Habit-formation strategies enhance long-term outcomes of a self-compassionate touch micropractice: a randomized controlled trial
Eli S Susman, Serena Chen, Dacher Keltner, Allison G Harvey · 2026
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Description
Susman, Chen, Keltner, and Harvey published in twenty twenty-six a randomized trial of a tiny self-compassion practice. The practice is a brief self-soothing touch lasting seconds per day. A fifteen-minute online session taught it to nearly five hundred adults. Half also got habit-building tools, like cues and planning aids. The team tracked practice, self-compassion, and mental health symptoms for six months.
The habit-tools group practiced more often and more automatically over time. Their self-compassion also rose more than the practice-only group. By six months their mental health symptoms had fallen further. Growth in automatic practice explained much of the later benefit. Both versions were well liked by participants. Results did not differ by racial identity, the authors report. The study shows habit design can stretch a small practice's reach.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Eli S Susman, Serena Chen, Dacher Keltner, Allison G Harvey |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 58 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |