PAX: Emotional Processing
Excecutive Summary
Opening Statement & Background.
Unprocessed emotions are not just uncomfortable. They are a public health crisis. Research across four decades demonstrates that suppressing emotional experiences elevates stress hormones, weakens immune function, and contributes to serious physical and mental illness (Pennebaker & Beall, 1986). Yet no accessible, science-backed tool exists to help people process their emotions in the moment they need it most. To close that gap, this research was conducted alongside Dr. Phillip J. Moore, Associate Professor of Applied Social Psychology at The George Washington University, resulting in PAX: Emotional Processing, a first-of-its-kind mobile application.
Purpose of Research Study
The central question driving this research is whether technology can make evidence-based emotional processing accessible at scale. Millions of people experience difficult emotions daily, including anxiety, anger, sadness, stress, and loneliness, with no structured, science-backed tool to help them process those emotions in the moment they need it most. Existing solutions fall short. Journaling apps offer no guidance, meditation apps offer no emotional structure, and therapy remains inaccessible for most. PAX was designed to fill that gap, offering guided writing sessions calibrated to specific emotions, grounded in Pennebaker's expressive writing research and the American Psychiatric Association's clinical guidelines on emotional disclosure, and delivered through an intuitive, beautifully designed mobile experience.
Method of Data Gathering and Analysis
Data gathering and analysis for PAX was conducted through three primary methods. First, an extensive review of peer-reviewed psychological literature, including Pennebaker's foundational expressive writing studies and APA-validated research on emotional disclosure, established the scientific framework for PAX's guided session structure. Second, repeated user testing was conducted with peers and campus users across different ages and backgrounds, generating qualitative feedback on usability, emotional clarity, and session effectiveness across five prototype versions of the application, with each version refined based on direct user response. Third, Apple's Natural Language framework was integrated to analyze users' language patterns in real time, detecting whether users are venting or genuinely processing their emotions, giving both the user and the researcher a real-time, data-driven measure of session effectiveness.
Overview of Findings
The research confirmed that the gap between emotional science and accessible tools is real and closeable through intentional design. Three major findings emerged. First, structured writing sessions calibrated to specific emotions produce a significantly more focused and effective processing experience than open-ended journaling, measured through a 1 to 10 scale recorded before the session, immediately after, and one hour later, where 10 represents the heaviest felt intensity of the emotion and 1 the lightest, with scores consistently decreasing across all three checkpoints. Second, real-time language analysis gives users something unprecedented, private, and objective feedback on their own emotional progress without requiring a therapist or clinician, something no existing consumer app currently offers. Third, how information is presented matters as much as the information itself, as users were significantly more willing to engage with mental health tools when the experience felt calm, clear, and beautifully designed rather than clinical or overwhelming. PAX was successfully submitted to the 2026 Apple Swift Student Challenge and entered campus beta testing at GWU, producing its first real-world validation that the concept works.
Recommendations
Three recommendations emerge from this research. First, a formal campus pilot study should be conducted at GWU, measuring pre- and post-session emotional states across a larger user group, converting beta testing signals into statistically significant, publishable findings. Second, PAX should pursue integration with university counseling and wellness centers as a supplementary resource for students, a direction directly supported by the APA's guidelines encouraging digital tools to supplement clinical care rather than replace it. Third, PAX should be expanded to cover additional emotions beyond the current six, with continued collaboration with Dr. Moore ensuring each is grounded in validated psychological research, broadening the tool's reach and expanding the research base simultaneously.