Picture This: Does a Photography-Based, Positive Attention Training and Savoring Intervention Impact Well-Being in Emerging Adulthood?

Emerging adulthood is a period characterized by both elevated mental health risk and opportunities for positive development. The present study evaluated Picture This! (PT), a photo-taking intervention designed to promote well-being by training attention to positive experiences and encouraging savoring, along with a photo-sharing variant, Picture This! Plus Social Sharing (PTPSS), in a randomized trial with emerging adults (N = 256). Intervention effects on depression, anxiety, life satisfaction, and optimism were examined, and savoring was tested as a mediator. Participants in PT reported reduced depressive symptoms, and those in PTPSS reported more optimistic attributions relative to controls at post-test. Present-moment savoring increased in the PT group and was associated with lower depression and greater life satisfaction at posttest but did not mediate intervention effects. Findings suggest PT and PTPSS may reduce depressive symptoms and support adaptive cognitive patterns in emerging adults, though mechanisms of change warrant further investigation.