phd in happiness research

Master of Happiness

Tal Ben-Shahar, PhD ’04, trains a new generation of professionals in the art and science of human flourishin g

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Tal Ben-Shahar, PhD ’04, was 30,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean, caught in the uncomfortable, sleepless reverie for which airplane seats seem specifically designed. His mind drifted to his work in positive psychology, which had yielded two best-selling books and one of the most popular undergraduate courses in Harvard’s history. He thought of all the fields of knowledge that contribute to happiness—psychology and neuroscience, yes, but also education, philosophy, economics, art, music, literature, and many others—and wondered: Why could students study all those subjects but not one that focused specifically on the goal toward which they all strived?

“There’s a lot we can learn about happiness from psychologists,” Ben-Shahar says. “But the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu also had a lot to say. So did the Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe and the English novelist Mary Ann Evans as well as scores of historians, scientists, and economists. Why isn’t there an interdisciplinary field of study that brings together all of these thinkers and practitioners, integrates them, and teaches them so that we can better understand, pursue, and attain happiness?”

Before the plane’s wheels hit the ground in New York City, Ben-Shahar had resolved to make the creation of an entirely new field of education—happiness studies—his life’s work. In the eight years since his 2015 transatlantic epiphany, he has launched an online “academy” dedicated to training professionals in the field. Now, in partnership with Centenary University, Ben-Shahar has established the first fully accredited master’s degree program in happiness studies. If he has his way, it won’t be the last.

Beyond ‘Quiet Desperation’

It’s easy to look at Tal Ben-Shahar and imagine that he never had an unhappy day in his life. He greets you with a broad smile and an intense, friendly gaze. His lean frame and confident manner imply the relaxed energy of a top athlete, which Ben-Shahar was in his youth. At the age of 16, he traveled from his home country of Israel to Great Britain, where he trained with world squash champion Jansher Khan, dreaming one day of emulating his mentor’s achievement. Now and then, though, a disconcerting thought flitted through his mind: What would he do if he couldn’t play?

“I thought, ‘Well, I’ll always have squash because when I retire at 30 or 35 after an illustrious career, I will become a coach and build a squash academy,’” Ben-Shahar remembers. “I could not think of my life without the game.” 

Five years later, while serving in the Israeli military, Ben-Shahar sat in a doctor’s office, his future in jeopardy. The vertebrae in his lower spine were severely misaligned. Surgery was an option, but success was far from guaranteed. He decided to put his professional career on hold and enroll at Harvard, where he’d previously been recruited by squash coach Steve Piltch. Unhappy during much of his first two years of college, Ben-Shahar even considered dropping out. Then he decided to change his course of study from computer science to a joint concentration in philosophy and psychology, a move that altered both his undergraduate trajectory and his life.

“It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” he says. “I flourished in the departments of philosophy and psychology. I learned from faculty like J. Richard Hackman, who studied teamwork, the political philosopher Robert Nozick, and, above all, Philip Stone, who was a pioneer both in positive psychology and in seeing the potential for computers and technology in research. It opened up my world.”

Ben-Shahar enrolled at Harvard Griffin GSAS and worked toward his PhD in organizational behavior, studying both in the Department of Psychology with professors Ellen Langer and Philip J. Stone III, PhD ’60, and at Harvard Business School with professor Joshua Margolis, PhD ’97. But he never published research in an academic journal and never set his sights on a tenure track position; instead, he pursued his love of teaching and his desire to bring positive psychology to a mass audience. He took over his mentor’s undergraduate course, Positive Psychology, which became the largest class at Harvard. (Ben-Shahar’s other course, Psychology of Leadership, ranked third.) His books, including Happier (2007) and Being Happy (2010), became international best sellers.

Of course, it’s important to study painful emotions. But just getting rid of depression or anxiety doesn’t make you happy. —Tal Ben-Shahar

By the time of Ben-Shahar’s transatlantic trip in 2015, however, happiness seemed very much on the wane—particularly among young people in high-income countries like the United States. He cites a 2019 study published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology by a team of researchers led by San Diego State University psychology professor Jean Twenge. The group analyzed data from the US National Survey on Drug Use and Health and found that rates of depression, psychological distress, and suicidal thoughts all increased by more than 50 percent among adolescents and young adults between the mid– to late–2000s and 2017. The study’s authors put the lion’s share of the blame for the spike in mental illness on the advent of smartphones and social media. Ben-Shahar agrees about the negative impact of these technologies but says the reasons for widespread unhappiness predate and go beyond them. They stem from society’s misguided focus on “negative” emotions like depression, anger, and hatred to the exclusion of joy, love, strength, and happiness.

“Of course, it’s important to study painful emotions,” he says. “But just getting rid of depression or anxiety doesn’t make you happy. As Henry David Thoreau wrote in the nineteenth century, ‘The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.’ You don’t need to be depressed to be unhappy.”

What’s missing from psychology—and society—today, Ben-Shahar says, is a focus on cultivating a sense of meaning and purpose; on savoring, awe, and appreciation—the very things that make life worth living. “This is what the science of happiness focuses on. It’s not in place of, but in addition to what traditional psychology does now,” he says. “With a focus on these elements comes increased levels of well-being, greater resilience, and an expanded capacity to deal with life’s hardships and challenges.”

Real Transformation and Change

In February 2022, Alla Klymenko was preparing for the World Happiness Summit (WOHASU) in Miami, Florida, at which the Ukrainian psychologist was scheduled to give a presentation on how to stay happy in a changing world. Then, just a few days before the conference, her husband called. Russia was on the verge of invading Ukraine. Their family needed to leave the country immediately. They got seats on the last flight to Miami. By the time they landed in the US, the war had started.

“All I could feel inside was anger,” she said during her WOHASU presentation. “It was aggression. And, of course, I have only one desire, just to wake up and understand that it all was a nightmare.”

A citizen of a country devastated by war may seem an odd candidate for a master’s degree in the study of happiness, but when Klymenko found out at WOHASU about the new program at Centenary, she immediately enrolled.

“I am currently going through a difficult period in my life,” she says. “There is a war in my country, and I was forced to leave my home and former life in one day, taking only one suitcase. But the MA in happiness provides unique knowledge. It is about real transformation and change. This knowledge is necessary for people of any age and in any life circumstances.”

The two-year master of happiness studies program at New Jersey’s Centenary University draws students like Klymenko from around the world. Launched in the fall of 2022, the program is an outgrowth of Ben-Shahar’s Happiness Studies Academy, which offers a one-year online certificate and enrolls thousands of students from 85 different countries around the globe.

Ben-Shahar says the Centenary program is grounded in the “science” of happiness. For example, among the many tools to which students are introduced is a gratitude journal To the uninitiated, it may seem an unsophisticated, even naïve suggestion: Take some time each day to reflect on and record one’s blessings, no matter how challenging life may be. But, like most of the practices included in the program, the principles behind the gratitude journal are based on rigorous research. Ben-Shahar points to studies by psychologists Robert Emmons, Michael McCollough, Joann Tsang, and others that indicate keeping a journal and other gratitude practices correlate with increased positive emotions like joy, pleasure, and optimism; lower incidence of toxic emotions like resentment and envy; improved sleep; and even a strengthened immune response.

“The University of Pennsylvania professor Marty Seligman, one of the founders of the field of positive psychology, asked students in his class to write a gratitude letter to someone,” he says. “And then, if possible, he asked them to deliver that letter by reading it to the person. Seligman said that in his 40 years of teaching, he had never encountered anything with greater impact. So, he studied gratitude letters scientifically with the late Christopher Peterson, a professor at the University of Michigan. And they found that it was indeed the most powerful single intervention for happiness and well-being. And so, I bring this practice to my students at Centenary, just as I did when I taught at Harvard.”

There is a war in my country, and I was forced to leave my home and former life in one day, taking only one suitcase. But the MA in happiness provides unique knowledge … necessary for people of any age and in any life circumstances. —Ukrainian Psychologist and Happiness Studies Student Alla Klymenko

The fact that the master of happiness studies is grounded in science—but not limited to it—is what draws many degree seekers to the program. Student James Schatzle, for instance, had seen life at its worst in his 30 years as an emergency medical technician and firefighter: acute illness and injury, violence, and grief. The president and founder of Team Life, a company that specializes in emergency health training and services, Schatzle was looking for an education that could help build resilience in himself and other healthcare workers while allowing him to reconnect with his own happiness. He considered degrees in business, neuroscience, psychology, and even philosophy, but could never decide on one. He enrolled in the master of happiness studies program because it covered all these topics.

“Our studies are centered on the elements of spiritual, physical, intellectual, relational, and emotional (SPIRE) well-being,” he says. “We are exposed to ancient philosophers like Aristotle, Plato, and Epicurus, and more modern writers like Helen Keller, Will Durant, and many experts in psychology and business. All our lessons are science- and research-based, which I think is the difference between this master’s program and a self-help course. The program has been amazing so far. It’s opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me and my fellow students.”

Joy to the World

As the master in happiness studies enters its second year, Centenary University President Dale Caldwell says the program has already exceeded expectations. Over 90 students enrolled in the first cohort with more coming for the second this fall. With major corporations increasingly offering leadership training built around the core concepts of happiness studies, Caldwell says the university is planning to expand its degree programs in the field. “We’re in the process of creating a bachelor of arts and a doctorate to create a happiness studies academic continuum,” he says.

To ensure that happiness isn’t just for the privileged, Caldwell and Ben-Shahar want to reach out to traditionally underserved populations. Caldwell says he wants to address what he calls urban traumatic stress disorder (UTSD), “the continuous trauma that people experience in these communities.”

“I believe that universities need to do more to share their research expertise in economically challenged local communities in a way that improves the quality of life for residents,” he says. “Our happiness studies program and UTSD research will enable us to offer research-based solutions to the trauma that students, workers, and residents face in poor urban communities. Tal and I therefore hope to speak and offer happiness and emotional well-being training programs in those spaces to help participants move closer to post-traumatic growth.”

Ben-Shahar says that anyone who has responsibility for the productivity and wellness of others—from business leaders to teachers, healthcare professionals, and even parents—can be more effective with happiness training. That’s why he’s working to expand the program in the years ahead, drawing students from a wide range of professions and from around the world. If it does, maybe universities like Harvard will one day have their own department of happiness.

“My hope is that happiness studies will grow and that there will be more programs like Centenary’s,” Ben-Shahar says. “There are psychology departments, neuroscience departments, and philosophy departments in thousands of universities and many different countries. Let’s bring those disciplines together now and build a healthier, happier world.”

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Publications

• UCR Department of Psychology
• Media Appearances

About Sonja Lyubomirsky

Sonja (sofya) lyubomirsky.

Sonja Lyubomirsky , Ph.D., is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside, and author of The How of Happiness  and  The Myths of Happiness  (published in 39 countries). She received her B.A.  summa cum laude  from Harvard University and her Ph.D. in social psychology from Stanford University. Lyubomirsky’s research—on the possibility of lastingly increasing happiness via gratitude, kindness, and connection interventions—has been the recipient of many grants and honors, including an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Basel, the Diener Award for Outstanding Midcareer Contributions in Personality Psychology, the Christopher J. Peterson Gold Medal, the Distinguished Research Lecturer Award, and a Positive Psychology Prize. She lives in Santa Monica, California (USA), with her family.

Research Areas

Why some happier.

I have always been struck by the capacity of some individuals to be remarkably happy, even in the face of stress, trauma, or adversity. Thus, my earlier research efforts had focused on trying to understand why some people are happier than others (for a review and theoretical framework, see Lyubomirsky, 2001 ). To this end, my approach had been to explore the cognitive and motivational processes that distinguish individuals who show exceptionally high and low levels of happiness. These processes include social comparison (how people compare themselves to peers), dissonance reduction (how people justify both trivial and important choices in their lives), self-evaluation (how people judge themselves), person perception (how people think about others), and dwelling or rumination. My students and I have found that truly happy individuals construe life events and daily situations in ways that seem to maintain their happiness, while unhappy individuals construe experiences in ways that seem to reinforce unhappiness (e.g., Liberman, Boehm, Lyubomirsky, & Ross, 2009 ; Lyubomirsky, Layous, Chancellor, & Nelson, 2015 ; Lyubomirsky & Ross, 1997 , 1999 ; see also Boehm, Ruberton, & Lyubomirsky, 2021 ).

To cast our work on happiness in a broader framework, we have also been exploring the meaning, expression, and pursuit of happiness across cultures, subcultures, and age groups. For example, despite media reports, we have found that parents actually experience more happiness and meaning than do non-parents–both when evaluating their lives as a whole, when going about their days, and when caring for their children (versus doing other activities; Nelson, Kushlev, English, Dunn, & Lyubomirsky, 2013 ). Of course, parents’ happiness is impacted by myriad factors, including their age and SES and their children’s ages and temperaments ( Nelson, Killingsworth, Layous, Cole, & Lyubomirsky, 2019 ; Nelson, Kushlev, & Lyubomirsky, 2014 ). Furthermore, we have carried out happiness-increasing interventions among Japanese engineers, Korean and Hong Kong undergraduates, Spanish, French, and German professionals, Canadian elementary school students, and British and U.S. teens (for a few of our cross-cultural findings, see Boehm et al., 2011 ; Layous et al., 2013 ; Sheldon et al., 2017 ; Shin & Lyubomirsky, 2017 ; Shin et al., 2020 ;  Shin et al., 2021 ).

