Our Research
From science to society — InsightJourney began as an academic project at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, where Dr. Victoria Amo, under the supervision of Dr. Falk Lieder, developed the first prototype of a digital, gamified intervention to help people understand and regulate emotions through metacognitive training.
Rooted in evidence-based psychological science, our work connects research from cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) with game design principles to make emotional learning both effective and engaging.
The project was extended through a collaboration with Carol Dweck and James Gross at Stanford University, integrating insights on growth mindset and emotion regulation into playful, evidence-based experiences.
Over time, InsightJourney has evolved from a research prototype into a medical start-up developing both certified preventive tools and clinically validated solutions for child and adolescent mental health.
InsightJourney is more than a company — it is a bridge between science and real-world impact.
Our tools are designed to make mental health interventions accessible, playful, and scientifically rigorous. Because we take fun in mental health serioursly
Research Timeline
2025 | Master’s Research Collaborations
2025 | Randomized Controlled Trial
Amo V., Lieder F. (2025). Evaluating the Effectiveness of InsightApp for Anxiety, Valued Action, and Psychological Resilience: Longitudinal Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Mental Health, 12:e57201. [https://doi.org/10.2196/57201]
Findings: In a controlled study with 197 participants, InsightApp users showed 15 % lower anxiety reactivity and 12 % less emotional struggle under stress compared to controls, as well as greater value-aligned action. These effects persisted beyond the intervention period, suggesting strengthened psychological resilience. Further larger and longer-term studies are needed to determine whether the intervention can sustainably improve broader mental health outcomes.
🎓 Greta Bramow joined InsightJourney for her master’s thesis, supporting the evaluation of the InsightJourney preventive online course and contributing to the development of the school-based program.
🎓 Laura Breitkoff joined InsightJourney for her master’s thesis, assisting with the summative usability studies of the medical app under development.
🎓 Franziska Auffenberg joined InsightJourney for her master’s thesis, contributing to research in developmental psychology and the adaptation of app content for different age groups.
2019 | Foundations at Max Planck Institute
Development of the InsightApp prototype within the Rationality Enhancement Group, supervised by Dr. Falk Lieder. Focus: combining metacognitive skill training with gameful design.
2020 | The Metacognitive Coaches and The Little Monsters Are Born — SIG8 Virtual Conference Presentation
Presentation at the SIG8 Virtual Conference, introducing the “little monster” concept with our first character, Anxiraptor, and the metacognitive coaches as part of a gamified intervention framework for mindset and emotion regulation.
2023 | Formative Assessment
Amo V., Prentice M., Lieder F. (2023). A Gamified Mobile App That Helps People Develop the Metacognitive Skills to Cope With Stressful Situations and Difficult Emotions. JMIR Formative Research, 7:e44429. [https://doi.org/10.2196/44429]
Findings: Two formative studies showed that using the app significantly decreased emotional struggle and maladaptive beliefs while increasing adaptive coping and value-congruent action. The results supported the app’s usability and potential as a scientific research tool. Further research with a control condition is needed to validate these findings.
2023 | Collaboration with Carol Dweck and James Gross at Stanford
Initiated a research collaboration with Carol Dweck and James Gross at Stanford University, developing an intervention targeting beliefs about emotions. This work combines insights from mindset theory and emotion regulation research with gamified ecological momentary interventions (EMIs). The goal is to help individuals build adaptive emotional beliefs and regulation skills through interactive, real-world digital experiences.
2024 | Gamification Principle and Mathematical Framework
Lieder F., Chen P.-Z., Prentice M., Amo V., Tošić M. (2024). Gamification of Behavior Change: Mathematical Principle and Proof-of-Concept Study. JMIR Serious Games, 12:e43078. [https://doi.org/10.2196/43078]
Findings: Introduced a mathematical model of “optimized gamification,” demonstrating that adaptive, personalized point systems can significantly enhance behavior change. This principle now underpins the reinforcement mechanics used in InsightJourney’s design. Future research should test how this approach generalizes to other behaviors and populations (e.g., clinical).
Publications
Amo, V., & Lieder, F. (2020). A Gamified App That Helps People Overcome Self-Limiting Beliefs by Promoting Metacognition.
Amo V., Prentice M., Lieder F. (2023). A Gamified Mobile App That Helps People Develop the Metacognitive Skills to Cope With Stressful Situations and Difficult Emotions. JMIR Formative Research, 7:e44429.https://doi.org/10.2196/44429
Lieder F., Chen P.-Z., Prentice M., Amo V., Tošić M. (2024). Gamification of Behavior Change: Mathematical Principle and Proof-of-Concept Study. JMIR Serious Games, 12:e43078. https://doi.org/10.2196/43078
Amo V., Lieder F. (2025). Evaluating the Effectiveness of InsightApp for Anxiety, Valued Action, and Psychological Resilience: Longitudinal Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR Mental Health, 12:e57201.https://doi.org/10.2196/57201
