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

Registry-linked trialAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial

In one paragraph

Trial report in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05866718 (Can Applying the Science of Habit Formation to Contemplative Practice Improve Outcomes? A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Single-Session Habit Formation Intervention for Self-Compassionate Touch), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

0citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT05866718 nacompletednot on this map

Can Applying the Science of Habit Formation to Contemplative Practice Improve Outcomes? A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Single-Session Habit Formation Intervention for Self-Compassionate Touch

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of California, BerkeleyRan2023 to 2024Enrolled497ConditionsPsychopathologyArmsSelf-Compassionate Touch Intervention, Habit Formation Tools

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Eli S SusmanDepartment of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, 2121 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA. esusman@berkeley.edu.ORCID 0000-0002-3304-4363

Serena ChenDepartment of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, 2121 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.

Dacher KeltnerDepartment of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, 2121 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.

Allison G HarveyDepartment of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, 2121 Berkeley Way, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA.

Funding

Triple Vulnerability? Circadian Tendency, Sleep Deprivation and AdolescenceR01HD071065 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY · PI HARVEY, ALLISON G · 2012 to 2025

$6.4M

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development R01HD071065National Science Foundation DGE2146752NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD071065

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This preregistered study tested a 15-minute, self-guided, online, single-session intervention designed to promote habit formation of self-compassionate touch micropractice (≤ 20 s/day). A U.S. national adult sample (N = 497) was randomized to self-compassionate touch with habit formation tools (SCT+HABITS) or self-compassionate touch alone (SCT)-and assessed at baseline, month-3, and month-6. Relative to SCT, SCT+HABITS showed greater baseline-to-3-month and baseline-to-6-month increases in practice frequency, practice automaticity (habit formation), self-compassion, and self-compassion automaticity, as well as greater baseline-to-6-month reductions in symptoms of psychopathology (mental health symptoms). Baseline-to-3-month increases in practice automaticity mediated baseline-to-6-month effects, accounting for approximately 40-83% of the total group effects. Both interventions demonstrated high acceptability. Their outcomes did not differ by racialized identity. Findings highlight the role of habit formation in promoting positive outcomes of self-compassionate touch micropractice, and perhaps well-being practices more broadly. The scalability and adaptability of SCT+HABITS highlight a promising model for advancing efficient, effective, user-friendly interventions.Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05866718, registered 23/05/2023.

Indexed as

EmpathyHabitsTouchAdultFemaleHumansMaleMiddle Aged

Identifiers

PMID42744837

DOI10.1038/s41598-026-63457-4

PMCPMC13578738

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata

Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

NCT05866718ClinicalTrials.gov

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.