
Txt2Smile: Methods and Analysis

3. 3
Txt2Sleep Study
• 3 Day study to encourage sleep
• 7/8 participants accepted invitation
• Graduate students & 2 recent graduates in busy
lives, sleep sometimes suffers.
• Instructions include both carrot and
stick
“Studies have shown sleeping more
drastically helps manage stress,
mood, and weight-loss. I am trying to
create better sleep for your schedule.
80% of Americans sleep much less
than their bodies need and are in a
constant state of sleep deprivation.”
• Asked for >7.5 hrs of sleep. ~ 66%
compliance. 2 had early Monday
flights, 1 had early Monday meeting,
1 had friends visiting entire weekend.
Txt2Smile: Methods and Analysis

4. 4
Txt2Sleep Protocol
• Participants placed calendar entry to
remind themselves to sleep for Friday,
Saturday, Sunday.
• Calendar entry: “Go to bed!” Google
Calendar lets you send text messages
• Every morning at 9:45 AM I text
message each individual to ask how
many hours they slept.
• I acknowledge accomplishments or
improvements with message back:
“Nice!”
• “Each morning I hope you will be able
to sleep longer than the previous night!
Think of it as a game. :)”
Txt2Smile: Methods and Analysis

5. 5
Txt2Sleep Conclusions
 Difficult to focus on results. Focus on awareness of
sleeping patterns.
 “I did not go to bed immediately … I wasn’t ready to go to
bed” [P5, short sleeper, who slept ~ 8 hours a night but did not
feel positive or negative effects]
 “It allowed me to be somewhat routine about when I slept. [I
forced myself to sleep before 1 AM]. Even before the alarm
sounded I became aware that I needed to sleep” [P4, who
slept slightly more and felt more rested]
 Reminder through SMS did not trigger the “slap-on-wrist”
response.
 Participants placed this reminder themselves. Doing so
decreased annoyance and increased efficacy.
 Some included the exclamation mark in their calendar. Fun
reminder as opposed to taking it seriously.
Txt2Smile: Methods and Analysis

6. 6
Mindfulness Survey
& 1-person Pilot
• Surveyed people who practiced
meditation and mindfulness to hear
attitudes experts took
• Surveyed 10 people, all of whom
already meditate. 5 hoped for
technologies to aid their
meditation.
• Attitudes included “Acceptance”,
“Patience”, and “Lovingkindness”
as foci for wellness.
• Watched a friend watch
Mindfulness tutorial from youtube.
Watching 10 minute video did not
lead to understanding or result I
hoped for.
Txt2Smile: Methods and Analysis

7. 7
Happiness as proxy for
wellness
• Separate survey (from Stanford Med.) revealed
emotional happiness is key measurement to
wellness for n people.
• Instead of designing for meditative processes to
increase wellness, focus on happiness,
specifically through physical act of smiling.
• First tried a Tweet2Smile, didn’t catch. “RT this is
you smiled”
Txt2Smile: Methods and Analysis

8. 8
Txt2Smile Study
• 3 day study to increase Smiles
• Text messaging tone very important
(MH11). Cannot be too medical or
prescriptive, but has to match fun
& sexy vibe to have best effect.
• Sent two messages / day through 3
days.
• 8 participants total for Txt2Smile
• Messages refined through days
and were inspired by tone in
BedSider text messages.
Txt2Smile: Methods and Analysis

9. 9
Txt2Smile Protocol
 First day messages were simple. Instructional, smiles were
returned slowly, over the course of an hour of sending the
message.
 E.g. “Good morning! Stop for 10 secs. Smile! Text back :) when
you do this.”
 Second day messages very much in tune with
participants. Good mix of fun and frisky tone. Smiles were
returned immediately.
 E.g. “Cinco de Mayo is spelled Drinko de Mayo. Take a deep
breath; smile. Text me :) if you smiled. Stay safe!”
 Third day messages were not very witty. Smiles were not
returned for 1 of these…
 E.g. “Every rule has an exception. Esp this one. Take a deep
breath; smile. Text me :) if you smiled. Smiles are contagious.”
Txt2Smile: Methods and Analysis

10. 10
Txt2Smile Results
 Participants perhaps thought the purpose was to
test jokes instead of a smile behavior training. This is
indicated by response time when people returned
smiles immediately based upon humor.
 Phrasing has to be correct tonality for maximum
results for happiness and smiles. Same message
over and over again does not work.
 Dry asking for smiles gets job done, though slow
response time says not sustainable.
 Mixing funny and frisky make response time quick
which may be an indication of how sticky a text
message is.
Txt2Smile: Methods and Analysis

11. 11
Find out more?
 Research : www.designmindfulness.com
 Twitter : @frankc / #CalmingTech
 Personal : www.frankc.net
Txt2Smile: Methods and Analysis