About Sonja Lyubomirsky

(Download Sonja Lyubomirsky’s CV)  (Watch Selection of Video Clips)

Office Address
Department of Psychology
University of California
Riverside, CA 92521
Phone: (951) 827-5041 (msg only)
e-mail: firstname.lastname@ucr.edu		 Home Address
Santa Monica, CA

Biographical Sketch 

Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., is 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—have been the recipients 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.

Academic History 

  • A.B., Psychology, summa cum laude, Harvard University, 1989
  • Ph.D., Social Psychology, Stanford University, 1994
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, 1994-2001
  • Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, 2001-2005
  • Professor, Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, 2005-2019
  • Vice Chair, Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, 2017-2021
  • Distinguished Professor, Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, 2019-present

Selected Fellowships and Awards

  • Honorary Doctorate, Faculty of Psychology, University of Basel, 2021
  • Christopher J. Peterson Gold Medal, International Positive Psychology Association, 2019
  • Carol and Ed Diener Award for Outstanding Mid-Career Contributions in Personality Psychology, 2018
  • Distinguished Research Lecturer Award, College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, UC Riverside, 2017-2018
  • Top Cited Researcher at UC Riverside, Clarivate Analytics Web of Science
  • Dennis L. Chernin Memorial Lecturer, Yale University, 2016
  • Maret Distinguished Alumni Award, The Maret School, Washington DC, 2015
  • Faculty of the Year Award, Department of Psychology, UC Riverside, 2012-2013
  • Fellow, Society for Personality and Social Psychology
  • Fellow, Association for Psychological Science
  • IPPA Fellow, International Positive Psychology Association
  • Best Paper Award, Journal of Happiness Studies, 2006
  • Member, Society of Experimental Social Psychology
  • Honorable Mention, Social Psychology Network Action Teaching Award, 2011
  • Templeton Positive Psychology Prize, American Psychological Association, 2002
  • Faculty of the Year Award, Department of Psychology, UC Riverside, 1999-2000
  • Faculty Mentor of the Year, University Honors Program, 1999-2000
  • National Institutes of Mental Health, RO1 Award, 2004-2009
  • National Institutes of Mental Health, B/START Award, 1999-2000
  • Cancer Research Coordinating Committee Grant, 1998-1999
  • National Institutes of Mental Health, Individual National Research Service Award, 1993-1994
  • Centennial Teaching Assistant Award, Stanford University, 1994
  • National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship, 1989-1992
  • Thomas T. Hoopes Prize for Outstanding Scholarly Work, Harvard University, 1989
  • Faculty Prize for Outstanding Honors Thesis, Department of Psychology, Harvard University, 1989

Blog

Past & Future Talks (2018-present only)

