Pursuing Happiness: The Architecture of Sustainable Change
Abstract
The pursuit of happiness is an important goal for many people. However, surprisingly little scientific research has focused on the question of how happiness can be increased and then sustained, probably because of pessimism engendered by the concepts of genetic determinism and hedonic adaptation. Nevertheless, emerging sources of optimism exist regarding the possibility of permanent increases in happiness. Drawing on the past well-being literature, the authors propose that a person's chronic happiness level is governed by 3 major factors: a genetically determined set point for happiness, happiness-relevant circumstantial factors, and happiness-relevant activities and practices. The authors then consider adaptation and dynamic processes to show why the activity category offers the best opportunities for sustainably increasing happiness. Finally, existing research is discussed in support of the model, including 2 preliminary happiness-increasing interventions.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Subjective well-being tends to be relatively stable over time.
“In fact, subjective well-being tends to be relatively stable over time (Diener and Lucas, 1999; Lyubomirsky et al., 2005; Nes et al., 2006).”
From The relationship between nature connectedness and happiness: a meta-analysis (2014) · cites this paper as Lyubomirsky et al., 2005
Subjective well-being can predict important life outcomes such as health, longevity, and disease.
“Lastly, subjective well-being can predict important life outcomes such as health, longevity, and disease (Williams and Schneiderman, 2002; Lyubomirsky et al., 2005; Chida and Steptoe, 2008).”
From The relationship between nature connectedness and happiness: a meta-analysis (2014) · cites this paper as Lyubomirsky et al., 2005
Connectedness with others is universally accepted as an important component of well-being, and this construct features prominently in current psychological theories.
“Connectedness with others is universally accepted as an important component of well-being, and this construct features prominently in current psychological theories. 24-26”
From Physical Activity for Cognitive and Mental Health in Youth: A Systematic Review of Mechanisms (2016) · cites this paper as [24]
The data from Lyubomirsky, Sheldon, & Schkade (2005) are no longer available.
“Email correspondence with the author revealed that the data are no longer available.”
From Happy to help? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of performing acts of kindness on the well-being of the actor (2018) · cites this paper as Lyubomirsky, Sheldon, & Schkade, 2005
Lyubomirsky, Sheldon, & Schkade (2005) purports to provide evidence that kind acts boost the well-being of the actor.
“The most highly cited paper in the kindness literature (with citations at the time of the last search) purports to provide evidence that kind acts boosts the well-being of the actor(Lyubomirsky, Sheldon, & Schkade, 2005).”
From Happy to help? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of performing acts of kindness on the well-being of the actor (2018) · cites this paper as Lyubomirsky, Sheldon, & Schkade, 2005
Lyubomirsky, Sheldon, & Schkade (2005) does not report the sample size, the dependent measure, or any inferential statistics.
“However, the article does not report the size of the sample, the dependent measure, or any inferential statistics (for example, effect size or significance).”
From Happy to help? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of performing acts of kindness on the well-being of the actor (2018) · cites this paper as Lyubomirsky, Sheldon, & Schkade, 2005
Less gratitude practice (once per week) was more effective for promoting wellbeing than more practice (three times per week).
“Similar findings have been found for gratitude practice, where less practice (once per week) was more effective for promoting wellbeing than more practice (three times per week) [53].”
From Can mindfulness be too much of a good thing? The value of a middle way (2019) · cites this paper as [53]
Participants benefited more from gratitude journaling when completing longer weekly entries as opposed to shorter more frequent entries.
“A further investigation of gratitude journaling found that participants benefited more when completing longer weekly entries as opposed to shorter more frequent entries [19].”
From Disseminating Self-Help: Positive Psychology Exercises in an Online Trial (2012) · cites this paper as [19]
Cites
Self-efficacy: The exercise of control
Bandura, A., Freeman, W. H., & Lightsey, R. (1999) · Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy · doi:10.1891/0889-8391.13.2.158 · Cited by 46,835 · see citing works
The "what" and "why" of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000) · Psychological Inquiry · doi:10.1207/s15327965pli1104_01 · Cited by 34,210 · see citing works
The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation.
Baumeister, R. F., & Leary, M. R. (1995) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037//0033-2909.117.3.497 · Cited by 23,245 · see citing works
Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress.
Diener, E., Suh, E. M., Lucas, R. E., & Smith, H. L. (1999) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.125.2.276 · Cited by 12,910 · see citing works
Flow: the psychology of optimal experience
(1990) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.28-0597 · Cited by 12,652 · see citing works
Diener, E. (1984) · Social indicators research series · doi:10.1007/978-90-481-2350-6_2 · Cited by 11,463 · see citing works
Positive psychology: An introduction.
Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/0003-066x.55.1.5 · Cited by 11,351 · see citing works
The Evolution of Reciprocal Altruism
Trivers, R. L. (1971) · The Quarterly Review of Biology · doi:10.1086/406755 · Cited by 11,010 · see citing works
ФАКТОРЫ ПСИХОЛОГИЧЕСКОГО БЛАГОПОЛУЧИЯ ЛЮДЕЙ ПОЖИЛОГО ВОЗРАСТА
М.Р., Н., & С.И., Б. (2026) · CyberLeninK (CyberLeninka) · doi:10.60797/irj.2026.170.43 · Cited by 7,967 · see citing works
Illusion and well‐being: A social psychological perspective on mental health
Taylor, S. E., & Brown, J. D. (1988) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.103.2.193 · Cited by 7,814 · see citing works
Well-being : the foundations of hedonic psychology
Kahneman, D. J., Diener, E. F., & Schwarz, N. (1999) · Cited by 7,472 · see citing works
-Handbook of Self-Determination Research by Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan (Editors)
Paulson, D. S. (2002) · The Journal of mind and behavior · Cited by 5,171 · see citing works
Handbook of Self-Determination Research
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2004) · Cited by 4,528 · see citing works
Self-regulation and depletion of limited resources: Does self-control resemble a muscle?
Muraven, M., & Baumeister, R. F. (2000) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.126.2.247 · Cited by 4,510 · see citing works
A Measure of Subjective Happiness: Preliminary Reliability and Construct Validation
Lyubomirsky, S., & Lepper, H. S. (1999) · Social Indicators Research · doi:10.1023/a:1006824100041 · Cited by 4,071 · see citing works
Self-citationFlow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience
Mirvis, P. H., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1991) · Academy of Management Review · doi:10.2307/258925 · Cited by 3,706 · see citing works
Fredrickson, B. L. (2001) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037//0003-066x.56.3.218 · Cited by 3,512 · see citing works
The happy personality: A meta-analysis of 137 personality traits and subjective well-being.
