BTS

Sydney Rubin

Introduction

Hello! Welcome to my booth about BTS and positive psychology! 

My goal is to introduce the field of positive psychology to those who might not already be familiar with it. I will also describe how positive psychology (the science of well-being) offers perspectives and tools which can be incredibly valuable for studying, analyzing, and amplifying the positive effect that BTS has on so many people. I hope that this will spark some conversations with people who are also interested in this topic, perhaps leading to future collaborative projects related to positive psychology for both research and practice. 

But first, I’m going to speak myself. I share my story to convey why understanding BTS through positive psychology excites me and makes my heart beat. 

Speak yourself

It’s one of those “you find BTS when you need them most” kinds of stories. When I discovered BTS (by chance, on Twitter), I was in my second semester of graduate school. I had moved across the country for a program in a city I’d never been to, where I knew no one. My degree program was brand new; there was only one other student. At first it felt exciting, but by early 2018 I was struggling. How had I gotten to that point?

When I started graduate school, I had already been studying positive psychology for seven years. I had long known that I wanted to use the science of well-being to help people in their moments of feeling down, lost, isolated, out of control, or even “just fine”—feelings that don’t necessarily call for clinical therapy, but that keep us from doing as well as we could be. What immediately attracted me to positive psychology was the fact that it was relevant to anyone, no matter who you were, or how successful or “together” you seemed. We can all benefit from things like focusing more on what’s best in us and our most deeply held values; intentionally cultivating our most meaningful and affirming relationships; and working towards our best possible futures.

The problem was, I didn’t know how I wanted to go about creating this positive impact in the world. When I worked as an administrator at the University of Pennsylvania’s Positive Psychology Center after college, I saw professional master’s students passionately applying the science of well-being to just about any field you could think of: healthcare, education, business, politics, the arts, clinical psychology, even law. I realized I had no field of my own through which to make change. Yet I was seized, maybe obsessed, by ideas about entertainment technology and leisure. I thought: it’s one thing to convince someone to take a course on positive psychology, or read a self-help book, or go through a corporate training. But what about all the things people like to do in their spare time? Things they were already motivated to give their attention to and engage deeply with? I had to admit to myself that as informed as I was about the research, I still opted for video games over gratitude letters when I was feeling depressed. Wouldn’t it make a huge difference if we could bring the science of well-being to things that are already entertaining? 

I eventually found my master’s program about game design for health and wellness. I learned a great deal in graduate school, but in many ways, it wasn’t what I expected. And I definitely didn’t expect to find the lessons I was looking for (ways to positively impact large numbers of people through meaningful entertainment) by fangirling over a Korean band. Whereas seeking those answers in school left me feeling uncertain, depleted, and alone, finding those answers—experiencing it—through BTS filled me with love, joy, and connection. And now, I can hardly imagine taking care of my emotional wellness without BTS. 

What is positive psychology?

Positive psychology is the science of well-being. Positive psychology takes a holistic view of mental health based on the observation that the absence of mental illness is not equal to the presence of mental health: that psychological well-being and flourishing is its own construct, separate from but related to mental illness. This perspective mirrors the World Health Organization’s definition of health: “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (World Health Organization, n.d.). Positive psychology has roots in earlier traditions that have focused on the whole spectrum of human functioning, such as Maslow’s Humanistic Psychology and Jung’s concept of individuation, and also has foundations in philosophical thought about well-being and virtue, particularly those of Aristotle (ex, Ryff, 2014). 

Positive psychology can be thought of as an umbrella term for the study of many different psychological topics that are concerned with well-being, as well as the practice of applying research on those topics with the intention of increasing the well-being of individuals and communities. Constructs like gratitude, self-efficacy (the belief that you can do something; see Maddux & Kleiman, 2020), meaning in life, mindfulness, awe, savoring, resilience, post-traumatic growth, and flow experiences (a state of full absorption in an activity; see Nakamura & Csikszentmihalyi, 2020) are all examples of topics that are studied and applied under the umbrella of positive psychology. 

The application of research on well-being topics to other fields and contexts typically takes the form of “positive psychology interventions” (PPIs, or simply “interventions”). An intervention could be anything that is designed to influence thoughts, feelings, or behaviors, if it is (1) based on research with (2) the intention to produce a positive outcome for the people or communities who experience the intervention (see Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009). An intervention could be as simple as a journaling prompt or goal-setting app, as involved as a multi-day meditation retreat, or as subtle as encouraging people to spend disposable income on things that benefit others rather than themselves, in light of research on spending and happiness (ex, Dunn, Gilbert, & Wilson, 2011). 

Positive psychology as a lens for exploring BTS’ well-being impact

There are two main reasons why I think positive psychology is particularly useful for analyzing BTS’ impact.

