New research compares different wellbeing-focused interventions delivered to adults

As another new year gets under way many of us will be looking for a way of boosting how we feel but is it better to hit the gym or mediate in nature? Now new research by Swansea experts has provided the largest ever comparison of wellbeing-focused interventions delivered to adults.

The team reviewed 183 randomized controlled trials, representing almost 23,000 participants, and evaluated 12 categories of interventions ranging from psychological, physical, mind–body, and nature-based approaches to find out more. Their research was the first interdisciplinary comparison carried out across psychological, physical, mind-body and environmental interventions.

The study, which has just been published Nature Human Behaviour, gives an integrated view of how different disciplines contribute to wellbeing. By focusing on general adult samples rather than clinical groups, it provides evidence that will be relevant to developing public health, education, workplace wellbeing, and community programmes.

The researchers' key findings were:

• Most interventions improved wellbeing compared with inactive control groups;
• Strongest effects were found for combined exercise + psychological interventions (for example, awe walks or meditation combined with walking);
• Mind–body interventions showed consistently moderate, reliable effects;
• Exercise alone produced similar benefits to many psychological interventions; and,
• Positive psychology interventions - both single-component and multicomponent - were also effective.

First author Dr Lowri Wilkie, from the School of Psychology, said: "Our analysis shows that there is no single route to improving wellbeing. Mindfulness, compassion-based approaches, yoga, exercise and positive psychology interventions all showed moderate benefits compared with control groups, and combining physical activity with psychological interventions appeared particularly promising.

"By using network meta-analysis, we were able to compare very different interventions from different disciplines within one framework, giving policymakers and practitioners a much clearer view of the range of effective options available for building wellbeing in the general population."

Because interventions were tested in general populations, the evidence is directly relevant to population wellbeing strategies, including efforts to enhance resilience and support mental health before problems escalate. The study's results complement the Swansea-led GENIAL framework, which emphasises wellbeing as being grounded by connection to self, to others, and to nature.

Senior author Professor Andrew Kemp added: "What this study makes clear is that wellbeing can be supported through multiple, evidence-based pathways. Psychological interventions, exercise and mind–body practices all perform well, which means services and policymakers have real flexibility to design programmes that fit different settings and preferences.

"For us, this paper also marks an important milestone in a long-running collaboration between Swansea University and Swansea Bay University Health Board, and it highlights how rigorous, interdisciplinary research can inform population-level approaches to mental health and wellbeing."

Co-author Dr Zoe Fisher, a consultant clinical psychologist with SBUHB, said: "For practitioners and services, these findings are extremely useful. The study shows that a range of interventions can reliably improve wellbeing, which means we can tailor support according to the needs and preferences of different communities.

"Having evidence of this breadth and quality strengthens the foundation for developing accessible, flexible wellbeing programmes across Swansea Bay and beyond."