  • JAN 19, 2018: Invited Speaker, Port Life Speaker Series, Port of San Diego, San Diego, CA
  • FEB 10, 2018: Keynote Speaker, 2nd Global Dialogue for Happiness, Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
  • MAR 27, 2018: Invited Speaker, Campus Talk, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX
  • APR 27, 2018: Invited Speaker, Society for Affective Science, Fifth Annual Conference, Los Angeles, CA
  • MAY 26, 2018: Invited Speaker, Society for the Teaching of Psychology, Association for Psychological Science, San Francisco, CA
  • JUN 20, 2018: Invited Speaker, Hopelab, San Francisco, CA
  • AUG 2, 2018: Keynote Speaker, The 2018 Lowcountry Mental Health Conference, Charleston, SC
  • AUG 7, 2018: William K. Warren, Jr. Frontiers in Neuroscience Lecturer, Laureate Institute for Brain Research, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK
  • OCT 12, 2018: Invited Speaker, The 19th Annual World Knowledge Forum, Seoul, SOUTH KOREA
  • OCT 13, 2018: Invited Speaker, United Cargo Convention, La Jolla, CA
  • OCT 24, 2018: Invited Speaker, Bay Area Women’s Forum Series, San Francisco, CA
  • NOV 7, 2018, Invited Speaker, International Bullying Prevention Association Conference, San Diego, CA
  • NOV 8, 2018: Invited Speaker, New York Women’s Forum Series, New York, NY
  • NOV 15, 2018: Invited Speaker, Happiness@Work Conference, Prague, CZECH REPUBLIC
  • NOV 27, 2018: Invited Speaker, Introductory Psychology Series, Pomona College, Claremont, CA
  • JAN 11, 2019: Invited Speaker, Behavioral Decision Making Seminar, UCLA Anderson School of Management, Los Angeles, CA
  • JAN 29, 2019: Invited Speaker, Mountain View/Los Altos Parent Education Series, Mountain View High School, Mountain View, CA
  • FEB 20, 2019: Invited Speaker, Berkeley Forum, University of California, Berkeley, CA
  • MAR 9, 2019, Invited Speaker, The Happiness Puzzle: Science, the Arts, and Psychoanalysis, New Center for Psychoanalysis, Beverly Hills, CA
  • MAR 14, 2019: Invited Speaker, 9th Annual Wellness Summit, Stanford Health Promotion Network, Stanford, CA
  • MAR 16, 2019: Invited Speaker, World Happiness Summit, Miami, FL
  • APR 9, 2019: Invited Speaker, Ravenswood School for Girls, Sydney, AUSTRALIA
  • APR 11, 2019: Keynote Speaker, Positive Education Schools Association Conference, Gold Coast, Queensland, AUSTRALIA
  • APR 15, 2019: Plenary Speaker, Integrative Mental Health Conference, San Francisco, CA
  • APR 25, 2019: Invited Speaker, Colloquium Series, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY
  • MAY 2, 2019: Invited Speaker, Positive Fridays, Division of Behavioral and Organizational Sciences, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA
  • MAY 14, 2019: Invited Speaker, Distinguished Research Lecturer Award, University of California, Riverside, CA
  • MAY 25, 2019: Invited Speaker, Reunion Symposium Series, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
  • JUN 12, 2019: Invited Speaker, Boston Women’s Forum, Boston, MA
  • JUL 11, 2019: Plenary Speaker, The Educator Summit, Philadelphia, PA
  • JUL 20, 2019: Invited Symposium Speaker, 6th World Congress on Positive Psychology, Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
  • JUL 20, 2019: Plenary Speaker, 6th World Congress on Positive Psychology, Melbourne, AUSTRALIA. [Click here for two slides on revisiting the pie chart.]
  • SEP 21, 2019: Closing Keynote Speaker, Annual Women’s Leadership Conference, Mount Saint Mary’s University, Los Angeles, CA
  • OCT 19, 2019: Symposium Speaker, Annual Meeting of the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, Toronto, CANADA
  • NOV 6, 2019: Plenary Speaker, Global Human Resources Forum 2019, Seoul, SOUTH KOREA
  • NOV 16, 2019: Speaker & Panelist, Back to Class presentation, UCR Homecoming, UCR Foundation Stewardship Committee, University of California, Riverside, CA
  • NOV 18, 2019: Panelist, The New York Academy of Sciences and the Critical Care & Resuscitation Research Program at NYU Langone Health, New  York, NY
  • DEC 9, 2019: Invited Speaker, Titan Summit 2019, Toronto, CANADA
  • FEB 27, 2020: Keynote Speaker, Happiness & Well-Being Preconference of the Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, New Orleans, LA
  • MAR 16, 2020: Keynote Speaker, Health & Happiness Summit, Chapman University, Orange, CA POSTPONED
  • APR 15, 2020: Invited Speaker, Pacific Union Club, San Francisco, CA POSTPONED
  • MAY 7, 2020: Brown Bag Speaker, Social/Personality Brown Bag, Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside
  • MAY 22-23, 2020: Symposium Speaker, Annual Convention of the Association for Psychological Science, Chicago, IL POSTPONED
  • JUN 3, 2020: Invited Speaker, Women’s Virtual Forum, Cornerstone Research, Santa Monica, CA
  • JUL 18, 2020: Invited Speaker, Silver Tip Ranch, Slough Creek, MT
  • JUL 23, 2020: Invited Speaker, CHRO Council, San Francisco, CA
  • SEP 10, 2020:  Invited Speaker, Resiliency 2020, Peoria, IL POSTPONED
  • SEP 11, 2020: Invited Speaker, Psych Congress, Nashville, TN (virtual)
  • SEP 21, 2020: Invited Speaker, Marion Minor Cook Athenaeum, Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, CA (virtual)