DeNeve, K. M., & Cooper, H. (1998) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.124.2.197 · Cited by 2,898 · see citing works
Handbook of Cognition and Emotion
Dalgleish, T., & Power, M. (1999) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/0470013494 · Cited by 2,789 · see citing works
Further Examining the American Dream: Differential Correlates of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Goals
Kasser, T., & Ryan, R. M. (1996) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167296223006 · Cited by 2,745 · see citing works
Origins and functions of positive and negative affect: A control-process view.
Carver, C. S., & Scheier, M. F. (1990) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037/0033-295x.97.1.19 · Cited by 2,726 · see citing works
Positive Emotions Trigger Upward Spirals Toward Emotional Well-Being
Fredrickson, B. L., & Joiner, T. (2002) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/1467-9280.00431 · Cited by 2,655 · see citing works
Goal striving, need satisfaction, and longitudinal well-being: The self-concordance model
Sheldon, K. M., & Elliot, A. J. (1999) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.76.3.482 · Cited by 2,541 · see citing works
Self-citationParducci, A., & Helson, H. (1965) · The American Journal of Psychology · doi:10.2307/1421107 · Cited by 2,493 · see citing works
Rabin, M. (1997) · RePEc: Research Papers in Economics · Cited by 2,459 · see citing works
Myers, D. G., & Diener, E. (1995) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.1995.tb00298.x · Cited by 2,383 · see citing works
Personality in Adulthood: A Five-Factor Theory Perspective
McCrae, R., & Costa, P. (2005) · doi:10.4324/9780203428412 · Cited by 2,355 · see citing works
Assessing Subjective Well-Being: Progress and Opportunities
Diener, E. (1994) · Social Indicators Research · doi:10.1007/bf01207052 · Cited by 2,317 · see citing works
Falk, J. L. (1973) · Contemporary Psychology · doi:10.1037/0011818 · Cited by 2,288 · see citing works
A neuropsychological theory of positive affect and its influence on cognition.
Ashby, F. G., Isen, A. M., & Turken, A. U. (1999) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037/0033-295x.106.3.529 · Cited by 2,270 · see citing works
Daily Well-Being: The Role of Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness
Reis, H. T., Sheldon, K. M., Gable, S. L., Roscoe, J., & Ryan, R. M. (2000) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167200266002 · Cited by 2,067 · cited 1× · see citing works
“…perspective by showing that accumulations of need-satisfying daily experiences over time (such as competence, relatedness, and autonomy; Deci & Ryan, 2000) lead to enhanced global well-being at the end of that time (Reis, Sheldon, Ryan, Gable, & Roscoe, 2000; Shel-don, Ryan, & Reis, 1996).”
BackgroundSelf-citationDepue, R. A., & Collins, P. F. (1999) · Behavioral and Brain Sciences · doi:10.1017/s0140525x99002046 · Cited by 2,046 · see citing works
Happiness Is a Stochastic Phenomenon
Lykken, D., & Tellegen, A. (1996) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.1996.tb00355.x · Cited by 1,719 · see citing works
Lottery winners and accident victims: Is happiness relative?
Brickman, P., Coates, D., & Janoff‐Bulman, R. (1978) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-3514.36.8.917 · Cited by 1,707 · see citing works
Personality and Subjective Well-Being
Richard, E., & Diener, E. (2009) · Social indicators research series · doi:10.1007/978-90-481-2350-6_4 · Cited by 1,604 · see citing works
Advances in Motivation and Achievement
(2014) · Emerald Group Publishing Limited eBooks · doi:10.1108/s0749-742320140000018017 · Cited by 1,545 · see citing works
Personality similarity in twins reared apart and together.
Tellegen, A., Lykken, D. T., Bouchard, T. J., Wilcox, K. J., Segal, N. L., & Rich, S. (1988) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-3514.54.6.1031 · Cited by 1,514 · see citing works
Evidence for a life-span theory of socioemotional selectivity
Carstensen, L. L. (1995) · Current Directions in Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/1467-8721.ep11512261 · Cited by 1,458 · see citing works
Novelty, complexity, and hedonic value
Berlyne, D. E. (1970) · Perception & Psychophysics · doi:10.3758/bf03212593 · Cited by 1,434 · see citing works
A component analysis of cognitive-behavioral treatment for depression.
Jacobson, N. S., Dobson, K. S., Truax, P. A., Addis, M. E., Koerner, K., Gollan, J. K., Gortner, E., & Prince, S. E. (1996) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-006x.64.2.295 · Cited by 1,413 · see citing works
Positive emotions in early life and longevity: Findings from the nun study.
Danner, D. D., Snowdon, D. A., & Friesen, W. V. (2001) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-3514.80.5.804 · Cited by 1,406 · see citing works
Brain Systems that Mediate both Emotion and Cognition
Gray, J. A. (1990) · Cognition & Emotion · doi:10.1080/02699939008410799 · Cited by 1,400 · see citing works
Reexamining adaptation and the set point model of happiness: Reactions to changes in marital status.
Lucas, R. E., Clark, A. E., Georgellis, Y., & Diener, E. (2003) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.84.3.527 · Cited by 1,357 · see citing works
Current concepts of positive mental health.
Jahoda, M. (1958) · doi:10.1037/11258-000 · Cited by 1,296 · see citing works
Forgiveness: Theory, research, and practice.
McCullough, M. E., Pargäment, K. I., & Thoresen, C. E. (2000) · Guilford Press eBooks · Cited by 1,256 · see citing works
Personality, life events, and subjective well-being: Toward a dynamic equilibrium model.
Headey, B., & Wearing, A. J. (1989) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.57.4.731 · Cited by 1,224 · see citing works
The funds, friends, and faith of happy people.
Myers, D. G. (2000) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/0003-066x.55.1.56 · Cited by 1,186 · see citing works
Hedonic relativism and planning the good society
Brickman, P., & Campbell, D. T. (1971) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 1,176 · see citing works
The relationship between income and subjective well-being: Relative or absolute?
Diener, E., Sandvik, E., Seidlitz, L., & Diener, M. (1993) · Social Indicators Research · doi:10.1007/bf01079018 · Cited by 1,175 · see citing works
The funds, friends, and faith of happy people.
Myers, D. G. (2000) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037//0003-066x.55.1.56 · Cited by 1,130 · see citing works
Personality, coping, and coping effectiveness in an adult sample
McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (1986) · Journal of Personality · doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.1986.tb00401.x · Cited by 1,118 · see citing works
Age-related differences and change in positive and negative affect over 23 years.
Charles, S. T., Reynolds, C. A., & Gatz, M. (2001) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.80.1.136 · Cited by 1,049 · see citing works
Coherence and congruence: Two aspects of personality integration.
