Multimodal assessment of best possible self as a self-regulatory activity for the classroom

Best possible self (BPS) is a positive psychological intervention shown to enhance well-being which involves writing a description of an ideal future scenario. This paper presents a comparison of psychophysiological effects of a BPS activity that has been adapted for classroom settings and a time-matched control activity (NA). Thirty-three undergraduate students participated in the study that assessed state anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, STAI), affect (Affective Slider, AS), and cardiac vagal activity (heart-rate variability, HRV) as an indicator of self-regulatory resource usage, at three time periods (PRE, DURING, POST). Results show that BPS led to a significantly greater increase in positive valence (DURING) and overall higher levels of cardiac vagal activity (HRV) compared to NA. These findings suggest that BPS has promising characteristics as a self-regulatory technique aimed at fostering positive affect and positively impacting self-regulatory resources. As BPS does not require expert knowledge nor specialized technology to administer, it may be a suitable activity for educators to use when teaching and having students practice self-regulation. This study presents evidence collected in a replicable multimodal approach of the self-regulatory effects of a brief BPS activity on undergraduate students.