Selected Publications

with PDF | Sonja’s CV here | H-index=92; total citations=84,165

Lyubomirsky, S., & Reis, H. (2026). How to feel loved: The five mindsets that get you more of what matters most. New York: Harper. Visit the book’s website. Buy the book.
Lyubomirsky, S. (2013). The myths of happiness: What should make you happy, but doesn’t, what shouldn’t make you happy, but does. New York: Penguin Press. Visit the book’s website. Download the book’s full set of references. See the covers of the book’s translations.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2022). The myths of happiness. (X, Trans.). Beijing, China: China CITIC Press
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2015). The myths of happiness. (X, Trans.). Taipei, Taiwan: Longstone.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2015). The myths of happiness. (X, Trans.). Istanbul, Turkey: Kapital.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2015). The myths of happiness. (X, Trans.). Bangkok, Thailand: Matichon.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2014). The myths of happiness. (X, Trans.). Tel Aviv, Israel: Kinneret-Zmora.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2014). Oi mýthoi ti̱s ef̱tychías. (X, Trans.). Athens, Greece: Menandros Editions.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2014). Os mitos da felicidade: O que deveria fazer você feliz, mas não faz; o que não deveria fazer você feliz, mas faz. (X, Trans.). Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Odisseia.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2014). The myths of happiness (X, Trans.). Tokyo, Japan: Nihon Jitsugyo Shuppan.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2014). Mitai apie laimę. (Margarita Bautrėnienė, Trans). Vilnius, Lithuania: Alma Littera.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2014). Myterne om lykke. (Henriette Rostrup, Trans).Copenhagen, Denmark: Dansk Psykologisk Forlag.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2014). Qu’est-ce qui nous rend vraiment heureux? (Laurent Bury, Trans.). Paris: Les Arènes.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2014). Los mitos de la felicidad (Martín R-Courel Ginzo, Trans.). Barcelona, Spain: Urano.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2013). The myths of happiness (X, Trans.). Seoul, South Korea: Knowledge Nomad.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2013). Mity o szczęściu. Warsaw, Poland: Laurum.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2013). Boldogság-mítoszok: Tények és tévhítek. (X, Trans.). Budapest, Hungary: Ursus Libris.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2013). Mitovete za schastieto (Nadya Bayeva, Trans.). Sofia, Bulgaria: Obsidian.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2013). De mythes van geluk: Wetenschappelijke inzichten in wat ons écht gellukkig maakt (Fanneke Cnossen , Trans.). Utrecht, Netherlands: Bruna.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2013). The myths of happiness: What should make you happy, but doesn’t, what shouldn’t make you hoxforappy, but does (X, Trans.). Beijing, China: Cheers Books.
Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). The how of happiness: A scientific approach to getting the life you want. New York: Penguin Press. Visit the book’s website. Download the book’s references. See the covers of the book’s translations.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2019). Nasil mutlu olunur? (Gülfer Göze, Trans.). Istanbul, Turkey: Ketebe.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2014). The how of happiness: 40% (X, Trans.). Beijing, China: China CITIC Press.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2014). Psichologia schastya (X, Trans.). Saint Petersburg, Russia: Piter.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2014). The how of happiness (X, Trans.). Taipei, Tawain: Longstone.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2013). Comment être heureux…et le rester (X, Trans.). Paris: Marabout.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2011). Como ser feliz: A receita científica para a felicidade (Ana Paula Nereu Reis, Trans.). Lisbon, Portugal: Pergaminho.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2012). The how of happiness: A new approach to getting the life you want. (X, Trans.).Tokyo: Nihon Jitsugyo Shuppansha. See the covers of the book’s translations.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2011). The way to happiness: Action plan for a happy life. (Katya Benyovitz, Trans.) Or Yehuda, Israel: Kinneret Publishing House.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2010). Cum să fii fericit (Dorina Oprea, Trans.). Bucureşti, Romania: Amsta.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2009). Kuinka onnelliseksi? (Jouni Porio,Trans.). Helsinki, Finland: Basam Books.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2009). The how of happiness: 40% (X, Trans.). Shanghai, China: East China Normal University Press.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2009). Ptyat km schastyeto (Teodora Atanasova, Trans.). Sofia, Bulgaria: Knowledge Mont.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). How to be happy (X, Trans.). Seuol, South Korea: Knowledge Nomad.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). Sådan bliver du lykkelig (X, Trans.). Copenhagen, Denmark: Linghardt & Ringhof.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). Wybierz szczescie: Naukowe metody budowania zycia, jakiego pragniesz (X, Trans.).Warsaw, Poland: MT Biznes.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). Nasil mutlu lunur? (Gülfer Göze, Trans.). Istanbul, Turkey: Kapital Medya Hizmetleri A. S.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). A ciência da felicidade: Como atingir a felicidade real e duradoura (Patrícia Sá, Trans.). Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Elsevier.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). Hogyan legyünk boldogok? Az önmegvalósítás útjai tudományos megközelítésben(Turóczi Attila, Trans.). Budapest, Hungary: Ursus Libris.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). Lyckans verktyg: En vetenskaplig guide till lycka (Johan Nilsson, Trans.). Stockholm: Natur & Kultur.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). Comment être heureux…et le rester (Camille Fort, Trans.). Paris: Flammarion.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). La ciencia de la felicidad (Alejandra Devoto, Trans.). Barcelona, Spain: Urano.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). Glücklich sein: Warum Sie es in der Hand haben, zufrieden zu leben (Jürgen Neubauer, Trans.). Frankfurt, Germany: Campus Verlag.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). De maakbaarheid van het geluk (Frans van Delft, Trans.). Amsterdam: Archipel.
- Lyubomirsky, S. (2010). The how of happiness: A practical approach to getting the life you want. London: Piatkus.
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 (6^th). Situational Press. https://doi.org/10.70400/UKJM3949
Reis, H. T., Regan, A., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2021). Interpersonal chemistry: What is it, how does it emerge, and how does it operate? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17(2), 530-558.
Lyubomirsky, S. (2022). Toward a new science of psychedelic social psychology: The effects of MDMA (ecstasy) on social connection. Perspectives on Psychological Science. Watch overview of this paper in this 15-min talk.
Molla, H., Lee, R., Lyubomirsky, S., & de Wit, H. (2023). Drug-induced social connection: Both MDMA and methamphetamine increase feelings of connectedness during controlled dyadic conversations. Scientific Reports, 13, 15846.
Martinez, R. L., Radošić, N., Molla, H., de Wit, H., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2025). The empathogen 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, but not methamphetamine, increases feelings of global trust. Journal of Psychopharmacology. https://doi.org/10.1177/02698811251370999
Regan, A., Margolis, S., de Wit, H., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2021). Does ±3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (ecstasy) induce subjective feelings of social connection in humans? A multilevel meta-analysis. PLoS ONE, 16(10): e0258849.
Nelson-Coffey, S. K., Fritz, M. M., Lyubomirsky, S., & Cole, S. W. (2017). Kindness in the blood: The gene regulatory impact of prosocial behavior. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 81, 8-13. Supplemental Materials here.
Margolis, S., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2020). Experimental manipulation of extraverted and introverted behavior and its effects on well-being. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 149(4), 719-731.
Regan, A., Radošic, N., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2022). Experimental effects of social behavior on well-being. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 26(11), 987-998.
Walsh, L. C., Regan, A., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2022). The role of actors, targets, and witnesses: Examining gratitude exchanges in a social context. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 17(2), 233-249. Supplemental Materials here.
Fritz, M. M., Margolis, S., Radošić, N., Revord, J. C., Rosen Kellerman, G. R., Nieminen, L. R. G., Reece, A., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2023). Examining the social in the prosocial: Episode-level features of social interactions and kind acts predict social connection and well-being. Emotion, 23(8), 2270-2285. See Nina Radošić’s post on this paper in Character & Context.
Okabe-Miyamoto, K., Walsh, L. C., Ozer, D. J., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2024). Measuring the experience of social connection within specific social interactions: The Connection During Conversations Scale (CDCS). PLoS ONE, 19(1), e0286408. Download our new Connection During Conversations Scale.
Walsh, L. C., Regan, A., Okabe-Miyamoto, K., & Lyubomirsky, S. (i2024). Does putting away your smartphone make you happier? The effects of restricting digital media and social media on well-being. PLOS ONE, 19(10), e0306910. Download Supplemental Materials here.
Martinez, R. L., Regan, A., Okabe-Miyamoto, K., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2025). Only the lonely: Learning, use of skills, and sense of meaning buffer the costs of reduced social connection for life satisfaction. The Journal of Positive Psychology.
Okabe-Miyamoto, K., Folk, D., Lyubomirsky, S., & Dunn, E.W. (2021). Changes in social connection during COVID-19 social distancing: It’s not (household) size that matters, it’s who you’re with. PLoS ONE, 16(1), e0245009.
