behaviorceutical

English

Alternative forms

• behaviourceutical (Commonwealth)

Etymology

Blend of behavior +‎ pharmaceutical. Coined by behavioural neuroscientist Kelly Lambert in 2011.

Noun

behaviorceutical (plural behaviorceuticals)

1. (neologism) An activity that can improve an individual's mental health.
   • 2011 March 11, Redford B Williams, Virginia P Williams, “Adaptation and implementation of an evidence-based behavioral medicine program in diverse global settings: The Williams LifeSkills experience”, in Translational Behavioral Medicine, volume 1, number 2, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, →DOI, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 305, column 1:

     We see this commercialization as the critical final step in translating the research documenting the health-damaging effects of psychosocial risk factors and the potential of behavioral interventions to ameliorate those effects into commercial behavioral products—analogous to the pharmaceutical industry's drug products—that can be widely distributed—by a new "behaviorceutical" industry?—to prevent disease and improve the health of massesof people around the world.

   • 2018 July 29, Sasha Gonzales, “What knitting, painting and pottery do to your brain, and why they can make you happier and reduce stress”, in South China Morning Post‎^[1], Hong Kong: South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2018-07-30:

     But to reap the mental health benefits of behaviourceuticals, it is important to engage in an activity that produces valued outcomes. This may be gardening for one person, woodworking for another and organising closets for someone else.

   • 2081 December 28, Kelly Lambert, “A neuroscientist's tips for a new year tuneup for your brain”, in The Conversation‎^[2], archived from the original on 2023-12-08:

     Although it's common to turn to pharmaceuticals to lift our emotions and improve our mental health, the emotional benefits of many New Year's traditions remind me that basic responses can serve as what I call "behaviorceuticals" that enhance well-being.