Benefits of Happiness

Is happiness a good thing? Or, does it just simply feel good? A review of all the available literature has revealed that happiness does indeed have numerous positive byproducts, which appear to benefit not only individuals, but families, communities, and the society at large ( Lyubomirsky, King, & Diener, 2005 ; see also  Walsh, Boehm, & Lyubomirsky, 2018 ; Walsh, Boz, & Lyubomirsky, 2023 ). The benefits of happiness include higher income and superior work outcomes (e.g., greater productivity and higher quality of work), larger social rewards (e.g., more satisfying and longer marriages, more friends, stronger social support, and richer social interactions), more activity, energy, and flow, and better physical health (e.g., a bolstered immune system, lowered stress levels, and less pain) and even longer life. The literature, my colleagues and I have found, also suggests that happy individuals are more creative, helpful, charitable, and self-confident, have better self-control, and show greater self-regulatory and coping abilities.

On-going and future experimental and longitudinal studies that attempt to increase the long-term happiness of students and working adults are giving us the opportunity to assess whether increases in durable happiness predict changes in other positive outcomes, such as altruistic behavior, creativity, work performance, physical health, and social relationships. We have investigated whether both happiness and generosity propagate across social networks (funded by the Notre Dame Science of Generosity Initiative; Chancellor et al., 2018 ), and whether happiness is associated with more physical movement and greater social interactions (funded by Hitachi’s Central Research Laboratory;  Chancellor, Layous, & Lyubomirsky, 2015 ). For example, we found that 9- to 11-year old kids who practiced acts of kindness not only got happier but became more popular with their peers ( Layous et al., 2012 ) and that 14- and 15-year olds who practiced gratitude not only got happier but reported healthier eating habits ( Fritz et al., 2019 ) and intentions to become a better person ( Armenta et al., 2022 ) over the course of a semester.  And an exciting experiment showed that doing acts of kindness for others (versus kindness for the world or themselves or doing something neutral) leads to changes in immune cell gene expression associated with disease resistance ( Nelson-Coffey et al., 2017;  but not telomere length;  Fritz et al., 2020 ). We are also currently using new technologies, including ambulatory, sociometric, psychophysiological, smartphone, and EEG methodologies, to assess happiness and the effects of positive activities (e.g., Chancellor et al., 2017 ; Parks, Della Porta, Pierce, Zilca, & Lyubomirsky, 2012 ; Yetton, Revord, Margolis, Lyubomirsky, & Seitz, 2019 ).

Finally, a separate line of research, supported by the John Templeton Foundation, focuses on the strength of humility — that is, how to measure it; what are its antecedents, causes, and consequences for individuals and organizations; and, perhaps most important, how people can develop it (e.g., Kruse, Chancellor, Ruberton, & Lyubomirsky, 2014 ; Ruberton, Kruse, & Lyubomirsky, 2016 ). We have been successful, for example, in inducing humble feelings via manipulations of gratitude, awe, and self-affirmation.

Happiness Interventions

A vibrant and continuing program of research is asking the question, “How can happiness be reliably increased?” (for reviews, see Layous & Lyubomirsky, 2024 (forthcoming in Handbook of Social Psychology) ;  Layous & Lyubomirsky, 2014 ; Lyubomirsky, 2008 ; Lyubomirsky & Layous, 2013 ; Lyubomirsky, Sheldon, & Schkade, 2005 ; Sin & Lyubomirsky, 2009 ). Despite pessimism from the current literature that the pursuit of happiness may be largely futile, my colleagues and I believe that durable increases in happiness are indeed possible and within the average person’s reach (see Sheldon & Lyubomirsky, 2019 , for our rethinking of the “happiness pie chart”). Thus, following my construal theory of happiness, I am exploring how the thoughts and behaviors that characterize naturally happy people (i.e., “happy habits”) can be nurtured, acquired, or directly taught. To this end, my students’ and my current research is testing predictions from our positive activity model ( Lyubomirsky & Layous, 2013 ) —specifically, investigating the mechanisms underlying the efficacy of simple intentional effortful activities (which we call “positive activities”) to boost well-being, as well as the conditions under which such activities might backfire ( Fritz & Lyubomirsky, 2018 ) .

To this end, we have conducted multiple experimental intervention studies in which participants’ cognitive and behavioral strategies are systematically retrained. For example, intervention studies with students, kids, community members, workers, depressed individuals, and hospital patients are testing the efficacy of five cognitive and behavioral volitional strategies: 1) regularly setting aside time to recall moments of gratitude (i.e., keeping a journal in which one “counts one’s blessings” or writing gratitude letters), 2) engaging in self-regulatory and positive thinking about oneself (i.e., reflecting, writing, and talking about one’s happiest and unhappiest life events or one’s goals for the future), 3) practicing altruism and kindness (i.e., routinely committing acts of kindness or trying to make a loved one happy), 4) affirming one’s most important values, and 5) savoring positive experiences (e.g., using one’s five senses to relish daily moments or living this month like it’s one’s last in a particular location). Importantly, we are testing our positive activity model by exploring whether the benefits of such activities differ across cultures (see above), and whether their success is moderated by such factors as person-activity “fit,” motivation, effort, social support, variety, medium, delivery, writing format, dosage, personality, culture, age, and expectations (e.g., Boehm, Lyubomirsky, & Sheldon, 2011 ; Fritz et al., in press;   Ko et al., 2021 ;  Layous, Lee, Choi, & Lyubomirsky, 2103 ; Lyubomirsky, Dickerhoof, Boehm, & Sheldon, 2011 ; Lyubomirsky, Sousa, & Dickerhoof, 2006 ; Nelson et al., 2015 ; Nelson, Fuller, Choi, & Lyubomirsky, 2014 ; Nelson, Layous, Cole, & Lyubomirsky, 2016 ; Sheldon et al., 2010 ; Sheldon, Boehm, & Lyubomirsky, 2012 ; Sin, Della Porta, & Lyubomirsky, 2011 ;   Walsh et al., 2023 ; Regan, Walsh, & Lyubomirsky, 2023 ).

Perhaps most critical to improving and maintaining happiness is the ability to connect with other people and to create meaningful connecting moments and even chemistry ( Reis, Regan, & Lyubomirsky, 2021 ), and this is an important focus of our lab’s recent research (e.g., Regan, Radosic, & Lyubomirsky, 2022;   Fritz et al., in press ; Margolis & Lyubomirsky, 2020 ). We have investigated how feelings of connection during social interactions can be measured (Okabe-Miyamoto et al., in press); how they have been impacted by social distancing policies during COVID-19 ( Folk et al., 2020 ; Okabe-Miyamoto et al., 2021 ); and how they may be induced by psychoactive substances, like MDMA ( Lyubomirsky, 2022 ; Regan et al., 2021 ; Molla, Lee, Lyubomirsky, & de Wit, 2023 ).

We are also examining the “why” of happiness-boosting interventions by testing the mediating role of positive events, positive thoughts, positive emotions, and need satisfaction. Recently, we have become interested in the conditions under which positive activities can feel unpleasant or even backfire ( Fritz & Lyubomirsky, 2018 ; Layous et al., 2017 ). Finally, we are investigating genetic and environmental influences on individual differences in responses to happiness-increasing interventions ( Haworth et al., 2016 ), and considering how such interventions might protect people from mental health conditions (e.g., Layous, Chancellor, & Lyubomirsky, 2014 ) and influence biological processes ( Fritz et al.,2021; Nelson-Coffey, Fritz, Lyubomirsky, & Cole, 2017 ) .

Hedonic Adaptation

The science of happiness, ph.d. students.

Graduate Student

Recent Media Appearances

Mission Joy: Finding Happiness in Troubled Times; available on Netflix, Amazon Video, etc.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, Mark Manson, “Sex, Drugs, and Money Might Actually Make You Happier”; click here to listen.

The Psychology Podcast, Scott Barry Kaufman, “The How of Happiness”; click here to listen.

TV INTERVIEW

The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper: Miracle on the Hudson; available on CNN & Max.

• Fortune — “ 5 Simple Strategies Can Help You Be Happier At Work ”
• UCR Magazine — “ Tuning in Again to Psychedelics ”
• Highlights Magazine – “Why Be Kind?”

Subjective Happiness Scale

• Permission is granted for all non-commercial use, including scholarly/academic.
• A PDF of the scale can be downloaded  here .
• Available from the first author in the following translations: Bulgarian, Chinese, Croation, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Filipino, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian, Persian, Peruvian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Scandinavian, Serbian, Sinhala, Slovak, Spanish (European), Spanish (Mexican), Swedish, Tamil, Thai, Turkish, Urdu.
• To score the scale, reverse code the 4th item (i.e., turn a 7 into a 1, a 6 into a 2, a 5 into a 3, a 3 into a 5, a 2 into a 6, and a 1 into a 7), and compute the mean of the 4 items.  Norms are available in the reference below, as well as in many other publications that have used the scale (see PsycInfo).
• Lyubomirsky, S., & Lepper, H. (1999).  A measure of subjective happiness: Preliminary reliability and construct validation .  Social Indicators Research, 46,  137-155. The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com.

January 31, 2024

Here’s the Happiness Research that Stands Up to Scrutiny

From meditation to smiling, researchers take a second look at studies claiming to reveal what makes us happy

By Amber Dance & Knowable Magazine

Yagi Studio/Getty Images

We all want to be happy — and for decades, psychologists have tried to figure out how we might achieve that blissful state. The field’s many surveys and experiments have pointed to a variety of approaches, from giving stuff away to quitting Facebook to forcing one’s face into a toothy grin.

But psychology has undergone serious upheaval over the last decade, as researchers realized that many studies were unreliable and unrepeatable. That has led to a closer scrutiny of psychological research methods, with the study of happiness no exception. So — what  really  makes us happy? Under today’s more careful microscope, some routes to happiness seem to hold up, while others appear not to, or have yet to re-prove themselves. Here’s what we know so far, and what remains to be reassessed,  according to a new analysis  in the  Annual Review of Psychology .

Put on a happy face

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One long-standing hypothesis is that smiling makes you feel happier. In a classic 1988 study, researchers asked 92 Illinois undergraduates to hold a felt tip pen in their mouth either with their teeth, forcing an unnatural grin, or with their lips, making them pout. The students then looked at four examples of  The Far Side  comics . On average, those with the forced smiles  found the one-panel comics slightly funnier  than those with the forced pouts.

But when 17 different research labs got together to retest the pen-clench smile’s effects on 1,894 new participants, the finding  failed to hold up , the researchers reported in 2016.

The repetition study was part of a broader effort to counter  psychology’s reproducibility crisis , which in part has been attributed to the variety of ways in which researchers could examine and reanalyze their data until they arrived at publishable results. “It’s kind of like shooting a bunch of arrows at the wall and drawing the bullseye on after,” says Elizabeth Dunn, a social psychologist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and coauthor of the new  Annual Review of Psychology  paper.

One solution has been for scientists to publicly declare, or preregister, their analysis plans before they conduct their experiments. In other words, they draw the bullseye first. Dunn and her graduate student, Dunigan Folk, homed in on such preregistered studies in their analysis, which narrowed the vast field of happiness research to just 48 published papers. Even that small number is encouraging, says Brian Nosek, a psychologist at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and executive director of the Center for Open Science, which aims to improve research reproducibility. “I was actually surprised that there were as many papers that qualified,” he says. “That really demonstrates that this area of research has adopted a lot of these new rigor-enhancing practices.”

Preregistration alone doesn’t guarantee that results will be correct, nor does it solve all of psychology’s reproducibility problems. Quality studies also require sound methods and large and diverse sets of participants, for example. And indeed, most of the papers reviewed were high quality in those features beyond just preregistration, Dunn says. Even under the regimen of renewed scrutiny, some of the paths to happiness held up, the researchers found — including practicing gratitude, acting sociable and spending money on other people.

Take gratitude. In one of the recent studies, researchers asked hundreds of parents to either write about how they spent their week, or pen a gratitude letter to someone they knew. Expressing gratitude  resulted in more positive moods . In another recent study, scientists asked more than 900 undergraduates to express gratitude in letters, texts or social media, or to list their daily activities. Those in the gratitude group  scored as happier and more satisfied  with their lives the following day. In both cases, it’s unclear how long these effects would persist.

Three different preregistered studies pointed to sociability as beneficial. In one, scientists assigned 71 adults to act extroverted — “bold, talkative, outgoing, active and assertive” — for a week, and another 76 to be “unassuming, sensitive, calm, modest and quiet.” Participants in the extroverted condition  reported better moods  during the study week, though the benefits were less for those who were naturally introverted.