The first reason is simply that positive psychology is all about well-being. Similarly, BTS represents the idea, or the mission, of “Music and Artist for Healing.” We can think about healing as another way of saying increasing well-being, involving both mitigating or recovering from undesired states as well as cultivating and prolonging desired states. And BTS are effective. I’m far from the first person to point this out! Many ARMY know how impactful BTS are intuitively, through experience. BTS has helped many of us experience better psychological wellness, whether we were going through very difficult times—perhaps trauma, clinical depression, or periods of mourning—or simply the everyday stressors and worries of normal life. They also, often simultaneously, help us build our capacities for joy, personal growth, love for others and ourselves, and purpose and meaning in life. A positive psychology perspective allows us to consider this full range of BTS’ well-being effects in an evidence-based way. In sum, if the goal of increasing well-being is central to BTS’ reason for existence, and we see that they achieve this goal in a variety of ways, the science of well-being is a natural choice for furthering our understanding of the BTS phenomenon. 

The second reason positive psychology is useful is because it is a lens, meaning it can be applied to basically anything. This is important because the types of things we engage with as BTS fans—music, live performance, content, social media, etc.—is hugely varied; although music is the most central, our experience of the music is deeply enriched by these other forms of engagement. When we say that BTS is effective at increasing well-being, we are talking about effects that arise from multiple (likely all) of these different engagement sources. Therefore, for a full picture of how BTS influence well-being, it’s not sufficient to only use perspectives from sciences specialized to one of those sources. The lens of positive psychology has already been applied to relevant fields like music studies (ex, Groarke & Hogan, 2016), media and entertainment studies (ex, Reinecke & Oliver, 2017), technology and social media (ex, Calvo & Peters, 2014), and more. By embracing the overarching perspective of positive psychology, we gain access to a diverse toolbox that allows us to examine all the avenues by which BTS increase well-being, and perhaps to amplify that experience as well. 

New pathways for research and practice 

Here are some preliminary ideas about the various ways we can apply the lens of positive psychology to BTS for both research and practical application. These are only a few examples out of a nearly endless list of possibilities! For those who are not already familiar with positive psychology constructs, I intend to offer a greater sense of the breadth and content of the domain of positive psychology here. 

• Examining BTS’ work through the framework of a theory of well-being. Example:
  • Seligman’s (2012) theory of PERMA (Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Achievement); how does BTS contribute to our experience of each of these constructs? 
• How different types of content from BTS relate to particular topics within positive psychology that are known to influence well-being. Examples:
  • Savoring: Ways in which BTS have exemplified strategies for intentionally increasing appreciation of positive experiences (i.e., savoring) or provided opportunities for fans to practice savoring. (See Smith, Harrison, Kurtz, & Bryant, 2014.) Includes:
    • Future-focused savoring (anticipation): Ex, how different comeback strategies (surprise teasers, establishing patterns and expectations, comeback maps) encourage anticipatory savoring
    • Present-focused savoring: Ex, BTS’ practice of creating space during concerts to fully explore their current thoughts and emotions (“ending ments”)
    • Past-focused savoring (reminiscence): Ex, ARMYPEDIA as a tool for re-living meaningful memories; or how BTS revisiting musical themes, lyrics, and performances from earlier in their career might contribute to an appreciative experience 
  • Meaning: Ways in which BTS enhance meaning in life—our personal assessments of how meaningful our lives are—via three dimensions identified by researchers (Steger, 2018): 
    • Comprehension: The “cognitive” component of meaning; the feeling that our lives make sense and are not too chaotic. Ex, investigating whether the interconnectedness of the universe of BTS content contributes to a more generalized sense of high coherence and meaning in life for ARMYs
    • Purpose: The “motivational” component of meaning; having a purpose for the future that directs our current behavior. Ex, examining the role of a strong purpose in BTS’ story of growth and development through hardship, and investigating if and how this perspective influences fans’ thinking about purpose in their own lives
    • Significance: The “evaluative” component of meaning; feeling that we matter. Ex, how the attitude of “teamwork makes the dream work” might contribute to a sense of mattering and significance within a large fandom; or, ways in which relatable themes in BTS’ music enhance meaning by helping fans feel seen and validated
• BTS through the lens of character strengths: 24 personality trait-like qualities (validated cross-culturally) that define “you at your best” (see Park, 2018 and viasurvey.org). Character strengths include things like kindness, creativity, love of learning, bravery, teamwork, love, social intelligence, humor, etc! Examples:
  • Analyzing ways in which BTS express, cultivate, and appreciate character strengths 
    • Ex, identifying themes of gratitude and where they appear (music, speeches, interviews, games); how BTS express gratitude personally, to each other, to colleagues, and to ARMY; how this relates to research about gratitude as a construct
  • Studying possible consequences for fans becoming more aware of character strengths through BTS, and whether it leads to recognizing and developing strengths within themselves 
  • Practical application: multimedia “collages” of BTS content corresponding to each strength with optional discussion prompts for further exploration (see Niemiec & Wedding, 2013 for an example of using entertainment media to explore strengths) 
• Designing positive psychology interventions for ARMY and other positive psychology-informed fan projects
  • I want to point out that this is not a new idea. ARMY is already doing this! A perfect example is the current Army Help Center (AHC) project in which they share journaling prompts designed to help ARMY think about their purpose in life. Many of the prompts used are taken directly from existing positive psychology interventions that have been studied for their efficacy. For instance, the “Current Me VS Future Me” exercise is an adaptation of the best possible self journaling intervention which can increase feelings of optimism and positive mood (Peters, Flink, Boersma, & Linton, 2010). There is always room for more intervention projects in this spirit.