Folk, D., Okabe-Miyamoto, K., Dunn, E.W., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2020). Did social connection declined during the first wave of COVID-19?: The role of extraversion. Collabra: Psychology, 6(1), 37.
Regan, A., Margolis, S., Ozer, D.J.. Schwitzgebel, E., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2023). What is unique about kindness? Exploring the proximal experience of prosocial acts relative to other positive behaviors. Affective Science, 4, 92-100.
Regan, A., Walsh, L. C., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2023). Are some ways of expressing gratitude more beneficial than others? Results from a randomized controlled experiment. Affective Science, 4, 72-81.
Walsh, L. C., Regan, A., Twenge, J. M., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2023). What is the optimal way to give thanks? Comparing the effects of gratitude expressed privately, one-to-one via text, or publicly on social media. Affective Science, 4, 82-91.
Gladstone, J. J., Ruberton, P. M., Margolis, S., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2024). Does variety in hedonic spending improve happiness? Testing alternative causal mechanisms between hedonic variety and subjective well-being. BMC Psychology, 12: 98.
Margolis, S., Schwitzgebel, E., Ozer, D. J., Martinez, R., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2022).Measuring eudaimonic and non-eudaimonic goods in the pursuit of the good life: The Riverside Eudaimonia Scale and the Rich & Sexy Well-Being Scale. International Journal of Well-Being, 12(1), 1-20. Download Supplemental Materials here.
Okabe-Miyamoto, K., Margolis, S., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2023). Is variety the spice of happiness? More variety is associated with lower efficacy of positive activity interventions in a sample of over 200,000 happiness seekers. The Journal of Positive Psychology.
Walsh, L. C., Montemayor-Dominguez, M., Horton, C., Boz, S. G., & Lyubomirsky, S. (in press). Worker well-being: A continuous improvement framework. Applied Research in Quality of Life.
Okabe-Miyamoto, K., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2024). Happiness shapes and is shaped by social cognition and social connection. In D. Carlston, K. Johnson, & K. Hugenberg (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of social cognition (2^nd ed., pp. 721-739). Oxford University Press.
Elmer, T., Vannoy, T. K., Studerus, E., Lyubomirsky, S. (2024). Subjective long‐term emotional and social effects of recreational MDMA use: The role of setting and intentions. Scientific Reports, 14, 3434. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-51355-6
Vannoy, T. K., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2024). Psychedelic social psychology and wellbeing. In J. E. Maddux (Ed.), Subjective well-being and life satisfaction (2nd ed., pp. 78-102). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003393368 .
Aknin, L. B., De Neve, J-E., Dunn, E. W., Fancourt, D. E., Goldberg, E., Helliwell, J. F., Jones, S. P., Karam, E., Layard, R., Lyubomirsky, S., Rzepa, A., Saxena, S., Thornton, E. M., VanderWeele, T. J., Whillans, A. V., Zaki, J., Caman, O. K., & Ben Amor, Y. (2022). Mental health during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic: A review and recommendations for moving forward. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17(4), 915-936. Listen to the audio narration of this article (by Liz Dunn) here!
Fritz, M. M., Walsh, L. C., Cole, S. W., Epel, E., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2020). Kindness and cellular aging: A pre-registered experiment testing the effects of prosocial behavior on telomere length and well-being. Brain, Behavior, & Immunity – Health, 11: 100287.
Regan, A., Fritz, M. M., Walsh, L. C., Lyubomirsky, S., & Cole, S. W. (2022). The genomic impact of kindness to self vs. others: A randomized controlled trial. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 106, 40-48.
Regan, A., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2022). Inducing sociability: Insights from well-being science. In J. P. Forgas, W. Crano, & K. Fiedler (Eds.), The psychology of sociability: Understanding human attachment (pp. 79-97). Routledge.
Shin, L. J., Margolis, S. M., Walsh, L. C., Kwok, S. Y., Yue, X., Chan, C-K., Siu, N. Y-F., Sheldon, K. M., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2021). Cultural differences in the hedonic rewards of recalling kindness: Priming cultural identity with language. Affective Science, 2(1), 80-90.
Sheldon, K. M., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2021). Revisiting the Sustainable Happiness Model and pie chart: Can happiness be successfully pursued? The Journal of Positive Psychology, 16(2), 145-154.
Armenta, C. N., Fritz, M. M., Walsh, L. C., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2022). Satisfied yet striving: Gratitude promotes life satisfaction and improvement motivation in youth. Emotion, 22(5), 1004-1016.
Walsh, L. C., Armenta, C. N., Itzchakov, G., Fritz, M. M., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2022). More than merely positive: The immediate affective and motivational consequences of gratitude. Sustainability, 14, 8679.
Layous, K., Sweeny, K., Armenta, C., Na, S., Choi, I., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2017). The proximal experience of gratitude. PLoS ONE, 12(7): e0179123.
