AgingNCT07334106
Emotional Well-being and Measures of Healthy Aging
A study testing Positive Emotion Skills Intervention in people with Aging and Aging, Healthy, run by Northwestern University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
This randomized control study is designed to understand the role of a positive psychology intervention (PARK: Positive Affect Regulation sKills) in biological aging and well-being. PARK provides a series of positive emotion skills in a self-guided online format, making the program accessible and convenient. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 40 to 70 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Aging, Aging, Healthy, Aging Well
- What is being tested?
- Positive Emotion Skills Intervention
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 80 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 1 Sep 2025to Aug 2028
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 40 to 70 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Age 40-70
- Speaks and reads English
- Able to access the online platform through their phone, a public device (i.e., at the library) or at home.
- Lives in the Chicagoland area
- Willing/able to travel to the Human Longevity Lab for in-person visits
Who cannot join
- Adults unable to consent
- Individuals who are not yet adults (infants, children, teenagers)
- Pregnant women
- Prisoners
- Vulnerable Populations
- Pre-existing heart disease (prevalent coronary heart and cerebrovascular disease or heart failure)
- Type 2 diabetes
- Severe psychiatric illness
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Potocsnak Human Longevity Lab
Chicago, Illinois, 60611
About this study
Official title: Emotional Well-being and Biomarkers of Healthy Aging
This randomized control study is designed to understand the role of a positive psychology intervention (PARK: Positive Affect Regulation sKills) in biological aging and well-being. PARK provides a series of positive emotion skills in a self-guided online format, making the program accessible and convenient.
Our main aims are:
Aim 1: To explore the effects of PARK on psychological well-being (e.g., depression, anxiety, positive affect).
Aim 2: To explore the effects of PARK on biological age as defined by DNA methylation (DNAm) GrimAge and electrocardiogram-age (ECG-age), as well as physiological well-being in adults (e.g., cardiovascular, endocrine, musculoskeletal functioning, etc.).
Read the detailed description
The skills in the Positive Psychology Intervention (PPI), PARK (e.g., gratitude, mindful awareness and nonjudgement, and self-compassion) are designed to promote positive emotion, which has been shown to provide resilience against stress. Positive emotion, independent of stress and negative emotion, has also been associated with a lower risk of mortality and better health behaviors such as likelihood of physical activity and healthy eating. This randomized control study will compare baseline well-being scores to post-online intervention at 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months post-baseline. Secondarily, measures of biological aging (DNAm GrimAge and ECG-age) and physiological functioning measures of cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and endocrine functioning will be explored from baseline to post-intervention measures 3 and 12 months later.
Research will be based in Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine through the Potocsnak Human Longevity Lab and the Department of Medical Social Sciences (MSS), with all study procedures conducted in-person at the Human Longevity Lab or online. Eligibility screening, consent, and assessments will be conducted on REDCap. Consenting participants randomized to the treatment group will receive access to the online PARK platform within two weeks. The intervention consists of a positive skills course (including weekly lessons and daily skills practice) and daily emotion check-ins, hosted by BrightOutcome. The skills will be delivered over approximately 6 weeks, and individuals can participate from any device and location with internet access.