And surprise! Smiling to promote happiness was also supported by new, preregistered research — once scientists switched to more natural grins. About two dozen labs from 19 different countries worked together to test the instruction to grip a pen in the teeth or to mimic the expression of a smiling person in nearly 4,000 subjects. The pen clenching still didn’t work, but people who were told to copy a smile  did report better moods . Remarkably, this was true  even if the subjects didn’t believe it would work , another team reported in 2023.

Researchers have also found that external agencies can promote people’s happiness. Giving people cash promoted life satisfaction, as did workplace interventions such as naps.

Dunn cautions, however, that participation in preregistered studies tends to yield small effects on happiness overall, in part because scientists can’t massage the data to get bigger numbers. If the interventions were a diet program, she says, users might drop about four pounds.

Nice ideas, poor results

Other well-known happiness approaches haven’t measured up to Dunn and Folk’s standards — at least, not yet. The researchers didn’t find clear evidence of benefits for volunteering, performing random acts of kindness or meditation. For example, a recent, preregistered study asked participants to perform acts of kindness for others, or for themselves, or simply to list what they did each day. Being kind to others over a four-week period  made no difference to well-being .

Dunn and Folk didn’t find any preregistered studies at all on  exercising  or spending  time in nature , two  oft-recommended strategies . That doesn’t mean those strategies don’t or can’t work, Dunn says — just that as the preregistered landscape now stands, research hasn’t weighed in. The pair considered only two preregistered studies on meditation, and did not include meditation research on people with diagnosed mental health problems.

Such rigor is admirable, but it also means one can miss things, says Simon Goldberg, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He studies the effects of meditation, including research among people who have  psychological problems such as depression and anxiety . He noted that because of Dunn and Folk’s strict criteria, they omitted hundreds of studies on  meditation’s benefits . “It’s, in the spirit of rigor, throwing lots of babies out with the bathwater,” he says. “It’s really very obvious that meditation training reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression.”

Dunn agrees that the review only covered the tip of the iceberg of happiness research. But that tip should expand as more psychologists preregister their science as part of  what some call a renaissance  in the field. As Dunn and Folk conclude, “happiness research stands on the brink of an exciting new era.”

This article originally appeared in Knowable Magazine , an independent journalistic endeavor from Annual Reviews. Sign up for the newsletter .

How to Get a Ph.D. in Positive Psychology

In order to find a satisfactory answer to this question, we asked:

• this question in our positive psychology Facebook community
• all the people whom we know and are currently doing a Ph.D. within the field of positive psychology
• Dr. Martin Seligman , Lisa Sansom, and Louis Alloro

After putting all of their responses to this question together, we feel like we’re in a good position to give you a satisfactory answer to this question.

Doctoral Programs in Positive Psychology

Option 1: claremont graduate university (cgu).

The Quality of Life Research Center at Claremont Graduate University offers two streams of Ph.D. positions:

• one in Positive Developmental Psychology
• one in Positive Organizational Psychology

Please visit their website or send an e-mail to  [email protected] if you want to find out more.

Option 2: University of East London (UEL)

Although it’s not as clear as CGU’s program, apparently there is a possibility of doing a Ph.D. at the  University of East London  as well. You can follow the link and fill in the form for further inquiry.

I will ask the current lecturers of the MAPP program at the UEL for more information and update this page accordingly.

Option 3: Get the Ph.D. position in a field of your own choice

Lisa Sansom remarked that “at the Ph.D. level, it’s more about your supervisor than the actual name of the program. Marty’s Ph.D. students at Penn don’t, as far as I know, get a Ph.D. in positive psychology but that is what they are studying effectively. Same with Barb and Sonja and most of the big names. Find the supervisor who is working and researching in the field you want to spend several years of your life and go there.”

This means that if you know which branch of positive psychology (e.g. subjective wellbeing , mindfulness , resilience , positive psychotherapy  etc.) you like to do research into, you should find a positive psychology researcher who is active in that field by using this list and then contact him or her about the possibilities for doing a Ph.D. under their guidance.

What is a Ph.D. Exactly?

A Ph.D. is a research degree while BSc and MSc (or BA and MA) are taught degrees. In a research degree, students learn through research and take full responsibility for their learning. In other words, a Ph.D. is a relatively big research project that the research student conducts independently with only the supervision of a senior research professor at the university.

Such research projects lead to a thesis of publishable quality of roughly about 80,000 words.  The research and hence the thesis should make an original scientific contribution to the field of its study.

What does a Ph.D. in Psychology Look Like?

A Ph.D. in psychology usually takes three years full-time, and up to six years when studied part-time. What you need to consider about a Ph.D. in positive psychology, is that at the Ph.D. level, positive psychology merges with psychology in general. So, you do not need to find a university specializing in positive psychology.  In fact, even universities that do not teach positive psychology at BSc or MSc level, conduct some research on various topics that are directly related to positive psychology.

Know your Outcome

However, before you make a final decision, think carefully about the topic of your research. It would be hard to spend three years researching a topic that you’re not truly passionate about.

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Choosing a University

Make sure that you choose a university that is suitable for you in all respects. Gather as much information as possible beforehand. Find out about their facilities, accommodation (if required) and most importantly about their research culture.

Also, learn about your potential supervisor (e.g. about his/her research experience, publications and methods) and arrange to meet your supervisor (or at least contact him/her by email) even before applying for the course, to see if they are willing to supervise your proposed topic. Be aware of miscalculating what is required of you.

How to get Funding or a Scholarship?

Securing the necessary funding for your Ph.D. is another vital step in achieving your research ambitions and there are various funding systems.

Obviously, one method is raising your own private funds (self-funding), but most people rely on studentships granted by the university or a research body (e.g. Medical Research Council in the UK) that supports the university. Your chosen university can provide details of such grants.

Make sure that you understand the available funding systems, the eligibility criteria for each scheme and the extent of the support provided by each arrangement, before applying for the course.

An important point to remember is the fact that Ph.D.’s supported by studentships, grants or scholarships usually relate to a specific topic. Such subject matters could cover a wide spectrum or can be associated with a narrowly defined area. This will limit your choices, so you need to search far and wide to find the studentship that supports your favorite topic.

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Further Resources

Visit the following websites to see a selection of advertised studentships and additional information about Ph.D. places.

• http://www.jobs.ac.uk/phd
• http://www.findaphd.com
• Positive Psychology Degree

That’s all there is to it!

We wish you the best of luck in finding a Ph.D. position within the field of Positive Psychology! If there’s anything that we can help you with please don’t hesitate to ask.

All the best!

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Article feedback

What our readers think.

In this article post, Martin Seligman mentioned a list of Phd professionals in relevant related fields of positive psychology. Do you happen to have that list so that readers such as myself can find out more about their work in different institutions?

I have found this link for you! There you can see who is currently an active positive psychology researcher.

I hope this helps! Kind regards, Julia | Community Manager

Nirwan University, Jaipur (NUJ) has a strong commitment to high quality research and aims to enhance the professional competence of the scholars. The University offers Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) Programme to the eligible scholars, who are interested in doing research. Every candidate is expected to follow the procedures laid down for fulfilling the requirements of Ph.D. Programme of the University & University Grant Commission (UGC).

I hold a PhD in psychology, an MS in counseling psychology, and post-doc work in marriage and family therapy – do I need to pursue further studies in positive psychology to obtain a license to practice as a positive psychotherapist?

Hi Jacqueline,

The requirements to become licensed and practice as a therapist tend to differ between locations. Generally, yes, you need to complete a number of practicum hours, be supervised by another licensed therapist, and obtain a license to begin practicing. To help, we recently released a comprehensive guide on becoming a therapist to help you figure out these requirements. You can learn more about the guide here .

Hope this helps!

– Nicole | Community Manager

Hi , i want to know more about funding system .. I’m from Egypt and i want really have PhD in positive psychology but have some issues with it’s fees

I’m an m.sc psychology post graduate from India. I do not have funds for my PhD. I would like to do my PhD in positive psychology. How do u suggest me to go about it.

yes , wonderful to be part of this affirmation community .Appreciative enquiry is the leading topic and relevant topic today .I live in India and I want to pursue Ph.D. in this field . How can some one help me

I am interested in positive psychology in changing the lives of the severely mentally ill. I believe a real connection with positive life will lead against what exists in Australia as a culture of failure, abominably referred to as “mental health” ( what I call ‘Pantosis’) As you would understand low expectations lead to low outcomes. Please contact that I may more substantially raise awareness of ability to overcome for the neglected and assigned; those who are said to be psychotic.

Pointer: consult your GP whether there are any sort of IAPT solutions (Improving Access to Mental Treatment) in your area.

Mr zolfagharifard salam.etelat dar morede gereftane paziresh PHD dar reshteye positive psychology mikham.che tor mitunam ba shoma tamas dashte basham?sepasgozar

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Exploring the Reciprocal Relationships between Happiness and Life Satisfaction of Working Adults—Evidence from Abu Dhabi

Masood a. badri.

1 Chairman Office, Department of Community Development, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 30039, United Arab Emirates; ea.vog.dcdda@reehgum (M.A.); [email protected] (M.A.)

2 College of Business and Economics, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates

Mugheer Alkhaili

Hamad aldhaheri.

3 Undersecretary Office, Department of Community Development, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 30039, United Arab Emirates; [email protected]

4 Social Monitoring and Innovation Sector, Department of Community Development, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 30039, United Arab Emirates; [email protected] (G.Y.); [email protected] (A.A.)

Muna Albahar

5 College of Humanities and Social Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain P.O. Box 15551, United Arab Emirates

Asma Alrashdi

Associated data.

The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy restrictions.

This paper examines the relationships between a range of well-being factors and two commonly used subjective well-being measures—happiness and life satisfaction. Data from the second cycle of the Quality of Life (QoL) Survey in Abu Dhabi were used, which included 32,087 working adults. The well-being factors included in the analysis covered various aspects of life themes: income and jobs, work–home balance, health and physical activities, social and community services, living environment, and family/friends’ relationships and connections. Using standardized data, path analysis yielded an optimal path model that suggested the presence of a reciprocal relationship between happiness and life satisfaction. In addition, the final model suggested that four variables—job satisfaction, mental health, satisfaction with relationships with people, and the size of the social support network—had direct effects on happiness and life satisfaction. The model also identified three variables—satisfaction with family life, mental health, and job satisfaction—to have the most significant effect on happiness.

1. Introduction

Well-being- or quality-of-life-related research in the context of Abu Dhabi has attracted much attention since the Department of Community Development launched the Abu Dhabi Quality of Life (QoL) Survey in 2019. Many public agencies in Abu Dhabi have used the QoL survey outcomes to form well-being indicators, aiming to develop social capital and promote happiness and life satisfaction among members of the communities. In this regard, several studies have emerged focusing on various aspects of quality of life among different segments of the population in Abu Dhabi, including the happiness of the elderly [ 1 ], self-perceived depression among adolescents [ 2 ], as well as social trust [ 3 ]. Badri et al. [ 4 ], in particular, addressed the effect of working time on workers’ quality of life. The proposed path model justified the significance of working hours on several well-being variables, implying that further research should include life satisfaction and happiness to address a more comprehensive model of quality of life for working people in Abu Dhabi.

Most research views life satisfaction as more complex than happiness. Nevertheless, the term is sometimes used interchangeably with happiness or well-being. Most see life satisfaction as the evaluation of one’s life. As a result, it is not simply one’s current level of happiness. Research views happiness as more “immediate, in-the-moment experience; although enjoyable, it is ultimately fleeting” [ 5 ]. As a result, a healthy life surely includes moments of happiness, but happiness by itself usually might not make for a fulfilling and satisfying life [ 6 ]. Research also identifies life satisfaction as being more “stable and long-lived” than happiness and broader in scope [ 7 ]. Life satisfaction usually reflects our general feeling about our life and how pleased we are with how it is going [ 8 ]. Research has explained that there are multidimensional factors that contribute to life satisfaction. Such domains might include work, relationships, relationships with family and friends, personal development, health, and other factors [ 9 ].

In the extant literature, well-being measures associated with working adults vary in the scope or domain of those studies and are often examined in different contexts [ 1 , 4 ]. Nevertheless, most research focuses on two subjective measures of well-being—life satisfaction and happiness—and explores some of the inter-relationships [ 1 , 10 ]. However, there has been little attention towards examining the possibility of reciprocal relationships between the more extended domain of life satisfaction and the narrower domain of happiness.

This current study of working people in Abu Dhabi is set to examine the possible indication of such reciprocal relations through an integrated path analysis approach. The study also aims to investigate the interactions between other well-being factors and life satisfaction and happiness. Such analysis is essential since it provides policymakers with a better understanding of the interactive relationships between happiness and life satisfaction, as well as more clarity regarding the interrelations of the different well-being constructs.

2. Review of the Literature

Researchers used to adopt objective well-being measures to evaluate people’s quality of life. In recent years, however, most quality-of-life projects in many countries have increasingly included both objective and subjective dimensions [ 11 , 12 ]. The OECD has used subjective well-being extensively, as it corresponds to how people experience and evaluate their lives and specific domains and activities in their lives [ 13 ]. Diener et al. [ 14 ] has provided a detailed review of scientific research on subjective well-being. The authors define subjective well-being to consist of a person’s cognitive and affective evaluations of his or her life. After providing a brief historical review of research on subjective well-being, they summarized the main measurement issues (e.g., the validity of self-reports, memory bias). In addition, they presented the major theoretical approaches to this area of research. In their research, they reviewed current findings on subjective well-being, and suggested future directions for the study of subjective well-being.