Nelson, S. K., Ruberton, P. M., Chancellor, J., Cornick, J., Blascovich, J., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2019). The proximal experience of awe. PLoS ONE, 14(5), e0216780.
Margolis, S., Stapley, A. L., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2019). The association between extraversion and well-being is limited to one facet. Journal of Personality, 88, 478-484.
Kubzansky, L. D., Kim, E. W., Boehm, J. K., Davidson, R. J., Huffman, J. C., Loucks, E. G., Lyubomirsky, S., Picard, R., Schueller, S. M., Trudel-Fitzgerald, C. VanderWeele, T. J., Warran, K., Yeager, D. S., Yeh, C. S., & Moskowitz, J. T. (2023). Interventions to modify psychological well-being: What works, what doesn’t work, and an agenda for future research. Affective Science, 4, 174-184.
Revord, J., Sweeny, K., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2021). Categorizing the function of positive emotions. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 39, 93-97.
Fritz, M. M., Armenta, C. N., Walsh, L. C., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2019). Gratitude facilitates healthy eating behavior in adolescents and young adults. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 81, 4-14.
Aknin, L., De Neve, J-E., Dunn, E., Fancourt, D., Goldberg, E., Helliwell, J., Jones, S., Karam, E., Layard, R., Lyubomirsky, S., Rzepa, A., Saxena, S., Thornton, E., VanderWeele, T., Whillans, A., Zaki, J., Caman, O. K., & Ben Amor, Y. (2021). The neurological consequences of contracting COVID-19. Acta Psychologica, 19(3), 301-305.
Parnia, S., Post, S., Lee, M., Lyubomirsky, S., Aufderheide, T., Greyson, B., Long, J., Gonzales, A., Hyppert, E., Dickinson, A., Fricchione, G., Mayer, S., Locicero, B., Levin, J., Bossis, J., Worthington, E., Fenwick, P, & Keshavarz Shirazi, T. (2022). Guidelines and standards for the study of death and recalled experiences of death-A multidisciplinary consensus statement and proposed future directions. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. Supplement S1. Supplement S2.
Walsh, L. C., Boehm, J. K., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2018). Does happiness promote career success? Revisiting the evidence. Journal of Career Assessment, 26, 199-219.
Armenta, C. N., Fritz, M., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2017). Functions of positive emotions: Gratitude as a motivator of self-improvement and positive change. Emotion Review, 9, 183-190.
Boehm, J. K., Ruberton, P. M., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2017). The promise of fostering greater happiness. In C. R. Snyder, S. J. Lopez, L. M. Edwards, L., & S. C. Marques (Eds.), Oxford handbook of positive psychology (3^rd ed., pp. 945-958). Oxford University Press.
Nelson, S. K., Layous, K., Cole, S., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2016). Do unto others or treat yourself?: The effects of prosocial and self-focused behavior on psychological flourishing. Emotion, 16, 850-861.
Nelson, S. K., Kushlev, K., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2014). The pains and pleasures of parenting: When, why, and how is parenthood associated with more or less well-being? Psychological Bulletin, 140, 846-895.
Nelson, S. K., Kushlev, K., English, T., Dunn, E. W., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2013). In defense of parenthood: Children are associated with more joy than misery. Psychological Science, 24, 3-10.
Lyubomirsky, S., & Layous, K. (2013). How do simple positive activities increase well-being? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 22, 57-62.
Layous, K., Lee, H., Choi, I., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2013). Culture matters when designing a successful happiness-increasing activity: A comparison of the United States and South Korea. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 44, 1294-1303.
Layous, K., Nelson, S. K., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2013). What is the optimal way to deliver a positive activity intervention? The case of writing about one’s best possible selves. Journal of Happiness Studies, 14, 635-654.
Layous, K., Nelson, S. K., Oberle, E., Schonert-Reichl, K., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2012). Kindness counts: Prompting prosocial behavior in preadolescents boosts peer acceptance and well-being. PLOS ONE, 7, e51380.
Sheldon, K. M., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2012). The challenge of staying happier: Testing the Hedonic Adaptation Prevention model. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38, 670-680.
Lyubomirsky, S., Dickerhoof, R., Boehm, J. K., & Sheldon, K. M. (2011). Becoming happier takes both a will and a proper way: An experimental longitudinal intervention to boost well-being. Emotion, 11, 391-402.
Boehm, J. K., Lyubomirsky, S., & Sheldon, K. M. (2011). A longitudinal experimental study comparing the effectiveness of happiness-enhancing strategies in Anglo Americans and Asian Americans. Cognition & Emotion, 25, 1263-1272.
Sin, N. L., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2009). Enhancing well-being and alleviating depressive symptoms with positive psychology interventions: A practice-friendly meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology: In Session, 65, 467-487.
Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Wisco, B. E., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). Rethinking rumination. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 3, 400-424.
Boehm, J. K., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). Does happiness promote career success? Journal of Career Assessment, 16, 101-116.
Howell, R. T., Kern, M. L., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2007). Health benefits: Meta-analytically determining the impact of well-being on objective health outcomes. Health Psychology Review, 1, 83-136
Lyubomirsky, S., Sousa, L., & Dickerhoof, R. (2006). The costs and benefits of writing, talking, and thinking about life’s triumphs and defeats. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 90, 692-708.
Sheldon, K. M., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2006a). How to increase and sustain positive emotion: The effects of expressing gratitude and visualizing best possible selves. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1, 73-82.
Sheldon, K. M., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2006b). Achieving sustainable gains in happiness: Change your actions, not your circumstances. Journal of Happiness Studies, 7, 55-86.
Lyubomirsky, S., Tkach, C., & DiMatteo, M. R. (2006). What are the differences between happiness and self-esteem? Social Indicators Research, 78, 363-404.
Tkach, C., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2006). How do people pursue happiness? Relating personality, happiness-increasing strategies, and well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 7, 183-225.
Lyubomirsky, S., King, L. A., & Diener, E. (2005). The benefits of frequent positive affect: Does happiness lead to success? Psychological Bulletin, 131, 803-855.
Lyubomirsky, S., Sheldon, K. M., & Schkade, D. (2005). Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change. Review of General Psychology, 9, 111-131.
Lyubomirsky, S., Kasri, F., & Zehm, K. (2003). Dysphoric rumination impairs concentration on academic tasks. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 27, 309-330.
Ward, A. H., Lyubomirsky, S., Sousa, L., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2003). Can’t quite commit: Rumination and uncertainty. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 96-107.
Schwartz, B., Ward, A. H., Monterosso, J., Lyubomirsky, S., White, K., & Lehman, D. (2002). Maximizing versus satisficing: Happiness is a matter of choice. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83, 1178-1197.
Lyubomirsky, S. (2001). Why are some people happier than others?: The role of cognitive and motivational processes in well-being. American Psychologist, 56, 239-249.
Lyubomirsky, S., Tucker, K. L., Caldwell, N. D., & Berg, K. (1999). Why ruminators are poor problem solvers: Clues from the phenomenology of dysphoric rumination. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 1041-1060.
Lyubomirsky, S., & Lepper, H. S. (1999). A measure of subjective happiness: Preliminary reliability and construct validation. Social Indicators Research, 46, 137-155.
Lyubomirsky, S., Caldwell, N. D., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1998). Effects of ruminative and distracting responses to depressed mood on the retrieval of autobiographical memories. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 166-177.
Lyubomirsky, S., & Tucker, K. L. (1998). Implications of individual differences in subjective happiness for perceiving, interpreting, and thinking about life events. Motivation and Emotion, 22, 155-186.
Lyubomirsky, S., & Ross, L. (1997). Hedonic consequences of social comparison: A contrast of happy and unhappy people. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73, 1141-1157.
Lyubomirsky, S., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1995). Effects of self-focused rumination on negative thinking and interpersonal problem solving. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 176-190.
Lyubomirsky, S., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1993). Self-perpetuating properties of dysphoric rumination. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 339-349.
Layous, K., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2014). The how, why, what, when, and who of happiness: Mechanisms underlying the success of positive interventions. In J. Gruber & J. T. Moscowitz (Eds.), Positive emotion: Integrating the light sides and dark sides (pp. 473-495). Oxford University Press.
Lyubomirsky, S. (2010). Hedonic adaptation to positive and negative experiences. In S. Folkman (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of stress, health, and coping (pp. 200-224). Oxford University Press.
Sheldon, K. M., Boehm, J. K., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2012). Variety is the spice of happiness: The hedonic adaptation prevention (HAP) model. In I. Boniwell & S. David (Eds.), Oxford handbook of happiness (pp. 901-914). Oxford University Press.
Sheldon, K. M., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2004). Achieving sustainable new happiness: Prospects, practices, and prescriptions. In A. Linley, & S. Joseph (Eds.), Positive psychology in practice (pp. 127-145). John Wiley & Sons.
Lyubomirsky, S., & Tkach, C. (2004). The consequences of dysphoric rumination. In C. Papageorgiou & A. Wells (Eds.), Rumination: Nature, theory, and treatment of negative thinking in depression (pp. 21-41). John Wiley & Sons.