Sheldon, K. M., & Kasser, T. (1995) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-3514.68.3.531 · Cited by 1,006 · see citing works
Self-citationLyubomirsky, S. (2001) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/0003-066x.56.3.239 · Cited by 995 · see citing works
Self-citationEmotion and culture: Empirical studies of mutual influence.
(1994) · American Psychological Association eBooks · doi:10.1037/10152-000 · Cited by 934 · see citing works
What Makes for a Good Day? Competence and Autonomy in the Day and in the Person
Sheldon, K. M., Ryan, R. M., & Reis, H. T. (1996) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/01461672962212007 · Cited by 917 · see citing works
Self-citationPersonal projects, happiness, and meaning: On doing well and being yourself.
McGregor, I., & Little, B. R. (1998) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.74.2.494 · Cited by 890 · see citing works
Personal goals and subjective well-being: A longitudinal study.
Brunstein, J. C. (1993) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.65.5.1061 · Cited by 883 · see citing works
Does Living in California Make People Happy? A Focusing Illusion in Judgments of Life Satisfaction
Schkade, D. A., & Kahneman, D. J. (1998) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/1467-9280.00066 · Cited by 860 · see citing works
Self-citationEmployee Positive Emotion and Favorable Outcomes at the Workplace
Staw, B. M., Sutton, R. I., & Pelled, L. H. (1994) · Organization Science · doi:10.1287/orsc.5.1.51 · Cited by 858 · see citing works
Reports of Subjective Well-Being: Judgmental Processes and Their Methodological Implications
Schwarz, N., & Strack, F. (1999) · Cited by 847 · see citing works
Events and subjective well-being: Only recent events matter.
Suh, E. M., Diener, E., & Fujita, F. (1996) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-3514.70.5.1091 · Cited by 821 · see citing works
A meta-analysis of the effects of cognitive therapy in depressed patients
Gloaguen, V., Cottraux, J., Cucherat, M., & Blackburn, I.-M. (1998) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/s0165-0327(97)00199-7 · Cited by 809 · see citing works
The Health Benefits of Writing about Life Goals
King, L. A. (2001) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167201277003 · Cited by 795 · see citing works
Resources, personal strivings, and subjective well-being: A nomothetic and idiographic approach.
Diener, E., & Fujita, F. (1995) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.68.5.926 · Cited by 794 · see citing works
Sheldon, K. M., & Elliot, A. J. (1998) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167298245010 · Cited by 792 · see citing works
Self-citationSimilarity of the Relations between Marital Status and Subjective Well-Being Across Cultures
Diener, E., Gohm, C. L., Suh, E. M., & Oishi, S. (2000) · Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology · doi:10.1177/0022022100031004001 · Cited by 782 · see citing works
The Stability of Personality: Observations and Evaluations
McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (1994) · Current Directions in Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/1467-8721.ep10770693 · Cited by 775 · see citing works
Pursuing Personal Goals: Skills Enable Progress, but Not all Progress is Beneficial
Sheldon, K. M., & Kasser, T. (1998) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/01461672982412006 · Cited by 768 · see citing works
Self-citation(1991) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.28-2998 · Cited by 762 · see citing works
Causes and correlates of happiness.
Argyle, M. (1999) · Cited by 742 · see citing works
Borgatta, E. F., & Loeb, M. B. (1979) · Research on Aging · doi:10.1177/016402757911001 · Cited by 731 · see citing works
Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-3514.84.2.377 · Cited by 716 · cited 1× · see citing works
“…(Gloaguen et al., 1998) and recent work indicating positive effects of prompting people to practice positive psychological “virtues” such as gratitude (Emmons & McCullough, 2003), hope (C. R. Snyder, Ilardi, Michael, & Cheav-ens, 2000), and forgiveness (McCullough et al., 2000) suggest that…”
BackgroundSubjective Well‐Being: The Convergence and Stability of Self‐Report and Non‐Self‐Report Measures
Sandvik, E., Diener, E., & Seidlitz, L. (1993) · Journal of Personality · doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.1993.tb00283.x · Cited by 685 · see citing works
Self-concordance, goal attainment, and the pursuit of happiness: Can there be an upward spiral?
Sheldon, K. M., & Houser-Marko, L. (2001) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.80.1.152 · Cited by 663 · see citing works
Self-citationPersonal goals and emotional well-being: The moderating role of motive dispositions.
Brunstein, J. C., Schultheiss, O. C., & Grässman, R. (1998) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.75.2.494 · Cited by 660 · see citing works
On the Power of Positive Thinking: The Benefits of Being Optimistic
Scheier, M. F., & Carver, C. S. (1993) · Current Directions in Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/1467-8721.ep10770572 · Cited by 647 · see citing works
Variety in a meal enhances food intake in man.
Rolls, B., Rowe, E. A., Rolls, E., Kingston, B., Megson, A., & Gunary, R. (1981) · Physiology and Behavior · doi:10.1016/0031-9384(81)90014-7 · Cited by 621 · see citing works
Rethinking the Role of Positive Affect in Self-Regulation
Aspinwall, L. G. (1998) · Motivation and Emotion · doi:10.1023/a:1023080224401 · Cited by 601 · see citing works
Harker, L., & Keltner, D. (2001) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.80.1.112 · Cited by 594 · see citing works
Subjective well-being: An interdisciplinary perspective.
Strack, F., Argyle, M., & Schwarz, N. (1991) · Cited by 583 · see citing works
Choosing Less‐Preferred Experiences For the Sake of Variety
Ratner, R. K., Kahn, B. E., & Kahneman, D. J. (1999) · Journal of Consumer Research · doi:10.1086/209547 · Cited by 580 · see citing works
A Dynamic Attribute Satiation Model of Variety-Seeking Behavior
McAlister, L. M. (1982) · Journal of Consumer Research · doi:10.1086/208907 · Cited by 563 · see citing works
Events and subjective well-being: Only recent events matter.
Suh, E., Diener, E., & Fujita, F. (1996) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.70.5.1091 · Cited by 558 · see citing works
Emmons, R. A., & King, L. A. (1988) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-3514.54.6.1040 · Cited by 534 · see citing works
Keltner, D., & Bonanno, G. A. (1997) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.73.4.687 · Cited by 498 · see citing works
Keltner, D. J., & Bonanno, G. A. (1997) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-3514.73.4.687 · Cited by 495 · see citing works
Subjective well-being and age: An international analysis.
Diener, E., & Suh, M. E. (1998) · Cited by 492 · see citing works
Emotional Well‐Being Predicts Subsequent Functional Independence and Survival
Ostir, G. V., Markides, K. S., Black, S. A., & Goodwin, J. S. (2000) · Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2000.tb04991.x · Cited by 473 · see citing works
The costs and benefits of writing, talking, and thinking about life's triumphs and defeats.