Life satisfaction is often considered as a subjective well-being measure that reflects positive and negative emotions [ 15 , 16 ]. Various studies examine overall or holistic life satisfaction or satisfaction from specific life domains, including family life, friend relationships, work and earnings, and schooling and education [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ]. Some researchers add that life satisfaction is also a reflection of mental and physical health [ 21 ].

Research reveals many variables to be strongly associated with life satisfaction. Those variables are general well-being measures encompassing individuals’ satisfaction with income, jobs, employment, health, living conditions, social relationships, and connections [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ]. International empirical studies broadly tend to comprehend that well-being is primarily affected by socioeconomic status and a healthy lifestyle [ 26 , 27 ]. Many studies report a strong relationship between life satisfaction and physical and psychological health [ 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ]. Notably, some studies reveal stronger effects of the quality of connectedness and social relationships and a relatively less important influence of income on life satisfaction [ 17 , 32 , 33 ].

Defined as “a state of well-being and contentment” or “a pleasurable or satisfying experience” [ 11 ], happiness, as another commonly used subjective well-being measure, reflects the degree to which an individual perceives that his/her aspiration is met [ 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ]. As happiness depends on both cognitive and emotional components, it reflects both psychological happiness and prudential happiness [ 11 , 32 ]. Valois et al. [ 15 ], and Nemati and Maralan [ 33 ] addressed happiness as a multi-dimensional construct made up of several significant factors of emotional, social relations with others, cognitive aspects, physical activities, and optimism. Likewise, Cloninger and Zohar [ 34 ], and Saricam [ 11 ] proposed that happiness may arise from a combination of factors, including other positive emotions and subjective well-being.

The relationship between life satisfaction and happiness is an important area within the field of positive psychology. Most researchers assert a positive link between life satisfaction and happiness [ 17 , 32 , 35 , 36 , 37 ], while seeing happiness as being more emotional and life satisfaction more cognitive in nature. For example, Myers [ 38 ] focused on happiness to explain positive experimentations when it comes to life satisfaction. Peterson et al. [ 39 ] argued that individual orientations to happiness predict life satisfaction. Nemati and Maralani [ 33 ] investigated the relationship between happiness and life satisfaction with the existence of some mediating factors related to resiliency. A study examining the structural relationships of well-being, leisure satisfaction, life satisfaction, and happiness concluded that life satisfaction and leisure play a major role in the perception of personal happiness [ 10 ]. The happiness achieved in a recreational activity plays a vital role in a person’s life satisfaction level [ 40 ]. Similarly, Liang et al. [ 41 ] pointed to happiness as a significant predictor of satisfaction with life, leisure satisfaction, national well-being, and personal well-being. Again, variables related to the composition of social networks and support from family and friends tend to receive the most attention concerning both life satisfaction and happiness [ 42 , 43 ].

While some analysts consider and use happiness interchangeably with life satisfaction [ 16 ], some other studies, nevertheless, focus on the abstract differences between happiness and life satisfaction [ 44 , 45 ]. Kahneman and Riis [ 46 ], and Kahneman et al. [ 47 ], for example, noted that happiness and satisfaction are distinct constructs, as happiness is a momentary experience that arises spontaneously, while life satisfaction is a long-term feeling based on achieving life-long goals. Seligman [ 48 ] also provided empirical evidence to highlight the conceptual difference between life satisfaction and happiness. Some researchers further explored the differences between life satisfaction and happiness through the effects from other factors such as positive mental health [ 49 , 50 , 51 ].

The happiness and life satisfaction of working adults have received much attention in recent years. Employee happiness or well-being is an emerging topic in management as well as in psychology [ 52 ]. Graham and Pettinato [ 53 ] posited economic conditions and jobs to be significant in determining happiness and proposed that a higher income, higher attainment of education, and job satisfaction have a noticeable influence on happiness. Ball and Chernova [ 19 ] reported the importance of job and income in working people’s well-being, life satisfaction, and happiness. However, some non-economic dimensions such as the quality of social relationships appeared to have a more significant impact on happiness and life satisfaction than income [ 54 ]. Therefore, some researchers concentrated on the importance of work–life balance and its influence on mental health, well-being, and happiness [ 27 , 55 ]. Erdogan et al. [ 56 ] also examined the influence of specific work-related factors on employee happiness and concluded that, amongst other factors, job satisfaction has highly significant effects.

The quality-of-life literature often reports bidirectional or reciprocal relationships between certain quality-of-life variables. Consistent with Keon and McDonald [ 57 ], Judge and Watanabe [ 58 ] found a reciprocal relationship between job and life satisfaction. Lu et al. [ 59 ] investigated the reciprocal relationship between psychosocial work stress and quality of life, factoring in the effects of gender and education. Unanue et al. [ 60 ] investigated the reciprocal relationship between gratitude and life satisfaction. Likewise, there are studies focusing on exploring the reciprocal relationship between material wealth and health [ 61 ]. However, few empirical works exist that examine such relationships between life satisfaction and happiness. Further research is also required to address the more complex relationships between happiness and life satisfaction as they relate to other well-being variables [ 23 ].

The objective of this current study is to explore the viability of a model encompassing life satisfaction, happiness, and other quality-of-life determinants for better understanding the direct and indirect relationships between these variables for working adults in Abu Dhabi.

3. Methods and Design

Based on the literature review, the direction of various paths in the model was envisioned and several variables were selected from the Abu Dhabi QoL Survey to test it. Furthermore, the model and analysis investigated both directional and reciprocal relations, especially concerning happiness and life satisfaction.

3.1. Participants

The study relied on the Abu Dhabi QoL Survey conducted in 2019/2020, which covered more than 72,000 respondents. A total of 34,499 were employed or self-employed and they constituted the target of this study. The online survey was available for Emiratis and all major non-Emirati community members. It was administered in six different languages (Arabic, English, Hindi (four different dialects), Farsi, Tagalog, and Chinese). Informed consent was obtained from all respondents involved in the study. The survey covered both full-time employment and part-time employment.

3.2. Instruments and Procedure

The design of the QoL survey was based mainly on several international well-being frameworks, including the OECD’s Better Life Index [ 13 ], World Happiness Report [ 62 ], Gallup Global Well-Being Survey [ 63 ], and European Quality of Life Surveys [ 64 ]. Conducted online, the QoL survey covered dimensions of housing, household income, jobs and earnings, health, education, safety, and social connections. Participation in the survey was voluntary and included all working individuals connected through databases provided by various government departments and private organizations in Abu Dhabi. Through an introductory letter, participants were informed about the objectives of the study and guaranteed confidentiality and anonymity. Both the Department of Community Development and the Abu Dhabi Statistics Center provided the ethical approval for this study.

The main variables from the survey that were identified for the current study included the subjective questions regarding overall job satisfaction, work–family balance, self-perception of health, mental health and depression, size of social support network, satisfaction with relations with other people, feelings about the surrounding environment, amount of quality family time, satisfaction with family life, frequency of meeting with friends, and life satisfaction and happiness.

For the variables used in the analysis, Table 1 provides further explanations. The table identifies the variables used, the definitions of each variable, and the corresponding scale. Since the scales are not unified, further standardization was performed before conducting the path analysis. The scales used (1–5) or (0–10) are consistent with the scales used by the countries in their annual Better Life Quality surveys [ 15 ].

Scale values and explanations.

3.3. Analysis Method

Relationships between happiness, life satisfaction, and other selected variables were tested using path analysis. The path model specified was estimated with the program LISREL8 using the Maximum Likelihood estimation procedure [ 65 ], which also provides a chi-square test of the models hypothesized. The methodology takes a confirmatory approach to the analysis [ 66 ]. The goodness of fit statistics were utilized to determine the adequacy of the model and whether the hypothesized relationships were supported and plausible. Specifically, the Normed Fit Index (NFI), Non-Normed Fit Index (NNFI), Comparative Fit Index (CFI), Goodness of Fit Index (GFI), Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index (AGFI), Root Mean Square Residual (RMR), and Standardized RMR were used. For these indices, values greater than 0.90 are typically considered to be acceptable. Values greater than 0.95 indicate a good fit to the data [ 66 ]. Moreover, values for (χ2/df) are considered satisfactory when <3. An RMSEA in the range of 0.05 to 0.10 is considered an indication of fair fit, while values smaller that 0.05 are considered a good fit [ 66 ].

The covariance matrix was also used when testing the goodness of fit statistics. Covariance structure models estimated in the present study allow non-recursive model estimations for the purposes of drawing inferences. These methods combined allow us to check the relationships using path analysis to simultaneously examine a number of correlated happiness, life satisfaction, and well-being variables. As reported earlier, most variables in the model were measured using a scale of (1 to 5); however, both life satisfaction and happiness used a scale of (0 to10). Values were standardized for further analysis. Table 2 provides the unstandardized values for the means and standard deviations of the variables.

Scale types, means, and standard deviations of variables in the model.

Table 3 provides a summary of the demographic profiles of the participants in the study. Overall, 61.6% of the sample were males and 79.9% were married. Approximately 44.3% were within the 35–44 age bracket, followed by 30.2% in the 24–34 age bracket. Moreover, 45.2% were holders of a bachelor’s degree. Emiratis constituted 41.3% of the sample, while non-Emiratis accounted for 58.7%.

Demographics of the participants.

The sample of respondents included different work categories (26.1% federal government, 33.1% local government, 14.5% semi government, and 26.3% private sector). Meanwhile, the working respondents covered a variety economic fields/activities of employers. The bulk came from education (20.7%), health and social work (13.3%), public administration (12.8%), defense (8.5%), financial and insurance (5.4%), water and electricity supply (4.3%), manufacturing (4.5%), transport and storage (4.2%), information and communication (4.7%), extra territorial organizations (4.1%), construction (4.9%), and other social and personal services (4.1%). The largest percentage of respondents came from the United Arab Emirates, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Yamen, Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Iran, the Philippines, China, Japan, the UK, the USA, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, and Australia. Regarding monthly job income, 26.6% of the respondents made 25,000 Dirhams or less, 14.6% between 25,001 and 40,000 Dirhams, 6.8% between 40,001 and 60,000, 18.5% between 60,001 and 80,000 Dirhams, 13.5% between 8,.001 and 100,000, and 20% more than 100,000 Dirhams.

Table 4 shows the covariance matrix of the variables in the model. As suggested, the hypothesized model was examined via path analysis as a structural equation modeling method. Figure 1 shows the final path model and Table 5 presents the various model fit properties. The model demonstrated excellent fit (χ2/df = 1.7915 with a p -value of 0.27986, GFI = 0.99, AGFI = 0.98, CFI = 0.99, NFI = 0.98, NNFI = 0.98, SRMR= 0.000704, and RMSEA = 0.00139).

The path analysis model (estimate and t -value).

The covariance matrix of variables in the model.

Goodness of fit statistics for the final model.

Table 6 shows the path estimates and their associated t -values for the variables in the path model. Life satisfaction is affected by five variables: job satisfaction, mental health, Social support network, satisfaction with relationships with others, and happiness. Nine variables influence happiness, including job satisfaction, mental health, Social support network, satisfaction with relationships with others, satisfaction with family life, self-assessment of health, quality time with family, work–life balance, and life satisfaction. The path model identifies direct reciprocal relations between life satisfaction and happiness for working people.

Path analysis model—specifications.

Table 7 focuses more on happiness and life satisfaction. It provides the direct, indirect, and total effects of the final variables in the path model. The direct and indirect effects of those well-being variables on happiness and life satisfaction can be revealed through a closer look at the figures. Concerning life satisfaction, mental health contributes the highest total effects (0.63554), followed by satisfaction with family life (0.56210), job satisfaction (0.50590), and Social support network (0.38096). Concerning happiness, the same order of well-being factors appears, as the highest total effects are related to mental health (0.84642), satisfaction with family life (0.82420), job satisfaction (0.63232), and Social support network (0.41448). It is worth noticing that the effect of job satisfaction is higher on happiness (0.63232) than on life satisfaction (0.50590).

Direct and indirect effects in the reciprocal model.

Additional analysis was performed to better understand the presence of the recursive relation between life satisfaction and happiness. A related sensitivity analysis was conducted by controlling the directions of paths between happiness and life satisfaction. The model was run with only a path from happiness to life satisfaction, while the path from life satisfaction to happiness was removed. The model results are extensively different. The fit statistics are relatively poor, with mixed results (χ2/df = 789, GFI = 0.959, AGFI = 0.94, CFI = 0.962, NFI = 0.962, NNFI = 0.579, SRMR = 0.0283, and RMSEA = 0.169). The same poor results were obtained when the direction was set to be only from life satisfaction to happiness. Many other options were also experimented using the path model given the presence of other paths. The final model presented in Figure 1 provided the best fit.

