Dr. Areej ElSayary

Societal Question 5: How Can Technology Support Human Well-Being, Not Harm It?

Where Q4 asks why digital environments produce divergent outcomes, this question asks something more constructive: how can technology be made to actively support human flourishing? My publications address this from multiple angles through positive psychology-informed instructional design, conceptual frameworks for digital mental health tools, and empirical investigations of the relationship between ethical AI use and well-being. The journey runs from design-level thinking about how learning environments can be built for flourishing, to policy-oriented evidence about how AI governance decisions have real consequences for human health. Across all contributions, the argument is consistent: technology’s relationship to well-being is not accidental; it is the result of deliberate design, ethical governance, and institutional intent.

Research Areas: Digital Well-being | Positive Psychology | Mental Health | Human Flourishing | Technology and Wellness | Behavioral Health

Milestone 1 (2022-2024)
Milestone 2 (2025–2026)

Milestone 1 (2022–2024)

Designing for Flourishing: Positive Psychology, Digital Mental Health, and Intervention Frameworks

This phase explored how technology can be intentionally designed as a vehicle for human flourishing, drawing on positive psychology and design thinking methodologies. Research proposed conceptual frameworks for digital mental health applications targeting students’ cyber-behavioral and socio-emotional competencies, and investigated how virtual communication in professional development settings shapes teachers’ satisfaction, motivation, and well-being.

Journal Articles

  • ElSayary, A. (2023). Utilizing Design Thinking to Enhance Wellbeing in Interdisciplinary Courses: A Positive Social Psychology Approach. Journal of Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics, 21(1), 9-17. https://doi.org/10.54808/JSCI.21.01.9

Conference Papers

  • ElSayary, A. (2023). The Positive Social Psychology Intervention of Using Design Thinking to Improve Learners’ Wellbeing in Interdisciplinary Courses. Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Society and Information Technologies: ICSIT 2023. Orlando Florida, USA.

Book Chapters

  • ElSayary, A. (2024). Digital Mental Health Application to Develop Students’ Cyber Behavioral, Social and Emotional Competencies. In ElSayary, A. & Olowoselu, A. (2024). Interdisciplinary Approaches for Educators’ and Learners’ Well-being: Transforming Education for Sustainable Development. Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-65215-8_12
  • ElSayary, A. & Karaki, S. (2024). The Impact of Virtual Communication on Teachers’ Satisfaction, Motivation, and Well-Being in Professional Development. In ElSayary, A. & Olowoselu, A. (2024). Interdisciplinary Approaches for Educators’ and Learners’ Well-being: Transforming Education for Sustainable Development. Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-65215-8_13

Books (Edited Volumes)

  • ElSayary, A. & Olowoselu, A. (2024). Interdisciplinary Approaches for Educators’ and Learners’ Well-being: Transforming Education for Sustainable Development. Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-65215-8

Milestone 2 (2022–2024)

Evidence-Based Wellness: AI Ethics, Digital Well-Being Frameworks, and Human Flourishing

This phase produced empirical and policy-oriented evidence connecting ethical AI use and digital governance to human well-being outcomes. A structural equation modeling study found a significant association between ethical AI use and well-being among young adults in the UAE, while additional contributions examined digital neuroplasticity, computational tools in biomedical education, and the ethical boundaries of AI-based mental health surveillance in educational settings.

Journal Articles

  • ElSayary, A. (2025). Navigating AI Ethics Through the Lens of Personality Traits and Well-being: Policy Recommendations for Young People in the UAE. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 2025(1). https://doi.org/10.1155/hbe2/5597545
  • ElSayary, A., Hojeij, Z. & Abdul Hadi, L. (2026). The Association Between Ethical AI Use and Well-being Among Young Adults in the UAE: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach. Wellbeing, Space & Society. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wss.2026.100375

Conference Papers

  • ElSayary, A. & Ragab, J. K. (2025). Digital Neuroplasticity: How prolonged technology use reshapes neural pathways over time. Proceedings of the 16th International Multi-Conference on Complexity, Informatics and Cybernetics (IMCIC 2025), 158-164. https://doi.org/10.54808/imcic2025.01.158
  • ElSayary, A., Ragab, J. K., & Abuali, R. M. (2025). Utilizing computational tools in biomedical education to promote sustainable healthcare solutions: a multidisciplinary approach. Proceedings of the 29th World Multi-Conference on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics (WMSCI 2025), 24-31. https://doi.org/10.54808/wmsci2025.01.24

Book Chapters

  • ElSayary, A. (2026). Ethical AI in Education: Mental Health Surveillance, Student Well-Being, and the Boundaries of Care. In Implications for Students’ Mental Health in the Digital Age: AI and Cyber Behavior (pp. 427-454). https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3373-4222-1.ch017