GROUNDED IN SCIENCE
The research.
Nebbi is built on decades of clinical research, not intuition, not trends. The tools inside the app draw from two evidence-based frameworks: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and liberation psychology. Together, they form a more complete picture of emotional wellness than any single approach can offer.
WHAT NEBBI IS BUILT ON
The frameworks.
01 — COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY
CBT
CBT is the most empirically supported framework in psychology. It is built on a simple but powerful premise: our
thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected. When we learn to notice and reshape unhelpful thinking patterns,
how we feel and how we act begins to shift too.
Unlike meditation, which focuses on present-moment awareness, CBT gives you a structured process for
understanding why you feel what you feel and what to do with it. It is the difference between observing a wave and learning to swim.
Nebbi brings CBT into everyday life through brief, personalized check-ins: naming emotions, tracking patterns,
and building the cognitive flexibility that research consistently links to resilience.
02 — CONTEXT-AWARE CARE
Liberation psychology
Most wellness tools were designed for a narrow slice of the population. Liberation psychology, rooted in the work of Ignacio Martín-Baró, asks a different question: what is the environment doing to this person?
For people navigating systemic stress, including racial inequity, economic pressure, and institutional bias, distress is often a rational response to real conditions, not a personal failing. Nebbi is built to honor that reality. Tools that ignore context cannot serve the whole person.
This is why Nebbi does not offer generic wellness. It offers something that meets you where you actually are.
ACADEMIC
80%
developed at least one new habit tied to emotional or mental wellbeing by the end of the pilot.
ATHLETIC
60%
reported improved focus and the ability to stay present during practices and games.
CORPORATE
82%
reported greater emotional self-
awareness, knowing how they felt and why.
WHAT OUR PILOTS SHOWED
Themes that held across every sector.
Emotional naming works at scale.
Across all three groups, participants independently named the ability to label and identify emotions as the most meaningful feature, regardless of context.
Behavior change happened within the window.
80% of academic participants and nearly half of corporate participants formed new habits before the pilot ended, with no external incentive.
Interest compounds.
82% of corporate participants reported increased interest in mental wellness tools after six weeks, a signal of sustained engagement, not novelty.
The format fits high-pressure roles.
Athletes, law students, and employees in demanding roles all completed the practice. Two minutes is the right scope.
Different pressures, different rooms, the same four signals.
All pilot findings are self-report and directional. Pilots ran at n = 10–15 endpoint respondents per cohort.
When negative emotions hit, I tend to withdraw, lose motivation, and feel overwhelmed by a continuous wave of negativity. Nebbi helped me break that cycle by suggesting three simple actions.
USC GOULD STUDENT · ENDPOINT SURVEY
KEY FINDINGS
What the research shows.
01
Naming a feeling changes how strongly you feel it.
When you put words to an emotion, activity in the amygdala, the brain’s threat center, measurably decreases. This is called affect labeling, and it is the neurological basis for Nebbi’s check-in process. Naming is not just reflection. It is regulation.
Lieberman, M.D., et al. (2007). Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli. Psychological Science, 18(5), 421–428.
02
CBT produces lasting change, not just symptom relief.
A landmark meta-analysis of 269 studies found CBT to be highly effective across anxiety, depression, and stress-related conditions, with benefits that persist well after the intervention ends. This durability is what separates CBT from approaches that require ongoing professional support to maintain results.
Hofmann, S.G., et al. (2012). The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 36(5), 427–440.
03
Tracking your emotions builds emotional intelligence over time.
Research on expressive writing and mood tracking shows that consistent self-reflection improves emotional awareness, reduces intrusive thinking, and increases a person’s ability to regulate their own emotional state. The act of tracking is itself the intervention.
Pennebaker, J.W. & Smyth, J.M. (2016). Opening up by writing it down: How expressive writing improves health and eases emotional pain. Guilford Press. Supported by research published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.
04
Daily micro-practices produce real change.
Research on app-based CBT interventions found that brief exercises used consistently over time significantly reduced anxiety and depressive symptoms in adults. Frequency and consistency mattered more than session length. Thirty seconds, every day, compounds.
Linardon, J. & Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, M. (2020). Attrition and adherence in smartphone-delivered interventions for mental health problems: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 88(1), 1–13.
05
Systemic stress requires systemic acknowledgment.
Research consistently shows that people from marginalized communities who experience their distress as a normal response to abnormal conditions, rather than a personal deficit, demonstrate stronger coping and greater engagement with support tools. Tools that center context alongside cognition produce better outcomes for these populations.
Martín-Baró, I. (1994). Writings for a liberation psychology. Harvard University Press.
Adames, H.Y., et al. (2023). Intersectionality in psychotherapy: Addressing power, privilege, and oppression. American Psychologist, 78(4), 438–451.
06
For athletes: the mental side of performance is the performance.
A comprehensive review of sport psychology research found that psychological skills, including self-talk regulation, cognitive restructuring, and arousal management, are directly linked to athletic performance outcomes. Mental fitness is not adjacent to physical preparation. It is physical preparation.
Weinberg, R.S. & Gould, D. (2023). Foundations of sport and exercise psychology (7th ed.). Human Kinetics.
Burton, D. & Raedeke, T.D. (2008). Sport psychology for coaches. Human Kinetics.
THE STUDIES
Full reference list.
01
Putting feelings into words: Affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity
Psychological Science · Lieberman et al., 2007
02
The efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy: A review of meta-analyses
03
Attrition and adherence in smartphone-delivered mental health interventions
04
Harvard University Press · Martín-Baró, 1994
05
American Psychologist · Adames et al., 2023
06
Human Kinetics · Weinberg & Gould, 2023
07
Human Kinetics · Burton & Raedeke, 2008
BUILT ON THE EVIDENCE
Nebbi is built on
this body of work.
The check-in you do today is backed by decades of clinical research, translated into something that fits into real life.
3-day free trial · iOS & Android