- Conditions
- Aging, Aging, Healthy, Aging Well, Aging, Biological
- Being tested
- Positive Emotion Skills Intervention
- Keywords
- Aging, Resilience, Psychological, Psychological Well-Being, Aging Well, Internet-Based Intervention
- Medical subject headings
- Psychological Well-Being
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Positive Emotion Skills InterventionBehavioural
Skills include positive events, capitalizing, gratitude, mindfulness, positive reappraisal, personal strengths, achievable goals, and self-compassion. The skills will be delivered over approximately 6 weeks, and individuals can participate from any device and location with internet access. A week will consist of 1-2 days of didactic material and 5-6 days of real-life skills practice and reporting. Participants cannot skip ahead and can only progress to the next lesson if they have completed the current one, but they can return to old lessons or exercises if they wish to.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Positive Emotion Skills Intervention | Experimental | Participants will receive the 6-week online intervention, PARK (Positive Affect Regulation sKills Course). Receives: Behavioral: Positive Emotion Skills Intervention |
| Waitlist Control | No intervention | The waitlist control condition will receive usual care in the Human Longevity Lab, which consists of a feedback report on biological age and lifestyle counseling from a clinical provider at the end of the study period. Control condition participants will have the option to gain access to the PARK platform and learn positive emotion skills after their study participation is completed at the end of 12 months. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Positive Affect (v1.0) and PROMIS Meaning and Purpose (v1.0)
Computer Adaptive Testing measure of positive emotion and purpose. Higher scores mean a better outcome (i.e., more positive emotion). Scores can range from 9-85, and a t-score of 50 represents the mean score for the United States general population with a standard deviation of 10.
Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months
PROMIS Depression (v1.0), Anxiety (v1.0), Social Isolation (v2.0)
Computer Adaptive Testing measures of psychosocial well-being.
Higher scores mean a worse outcome (i.e., more anxiety or depression). Scores can range from 9-85, and a t-score of 50 represents the mean score for the United States general population with a standard deviation of 10.
Measured: baseline and 3, 6, 12 months post-baseline
Secondary outcomes (3)
Biological Age: DNA methylation GrimAge
Biological age as defined by DNA methylation GrimAge, an estimation of biological age in units of years.
Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 12 months
ECG-age (electrocardiogram-age)
Artificial intelligence algorithm using electrocardiogram data to estimate participant's age in unit of years. Higher ECG-age equates to greater cardiovascular aging.
Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 12 months
Telomere Length
Telomere length measures cellular aging, measured in kilobases (kb). Longer telomere length indicates less cellular aging (a better outcome).
Measured: Baseline, 3 months, 12 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted12 Jan 2026
- Study start1 Sep 2025
- Primary completionAug 2028 (estimated)
- Study completionAug 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (7)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for AgingStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Northwestern UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- This study is a waitlist-control design. Participants in the control participant will receive the positive psychology intervention at the conclusion of the study.
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Care provider, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 80 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Northwestern University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Potocsnak Human Longevity Lab
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Judith Moskowitz, Northwestern University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07334106
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- STU00221612
- Status last verified
- Oct 2026
- First submitted
- 8 Dec 2025
- Last updated
- 30 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Undecided
Publications
Pressman SD, Cohen S. Does positive affect influence health? Psychol Bull. 2005 Nov;131(6):925-971. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.131.6.925.
PubMed 16351329Moskowitz JT, Carrico AW, Duncan LG, Cohn MA, Cheung EO, Batchelder A, Martinez L, Segawa E, Acree M, Folkman S. Randomized controlled trial of a positive affect intervention for people newly diagnosed with HIV. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2017 May;85(5):409-423. doi: 10.1037/ccp0000188. Epub 2017 Mar 23.
PubMed 28333512Pressman SD, Jenkins BN, Moskowitz JT. Positive Affect and Health: What Do We Know and Where Next Should We Go? Annu Rev Psychol. 2019 Jan 4;70:627-650. doi: 10.1146/annurev-psych-010418-102955. Epub 2018 Sep 27.
PubMed 30260746Steptoe A, Wardle J. Positive affect measured using ecological momentary assessment and survival in older men and women. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Nov 8;108(45):18244-8. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1110892108. Epub 2011 Oct 31.
PubMed 22042845Behr LC, Simm A, Kluttig A, Grosskopf Grosskopf A. 60 years of healthy aging: On definitions, biomarkers, scores and challenges. Ageing Res Rev. 2023 Jul;88:101934. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2023.101934. Epub 2023 Apr 13.
