From Happywashing to Happytalism: Fostering Youth Well-Being Through the HEAL Framework
Ellen Campos Sousa, Tessa Garcia-Collart, Kelly Moore, M. Deniz Dalman, Sphurti Sewak, Cheryl-Lyn Ngoh, Rodolfo Rodrigues Rocha, Giovanni Latorre, Wendy T. Gillis, Luciana Freire, Miguel Angel Zuniga, Luis Miguel Gallardo
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications / American Marketing Association
- Keywords
- Happywashing · Happytalism · Youth · Well-being · Consumer Happiness · Social Cognitive Theory
Plain-language summary
A peer-reviewed public-policy paper that separates shallow happiness marketing ("happywashing") from Happytalism, and offers a four-part framework — Holistic, Empowering, Awareness-reframing and Lifestyle-changing support — that brands, governments and educators can use to actually support young people.
Abstract
The paper distinguishes happywashing — misleading marketing communication that exploits happiness to encourage consumption — from Happytalism, a paradigm that prioritises well-being over material accumulation. It introduces the HEAL framework: Holistic emotional support, Empowering social support, Awareness-reframing support, and Lifestyle-changing support. Grounded in Social Cognitive Theory, HEAL proposes non-transactional brand and policy initiatives that strengthen self-efficacy, emotional regulation, social connection and youth resilience independent of purchase.
Research themes
- Happytalism
- Youth Well-Being
- HEAL Framework
- Public Policy
- World Happiness Foundation
Related
How to cite
APA
Ellen Campos Sousa, Tessa Garcia-Collart, Kelly Moore, M. Deniz Dalman, Sphurti Sewak, Cheryl-Lyn Ngoh, Rodolfo Rodrigues Rocha, Giovanni Latorre, Wendy T. Gillis, Luciana Freire, Miguel Angel Zuniga, Luis Miguel Gallardo (2026). From Happywashing to Happytalism: Fostering Youth Well-Being Through the HEAL Framework. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1177/07439156261452981
BibTeX
@article{Gallardo2026_fromhappywashingtohappytalismhealframework,
author = {Ellen Campos Sousa and Tessa Garcia-Collart and Kelly Moore and M. Deniz Dalman and Sphurti Sewak and Cheryl-Lyn Ngoh and Rodolfo Rodrigues Rocha and Giovanni Latorre and Wendy T. Gillis and Luciana Freire and Miguel Angel Zuniga and Luis Miguel Gallardo},
title = {From Happywashing to Happytalism: Fostering Youth Well-Being Through the HEAL Framework},
journal = {Journal of Public Policy & Marketing},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1177/07439156261452981},
}