5. Discussions

The well-being factors used in the path model replicated many other studies that adopted various analysis methods [ 23 , 33 , 46 ]. In general, the current study of working adults in Abu Dhabi provides evidence consistent with other international research that explains the influence of well-being factors on happiness or life satisfaction [ 43 , 67 ]. The results of the present study show that there is a statistically significant relationship between many well-being factors, happiness, and life satisfaction, while some factors play a significant role as a predictive factor of both happiness and life satisfaction.

As elaborated, while four factors specifically provided significant direct effects on life satisfaction and a higher number of well-being factors directly affected happiness, these variables exerted a total effect on either happiness or life satisfaction. The total effects were highly significant, irrespective of whether the effects were direct or indirect. This seems to confirm that certain well-being factors can have both direct effects and mediating effects by explaining the large variance of happiness or life satisfaction [ 68 ]. For example, work–life balance directly affects life satisfaction. At the same time, it also has an indirect influence on life satisfaction through the mediation of happiness. The same logic can be observed from three other variables imposing indirect effects on life satisfaction—satisfaction with family life, quality time spent with family, and self-assessment of health. Such a realization could mean that the use of the two concepts, happiness or life satisfaction, might reflect their similarity and cohesion as individuals look at life in its true meanings [ 69 ]. Moreover, the essence of the effect being direct or indirect may help to enhance our understanding when it comes to setting policies and strategies.

The constructs representing social connection, including satisfaction with family life, quality time spent with family, satisfaction with relations with other people, and how many people could support you, together provided a significant impact on both life satisfaction and happiness. Results support international research of the importance of the social connection of family and friends [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ]. Such findings also generally support the assumption that there are adaptive relations between happiness or life satisfaction and social connection [ 1 , 70 , 71 ].

The main job- or income-related variable that significantly influences life satisfaction and happiness is job satisfaction, which shows both direct and indirect effects. This result is also consistent with those of many other well-being studies that show the significance of job satisfaction in people’s well-being [ 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ]. Our understanding of such a relation supports the significance of work–life balance, which could be translated into contributing equal time to work and family attention, as referred to by others [ 72 , 73 ]. The implication for organizations is that following the principles of the science of happiness and offering more flexible work arrangements should be promoted at work to have happier employees [ 74 ]. The flexible work arrangement could give workers and employees greater scheduling freedom in how they fulfil their job responsibilities. Such strategies could better meet personal or family needs and achieve a better work–life balance. During the COVID-19 response timeframe, many workplaces provided a flexible work schedule to respond to school/daycare closures and other rapidly changing staffing needs specific to the circumstances. Indeed, in Abu Dhabi, many departments allowed a variety of flexible work arrangements that included reduced hours/part-time work, a compressed work week, telework/working remotely/telecommuting, flexible working hours, and job sharing.

Self-assessment of health is a significant contributor to happiness (directly) and life satisfaction (indirectly), offering support to other research that found strong correlations between happiness or life satisfaction and self-rated health [ 9 , 15 , 23 , 33 ]. Mental health alone also represented one of the significant contributors to both life satisfaction and happiness. Empirical research typically indicates the antagonistic relation between life satisfaction and negative mental feelings [ 75 , 76 ]. In this regard, this research lends support to the call for a more focused approach to life satisfaction and happiness with a clear understanding of the effects of positive mental health [ 49 , 50 , 51 ].

Strong evidence is presented in this research of life satisfaction and happiness playing major mediating roles. Many researchers have elaborated on the presence of direct, indirect, and mediation effects in quality-of-life studies [ 68 , 77 ]. The results of this study add to our understanding of the types of pathways that well-being factors travel to affect either the happiness or life satisfaction of working adults.

Many researchers have examined the relations between happiness and life satisfaction extensively and indicated a significant association between life satisfaction and happiness in many contexts [ 11 , 20 , 40 ]. The Abu Dhabi data show that there is a significant mutual influence between happiness and life satisfaction. Moreover, higher happiness results in better life satisfaction, and superior life satisfaction leads to a higher level of happiness. In short, this research reports and confirms the reciprocal or bidirectional relations between life satisfaction and happiness. Such a bidirectional relationship might provide and suggest that we be more careful about how the other variables investigated in the study might play a role. More analysis and understanding of related indicators are recommended. These might include socioeconomic status, such as income, race, and ethnicity, and type of employment, it is indeed highly beneficial to acknowledge that the bi-directional association between life satisfaction and happiness might be highly influenced by these socioeconomic factors. For example, life satisfaction and happiness might look significantly different for low-income and racial and ethnic minoritized populations than for high-income groups and other races. Proper interpretation of the non-recursive relationship between happiness and life satisfaction requires better and valid interpretations of how each variable is related to the other variables or categories of the community.

This study has some limitations to note. First, the sample over-represented working adults from the public sector compared to the private sector. For this reason, it is questionable whether the findings can be generalized to all working adults in Abu Dhabi.

6. Conclusions

The study provides insights into the reciprocal relationships between life satisfaction and happiness when examining well-being determinants for working adults in Abu Dhabi. It provides empirical evidence, perhaps for the first time, to show that the life satisfaction of working adults and their happiness mutually influence each other. Such high-level results suggest that working adults’ well-being factors and features may be dependent on the interconnection between their happiness and life satisfaction. In other words, life satisfaction plays a major role in happiness, and at the same time, feelings of happiness help working adults to enhance and record higher life satisfaction.

The study highlights the importance of relations with family and friends, job satisfaction, and mental health in affecting happiness and life satisfaction. It would be more constructive if the effects of these constructs were measured and studied over time. Furthermore, we confirm the importance and criticality of looking at happiness and life satisfaction more interactively with direct and indirect effects from many other well-being factors. In this sense, the findings of this research also provide practical guidance and evidence for policymakers to develop work systems that incorporate a broader vision of working people’s well-being by focusing on what is essential to their happiness and life satisfaction.

Future research should also look more closely at the effects of nationality, gender, age, marital status, living region in Abu Dhabi, and type of work to better understand life satisfaction and happiness. More specifically, future analysis could focus on the different populations in Abu Dhabi. Such analysis and focus could help us to understand any potential skews in the achieved sample. Such additions would, importantly, provide population reference material for future national and international comparisons. Because the study included working adults coming from different professions or types of work, future research could focus more on the differences in their life satisfaction and happiness by exploring these differences and how they could impact the interpretation of the related findings. The same observation could be raised regarding ethnicity and income.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization, M.A.B. and M.A. (Mugheer Alkhaili); methodology, M.A.B.; software, M.A.B. and A.A.; validation, M.A.B., H.A., M.A. (Muna Albahar) and G.Y.; formal analysis, M.A.B.; investigation, M.A.B.; data curation, A.A.; writing—original draft preparation, M.A.B.; writing—review and editing, M.A. (Mugheer Alkhaili), H.A., G.Y. and M.A. (Muna Albahar); visualization, A.A.; supervision, M.A. (Mugheer Alkhaili), H.A.; project administration, G.Y. and A.A. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

This research received no external funding.

Institutional Review Board Statement

The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by Abu Dhabi Department of Community Development and Statistics Center Abu Dhabi.

Informed Consent Statement

Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.

Data Availability Statement

Conflicts of interest.

The authors declare that there has been no conflict of interest.

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

"We are coming to understand health not as the absence of disease, but rather as the process by which individuals maintain their sense of coherence (i.e. sense that life is comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful) and ability to function in the face of changes in themselves and their relationships with their environment." --Aaron Antonovsky

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Rethinking Happiness: New Research Challenges Global Perceptions

By Lund University April 7, 2024

A study suggests the World Happiness Report’s method, focusing on wealth and power, misrepresents true happiness, indicating a need for more nuanced questions to capture the essence of well-being.

Finland is consistently ranked as the happiest country in the world. The basis for this is the annual World Happiness Report , which is based on a simple question about happiness asked to people around the world. However, a new study led by Lund University in Sweden suggests that it makes people think more about power and wealth.

Using the same question to measure happiness over time and cultures, is arguably a simple and fair way to compare results on a global scale – no easy task, after all. How happy are countries around the world really? The question at the center of the World Happiness Report is known as The Cantril Ladder: Please imagine a ladder with steps numbered from 0 at the bottom to 10 at the top. The top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you. On which step of the ladder would you say you personally feel you stand at this time?

A new experimental study involving 1,500 adults in the UK has examined how people actually interpret that question. The results show that it often brings to mind concepts of wealth and power. This might not be how most of us would define happiness and well-being.

“The risk is that we are measuring a narrow, wealth and power-oriented form of well-being, rather than broader definitions of happiness,” says August Nilsson, PhD student and first author.

When the researchers tweaked the Cantril question, for example by replacing “best possible life” with “most harmonious life”, this changed the results, making the respondents think less of power and wealth.

Previous research has shown that The Cantril Ladder reflects people’s income levels and social status to a larger degree than other well-being metrics. The current study adds more evidence that perhaps the simple but powerful question could be complemented in the future.

“Our study was conducted solely in the UK, so of course this research should be performed in other countries too, given the global nature of this topic. However, our results indicate that we aren’t necessarily measuring happiness and well-being in a way that is in line with how we actually define those concepts in our lives. This deserves further exploration. It is particularly relevant to understand how people interpret happiness questions, since how happy someone is and how they define happiness can’t be determined by a researcher but by people themselves,” concludes August Nilsson.

About the study

In an experiment involving 1,500 individuals in the UK, the researchers examined how individuals think about The Cantril Ladder compared to differently phrased questions.

The researchers found that people associate the Cantril Ladder question with power and wealth much more than with the other questions. For example, of all the words people used to interpret the Cantril Ladder (including ‘stop’ words with little meaning), 17% were power and money words.

When the researchers removed the ladder analogy from the question, they found that the power and money language was reduced to 11%, and when removing the bottom vs top description of the scale it was further reduced to 7%. For these questions, people still described money, but in the form of “financial security” and “enough money” rather than in terms of “wealth, rich, upper class” as was the case for the Cantril Ladder.

Also, when the question was re-phrased by replacing “number 10 represents the best life for you” with “number 10 represents the most harmonious life for you,” this resulted in less thoughts of power and wealth (5%), and more thoughts of broader well-being – including relationships, work-life balance, and health.

Reference: “The Cantril Ladder elicits thoughts about power and wealth” by August Håkan Nilsson, Johannes C. Eichstaedt, Tim Lomas, Andrew Schwartz and Oscar Kjell, 1 February 2024, Scientific Reports . DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52939-y

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3 comments on "rethinking happiness: new research challenges global perceptions".

Can hardly agree with the conclusion of this research. One big problem is that the study was carried out in one country only. The idea that it can be applied globally is strange. It’s quite possible that in some countries, happiness is associated with money and power; this may not be the case is others. Using “harmonious” also implies that a harmonious life is a happy life – in fact, you are measuring something entirely different.

I feel that (a) it might be better to measure “contentedness”, and (b) phrase the question to ask a multichoice question with say five levels of contentedness.

Why not simply ask, how happy are you. If you feel very happy you are very happy. Simple.

Research on research is incredible! Measuring happiness is still an abstract idea, but we can only compare who is more ahead in terms of all the assets and emotional wellness. I think the mention of finance and power is absolutely fine.

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LIVE BETTER. BE HAPPIER.

Blending cutting-edge research in behavioral science and neuroscience with philosophy and wisdom traditions, Dr. Arthur Brooks teaches people from all walks of life how to live a better, happier life. Learn how to get happier with Arthur’s new book, Build the Life You Want .

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In Build the Life You Want , Arthur C. Brooks and Oprah Winfrey invite you to begin a journey toward greater happiness, no matter how challenging your circumstances. Combining their decades of experience studying happiness from every angle, they show you how to improve your life right now – instead of waiting for the outside world to change. This is not another book with unrealistic promises of perfect bliss. It is a research-based work plan that meets you wherever you are and shows you how to make greater happiness a choice.

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Arthur Brooks is a Harvard professor, PhD social scientist, #1 bestselling author, and columnist at The Atlantic who specializes in using the highest levels of science and philosophy to provide people with actionable strategies to live their best lives. Arthur provides happiness training and professional development to businesses, academia, government, and faith communities based on cutting-edge research in social science and neuroscience, as well as philosophy and wisdom traditions.

Whether you're looking to begin your happiness journey, or you're hoping to advance it, the The Art and Science of Happiness video workshop will provide you with information and resources.

As a speaker, Arthur engages his audience with bold, clear, and actionable ideas in a format that is thought-provoking, unconventional, uplifting and most of all, useful.

Check out where Arthur will be appearing next. 

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You can get happier. And getting there will be the adventure of your lifetime. In   Build the Life You Want , Arthur C. Brooks and Oprah Winfrey invite you to begin a journey toward greater happiness no matter how challenging your circumstances.

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Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller! Change in your life is inevitable, but suffering is not. From Strength to Strength shows you how to accept the gifts of the second half of life with grace, joy, and ever-deepening purpose.

Love Your Enemies

Drawing on ancient wisdom, cutting-edge behavioral science, and examples from history’s greatest leaders, Arthur Brooks shows how we can bridge national divides and make progress as a society, all while becoming happier and more effective people.