PubMed 37059401Prior A, Fenger-Gron M, Larsen KK, Larsen FB, Robinson KM, Nielsen MG, Christensen KS, Mercer SW, Vestergaard M. The Association Between Perceived Stress and Mortality Among People With Multimorbidity: A Prospective Population-Based Cohort Study. Am J Epidemiol. 2016 Aug 1;184(3):199-210. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwv324. Epub 2016 Jul 11.
PubMed 27407085Yegorov YE, Poznyak AV, Nikiforov NG, Sobenin IA, Orekhov AN. The Link between Chronic Stress and Accelerated Aging. Biomedicines. 2020 Jul 7;8(7):198. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines8070198.
PubMed 32645916
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 30 Oct 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Emotional Well-being and Biomarkers of Healthy Aging
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07334106
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- STU00221612
- Conditions
- Aging, Aging, Healthy, Aging Well, Aging, Biological
- Keywords
- Aging, Resilience, Psychological, Psychological Well-Being, Aging Well, Internet-Based Intervention
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 80 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Northwestern UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Potocsnak Human Longevity Lab
- Study start
- 1 Sep 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Aug 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Aug 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 12 Jan 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
This randomized control study is designed to understand the role of a positive psychology intervention (PARK: Positive Affect Regulation sKills) in biological aging and well-being. PARK provides a series of positive emotion skills in a self-guided online format, making the program accessible and convenient.
Our main aims are:
Aim 1: To explore the effects of PARK on psychological well-being (e.g., depression, anxiety, positive affect).
Aim 2: To explore the effects of PARK on biological age as defined by DNA methylation (DNAm) GrimAge and electrocardiogram-age (ECG-age), as well as physiological well-being in adults (e.g., cardiovascular, endocrine, musculoskeletal functioning, etc.).
Detailed description
The skills in the Positive Psychology Intervention (PPI), PARK (e.g., gratitude, mindful awareness and nonjudgement, and self-compassion) are designed to promote positive emotion, which has been shown to provide resilience against stress. Positive emotion, independent of stress and negative emotion, has also been associated with a lower risk of mortality and better health behaviors such as likelihood of physical activity and healthy eating. This randomized control study will compare baseline well-being scores to post-online intervention at 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months post-baseline. Secondarily, measures of biological aging (DNAm GrimAge and ECG-age) and physiological functioning measures of cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, and endocrine functioning will be explored from baseline to post-intervention measures 3 and 12 months later.
Research will be based in Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine through the Potocsnak Human Longevity Lab and the Department of Medical Social Sciences (MSS), with all study procedures conducted in-person at the Human Longevity Lab or online. Eligibility screening, consent, and assessments will be conducted on REDCap. Consenting participants randomized to the treatment group will receive access to the online PARK platform within two weeks. The intervention consists of a positive skills course (including weekly lessons and daily skills practice) and daily emotion check-ins, hosted by BrightOutcome. The skills will be delivered over approximately 6 weeks, and individuals can participate from any device and location with internet access.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind (care provider, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- This study is a waitlist-control design. Participants in the control participant will receive the positive psychology intervention at the conclusion of the study.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Positive Emotion Skills Intervention | Experimental | Behavioral: Positive Emotion Skills InterventionParticipants will receive the 6-week online intervention, PARK (Positive Affect Regulation sKills Course). |
| Waitlist Control | No intervention | –The waitlist control condition will receive usual care in the Human Longevity Lab, which consists of a feedback report on biological age and lifestyle counseling from a clinical provider at the end of the study period. Control condition participants will have the option to gain access to the PARK platform and learn positive emotion skills after their study participation is completed at the end of 12 months. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 40 to 70 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Age 40-70
- Speaks and reads English
- Able to access the online platform through their phone, a public device (i.e., at the library) or at home.
