Amplification of Positivity Treatment for Anxiety and Depression: A Randomized Experimental Therapeutics Trial Targeting Social Reward Sensitivity to Enhance Social Connectedness

Social disconnection is prevalent and significantly impairs anxiety and depressive disorders, often unresponsive to current treatments. This study investigated whether targeting positive valence processes through cognitive and behavioral strategies (Amplification of Positivity, AMP) enhances social reward sensitivity, a mechanism underlying social connectedness. Sixty-eight adults with elevated anxiety and/or depression and social impairment were randomized to 5 or 10 sessions of AMP or a waitlist. AMP increased striatal activation during social reward anticipation compared to the waitlist, improving positive affect and approach behavior. The 5-session AMP showed larger striatal and social connectedness increases than the 10-session version. AMP enhances social reward processing and promotes social connectedness in individuals with anxiety or depression, suggesting social reward sensitivity as a transdiagnostic treatment target.

Charles T Taylor, Murray B Stein, Alan N Simmons, Feng He, Christopher Oveis, Holly B Shakya, William J Sieber, James H Fowler, Sonia Jain