Lyubomirsky, S., Sousa, L., & Dickerhoof, R. (2006) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.90.4.692 · Cited by 472 · see citing works
Self-citationSuccess, failure, attention, and reaction to others: The warm glow of success.
Isen, A. M. (1970) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/h0029610 · Cited by 467 · see citing works
National differences in reported subjective well-being: Why do they occur?
Diener, E., Suh, E. M., Smith, H. L., & Shao, L. (1995) · Social Indicators Research · doi:10.1007/bf01078966 · Cited by 439 · see citing works
Getting older, getting better? Personal strivings and psychological maturity across the life span.
Sheldon, K. M., & Kasser, T. (2001) · Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1037/0012-1649.37.4.491 · Cited by 439 · see citing works
Self-citationAdvances in Motivation and Achievement
(2010) · Advances in motivation and achievement · doi:10.1108/s0749-7423(2010)000016a013 · Cited by 429 · see citing works
Achieving Sustainable Gains in Happiness: Change Your Actions, not Your Circumstances*
Sheldon, K. M., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2006) · Journal of Happiness Studies · doi:10.1007/s10902-005-0868-8 · Cited by 426 · see citing works
Self-citationDevelopment of a program to increase personal happiness.
Fordyce, M. W. (1977) · Journal of Counseling Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-0167.24.6.511 · Cited by 411 · see citing works
Happiness, pleasure, and judgment: the contextual theory and its applications
(1996) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.33-5390 · Cited by 411 · see citing works
Estrada, C. A., Isen, A. M., & Young, M. J. (1994) · Motivation and Emotion · doi:10.1007/bf02856470 · Cited by 389 · see citing works
A program to increase happiness: Further studies.
Fordyce, M. W. (1983) · Journal of Counseling Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-0167.30.4.483 · Cited by 363 · cited 4× · see citing works
“As noted earlier, Fordyce (1977, 1983) conducted several happiness intervention studies in which he taught 14 happiness-relevant strategies to students as part of their coursework.”
BackgroundInfluentialCurrent Concepts of Positive Mental Health
(1959) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.1959.03000290120032 · Cited by 344 · see citing works
Costa, P. T., McCrae, R. R., & Zonderman, A. B. (1987) · British Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1111/j.2044-8295.1987.tb02248.x · Cited by 341 · see citing works
Subjective well-being: An interdisciplinary perspective
Michaelos, A. C. (1992) · Social Indicators Research · doi:10.1007/bf00304399 · Cited by 315 · see citing works
(2002) · Cited by 314 · see citing works
Self-citationWell-being therapy: Conceptual and technical issues
Fava, G. A. (1999) · Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics · doi:10.1159/000012329 · Cited by 311 · cited 3× · see citing works
“As noted earlier, Fordyce (1977, 1983) conducted several happiness intervention studies in which he taught 14 happiness-relevant strategies to students as part of their coursework. All of the strategies fit into one or more of the three categories of activity outlined earlier: behavioral (e.g., “spend more time social…”
BackgroundPositive Emotional States and Enhancement of the Immune System
Dillon, K., Minchoff, B., & Baker, K. H. (1986) · The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine · doi:10.2190/r7fd-urn9-pq7f-a6j7 · Cited by 309 · see citing works
Hedonic consequences of social comparison: A contrast of happy and unhappy people.
Lyubomirsky, S., & Ross, L. D. (1997) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.73.6.1141 · Cited by 301 · see citing works
Self-citationCurrent Concepts of Positive Mental Health
Rome, P. M. S. M. A. O., Jahoda, M., & Fien, R. (1959) · The American Catholic Sociological Review · doi:10.2307/3709002 · Cited by 295 · see citing works
Sheldon, K. M., Kasser, T., Smith, K., & Share, T. (2002) · Journal of Personality · doi:10.1111/1467-6494.00176 · Cited by 295 · see citing works
Self-citationWilliams, S., & Shiaw, W. T. (1999) · The Journal of Psychology · doi:10.1080/00223989909599771 · Cited by 277 · see citing works
Measurement issues in emotion research.
Larsen, R. J., & Fredrickson, B. L. (1999) · Cited by 267 · see citing works
Evaluation of champs, a physical activity promotion program for older adults
Stewart, A. L., Mills, K. M., Sepsis, P. G., King, A. C., McLellan, B. Y., Roitz, K. B. A., & Ritter, P. L. (1997) · Annals of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/bf02895154 · Cited by 232 · see citing works
Bowling, N. A. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-17299-1_25 · Cited by 231 · see citing works
Influences and Consequences of Well-being Among Australian Young People: 1980–1995
Marks, G. N., & Fleming, N. (1999) · Social Indicators Research · doi:10.1023/a:1006928507272 · Cited by 228 · see citing works
Endowment and contrast in judgments of well-being.
Tversky, A., & Griffin, D. W. (1991) · Cited by 213 · see citing works
Marital Status, Distress, and Well-Being: An International Comparison
Mastekaasa, A. (1994) · Journal of Comparative Family Studies · doi:10.3138/jcfs.25.2.183 · Cited by 194 · see citing works
Handbook of psychological change : psychotherapy processes & practices for the 21st century
Snyder, C. R. R., & Ingram, R. E. (2000) · John Wiley & Sons, Inc. eBooks · Cited by 193 · see citing works
Self-Determination Theory in the Clinic: Motivating Physical and Mental Health
Sheldon, K. M., Williams, G. C., & Joiner, T. E. (2003) · Cited by 187 · see citing works
Self-citationHandbook of Psychological Change: Psychotherapy Processes and Practices for the 21st Century
Heatherington, L., & Eyre, S. (2002) · Psychiatric Services · doi:10.1176/appi.ps.53.8.1036 · Cited by 184 · see citing works
The Science Of Optimism and Hope: Research Essays in Honor of Martin E.P. Seligman
Gillham, J. E. (2000) · Works - Scholarship, Research, & Creative Expression (Swarthmore College) · Cited by 182 · see citing works
Daily events are associated with a secretory immune response to an oral antigen in men.
Stone, A. A., Neale, J. M., Cox, D. S., Napoli, A. M., Valdimarsdottir, H. B., & Kennedy-Moore, E. (1994) · Health Psychology · doi:10.1037/0278-6133.13.5.440 · Cited by 179 · see citing works
Stimulus-Similarity and the Anchoring of Subjective Scales
Brown, D. R. (1953) · The American Journal of Psychology · doi:10.2307/1418726 · Cited by 179 · see citing works
The Social Activity/Subjective Well-Being Relation
Okun, M. A., Stock, W. A., Haring, M. J., & Witter, R. A. (1984) · Research on Aging · doi:10.1177/0164027584006001003 · Cited by 167 · see citing works
Infancy to early childhood: genetic and environmental influences on developmental change
(2001) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.39-1240 · Cited by 141 · see citing works
Hope theory: Updating a common process for psychological change.