Under Review

Walsh, L. C., Okabe-Miyamoto, K., Regan, A., Twenge, J. M., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2023). The association between well-being and objectively measured versus self-reported smartphone time. Manuscript under review.
Cadieux, S., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2025). How chanting enhances well-being: The roles of vocalization, repetition, and concentration. Manuscript under review. [Abstract. Email for copy.]
Molla, H., Smadi, S., Lyubomirsky, S., Li, T., & de Wit, H. (2024). Deconstructing dialogue: What drives feelings of connectedness in conversations? Manuscript under review.
Radošić, N., Collier, E., Reece, A., Martinez, R., Regan, A., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2023). What happens after a brief online conversation with a stranger? Effects of two conversation formats on mood, subjective perceptions, and objective conversational behaviors. Manuscript under review. [Abstract. Email for copy.]
Kruse, E., Chancellor, J., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2016). Self-affirmation increases humility. Manuscript under review. [Abstract. Email for copy.]
Margolis, S., Elder, J., Chinn, J., Hughes, B., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2024). What are the most important predictors of subjective well-being? Insights from machine learning and linear regression approaches on the MIDUS datasets. Manuscript under review.

Op-Eds/Popular Press

Lyubomirsky, S. (2025, January 10). The science of positive activities: How to maximize happiness and avoid pitfalls. Inner Body.
Lyubomirsky, S. (2023, June 12). Everything everywhere all at once. In E. Horvitz (ed.), AI Anthology.
Dunn, E., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2020, May 5). Extraverts are faring surprisingly well in lockdown. Washington Post.
Lyubomirsky, S. (2020, March 31). 10 positivity boosting tips for musicians. Record Union.
Lyubomirsky, S. & Fritz, M. M. (2019, July 5). How to be happier. Character & Context.
Walsh, L. C., Boehm, J. K.. & Lyubomirsky, S. (2019, May 24). Happiness doesn’t follow success: It’s the other way around. Aeon Magazine.