Great advice for cultivating happiness. Arthur is fantastic.

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“happiness isn't found in some finite checklist of goals that we can diligently complete and then coast. it's how we live our lives in the process. that's why the four pillars of happiness are faith, family, community, and meaningful work. those are priorities we have to keep investing in.”, arthur brooks, receive happiness updates from arthur.

Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar

Dr. Tal Ben-Shahar is an internationally renowned teacher and author in the fields of happiness and leadership. After graduating from Harvard with a BA in Philosophy and Psychology and a PhD in Organizational Behavior, Tal taught two of the most popular courses in Harvard’s history: Positive Psychology and The Psychology of Leadership. He then taught Happiness Studies at Columbia University. A prolific writer, Tal's books have appeared on best-sellers lists around the world and have been translated into more than 30 languages.

Tal ben-shahar consults and lectures to executives in multinational corporations, educational institutions, and the general public. topics include leadership, education, ethics, happiness, self-esteem, resilience, goal setting and mindfulness., dr. tal ben-shahar is the co-founder of the happiness studies academy, as well as the creator and instructor of the certificate in happiness studies and the happier school programs., tal is an avid sportsman and a certified yoga instructor whose work bridges eastern and western traditions, ancient wisdom and modern technology, science and art., dr. tal ben shahar, companies i have worked with, subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest news and updates.

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About the Center

The Quality of Life Research Center at Claremont Graduate University was founded in 1999. The center is a nonprofit research institute that studies positive psychology — that is, human strengths such as creativity, engagement, intrinsic motivation, and responsibility.

In the past, the study of behavior has focused mainly on what goes wrong in human affairs: aggression, mental disease, failure and hopelessness. While it is essential to study and address such pathologies, it is equally important to understand those aspects of human experience that make life worth living. The center conducts research on such issues, and provides a forum for scholars from the U.S. and abroad who wish to extend their studies in positive psychology.

Graduate programs in positive psychology were launched in the fall of 2007 through the School of Social Science, Policy & Evaluation, Division of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences and Department of Psychology. The PhD programs in Positive Organizational Psychology and Positive Developmental Psychology provide research training in positive psychology. MA co-concentrations in Evaluation and either Positive Organizational Psychology or Positive Developmental Psychology are also offered.

The center is currently conducting research projects on the sources of good mentoring with a grant from the Spencer Foundation, and on well-being as part of the cross-national Eudaimonic and Hedonic Happiness Investigation. Other research the center is currently pursuing include the study of everyday life using experience sampling methods and the study of good work in the second half of life.

With the help of grants from the Fetzer, Ford, Hewlett, Spencer, and Templeton Foundations, the center has conducted research jointly with Harvard and Stanford universities on the conditions that make good work in the professions possible. Areas investigated included business, human genetics, the media, philanthropy, and higher education. Findings are used to enhance professional training in these areas.

The center welcomes inquiries about collaboration on projects in line with its basic mission.

If you are interested in being a participant in studies conducted by the Center, please email us at [email protected] .

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Dr. Elizabeth Dunn shares insights on happiness

June 8, 2018

How can you lead a happier and more meaningful life? Psychology Professor Dr. Elizabeth Dunn shares insights from her research.

Elizabeth Dunn

Most happiness researchers, including me, would say that the most important thing you can do to be happy is to work on your social relationships. There’s a classic study suggesting that having good social relationships seems to be the only thing that’s actually necessary for happiness. You can be rich or poor and be happy. You can exercise a lot or be a couch potato and be happy. But without good social relationships, it’s very unlikely that you will become very happy. It seems to be a necessary precondition for happiness in humans.

Our lab  has tried to expand social psychology’s social circle by looking at the more peripheral members of our social networks – the bit players of our everyday lives. Maybe the barista you see everyday when you get your coffee, or the guy at the dog park you chat with when you walk your dog. We’ve shown that these seemingly trivial social interactions can also make a difference for people’s day-to-day well being. In one study, we recruited people on their way into a Starbucks in downtown Vancouver and assigned them either to be efficient or social. In the efficient condition we told them to try to get in and get out with their coffee. In the social condition we asked them to have a social interaction with the cashier – smile, make eye contact, chat.  What we found is that after leaving Starbucks, the people who were instructed to be social felt happier, and felt a greater sense of belonging in their community than those who were instructed to be efficient. Now obviously that little fleeting interaction isn’t going to leave people happier forever, and it certainly doesn’t replace close social relationships. But taking advantage of these little social snacks throughout the day can at least contribute to our happiness and help to round out our social diet.

• View Prof. Dunn’s TedX talk “ What is your Time really worth? “

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Managing Happiness

Happiness is within your control. write your own ending..

Managing Happiness is an online course from Harvard that encourages you to explore the science of happiness, allowing you to find your truest self.

What You'll Learn

What is happiness? What makes you happy?’ Can you get happier through study and effort? 

Maybe you have pondered these questions over the course of your life, but haven’t been able to come up with any definitive answers. Still, you’d like to think that happiness is something you can understand and manage, right?

This is a class that answers these questions and shows you how you can use the answers to build a happier life. It introduces you to the modern science of human well-being and shows you how to practice it. Unlike other happiness courses, Managing Happiness goes a step further and demonstrates how you can share the ideas with others, thus bringing more happiness and love to the world and supercharging your own well-being efforts.

Led by Harvard professor, author, social scientist, and former classical musician Arthur Brooks, this course will introduce cutting-edge survey tools, the best research, and trends in social science, positive psychology, neuroscience, and philosophy to help learners unlock the strategies to create a more purposeful life, full of long-lasting enjoyment and satisfaction. Managing Happiness uses philosophical and technical insights to challenge your assumptions about happiness — helping you break bad habits that hold you back and build good ones you can use for the rest of your life.

Happiness is a core competency for those that want to be in charge of their lives — both personally and professionally. The concepts learned in this course will lead to enduring improvements and lifelong learning. At the end of the course, you will take away key concepts and actionable insights to apply to your daily routines. People around you will notice the difference.

The course will be delivered via  edX  and connect learners around the world. By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Explore diverse definitions of happiness and understand its function in everyday life
• Learn how genetic, social, and economic influences impact your happiness
• Apply the science of the mind, body, and community to manage emotions and behaviors for greater happiness
• Develop a happiness portfolio focused on your deepest goals and desires
• Recognize how success and achievement impact short versus long-term happiness
• Write your ending — build happiness strategies for your work and life at any age or stage

Your Instructor

Arthur C. Brooks is the William Henry Bloomberg Professor of the Practice of Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School and Professor of Management Practice at the Harvard Business School. Before joining the Harvard faculty in July of 2019, he served for ten years as president of the Washington, D.C.-based American Enterprise Institute (AEI), one of the world’s leading think tanks.

Brooks is the author of 12 books, including the national bestsellers “Love Your Enemies” (2019) and “The Conservative Heart” (2015), as well as the forthcoming book “ From Strength to Strength ” to be published in February 2022. He is also a columnist for The Atlantic, host of the podcast “How to Build a Happy Life with Arthur Brooks,” and subject of the 2019 documentary film “The Pursuit,” which  Variety  named as one of the “Best Documentaries on Netflix” in August 2019. He gives more than 100 speeches per year around the U.S., Europe, and Asia.

Brooks began his career as a classical French hornist, leaving college at 19, touring and recording with the Annapolis Brass Quintet and later the City Orchestra of Barcelona. In his late twenties, while still performing, he returned to school, earning a BA through distance learning at Thomas Edison State College, and then an MA in economics from Florida Atlantic University. At 31, he left music and earned an MPhil and PhD in public policy analysis from the Rand Graduate School, during which time he worked as an analyst for the Rand Corporation’s Project Air Force.

Brooks then spent 10 years as a university professor, becoming a full professor at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in his seventh year out of graduate school and occupying the Louis A. Bantle Chair in Business and Government. During this decade, Brooks published 60 peer-reviewed articles and several books, including the textbook “Social Entrepreneurship” (2008).

In 2009, Brooks became the 11th president of AEI, also holding the Beth and Ravenel Curry Chair in Free Enterprise. Under his leadership, the Institute more than doubled its annual revenues, deepened its outreach to leaders across the ideological spectrum, and expanded its research portfolio to include work on poverty, happiness, and human potential. During this period, he was selected as one of Fortune Magazine’s “50 World’s Greatest Leaders” and was awarded six honorary doctorates.

Originally from Seattle, Brooks currently lives in Needham, Massachusetts, with his wife Ester Munt-Brooks, who is a native of Barcelona. They have three children, Joaquim, Carlos, and Marina.

Ways to take this course

When you enroll in this course, you will have the option of pursuing a Verified Certificate or Auditing the Course.

A Verified Certificate costs $219 and provides unlimited access to full course materials, activities, tests, and forums. At the end of the course, learners who earn a passing grade can receive a certificate. 

Alternatively, learners can Audit the course for free and have access to select course material, activities, tests, and forums.  Please note that this track does not offer a certificate for learners who earn a passing grade.

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What a Dose of Happiness Can Do for Your Mind

New research shows how having a good memory involves more than brain cells..

Posted March 30, 2024 | Reviewed by Devon Frye

• People with calm personalities also seem to have good memories, but other factors are also at play.
• A new comprehensive longitudinal study shows the role of positive affect in preserving memory in later life.
• By tackling your mood, you can feel more in control of your mental abilities, no matter what your age.

When you think about the factors that influence your memory , it’s likely that one of the first you consider is how well your brain is functioning. Indeed, many of the latest political discussions about age and memory center around the assumption that older people have lost too many brain cells to be able to retain anything new, much less remember the past.

Research on aging and cognition continues to show the many mental strengths of older adults, particularly when it comes to demonstrating knowledge based on experience and judgment. However, the underlying stereotypes that pervade the media are that memory shows a straight downhill course throughout adulthood.

How Personality Can Make a Difference

According to new research by a University of California, Davis team headed by Sarah Tomaszewski Farias (2024), personality can play an impressive role in affecting an individual’s memory—not only in normal aging, but also in risk for Alzheimer’s disease. One route through which this can happen, they point out, is that people high in the trait of neuroticism are more likely to experience chronic stress as well as feelings of sadness and depression . Cortisol, the stress hormone, can have harmful effects on brain health.

While suggestive, older neuroticism findings didn’t directly address the question of mood’s effect on cognition. Being high on a trait defined in terms of worry and anxiety does not necessarily mean that an individual would be depressed enough to suffer the neurological changes associated with poorer memory. More is needed to explain how a person's day-to-day feelings can affect the ability to think clearly and remember what's important.

Testing the Mood-Memory Connection

To compare personality traits vs. mood and other non-trait measures, the UC Davis authors were able to draw from data collected on 157 individuals ages 60 and older who enrolled in the university’s longitudinal diversity cohort. The English- and Spanish-speaking members of the study (40 percent racial/ ethnicity other than White) provided brain scan data at the start of the study, which provided baseline estimates of brain volumes and the presence of abnormalities known as white matter hyperintensities (abnormally dense areas on brain scans).

The participants were followed on an annual basis with diagnostic testing to assess their neurological status. At the end of the period, they completed standard trait personality measures as well as questionnaires tapping into purpose in life, self-efficacy (feelings of self-confidence ), sadness, anger , happiness , joy, loneliness , and feelings of serenity and peace.

Taking advantage of the longitudinal nature of the study, Tomaszewski Farias and her collaborators were able to conduct statistical tests in which the cognitive outcomes were plotted as a function of the personality and other psychological measures while controlling for baseline brain measurements. The authors used statistical modeling to construct change scores over time in cognitive functioning, providing estimates for episodic memory (recall of events), semantic memory (recall of words and information), spatial ability, and executive functioning , (tested by, for example, generating words in response to specific prompts). The authors also imposed a rigorous statistical constraint on the analyses to avoid capitalizing on chance.

Turning to the findings, the prediction equations revealed poorer episodic memory in participants high in sadness and low in self-efficacy. People higher in executive functioning were higher in the trait of openness to experience , replicating other results; mood was not significant in predicting this cognitive ability. Spatial ability, however, was predicted by sadness and self-efficacy, although neuroticism also played a role. All of these analyses controlled for baseline brain functioning.

Coming up with a global cognitive score, the UC Davis researchers then put all of the predictors into one equation. In this analysis, none of the personality scores reached the level of significance. Instead, mood rose to the top of the prediction formula.

As the authors concluded, having “the experience of pleasurable emotions and interactions with the environment ” (p. 193) can lower the risk of cognitive decline in later adulthood. Importantly, the predictive effects of mood on cognition were reduced but not completely eliminated when the authors controlled for baseline brain measures. This finding could suggest that being generally in a good mood could help people overcome even some structural changes that may appear on brain scans.

Putting Your Mood to Work

Why would mood have such a powerful effect on cognitive decline? Expanding on their analysis of the previous literature used as the basis for the study, the authors describe one compelling pathway.

