Digital Nudging for Enhanced Well-Being: Development and Evaluation of a 21-Day Self-Healing Intervention for Older Adults

In today’s increasingly digital environment, technology presents considerable opportunities for enhancing well-being among older adults, who demonstrate growing engagement with smartphones and social media platforms. This study developed and evaluated a “21-Day Self-Healing and Well-Being Guide,” a digital intervention specifically designed for older adults. The intervention employed digital nudging techniques targeting five core well-being dimensions identified through previous research: physical health, gratitude expression, religious faith, family relationships, and financial security. The three-group experimental study compared two distinct push notification intervention models with a non-intervention control group. The behavior modification group received interventions based on the Fogg Behavior Model, with targeted behavioral prompts focused on health management and gratitude practices. The positive phrase group received affirmative messages designed to improve emotional states and enhance life satisfaction. Both intervention groups received daily digital engagement throughout the 21-day program period. Intervention effectiveness was assessed through pre-post measurements of life satisfaction, quality of life, and self-healing capacity among 603 participants aged 55 and above. Results demonstrated significant improvements across all outcome measures in both intervention groups compared to controls, with the behavior modification group exhibiting more substantial improvements in physical well-being and self-healing capacity. Qualitative data confirmed high intervention acceptability and perceived value of digital engagement. These findings suggest that evidence-based digital interventions can effectively enhance older adults’ well-being by leveraging their increasing digital literacy and social media engagement. Future research should examine the long-term sustainability of these behavioral changes and explore applications across diverse older adult populations with varying levels of technological familiarity.