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 — racial inequity, economic pressure, 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.
BUILT A NEW HABIT
80%
Developed at least one new emotional wellness habit before the pilot ended — with no mandate or incentive.
CALMER UNDER PRESSURE
60%
Reported a stronger ability to manage stress in demanding academic and competitive periods
WOULD CONTINUE
70%+
Said they would keep using Nebbi or recommend it to someone else, across all three pilots.
NEBBI IN THE REAL WORLD
What our own pilots show.
The science is established. Here is what happened when real people used Nebbi in real conditions. Three pilots, three sectors, the same signal across all of them.
80% built a new habit.
In Nebbi’s semester-length pilot with USC Gould School of Law, 80% of participants developed at least one new emotional wellness habit before the pilot ended. No mandate. No incentive. The same result held for UCLA Women’s Basketball, where 80% checked in three or more times per week during active competition season.
Naming emotions was the feature that mattered most.
Across all three pilots, with no prompting, participants independently named the emotion-labeling check-in as the most meaningful part of the experience. A law student. A Division I athlete. A corporate employee. Different rooms, different pressures, the same answer. This is affect labeling working as the research predicts it should.
60% felt better under pressure.
60% of USC Gould students reported improved ability to manage stress in demanding academic periods. 60% of UCLA athletes felt greater calm and composure under pressure by season end. In the six-week Fabletics pilot, stress confidence scores rose from 40% to 73% of employees rating 7 or above.
Two minutes fit every schedule tested.
Athletes used Nebbi during games, travel, and practice. Law students checked in during study breaks and late evenings. Corporate employees fit it around a full workday with zero mandate. 70% or more across all three pilots said they would continue using Nebbi or recommend it to someone else.
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