Fritz, M. M., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2018, March 20). How and why positive activities can make you happier. Behavioral Scientist.
Fritz, M. M., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2018, March 27). The happiness boomerang effect: When positive activities backfire. Behavioral Scientist.
Walsh, L. C., Boehm, J. K., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2018, August 13). Is happiness a consequence or cause of career success? LSE Business Review.

Armenta, C. N., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2017, May 23). How gratitude motivates us to become better people. Greater Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life.

Revord, J., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2017, October 4). How to be happy: A psychologists view of #HEhappiness. Times Higher Education.

Lyubomirsky, S. (2015, July 2). Pursue happiness, but in moderation. New York Times, Room for Debate, The Opinion Pages.

Lyubomirsky, S. (2015, November 5). Will an optimist or a pessimist win in 2016? Los Angeles Times, A19.

Diener, E., Pressman, S. D., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2015, December 17). Can 1 million women be wrong about happiness and health? Los Angeles Times, A21.

Lyubomirsky, S. (2015, April 16). The science of coming alive. Huffington Post.

Lyubomirsky, S. (2012, December 23). Fantasy vs. reality. New York Times, Room for Debate, The Opinion Pages.
Lyubomirsky, S. (2013, August 1). Do children bring happiness — or misery? TIME.

Yano, K., Lyubomirsky, S., & Chancellor, J. (2012). Sensing happiness. IEEE Spectrum, 40, 26-31.

Lyubomirsky, S. (2012, December 2). New love: A short shelf life. New York Times, SR1.

Lyubomirsky, S., & Jacobs, K. M. (2010). Comment construire un bonheur durable. [How to build lasting happiness.] Cerveau & Psycho: Le magazine de la psychologie et des neurosciences, 37, 62-64.

Lyubomirsky, S. (2011, July 7). The Longevity Project. [Review of the book The Longevity Project.] Nature, 475, 32.

Lyubomirsky, S. (2010, December). Become happier. Personal Excellence, 7.

Lyubomirsky, S. (2010, August 10). Can money buy happiness? New research reveals that reminders of wealth impair our capacity to savor life’s little pleasures. Scientific American.

Lyubomirsky, S. (2009, July 14). What if I’d never met my husband: New research reveals a better way to boost happiness than counting blessings — imagining that the good things never happened. Scientific American.

Lyubomirsky, S. (2008, December 27). Why we’re still happy. New York Times, A25.
Lyubomirsky, S. (2008, December 27). Happy, despite it all: How a new outlook can help us cope — even thrive — in adversity. Riverside Press-Enterprise, E1, E4.
Lyubomirsky, S. (2008, July 5). Smiles give leadership clues. Riverside Press-Enterprise.
Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). Happiness. In G. Stone (Ed.), The 12-step Bush recovery program (pp. 118-120). New York: Villard.

Lyubomirsky, S. (2008, January). Work may hold the key to your happiness. Harvard Community Resource, XVII, 3.
Lyubomirsky, S. (2006b). Is it possible to become lastingly happier? Lessons from the modern science of well-being. In Vancouver Dialogues(pp. 53-56). Vancouver: Truffle Tree Publishing.
Lyubomirsky, S. (2005, January 17). Eight steps toward a more satisfying life. Time, 165, A8-A9. Pg 1 Pg 2

Subjective Happiness Scale

(permission granted for all non-commercial use)

Please cite the following paper in all work using the scale: 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.
The Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) can be used for non-commercial (nonprofit) purposes, including scholarly/academic.
Please contact Sonja Lyubomirsky (sonja.lyubomirsky[at]ucr.edu) to obtain a translated version or to send her your own translation. The following languages are currently available: Bulgarian, Chinese, Croatian, 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). Note: You may omit the 4th item and only use the first three items.
Download a copy of the SHS here.