Snyder, C. R. R., Ilardi, S., Michael, S. T., & Cheavens, J. (2000) · Cited by 134 · see citing works
Braungart, J. M., Plomin, R. J., DeFries, J. C., & Fulker, D. W. (1992) · Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1037/0012-1649.28.1.40 · Cited by 132 · see citing works
Change in Dispositional Well-Being and Its Relation to Role Quality: A 30-Year Longitudinal Study
Roberts, B. W., & Chapman, C. N. (2000) · Journal of Research in Personality · doi:10.1006/jrpe.1999.2259 · Cited by 126 · see citing works
Self-Determination Theory in the Clinic
Sheldon, K. M., Williams, G. C., & Joiner, T. E. (2003) · Yale University Press eBooks · doi:10.12987/yale/9780300095449.001.0001 · Cited by 125 · see citing works
Self-citationBiology, Context, and Developmental Inquiry
Kagan, J. (2002) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.54.101601.145240 · Cited by 124 · see citing works
The Practice of Social influence in Multiple Cultures
Wosinska, W., Cialdini, R. B., Barrett, D. W., & Reykowski, J. (2000) · Psychology Press eBooks · doi:10.4324/9781410601810 · Cited by 124 · see citing works
Seidlitz, L., Wyer, R. S., & Diener, E. (1997) · Journal of Research in Personality · doi:10.1006/jrpe.1997.2184 · Cited by 122 · see citing works
Emotions and hedonic experience
Frijda, N. H. (1999) · UvA-DARE (University of Amsterdam) · Cited by 110 · see citing works
The cultural shaping of emotion: A conceptual framework.
Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (2004) · American Psychological Association eBooks · doi:10.1037/10152-020 · Cited by 108 · see citing works
A Method for Determining Cultural, Demographic, and Personal Constructs
Triandis, H. C., Bontempo, R., Leung, K., & Hui, C. H. (1990) · Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology · doi:10.1177/0022022190213003 · Cited by 108 · see citing works
Happiness: The Nature and Nurture of Joy and Contentment
Lykken, D. T. (2000) · Cited by 97 · see citing works
The Situational and Personal Correlates of Happiness: A Cross-National Comparison
Csíkszentmihályi, M., & Wong, M. M.-H. (2014) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-94-017-9088-8_5 · Cited by 95 · see citing works
Authoritative guide to self-help resources in mental health
(2001) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.38-3660 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Neuropsychological Perspectives on Affective Styles and Their Cognitive Consequences
Davidson, R. J. (1999) · doi:10.1002/0470013494.ch6 · Cited by 67 · see citing works
Aerobic exercise, subjective health and psychological well-being within age and gender subgroups
Ransford, H. E., & Palisi, B. J. (1996) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/0277-9536(95)00252-9 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Rosenzweig, M. R. (2000) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1037/10516-153 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Experiences of strain and pleasure among British adults
Warr, P. B., & Payne, R. L. (1982) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/0277-9536(82)90094-6 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Adolescents' Contributing toward Others
Magen, Z., & Aharoni, R. (1991) · Journal of Humanistic Psychology · doi:10.1177/0022167891312015 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
The effect of past-injury on pain threshold and tolerance
Dar, R., Ariely, D., & Frenk, H. (1995) · Pain · doi:10.1016/0304-3959(94)00108-q · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Sheldon, K. M. (2004) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.130.3.421 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Self-citationGaskins, R. W. (1999) · Journal of Educational Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-0663.91.2.204 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Increasing happiness through cognitive retraining.
Lichter, S., Haye, K., & Kammann, R. (1980) · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Plott, C. R. (1987) · The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics · doi:10.1057/978-1-349-95121-5_1789-1 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Pitfalls On The Road To A Positive Psychology Of Hope
Schwartz, B. N. (2000) · Works - Scholarship, Research, & Creative Expression (Swarthmore College) · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Dispositional Cheerfulness: Early Genetic and Environmental Influences
Robinson, J. L., Emde, R. N., & Corley, R. P. (2001) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780195130126.003.0012 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
3 of the 151 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
The benefits of frequent positive affect: Does happiness lead to success?
Lyubomirsky, S., King, L., & Diener, E. (2005) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.131.6.803 · Cited by 7,143 · see citing works
Self-citationPositive Psychology Progress: Empirical Validation of Interventions.
Seligman, M. E. P., Steen, T. A., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/0003-066x.60.5.410 · Cited by 5,947 · see citing works
Sin, N. L., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2009) · Journal of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1002/jclp.20593 · Cited by 2,955 · see citing works
Self-citationFredrickson, B. L., Cohn, M. A., Coffey, K. A., Pek, J., & Finkel, S. M. (2008) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0013262 · Cited by 2,365 · see citing works
Gratitude and well-being: A review and theoretical integration
Wood, A. M., Froh, J. J., & Geraghty, A. W. A. (2010) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2010.03.005 · Cited by 2,131 · see citing works
Linehan, M. M., Comtois, K. A., Murray, A. M., Brown, M. Z., Gallop, R. J., Heard, H. L., Korslund, K. E., Tutek, D. A., Reynolds, S. K., & Lindenboim, N. (2006) · Archives of General Psychiatry · doi:10.1001/archpsyc.63.7.757 · Cited by 2,025 · see citing works
A Brief Social-Belonging Intervention Improves Academic and Health Outcomes of Minority Students
Walton, G. M., & Cohen, G. L. (2011) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1198364 · Cited by 1,992 · see citing works
Flourishing Across Europe: Application of a New Conceptual Framework for Defining Well-Being
Huppert, F. A., & So, T. T. C. (2013) · Social Indicators Research · doi:10.1007/s11205-011-9966-7 · Cited by 1,864 · see citing works
Spending money on others promotes happiness
Dunn, E. W., Aknin, L. B., & Norton, M. I. (2008) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1150952 · Cited by 1,657 · see citing works
Personality and Subjective Well-Being
Richard, E., & Diener, E. (2009) · Social indicators research series · doi:10.1007/978-90-481-2350-6_4 · Cited by 1,604 · see citing works
Physical Activity for Cognitive and Mental Health in Youth: A Systematic Review of Mechanisms
Lubans, D., Richards, J., Hillman, C., Faulkner, G., Beauchamp, M., Nilsson, M., Kelly, P., Smith, J., Raine, L., & Biddle, S. (2016) · Pediatrics · doi:10.1542/peds.2016-1642 · Cited by 1,548 · see citing works
A new look at social support: A theoretical perspective on thriving through relationships
Feeney, B. C., & Collins, N. L. (2015) · Personality and Social Psychology Review · doi:10.1177/1088868314544222 · Cited by 1,521 · see citing works
Subjective well-being and adaptation to life events: A meta-analysis.