- Lives in the Chicagoland area
- Willing/able to travel to the Human Longevity Lab for in-person visits
Key exclusion criteria (8 listed)
- Adults unable to consent
- Individuals who are not yet adults (infants, children, teenagers)
- Pregnant women
- Prisoners
- Vulnerable Populations
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Positive Emotion Skills InterventionSkills include positive events, capitalizing, gratitude, mindfulness, positive reappraisal, personal strengths, achievable goals, and self-compassion. The skills will be delivered over approximately 6 weeks, and individuals can participate from any device and location with internet access. A week will consist of 1-2 days of didactic material and 5-6 days of real-life skills practice and reporting. Participants cannot skip ahead and can only progress to the next lesson if they have completed the current one, but they can return to old lessons or exercises if they wish to. | Behavioural | Positive Emotion Skills Intervention |
Primary outcome
Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Positive Affect (v1.0) and PROMIS Meaning and Purpose (v1.0)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months
Computer Adaptive Testing measure of positive emotion and purpose. Higher scores mean a better outcome (i.e., more positive emotion). Scores can range from 9-85, and a t-score of 50 represents the mean score for the United States general population with a standard deviation of 10.
PROMIS Depression (v1.0), Anxiety (v1.0), Social Isolation (v2.0)
Time frame: baseline and 3, 6, 12 months post-baseline
Computer Adaptive Testing measures of psychosocial well-being. Higher scores mean a worse outcome (i.e., more anxiety or depression). Scores can range from 9-85, and a t-score of 50 represents the mean score for the United States general population with a standard deviation of 10.
3 secondary outcomes
Biological Age: DNA methylation GrimAge
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, 12 months
ECG-age (electrocardiogram-age)
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, 12 months
Telomere Length
Time frame: Baseline, 3 months, 12 months
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 30 Oct 2026.
- Background: PubMed 16351329Pressman SD, Cohen S. Does positive affect influence health? Psychol Bull. 2005 Nov;131(6):925-971. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.131.6.925.
- Background: PubMed 28333512Moskowitz JT, Carrico AW, Duncan LG, Cohn MA, Cheung EO, Batchelder A, Martinez L, Segawa E, Acree M, Folkman S. Randomized controlled trial of a positive affect intervention for people newly diagnosed with HIV. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2017 May;85(5):409-423. doi: 10.1037/ccp0000188. Epub 2017 Mar 23.
- Background: PubMed 30260746Pressman SD, Jenkins BN, Moskowitz JT. Positive Affect and Health: What Do We Know and Where Next Should We Go? Annu Rev Psychol. 2019 Jan 4;70:627-650. doi: 10.1146/annurev-psych-010418-102955. Epub 2018 Sep 27.
- Background: PubMed 22042845Steptoe A, Wardle J. Positive affect measured using ecological momentary assessment and survival in older men and women. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Nov 8;108(45):18244-8. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1110892108. Epub 2011 Oct 31.
- Background: PubMed 37059401Behr LC, Simm A, Kluttig A, Grosskopf Grosskopf A. 60 years of healthy aging: On definitions, biomarkers, scores and challenges. Ageing Res Rev. 2023 Jul;88:101934. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2023.101934. Epub 2023 Apr 13.
- Background: PubMed 27407085Prior A, Fenger-Gron M, Larsen KK, Larsen FB, Robinson KM, Nielsen MG, Christensen KS, Mercer SW, Vestergaard M. The Association Between Perceived Stress and Mortality Among People With Multimorbidity: A Prospective Population-Based Cohort Study. Am J Epidemiol. 2016 Aug 1;184(3):199-210. doi: 10.1093/aje/kwv324. Epub 2016 Jul 11.
- Background: PubMed 32645916Yegorov YE, Poznyak AV, Nikiforov NG, Sobenin IA, Orekhov AN. The Link between Chronic Stress and Accelerated Aging. Biomedicines. 2020 Jul 7;8(7):198. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines8070198.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Undecided
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Positive Emotion Skills Intervention in people with Aging and Aging, Healthy, run by Northwestern University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 8 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 30 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Positive Affect (v1.0) and PROMIS Meaning and Purpose (v1.0) (time frame: Baseline, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT07334106, which also lists 7 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 30 Oct 2026.