Other possible goals for collaboration around the topics of BTS, ARMY, and positive psychology

• Finding ways to help ARMYs with this common interest connect
• Supporting, developing, and amplifying each other’s research and applied projects, and starting new projects
• Sharing or cataloguing existing projects (ex, the AHC journal project referenced above) in a centralized way for ARMYs who want to try positive psychology interventions within the fandom community 
• Providing additional information and context for BTS and ARMY activities 
  • Ex, research summaries of topics of interest with citations as they relate to BTS
    • Covering major concepts such as self-love
    • As complements to new content and experiences as they arise, for instance, exploring the stress-relief effects of being outdoors in nature (see a summary in Grinde & Patil, 2009) inspired by In the Soop to enhance our experience of that content
• Ensuring that conversations about BTS, ARMY, and well-being are as inclusive as possible by highlighting cross-cultural differences and diverse perspectives

If any of these topics or suggestions excite you, please reach out to me on Twitter at callme _ _ baepsae! I would love to talk to you! 

About the Author

Sydney Rubin is an experience designer and a consultant on applied positive psychology. She is also a scholar with degrees in psychology and game design who has worked at the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania and the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA).

References, Further Reading, and Other Resources

Calvo, R. A. & Peters, D. (2014). Positive computing: Technology for wellbeing and human potential. The MIT Press. 

Dunn, E. W., Gilbert, D. T., & Wilson, T. D. (2011). If money doesn’t make you happy, then you probably aren’t spending it right. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 21, 115-125.

Gable, S. & Haidt, J. (2005). What (and why) is positive psychology? Review of General Psychology, 9, 103-110.

Gander, F., Proyer, R. T., Ruch, W., & Wyss, T. (2013). Strength-based positive interventions: Further evidence for their potential in enhancing well-being and alleviating depression. Journal of Happiness Studies, 14, 1241-1259.

Grinde, B. & Patil, G. G. (2009). Biophilia: Does visual contact with nature impact on health and well-being? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 6, 2332-2343.

Groarke, J. M. & Hogan, M. J. (2016). Enhancing wellbeing: An emerging model of the adaptive functions of music listening. Psychology of Music, 44, 769-791.

International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA). https://www.ippanetwork.org/ 

Maddux, J. E. & Kleiman, E. (2020). Self-efficacy. In R. Biswas-Diener & E. Diener (Eds), Noba textbook series: Psychology. Champaign, IL: DEF publishers. Retrieved from http://noba.to/bmv4hd6p  

Nakamura, J. & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2020). The experience of flow: Theory and research. In C. R. Snyder, S. J. Lopez, L. M. Edwards, & S. C. Marques (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of positive psychology (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. 

Niemiec, R. M. & Wedding, D. (2013). Positive psychology at the movies: Using films to build virtues and character strengths (2nd ed.). Hogrefe Publishing.

Park, N. (2018). Classifying and measuring strengths of character. In C. R. Snyder, S. J. Lopez, L. M. Edwards, & S. C. Marques (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of positive psychology (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. 

Peters, M. L., Flink, I. K., Boersma, K., & Linton, S. J. (2010). Manipulating optimism: Can imagining a best possible self be used to increase positive future expectancies? The Journal of Positive Psychology, 5, 204-211.

Peterson, C. & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. American Psychological Association / Oxford University Press.

Reinecke, L. & Oliver, M. B. (Eds.). (2017). The Routledge handbook of media use and well-being. Routledge. 

Ryff, C. (2014). Psychological well-being revisited: Advances in the science and practice of eudaimonia. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 83, 10-28.

Seligman, M. E. P. (2012). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Atria Books, New York. 

Seligman, M. E. P. & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. The American Psychologist, 55, 5-14.

Sin, N. L. & Lyubomirsky, S. (2009). Enhancing well-being and alleviating depressive symptoms with positive psychology interventions: a practice-friendly meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 65, 467-487.

Smith, J. L., Harrison, P. R., Kurtz, J. L., & Bryant, F. B. (2014). Nurturing the capacity to savor: Interventions to enhance the enjoyment of positive experiences. In S. Schueller & A. C. Parks (Eds.), The Wiley-Blackwell handbook of positive psychological interventions. Wiley-Blackwell. 

Steger, M. F. (2018). Meaning in life: A unified model. In C. R. Snyder, S. J. Lopez, L. M. Edwards, & S. C. Marques (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of positive psychology (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. 
World Health Organization (n.d.). Frequently asked questions. https://www.who.int/about/who-we-are/frequently-asked-questions