Luhmann, M., Hofmann, W., Eid, M., & Lucas, R. E. (2012) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0025948 · Cited by 1,410 · see citing works
What is and what is not positive body image? Conceptual foundations and construct definition
Tylka, T. L., & Wood-Barcalow, N. L. (2015) · Body Image · doi:10.1016/j.bodyim.2015.04.001 · Cited by 1,293 · see citing works
Reich, J. W., Zautra, A., & Hall, J. S. (2010) · Cited by 1,291 · see citing works
Huta, V., & Ryan, R. M. (2010) · Journal of Happiness Studies · doi:10.1007/s10902-009-9171-4 · Cited by 1,291 · see citing works
Refining the relationship between personality and subjective well-being.
Steel, P., Schmidt, J., & Shultz, J. (2008) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.134.1.138 · Cited by 1,794 · see citing works
How Do Simple Positive Activities Increase Well-Being?
Lyubomirsky, S., & Layous, K. (2013) · Current Directions in Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/0963721412469809 · Cited by 1,197 · see citing works
Self-citationDo social network sites enhance or undermine subjective well-being? A critical review
Verduyn, P., Ybarra, O., Résibois, M., Jonides, J., & Kross, E. (2017) · Social Issues and Policy Review · doi:10.1111/sipr.12033 · Cited by 1,209 · see citing works
Fisher, C. D. (2009) · International Journal of Management Reviews · doi:10.1111/j.1468-2370.2009.00270.x · Cited by 1,300 · see citing works
The relationship between nature connectedness and happiness: a meta-analysis
Capaldi, C. A., Dopko, R. L., & Zelenski, J. M. (2014) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00976 · Cited by 1,183 · see citing works
“Lastly, subjective well-being can predict important life outcomes such as health, longevity, and disease (Williams and Schneiderman, 2002; Lyubomirsky et al., 2005; Chida and Steptoe, 2008).”
BackgroundBeyond the hedonic treadmill: Revising the adaptation theory of well-being.
Diener, E., Lucas, R. E., & Scollon, C. N. (2006) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/0003-066x.61.4.305 · Cited by 1,946 · see citing works
Positive Psychology in Clinical Practice
Lee Duckworth, A., Steen, T. A., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2005) · Annual Review of Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.1.102803.144154 · Cited by 1,095 · see citing works
Advances and Open Questions in the Science of Subjective Well-Being
Diener, E., Lucas, R. E., & Oishi, S. (2018) · Collabra Psychology · doi:10.1525/collabra.115 · Cited by 1,149 · see citing works
Development, Freedom, and Rising Happiness: A Global Perspective (1981–2007)
Inglehart, R., Foa, R., Peterson, C., & Welzel, C. (2008) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/j.1745-6924.2008.00078.x · Cited by 1,053 · see citing works
Garland, E. L., Fredrickson, B., Kring, A. M., Johnson, D. P., Meyer, P. S., & Penn, D. L. (2010) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2010.03.002 · Cited by 1,035 · see citing works
Reconsidering happiness: The costs of distinguishing between hedonics and eudaimonia
Kashdan, T. B., Biswas-Diener, R., & King, L. A. (2008) · The Journal of Positive Psychology · doi:10.1080/17439760802303044 · Cited by 1,027 · see citing works
Oswald, A. J., Proto, E., & Sgroi, D. (2015) · Journal of Labor Economics · doi:10.1086/681096 · Cited by 1,138 · see citing works
Sheldon, K. M., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2006) · The Journal of Positive Psychology · doi:10.1080/17439760500510676 · Cited by 925 · see citing works
Self-citationBaumeister, R. F., Gailliot, M., DeWall, C. N., & Oaten, M. (2006) · Journal of Personality · doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2006.00428.x · Cited by 910 · see citing works
Boehm, J. K., & Kubzansky, L. D. (2012) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/a0027448 · Cited by 909 · see citing works
A little thanks goes a long way: explaining why gratitude expressions motivate prosocial behavior
Grant, A. M., & Gino, F. (2010) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0017935 · Cited by 870 · see citing works
Prosocial Spending and Well-Being: Cross-Cultural Evidence for a Psychological Universal
Aknin, L. B., Barrington-Leigh, C. P., Dunn, E. W., Helliwell, J. F., Burns, J., Biswas‐Diener, R., Kemeza, I., Nyende, P., Ashton-James, C. E., & Norton, M. I. (2010) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0031578 · Cited by 850 · see citing works
The effect of contact with natural environments on positive and negative affect: A meta-analysis
McMahan, E. A., & Estes, D. (2015) · The Journal of Positive Psychology · doi:10.1080/17439760.2014.994224 · Cited by 833 · see citing works
Garland, E. L., Farb, N. A., R. Goldin, P., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2015) · Psychological Inquiry · doi:10.1080/1047840x.2015.1064294 · Cited by 810 · see citing works
Schonert-Reichl, K. A., Oberle, E., Lawlor, M. S., Abbott, D., Thomson, K., Oberlander, T. F., & Diamond, A. (2015) · Developmental Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0038454 · Cited by 813 · see citing works
Regulation of Positive Emotions: Emotion Regulation Strategies that Promote Resilience
Tugade, M. M., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2007) · Journal of Happiness Studies · doi:10.1007/s10902-006-9015-4 · Cited by 791 · see citing works
The Relationship Between Social Support and Subjective Well-Being Across Age
Siedlecki, K. L., Salthouse, T. A., Oishi, S., & Jeswani, S. (2013) · Social Indicators Research · doi:10.1007/s11205-013-0361-4 · Cited by 810 · see citing works
Wood, A. M., Maltby, J., Gillett, R., Linley, P. A., & Joseph, S. (2008) · Journal of Research in Personality · doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2007.11.003 · Cited by 761 · see citing works
McKnight, P. E., & Kashdan, T. B. (2009) · Review of General Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0017152 · Cited by 965 · see citing works
The reliability of subjective well-being measures
Krueger, A. B., & Schkade, D. A. (2008) · Journal of Public Economics · doi:10.1016/j.jpubeco.2007.12.015 · Cited by 746 · see citing works
Self-citationSchonert-Reichl, K. A., & Lawlor, M. S. (2010) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-010-0011-8 · Cited by 758 · see citing works
Lyubomirsky, S., Dickerhoof, R., Boehm, J. K., & Sheldon, K. M. (2011) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/a0022575 · Cited by 720 · see citing works
Self-citationWaterman, A. S., Schwartz, S. J., & Conti, R. (2006) · Journal of Happiness Studies · doi:10.1007/s10902-006-9020-7 · Cited by 733 · see citing works
Doing the Right Thing: Measuring Well-Being for Public Policy
Seligman, M. E. P., Forgeard, M. J. C., Jayawickreme, E., & Kern, M. L. (2011) · International Journal of Wellbeing · doi:10.5502/ijw.v1i1.15 · Cited by 719 · see citing works
Pleasure principles: A review of research on hedonic consumption
Alba, J. W., & Williams, E. F. (2012) · Journal of Consumer Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jcps.2012.07.003 · Cited by 687 · see citing works
Bolino, M. C., & Grant, A. M. (2016) · Academy of Management Annals · doi:10.5465/19416520.2016.1153260 · Cited by 682 · see citing works
Nature connectedness: Associations with well-being and mindfulness
Howell, A. J., Dopko, R. L., Passmore, H., & Buro, K. (2011) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2011.03.037 · Cited by 678 · see citing works
Too Much of a Good Thing: The Challenge and Opportunity of the Inverted U
Grant, A. M., & Schwartz, B. (2011) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/1745691610393523 · Cited by 668 · see citing works
Quoidbach, J., Berry, E. V., Hansenne, M., & Mikolajczak, M. (2010) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2010.03.048 · Cited by 660 · see citing works
Findings All Psychologists Should Know From the New Science on Subjective Well-Being
Diener, E., Heintzelman, S. J., Kushlev, K., Tay, L., Wirtz, D., Lutes, L., & Oishi, S. (2017) · Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne · doi:10.1037/cap0000063 · Cited by 621 · see citing works
Identity-based consumer behavior
Reed, A., Forehand, M., Puntoni, S., & Warlop, L. (2012) · International Journal of Research in Marketing · doi:10.1016/j.ijresmar.2012.08.002 · Cited by 658 · see citing works
Wise interventions: Psychological remedies for social and personal problems.