People higher in positive affect are less likely to activate the pathways connecting hormones to the brain which can result in the destruction of neurons through inflammation. Being in a good mood, further, can lead to increases in the release of dopamine , a neurotransmitter known to be involved in both memory and creative problem-solving.

Positive affect can also lead people to take more positive steps to remain engaged in behaviors and lifestyles that promote cardiovascular health. As shown in prior research, people who are generally in a good mood are more likely to engage in exercise. Being able to think positively could also help older individuals ward off stereotype threat (Barber, 2017), the belief in the inevitability of memory loss with age, which can lead to a defeatist attitude.

The good news from this well-controlled and extensive investigation relates to the implication that cognitive change in adulthood, including the years past 60, is "plastic," or able to be altered. In the words of the authors, “Essentially all of the psychological characteristics examined in this study have been shown to be modifiable, at least to some degree” (p. 196).

Some strategies for engaging in these modifiable steps include the many positive psychology interventions including mindfulness , practicing gratitude , and boosting one’s self-efficacy. In cases of clinically diagnosed depression, treatment is not only possible but highly effective.

However, the potential of this good news to have an impact can only be realized if individuals are willing to challenge the considered wisdom that memory and other key cognitive functions are destined to decline. One small memory slip is not a symptom of a dementing illness, as you can see from this National Institute of Aging website .

To sum up, knowing that your mood is key to maintaining your memory can provide you with some very real strategies to prevent the outcomes that you fear . Tackling your mood head-on will allow you to maintain the cognitive skills so important to a fulfilling life, no matter your age.

Barber, S. J. (2017). An examination of age-based stereotype threat about cognitive decline. Perspectives on Psychological Science : A Journal of the Association for Psychological Science, , 12 (1), 62-90. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691616656345

Tomaszewski Farias, S., De Leon, F. S., Gavett, B. E., Fletcher, E., Meyer, O. L., Whitmer, R. A., DeCarli, C., & Mungas, D. (2024). Associations between personality and psychological characteristics and cognitive outcomes among older adults. Psychology and Aging, 39(2), 188-198. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000792

Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D. , is a Professor Emerita of Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her latest book is The Search for Fulfillment.

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Need for Happiness

We human beings are in search of happiness from time immemorial. Different religions and philosophers have deliberated on happiness. There have been long debates and discussions on the concept and definitions of happiness, the paths to happiness, and many other aspects of happiness.

In India, happiness has its origins, most probably in the Vedic age (c. 1500 – c. 500 BCE). There is a large volume of knowledge and literature on happiness from many revered people from various walks of life shared in multiple sources, including scriptures going back to the Vedic age (c. 1500 – c. 500 BCE). Not only ideas, philosophies, and literature but also various applications of these for the practice of happiness, such as compassion, meditation, and yoga, were also created and practised over a long time in this ancient Indian civilisation. Indeed, happiness and India have a very long association.

“Sarve bhavantu sukhinaha, sarve santu niramaya

Sarve bhadrani pasyantu, ma kaschid dukhabhaga bhavet.”

(May all be happy, may all be free from disease, May all perceive good and may not suffer from sorrow).  ( Source: Based on India’s Puranic Wisdom)

Globally, in the last two decades, there is a lot of research on happiness from various aspects using scientific methods, including what makes people happy, how to be happy etc. Though there is a lot of rich literature on happiness, there is a need for more practice of happiness. Also, there are increasing levels of stress and mental health issues, particularly in cities. The pandemic of COVID-19 is also making people rethink various aspects of life, including happiness.

The primary purpose of humans is to be happy, as other purposes ultimately lead to happiness. Since happiness is so important, we cannot leave it to chance, and there is a need for a happiness strategy in our lives.

Honorary Chairman

Prof Rajesh K Pillania

Dr Rajesh K Pillania is the leading researcher and teacher on happiness in India, popularly called India’s Happiness Professor. He has written eleven books and reports on Happiness such as Happiness Strategy book (2019); Happiness Diary: My Experiments with Happiness (2020); India Happiness Report 2020, India Cities Happiness Report 2020, World Happiness 2021, World Happiness 2022 and India Happiness 2022. These works are the first of their kind in India.  His work is endorsed by many industry stalwarts and global leading thinkers in happiness, including HH Dalai Lama, management legend Prof Philip Kotler and Marshall Goldsmith, the #1 Executive coach.  

He is on the advisory board of many esteemed international research journals¸ professional bodies and conferences consisting of leading international academicians¸ industry leaders and policymakers.  He is recognised for his extensive research, jointly ranked number one in average research productivity among management faculty (including IIMs and IITs) in India.

He has taught thousands of students and executives about happiness strategy. He is teaching a popular course Happiness Strategy in the PGPM program at MDI, Gurgaon.   His teaching and training focus on adding value to the participants by explaining concepts in an innovatively simple and fun way focusing on the application of concepts using experiential learning. He is a prolific writer, a popular teacher, and a highly sought-after trainer on happiness, strategy and innovation. His research and academic experience include Panjab University, Chandigarh; the Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park, USA; Harvard University, among others.

For more see www.pillania.org

Prof. Ruut Veenhoven

Pioneer and World Authority on the Scientific Study of Happiness; Director, World Database of Happiness.

Prof Ruut Veenhoven (1942) studied sociology. He is also accredited in social psychology and social-sexology. Dr. Veenhoven is an emeritus professor of ‘social conditions for human happiness’ at Erasmus University Rotter­dam in the Netherlands, where he is currently involved in the Erasmus Happiness Economics Research Organization. Dr. Veenhoven is also a special professor at North-West University in South Africa, where he is involved in the Opentia research program.  He is director of the World Database of Happiness and a founding editor of the Journal of Happiness Studies. 

Prof. Veenhoven’s research is mainly on ‘happiness’ in the sense of subjective enjoyment of life. One strand of his research is ‘happiness and public choice’. The purpose is to build an evidence basis for policies that aim at greater happiness for a greater number. Another research line is ‘happiness and private choice’, and the purpose is here to build an evidence base on which individuals can draw when faced with major life choices.

Professor Sir Cary Cooper, CBE

Leading Global Scholar in Occupational Health and Wellness research, and the 50th Anniversary Professor of Organizational Psychology and Health, Manchester Business School, University of Manchester.

Cary L. Cooper is the 50th Anniversary Professor of Organizational Psychology and Health at Manchester Business School, University of Manchester. He is a founding President of the British Academy of Management, President of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), former President of RELATE and President of the Institute of Welfare.  He was the Founding Editor of the Journal of Organizational Behavior, former Editor of the scholarly journal Stress and Health and is the Editor-in-Chief of the Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Management, now in its’ 3rd Edition. He has been an advisor to the World Health Organisation, ILO, and EU in the field of occupational health and wellbeing, was Chair of the Global Agenda Council on Chronic Disease of the World Economic Forum (2009-2010) (then served for 5 years on the Global Agenda Council for mental health of the WEF) and was Chair of the Academy of Social Sciences 2009-2015. Professor Cooper is the Chair of the National Forum for Health & Wellbeing at Work (comprised of 40 global companies eg BP, Microsoft, NHS Executive, UK government, Rolls Royce, John Lewis Partnership, etc.) Professor Cooper is the author/editor of over 250 books in the field of occupational health psychology, workplace wellbeing, women at work and occupational stress.  He was awarded the CBE by the Queen in for his contributions to occupational health; and in 2014 he was awarded a Knighthood for his contribution to the social sciences.

Padma Bhusan Jagdish N. Sheth

Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Business, Goizueta Business School, Emory University, Globally Renowned Scholar, and Marketing Legend.

Jagdish N. Sheth, Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Business, Goizueta Business School, Emory University. He is globally known for his scholarly contributions in consumer behavior, relationship marketing, competitive strategy, and geopolitical analysis. Over 50 years of experience in teaching and research at University of Southern California, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Columbia University, MIT, and Emory.

Dr. Sheth is a recipient of the 2020 Padma Bhushan Award for literature and education, one of the highest civilian awards given by the Government of India. He is a Fellow of the Academy of International Business (AIB); the Association of Consumer Research (ACR); the American Psychological Association (APA); and the American Marketing Association (AMA). He is a Distinguished Fellow of the Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) and the International Engineering Consortium. He is the recipient of all four top awards given by the American Marketing Association (AMA). Professor Sheth has been advisor to numerous corporations all over the world. He has authored or coauthored more than three hundred papers and numerous books.

Dr. Sheth is the Founder of Center for Telecommunications Management (CTM) at University of Southern California (USC), Founder and Chairman of India, China, and America (ICA) Institute which analyzes the trilateral relationship and its impact on geopolitics, security, trade, and investment, and the Founder and Chairman of the Academy of Indian Marketing (AIM) which supports research and scholarship among Indian scholars in marketing and management. He and his wife, Madhu Sheth, have established the Sheth Family Foundation to support several charities in India and in the United States and the Madhuri and Jagdish Sheth Foundation to support scholars and scholarship in the field of marketing. The Sheth Foundation supports the AMA-Sheth Foundation Doctoral Consortium, hosted annually by different universities.

Padma Bhushan Dr M. B. Athreya,

Independent Management Expert. Recognized as one of the founders and pioneers of the Indian Management Movement; and Ex-Professor London Business School & Ex-Professor IIM- Calcutta.

Dr Athreya is recognised as one of the founders and pioneers of the Indian Management Movement, including Management Education, Research and Consulting. Since his return from the UK, in 1978, he has been available nationally to Corporates; National and State Governments; and NGO’s, as an independent resource person. He has been on several government Committees, advocating major reforms and liberalisation in the Indian economy, including Telecom; Banking; Aviation; and Civilian Nuclear Power. Dr Athreya was earlier Professor at the Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata; London Business School, England; and the Strathclyde Business School, Scotland. He holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from the Harvard Business School. Dr Athreya has been honoured with several awards.  In 2014 he was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India. He has been a Role Model and Mentor for thousands of Indian Managers; Strategic Planners; HRD Professionals; and Consultants in the Corporate and Social sectors.

Professor Cassie Mogilner Holmes

Professor of Marketing and Behavioral Decision Making, UCLA’s Anderson School of Management; and a leading scholar in happiness research.

Cassie Mogilner Holmes is a Professor of Marketing and Behavioral Decision Making at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. She studies happiness, highlighting the role of time, and teaches a popular MBA course titled, “Applying the Science of Happiness to Life Design.” Professor Holmes’s research has been published in top-tier academic journals, and popular accounts of her work have been featured in such outlets as NPR, The Economist, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and Scientific American. Professor Holmes was identified as a Best 40 Under 40 Business School Professor and was the recipient of multiple Early Career Awards. Before joining UCLA Anderson, Holmes was a tenured faculty member at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. She earned her PhD in marketing from Stanford and her B.A. from Columbia as a psychology major.

Dr. Ashley Whillans  

Harvard Business School, author of the Time Smart book and a leading scholar in the time, money and happiness research field.

Ashley Whillans is an assistant professor at Harvard Business School and a leading scholar in the time and happiness research field. She earned her PhD in social psychology from the University of British Columbia.

She was twice named a Rising Star of Behavioral Science by the Behavioral Science & Policy Association. In 2016 she cofounded a “nudge unit,” namely, the Department of Behavioral Science in the Policy, Innovation, and Engagement division of the British Columbia Public Service Agency. She is part of the Global Happiness Council and the Workplace and Well-Being Initiative at Harvard University.

She advises on workplace and well-being strategies for numerous nonprofit and for-profit partners. She has written about her research, which has appeared in numerous outlets, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the LA Times, CNN, BBC, The Atlantic, The Economist, and The Wall Street Journal.

Dr Dasho Karma Ura

Head, Centre for Bhutan and GNH Studies, the government multidisciplinary think tank in Thimphu, Bhutan.

Dasho Karma Ura (PhD) currently heads the Centre for Bhutan and Gross National Happiness (GNH) Studies, the government multidisciplinary think tank in Thimphu, Bhutan. He has published extensively on economic and social issues linked to happiness. He also paints and designs artefacts.

Richard Florida  

One of the world’s leading urbanists; University Professor at University of Toronto’s School of Cities and Rotman School of Management; and, Founder of the Creative Class Group.

Richard Florida is one of the world’s leading urbanists.

He is a researcher and professor, serving as University Professor at University of Toronto’s School of Cities and Rotman School of Management, and a Distinguished Fellow at NYU’s Schack School of Real Estate

He is a writer and journalist, having penned several global bestsellers, including the award-winning The Rise of the Creative Class and his most recent book, The New Urban Crisis. He is co-founder of CityLab, the leading publication devoted to cities and urbanism. 

He is an entrepreneur, as the founder of the Creative Class Group, which works closely with companies and governments worldwide.  

Susan Huber Miller  

Director, Academic & Continuing Education Programs, Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Susan Huber Miller is Director of Academic & Continuing Education Programs, Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Susan has been a member of the University of Wisconsin-Madison community for 20+ years. She joined the Center in fall 2019 and oversees all higher and continuing education initiatives, with the goal of bringing empirically validated strategies around wellbeing to the UW-Madison campus and beyond in the form of curricular, co-curricular and non-credit, online programs to benefit university students, the broader campus community and society at large. For her, wellbeing is a sense of inner calm and “grounded-ness” and having meaningful connections with the people around me.

