A new subscription box has launched to help people improve their mental wellbeing, happiness and build healthy habits.
Developed with support from leading psychologist Dr. Alyson Smith, wellbeing startup Qappy has launched Happiness Boxes, the science-backed mental wellbeing subscription which covers a range of science-backed themes from Living Mindfully and Sleep and Rest to Connecting with Nature.
Qappy wants to make wellbeing easy and affordable for everyone, with its Value boxes starting from just £12. Customers have a choice of Classic (£29) and Premium boxes (£39) which come packed with treats and many fully-guided activities. Customers can subscribe for a regular boost of happiness, enjoying up to 17% discount and explore one of 12 psychologist-approved boxes every two months.
The co-founders are Irina Iovita, former CEO of fintech start-up CommuterClub, Pontus Lofquist, formerly a consultant at OC&C Strategy Consultants and Rickard Nyman, a data analytics expert. The content was devised with support from Dr Alyson Smith, after months of research. It came from a realisation that while some subscription boxes were focused on healthier eating, or soaps and candles, there was a real gap in the market for one focused on a healthier mind and building positive habits that last.
Dr Alyson Smith explains how Qappy boxes can make people happier: “To me, happiness is a combination of positive experience and emotion on a day-to-day basis, and a deeper element which is about living a meaningful satisfying and connected life. We have the ability to actively influence both of these aspects of our lives, and Qappy boxes can help with this. They offer a fun and exciting way to improve our happiness levels – and all based on scientific research.”
The company’s vision is to build a full lifestyle solution for a happier life and its CTO, Rickard Nyman is making use of his extensive data science experience to build a mobile phone application leveraging AI and machine learning to help customers customize their wellbeing journey.
The Qappy boxes come accompanied by high quality, curated digital content to help anyone commit to their wellbeing and discover habits that work in practice. Each box contains:
- 1 to 3 crafts with detailed guidance and materials to get started
- 25+ fun activity suggestions so you can pick-and-choose what works for you
- Unique meditations, Spotify playlists and instructional step-by-step videos
- Access to curated online content, such as science articles, videos, and podcasts
- High quality treats, candles and snacks, supporting local businesses
Irina Iovita, former CEO of fintech start-up CommuterClub turned Co-CEO of Qappy explains: “Like many millennials I experienced burnout and had to prioritise my health. It took thousands of pounds and two years spent on books, apps and therapy to transform my wellbeing. I realised the industry is ripe for disruption and there should be a cheaper and faster way for people to build lasting habits that work for them.”
Pontus Lofquist, co-CEO of Qappy, formerly a consultant at OC&C Strategy Consultants says the pandemic gave him a chance to “rethink what makes me happy in life, and it made me wonder why we’re never taught how to be happy.” He explains: “The concept behind Qappy is simple: make it easier to find happiness by taking scientific research and making it digestible, fun and practical. Studies show that mindfulness, gratitude, or connecting with nature can have an immense impact on our wellbeing, but many people don’t know about it or struggle to build good habits around it. You can re-train your brain through neuroplasticity to be happier and experience less stress and anxiety, so we worked with psychologists to develop a practical toolkit in a box.”
