The Science of Happiness: Experimentally Increasing Wellbeing Through Gratitude, Kindness, and Conversation Interventions
Keynote 4 - The Science of Happiness: experimentally Increasing Wellbeing Through Gratitude, Kindness, and Conversation Interventions
Saturday, June 27, 2026
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM PDT
Location: Foothill C, 2nd Floor
Earn 1 Credit
Keywords: Compassion, Social Relationships, Wellbeing Level of Familiarity: Basic Recommended Readings: Lyubomirsky, S., & Reis, H. (2026). How to feel loved: The five mindsets that get you more of what matters most. New York: Harper. howtofeelloved.com, Lyubomirsky, S., & Layous, K. (2013). How do simple positive activities increase well-being? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 22, 57-62. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721412469809, Lyubomirsky, S., & Layous, K. (2025). Well-being. In D.T. Gilbert, S. T. Fiske, E. . Finkel, & W. B. Mendes (Eds.), The handbook of social psychology (6th ed.). Situational Press. https://doi.org/10.70400/UKJM3949, ,
Distinguished Professor University of California, Riverside
Happiness not only feels good; it IS good. Happy people are relatively more creative, productive, and helpful; have more stable marriages and higher incomes:, and boast stronger immune systems. Furthermore, it appears that feeling socially connected is the key to happiness. Fortunately, experiments have shown that people can intentionally increase their happiness and connectedness. In this presentation, Sonja Lyubomirsky will describe both classic and brand new research revealing when and why such practices as expressing gratitude, doing acts of kindness, and engaging in more social interactions work "best." Specifically, she will describe the critical factors that bolster the likelihood of success - for example, how to determine the right "dosage" or "type" of gratitude or kindness and how to find the right fit between the happiness activities and our personality, goals, and culture. Finally, she will propose several ways by which engaging in presumably happiness-increasing activities may backfire.
Learning Objectives:
List three intentional activities that have been shown to increase happiness, and describe at least one study that supports the efficacy of each of these three activities.
List three factors that moderate (or impact) the success of activities aimed at increasing happiness.
Identify one empirical research example of how positive activities improve not only happiness but other areas of life.