Mrs. Noof Aljenibi  

Director, Emirates Center for Happiness Research (ECHR), the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU).

Mrs. Noof Aljenibi is the Director of Emirates Center for Happiness Research (ECHR) at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU), the first research center of its kind in the middle east. Noof earned her Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania majoring in positive psychology. She worked closely with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) government on various initiatives and projects to promote well-being under the National Program for Happiness and Well-being. Noof is also the chief of happiness and well-being at |(UAEU), She is also Dare to Lead Facilitator the Dr. Brene Brown institute. Noof runs several project in the UAE university to promote well-being she executed (Mattering at workplace as well as Well-being officers project).

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

Key searches, carlos cardenas-iniguez, phd reassesses definitions and interpretations around race and ethnicity in neuroimaging research.

Image/iStock

What are the ethical considerations we should bear in mind as we conduct research? Postdoctoral scholar Carlos Cardenas-Iniguez, PhD, is deliberating on the growing availability of large-population human biomedical datasets and the ways in which the research practices behind them may further stigmatize historically minoritized groups.

Cardenas-Iniguez, a neuroscientist in the Department of Population and Public Health Sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, recently published recommendations in Nature Neuroscience to guide scientists on research practices to counteract existing harmful biases that impact how minority groups are perceived in studies. This publication arose from his work within the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, comprising of approximately 12,000 children and their families, where he started to question the characterization of socio-demographics across research activities.

“Let’s go back to the basics! How are we talking about race and ethnicity, and can we improve our approach, because historically science has not done a good job,” he appraises.

Cardenas-Iniguez and his colleague and fellow neuroscientist Marybel Robledo Gonzalez, PhD, collated key terms for discussing and promoting equitable analytical models in neuroscience, and assessed the research landscape to understand how race and ethnicity are defined, how they are measured, and their use in neuroscience research.

Cardenas-Iniguez explains that during discussions with researchers in working groups within and outside the ABCD study, there was variability in determining what ‘race’ and ‘ethnicity’ represented. “There is an assumption that we should always be measuring race and ethnicity in scientific samples and including them in statistical analyses, yet we are not having enough conversations about them as categories, what they represent, or their historical context,” he divulges.

“While large-population datasets allow us to gather great insights and specificity on diverse populations, they have also moved away from important conversations about the implications of social context,” he explains. The outcome has been research that continues to perpetuate systemic biases. Cardenas-Iniguez advises that with the provision of large studies providing dense data on diverse individuals across the US, a sophisticated grasp of demographic constructs is required beyond simple categorical variables. “There has not been enough work to update and integrate what all the constructs mean, and more information is needed to provide context,” he assesses.

His first recommendation is to ‘define race and ethnicity as socially constructed concepts that are dependent on social, political and historical forces.’ Cardenas-Iniguez and Gonzalez propose ten additional recommendations, guiding scientists through a checklist on responsible conceptualization, use, and reporting of race and ethnicity in neuroscience research.

“Essentially, if you are not questioning your methods, you are contributing to this ongoing erasure. We have to continue to critically evaluate and invest in adopting new ways of thinking, new forms of categorizing, measuring, interpreting and then communicating these different terms,” he concludes.

Below is a summary of the recommendations made for the responsible use and communication of race and ethnicity in neuroimaging research:

• Define race and ethnicity as socially constructed concepts whose meaning originates and is dependent on social, political, and historical forces.
• Provide clear categorization and coding rationale for race and ethnicity variables and include race and ethnicity information about study populations.
• Avoid using race and ethnicity as proxies for social and environmental forces and directly measure those variables instead.
• Justify the inclusion of race and/or ethnicity in statistical models and avoid including them by default.
• Race and ethnicity should not be equated with genetic ancestry.
• Evaluate biases in population representation and participation, measurements, patterns of missingness and generalizability.
• Avoid ‘health equity tourism’ by acknowledging prior equity work and interrogating upstream causes instead of simply exploring ‘race and ethnicity effects.’
• Champion strength-based approaches, instead of deficit-based, when reporting on minoritized groups and prioritize the inclusion of minoritized voices in the research process.
• Develop a plan for responsible use and communication of race and ethnicity in your research process.
• Embrace that responsible use and communication of race and ethnicity requires continuous intention and engagement.
• Challenge standard conventions in the scientific process that are harmful to minoritized groups.

The authors and their research are supported by funding from the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.

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New Director of the Florence S. Downs PhD Program in Nursing Research & Theory Development

April 11, 2024.

The Ohio State University

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PhD student honored with prestigious early career research award

Jenkins received the award due to his work with magnetoinductive waveguides (MIWs), which are guiding structures for short-range wireless applications. MIWs are useful for communication in challenging radio frequency environments, like underwater, underground or in the human body, as they rely on near-field magnetic coupling.

Jenkins’ research focuses on a new theory that analyzes the wave-guiding properties of MIWs constructed with three elements per periodic unit. Before, MIW theory could only explain the performance for one or two elements per unit. This theory allows for communication designs with lower loss and higher bandwidth than previously possible. It can be particularly useful for communication to increase data rate and decrease power consumption significantly. The research can potentially be useful for other applications, like sensing, power transfer and imaging.

Jenkins received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at The Ohio State University. He is currently a member of the Wearable and Implantable Technologies (WIT) Group at ESL and advised by Professor Asimina Kiourti.

“Connor is an outstanding PhD student with visionary thinking,” said Kiourti. “Besides the impact for next-generation WBANs, his research has also proven valuable in the broader fields of functionalized fabrics, conductive e-textiles and wearables.”

The WIT Group conducts interdisciplinary research at the intersection of electromagnetics, sensors, and medicine. They develop wearables and implants that outperform the existing devices in terms of seamlessness, capabilities and performance.

Within the International Council for Science (ICSU), made up of 26 international singular-discipline scientific unions, URSI is one of the very few multidisciplinary unions. Formed in 1919, it was also one of the first four original scientific unions as part of the International Research Council, the predecessor of ICSU.

The award will be formally presented at the 4th URSI Atlantic Radio Science Meeting in Gran Canaria, Spain in May.

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The Department of Art History

The Department of Art History offers B.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Art History and a wide range of courses in European, American, and Asian art history with additional strengths in architectural history and film and media studies.

Apr. 1, 2024

Eilis coughlin, phd candidate, selected as predoctoral research resident in naples, italy, center for the art and architectural history of port cities “la capraia”.

Eilis Coughlin, PhD candidate and HART grad representative, will be heading off to Naples, Italy later this year as the Predoctoral Research Resident at the Center for the Art and Architectural History of Port Cities “La Capraia.” Eilis will be working on her dissertation project, “The Bible of Naples (Paris, BnF, Ms. français 9561): Female Power, Piety, and Patronage in Fourteenth-Century Angevin Naples” at the Center from September 2024 - June 2025 which also engages the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte and the city of Naples “as a laboratory for new research in the cultural histories of port cities and the mobilities of artworks, people, technologies, and ideas.” Research at La Capraia is grounded in direct study of objects, sites, collections, and archives in Naples and southern Italy and fosters research for advance graduate students in the city as a site of cultural encounter, exchange, and transformation, and cultivates a network of scholars working at the intersection of the global and the local. Eilis is currently a fourth-year PhD candidate who focuses on Medieval Art of the Mediterranean. Her interests include the study of female patronage and representation in fourteenth-century Angevin art and art objects.

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Google PhD Fellowship nominations now open

The UCSB Graduate Division is accepting applications for the Google PhD Fellowship. Google created this Fellowship Program to recognize outstanding graduate students doing exceptional and innovative research in areas relevant to computer science and related fields. The Fellowship, which can last up to three years, provides full tuition and fees plus a stipend. UCSB students should submit applications for internal review by April 26 at 5pm.

The UCSB Graduate Division is now accepting applications for the Google PhD Fellowship . Google created this Fellowship Program to recognize outstanding graduate students doing exceptional and innovative research in areas relevant to computer science and related fields.

Award The Fellowship, which can last up to three years, provides full tuition and fees plus a stipend to be used for living expenses, travel and personal equipment. Also, recipients will be matched with a Google Research Mentor.

Deadline UCSB students should submit their full application packet by April 26 at 5pm Pacific.

Eligibility Universities may only nominate students that meet the following requirements:

• Full-time graduate students pursuing a PhD and enrolled in an institution in one of the regions listed above.
• Completed graduate coursework by the academic award year when the Fellowship begins.
• Students must remain enrolled full-time in the PhD program for the duration of the Fellowship or forfeit the award.
• Google employees, and their spouses, children, and members of their household are not eligible.
• Students that are already supported by a comparable industry award are not eligible. Government or non-profit organization funding is exempt.

Nomination and Application PhD students must me nominated by their university. Universities are able to nominate up to four eligible students. If UCSB nominates more than two students, Google strongly encourages us to select nominees who self-identify as a woman, Black / African descent, Hispanic / Latino / Latinx, Indigenous, and/or a person with a disability.

Visit the Fellowship website's FAQ for information about eligibility, application requirements.

You can submit your application to be a UCSB nominee by filling out this form . Applications must be uploaded as a single PDF document.

Screening & Prevention

Guides & resources, salt lake city, utah county, community clinics, our cancer center, faculty & students, volunteering.

Utah Governor’s Medal Given to Neli Ulrich, PhD, MS, for Outstanding Research and Leadership

Read Time: 3 minutes

Neli Ulrich, PhD, MS , chief scientific officer and executive director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U) and professor of Population Health Sciences at the U, has been awarded the 2024 Governor’s Medal for Science and Technology .

The prize recognizes the recipient’s distinguished service and meaningful contributions to science in the state of Utah.

“This award celebrates Ulrich’s exceptional leadership abilities at Huntsman Cancer Institute,” says Utah Gov. Spencer Cox. “Utah is proud to be home to such a world-renowned institution, and we commend her in her research efforts toward curing cancer.”

Ulrich, a native of Germany, first came to Utah and Huntsman Cancer Institute a decade ago. As a renowned expert in cancer research with more than 450 scientific publications, she has led Huntsman Cancer Institute’s research teams to an “exceptional” national rating, the highest rank achievable from the National Cancer Institute.

“It’s a very special honor to be recognized by the governor of Utah for science and technology, which we know are critical for accelerating our joint progress in this world, and in our state,” says Ulrich. “The award is not really about me but the amazing cancer research teams at Huntsman Cancer Institute, where we bring together people of diverse backgrounds to collaborate in ways that are unique and impactful in the service of our patients, our state, and our region.”

“Her relentless dedication and drive to push boundaries through collaboration has shaped and will continue to drive the landscape of innovation in Utah and beyond.”

—Mary Beckerle, PhD

Ulrich is one of just a few women who serve as director of a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center . In this role, she has led a variety of initiatives to address gaps in health care seen in rural patients across Utah and the Mountain West. Under her leadership, Huntsman Cancer Institute has developed clinical trials that serve remote populations and created community partnerships to lessen the burden of distance as a disparity in cancer prevention, screening, and treatment.

She also oversees more than 250 research teams at Huntsman Cancer Institute, each pursuing a cancer-free frontier through laboratory, clinical, translational, and population-based research. Her team, the Ulrich Group , has performed landmark research on colorectal cancer prevention and survivorship.

“Dr. Ulrich embodies the pioneering spirit of the Governor’s Medal which is demonstrated by her numerous scientific achievements,” says  Mary Beckerle, PhD , CEO of Huntsman Cancer Institute. “Her relentless dedication and drive to push boundaries through collaboration has shaped and will continue to drive the landscape of innovation in Utah and beyond.”

Ulrich is one of three recipients of the Governor’s Medal this year. She received her prize for accomplishments in academics and research. Others are awarded for K-12 scientific education and advancements in local industry. Ulrich will be presented with the award at the 2024 One Utah Summit. The summit, held on April 12, aims to recognize individuals and companies making significant contributions to Utah’s economy, local communities, and industries.

“I’m thrilled to see Dr. Ulrich honored with this distinction,” says Angela Fagerlin, PhD, associate vice president for faculty at University of Utah Health. “She is an outstanding leader and scientist who is saving and improving lives with her groundbreaking research. Under her stewardship, investigators at Huntsman Cancer Institute are helping create a future free from cancer.”

Media Contact

Heather Simonsen Public Relations Huntsman Cancer Institute Email Us 801 581-3194

About Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah

Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U) is the National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center for Utah, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming. With a legacy of innovative cancer research, groundbreaking discoveries, and world-class patient care, we are transforming the way cancer is understood, prevented, diagnosed, treated, and survived. Huntsman Cancer Institute focuses on delivering a cancer-free frontier to all communities in the area we serve . We have more than 300 open clinical trials and 250 research teams studying cancer at any given time. More genes for inherited cancers have been discovered at Huntsman Cancer Institute than at any other cancer center. Our scientists are world-renowned for understanding how cancer begins and using that knowledge to develop innovative approaches to treat each patient’s unique disease. Huntsman Cancer Institute was founded by Jon M. and Karen Huntsman.

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