Walton, G. M., & Wilson, T. D. (2018) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037/rev0000115 · Cited by 617 · see citing works
Health benefits: Meta-analytically determining the impact of well-being on objective health outcomes
Howell, R. T., Kern, M. L., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2007) · Health Psychology Review · doi:10.1080/17437190701492486 · Cited by 627 · see citing works
Self-citationSocial Interactions and Well-Being
Sandstrom, G. M., & Dunn, E. W. (2014) · Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin · doi:10.1177/0146167214529799 · Cited by 637 · see citing works
Nelson, S. K., Kushlev, K., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2014) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/a0035444 · Cited by 638 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Hierarchical Structure of Well‐Being
Gallagher, M. W., Lopez, S. J., & Preacher, K. J. (2009) · Journal of Personality · doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2009.00573.x · Cited by 588 · see citing works
Twenge, J. M., & Martin, G. N. (2020) · Journal of Adolescence · doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2019.12.018 · Cited by 582 · see citing works
Does happiness adapt? A longitudinal study of disability with implications for economists and judges
Oswald, A. J., & Powdthavee, N. (2008) · Journal of Public Economics · doi:10.1016/j.jpubeco.2008.01.002 · Cited by 563 · see citing works
Feelings change: Accounting for individual differences in the temporal dynamics of affect.
Kuppens, P., Oravecz, Z., & Tuerlinckx, F. (2010) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0020962 · Cited by 543 · see citing works
Positive interventions: An emotion regulation perspective.
Quoidbach, J., Mikolajczak, M., & Gross, J. J. (2015) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/a0038648 · Cited by 546 · see citing works
Travel and Subjective Well-Being: A Focus on Findings, Methods and Future Research Needs
Vos, J. D., Schwanen, T., Acker, V. V., & Witlox, F. (2013) · Transport Reviews · doi:10.1080/01441647.2013.815665 · Cited by 553 · see citing works
Curry, O. S., Rowland, L. A., Van Lissa, C. J., Zlotowitz, S., McAlaney, J., & Whitehouse, H. (2018) · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2018.02.014 · Cited by 528 · see citing works
The ‘What’, ‘Why’ and ‘How’ of Employee Well-Being: A New Model
Page, K. M., & Vella-Brodrick, D. A. (2009) · Social Indicators Research · doi:10.1007/s11205-008-9270-3 · Cited by 550 · see citing works
A Dark Side of Happiness? How, When, and Why Happiness Is Not Always Good
Gruber, J., Mauss, I. B., & Tamir, M. (2011) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/1745691611406927 · Cited by 515 · see citing works
Life Satisfaction and Student Engagement in Adolescents
Lewis, A. D., Huebner, E., Malone, P., & Valois, R. (2011) · Journal of Youth and Adolescence · doi:10.1007/s10964-010-9517-6 · Cited by 511 · see citing works
Busseri, M. A., & Sadava, S. (2011) · Personality and Social Psychology Review · doi:10.1177/1088868310391271 · Cited by 496 · see citing works
Mental Health Promotion in Public Health: Perspectives and Strategies From Positive Psychology
Kobau, R., Seligman, M. E. P., Peterson, C., Diener, E., Zack, M. M., Chapman, D., & Thompson, W. (2011) · American Journal of Public Health · doi:10.2105/ajph.2010.300083 · Cited by 494 · see citing works
Aknin, L. B., Dunn, E. W., & Norton, M. I. (2011) · Journal of Happiness Studies · doi:10.1007/s10902-011-9267-5 · Cited by 484 · see citing works
Happiness for Sale: Do Experiential Purchases Make Consumers Happier than Material Purchases?
Nicolao, L., Irwin, J. R., & Goodman, J. K. (2009) · Journal of Consumer Research · doi:10.1086/597049 · Cited by 482 · see citing works
The relative relativity of material and experiential purchases.
Carter, T. J., & Gilovich, T. D. (2010) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/a0017145 · Cited by 477 · see citing works
Out-of-home activities, daily travel, and subjective well-being
Ettema, D., Gärling, T., Olsson, L. E., & Friman, M. (2010) · Transportation Research Part A Policy and Practice · doi:10.1016/j.tra.2010.07.005 · Cited by 474 · see citing works
The costs and benefits of writing, talking, and thinking about life's triumphs and defeats.
Lyubomirsky, S., Sousa, L., & Dickerhoof, R. (2006) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.90.4.692 · Cited by 472 · see citing works
Self-citationDifferent types of well-being? A cross-cultural examination of hedonic and eudaimonic well-being
Disabato, D. J., Goodman, F. R., Kashdan, T. B., Short, J. L., & Jarden, A. (2016) · Psychological Assessment · doi:10.1037/pas0000209 · Cited by 583 · see citing works
Lucas, R. E. (2007) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.92.4.717 · Cited by 463 · see citing works
Happiness and Satisfaction with Work Commute
Olsson, L. E., Gärling, T., Ettema, D., Friman, M., & Fujii, S. (2012) · Social Indicators Research · doi:10.1007/s11205-012-0003-2 · Cited by 463 · see citing works
A social-cognitive model of trait and state levels of gratitude.
Wood, A. M., Maltby, J., Stewart, N., Linley, P. A., & Joseph, S. (2008) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/1528-3542.8.2.281 · Cited by 457 · see citing works
Curiosity and pathways to well-being and meaning in life: Traits, states, and everyday behaviors
Kashdan, T. B., & Steger, M. F. (2007) · Motivation and Emotion · doi:10.1007/s11031-007-9068-7 · Cited by 455 · see citing works
It's not just the amount that counts: Balanced need-satisfaction also affects well-being
Sheldon, K. M., & Niemiec, C. P. (2006) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.91.2.331 · Cited by 454 · see citing works
Self-citationGratitude predicts psychological well-being above the Big Five facets
Wood, A., Joseph, S., & Maltby, J. (2009) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2008.11.012 · Cited by 462 · see citing works
Gander, F., Proyer, R. T., Ruch, W., & Wyss, T. (2013) · Journal of Happiness Studies · doi:10.1007/s10902-012-9380-0 · Cited by 444 · see citing works
Howells, A., Ivtzan, I., & Eiroa-Orosa, F. J. (2016) · Journal of Happiness Studies · doi:10.1007/s10902-014-9589-1 · Cited by 407 · see citing works
What are the differences between happiness and self-esteem?
Lyubomirsky, S., Tkach, C., & DiMatteo, M. R. (2006) · Social Indicators Research · doi:10.1007/s11205-005-0213-y · Cited by 431 · see citing works
Self-citationActing for Happiness: Financial Behavior and Life Satisfaction of College Students
Xiao, J. J., Tang, C., & Shim, S. (2008) · Social Indicators Research · doi:10.1007/s11205-008-9288-6 · Cited by 429 · see citing works
Welpe, I. M., Spörrle, M., Grichnik, D., Michl, T., & Audretsch, D. B. (2011) · Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice · doi:10.1111/j.1540-6520.2011.00481.x · Cited by 428 · see citing works
Media Use Is Linked to Lower Psychological Well-Being: Evidence from Three Datasets
Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, W. K. (2019) · Psychiatric Quarterly · doi:10.1007/s11126-019-09630-7 · Cited by 429 · see citing works
Achieving Sustainable Gains in Happiness: Change Your Actions, not Your Circumstances*
Sheldon, K. M., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2006) · Journal of Happiness Studies · doi:10.1007/s10902-005-0868-8 · Cited by 426 · see citing works
Self-citationUses of music and psychological well-being among the elderly.
Laukka, P. (2007) · Journal of Happiness Studies · doi:10.1007/s10902-006-9024-3 · Cited by 430 · see citing works
Froh, J. J., Kashdan, T. B., Ozimkowski, K. M., & Miller, N. (2009) · The Journal of Positive Psychology · doi:10.1080/17439760902992464 · Cited by 422 · see citing works
How Can Measures of Subjective Well-Being Be Used to Inform Public Policy?
Dolan, P., & White, M. P. (2007) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/j.1745-6916.2007.00030.x · Cited by 416 · see citing works
Tkach, C., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2006) · Journal of Happiness Studies · doi:10.1007/s10902-005-4754-1 · Cited by 414 · see citing works
Self-citationKashdan, T. B., Mishra, A., Breen, W. E., & Froh, J. J. (2009) · Journal of Personality · doi:10.1111/j.1467-6494.2009.00562.x · Cited by 419 · see citing works
Huppert, F. A., Marks, N., Clark, A. E., Siegrist, J., Stutzer, A., Vittersø, J., & Wahrendorf, M. (2008) · Social Indicators Research · doi:10.1007/s11205-008-9346-0 · Cited by 408 · see citing works
The impact of digital technology use on adolescent well-being
Dienlin, T., & Johannes, N. (2020) · Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience · doi:10.31887/dcns.2020.22.2/tdienlin · Cited by 393 · see citing works
Happiness adaptation to income and to status in an individual panel
Tella, R. D., Haisken‐DeNew, J. P., & MacCulloch, R. (2010) · Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization · doi:10.1016/j.jebo.2010.09.016 · Cited by 399 · see citing works
Positive emotion regulation in emotional disorders: A theoretical review
Carl, J. R., Soskin, D. P., Kerns, C., & Barlow, D. H. (2013) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2013.01.003 · Cited by 391 · see citing works
Fixing our focus: Training attention to regulate emotion
Wadlinger, H. A., & Isaacowitz, D. M. (2011) · Personality and Social Psychology Review · doi:10.1177/1088868310365565 · Cited by 396 · see citing works
The benefits of self-compassion and optimism exercises for individuals vulnerable to depression
Shapira, L. B., & Mongrain, M. (2010) · The Journal of Positive Psychology · doi:10.1080/17439760.2010.516763 · Cited by 381 · see citing works
Coping Style as a Psychological Resource of Grateful People
Wood, A. M., Joseph, S., & Linley, P. A. (2007) · Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1521/jscp.2007.26.9.1076 · Cited by 388 · see citing works
Happiness from Ordinary and Extraordinary Experiences
Bhattacharjee, A., & Mogilner, C. (2014) · Journal of Consumer Research · doi:10.1086/674724 · Cited by 380 · see citing works
- Authors
- Lyubomirsky, S., Sheldon, K. M., & Schkade, D.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Riverside (US)
- University of Missouri (US)
- University of California San Diego (US)
- Corresponding author
- Lyubomirsky, Sonja
- Sheldon, Kennon M.
- Venue
- Review of General Psychology
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2005-06
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 111-131
- ISSN
- 1089-2680 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1552
- OpenAlex
- W2132638854
- Semantic Scholar
- e96c510d25e7be671c5e6d6b6450ed48efad8d58
- Cited by
- 3,203
- References
- 151
- Citations by year
- 2026: 88 · 2025: 187 · 2024: 176 · 2023: 219 · 2022: 187 · 2021: 222 · 2020: 198 · 2019: 186 · 2018: 169 · 2017: 171 · 2016: 185 · 2015: 210 · 2014: 197 · 2013: 163 · 2012: 161
- FWCI
- 67.02
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Review of General Psychology (publishedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Optimism, Hope, and Well-being
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
- Keywords
- happiness, subjective well-being, genetic determinism, hedonic adaptation, happiness interventions, optimism
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review