  • OCT 28, 2020: Keynote Speaker, VESTED Magazine & CAPTRUST (virtual)
  • NOV 7, 2020: Invited Speaker, TEDxManhattanBeach, Manhattan Beach, CA POSTPONED
  • NOV 16, 2020: Invited Speaker, Google UX (virtual)
  • DEC 3, 2020: Keynote Speaker, Nordic Webinar for Student Well-Being (virtual)
  • DEC 9, 2020: Keynote Speaker, 51st Annual Scientific Meeting of the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (virtual)
  • DEC 11, 2020: Keynote Speaker, Google Ireland (virtual)
  • DEC 17, 2020: Invited Speaker, Murdock Mind, Body, Spirit Series, Aspen Institute, Aspen, CO POSTPONED
  • JAN 24, 2021: Invited Speaker, Leverage & Growth Accelerator, Physicians Group (virtual)
  • JAN 26, 2021: Invited Speaker, Latham & Watkins, Women Lawyers Group (virtual)
  • FEB 1, 2021: Invited Speaker, Monta Vista PTSA (virtual)
  • MAR 4, 2021: Keynote Speaker, Mental Health Asia Conference (virtual)
  • APR 23, 2021: Invited Speaker, Social/Personality Brown Bag, Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia (virtual)
  • MAY 12, 2021: 60-Second Keynote, Speaker’s Corner Night at the Owl Bar (virtual)
  • MAY 28, 2021: Arnold Gilberg Lecturer in Psychiatry & Behavioral Health, Cedars-Sinai Health System (virtual)
  • JUL 21, 2021: Invited Speaker, Jane Street Europe, Summer Speakers Series (virtual)
  • JUL 22, 2021: Plenary Speaker, Annual Meeting of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (virtual)
  • SEP 21, 2021: Invited Speaker, The Loomis Chaffee School, Annual Speakers Series, Windsor, CT
  • OCT 25, 2021: Opening Keynote Speaker, 2021 P&I West Coast Defined Contribution Conference, San Diego, CA
  • NOV 17, 2021: Invited Speaker, University of Massachusetts Memorial Health & University of Massachusetts Medical School (virtual)
  • NOV 4, 2021:  “Read 2 Succeed” Featured Author Lecture, Norco College, Norco, CA
  • NOV 9, 2021: Keynote Speaker, Princeton Common Ground (virtual)
  • NOV 25, 2021: Plenary Speaker, University of Basel, SWITZERLAND
  • DEC 10 2021: Invited Speaker, Symposium, Department of Emergency Medicine, Cedars-Sinai, Los Angeles, CA
  • FEB 19, 2022:  Speaker, Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Symposium Titled “Antidotes to Loneliness,” San Francisco, CA
  • MAR 23, 2022: Invited Speaker, Grand Rounds, Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (virtual)
  • MAR 30, 2022: Keynote Speaker, Positive Emotions Preconference, Ninth Annual Conference of the Society for Affective Science (virtual)
  • MAR 30, 2022: Invited Speaker, UCR Aging Initiative, UCR Palm Desert Speaker Series (virtual)
  • APR 4, 2022: Keynote Speaker, Counseling Speaker’s Series, Goucher College, Towson, MD
  • APR 28, 2022: Invited Speaker, Young President’s Organization, Silicon Valley Chapter, Woodside, CA
  • MAY 2, 2022: Invited Speaker, Engineering for Social Change, Center for Engineering Concepts Development in Mechanical Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park (virtual)
  • MAY 16, 2022: Invited Speaker, Mental Health Awareness Week, German International School of Silicon Valley, San Francisco, CA (virtual)
  • MAY 20, 2022: Invited Speaker, Limmud FSU New York, Parsippany, NJ
  • JUN 2, 2022: Invited Speaker, YPO Los Angeles President’s Retreat 2022, Del Mar, CA
  • JUL 14, 2022: Keynote Speaker, 21st European Conference on Personality, Madrid, SPAIN
  • NOV 6, 2022: Invited Speaker, American Dental Education Association Dean’s Conference, Scottsdale, AZ
  • NOV 7, 2022: Invited Speaker, Social Psychology Brown Bag Series, Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
  • NOV 12, 2022: Invited Speaker, Inspired Culture: The Salon, Los Angeles, CA
  • NOV 17, 2022: Invited Speaker, Colloquium Series in Honor of Robert Cialdini, Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
  • NOV 18, 2022: Keynote Speaker, YeeY Wellness Conference, Tokyo, JAPAN (virtual)
  • DEC 5, 2022: Invited Speaker, Behavioral Sciences Colloquium, McCombs School of Business & Department of Psychology, University of Texas, Austin, TX
  • JAN 26, 2023: Invited Speaker, ICF Meeting, International Coaching Federation, Toronto, CANADA (virtual)
  • JAN 27, 2023: Invited Speaker, Pennebaker Jamboree, UT Austin, TX
  • FEB 14, 2023: Invited Speaker, “Coffee and Science” series, Center for Health and Community, UC San Francisco, CA
  • MAR 6, 2023: Invited Speaker, Social/Personality Area Workshop, Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC, CANADA
  • MAR 7, 2023: Invited Speaker, Uplift by BetterUp, San Francisco, CA
  • MAY 26, 2023: Keynote Speaker, R’PSYC Undergraduate Research Conference, University of California, Riverside, CA
  • JUN 7, 2023: Invited Speaker, Ohel Children’s Home and Family Services, Brooklyn, NY (virtual)
  • JUN 20, 2023: Invited Speaker, Leadership & Happiness Symposium, Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, MA
  • JUL, 2023: Panelist, International Positive Psychology Association, 8th World Congress, Vancouver BC CANADA
  • AUG 9, 2023: Invited Speaker, Spirituality and Wellness Summit, The National Jewish Retreat, Desert Springs, CA
  • AUG 28, 2023: Keynote Speaker, Executive Leadership Retreat on Convening, American Leadership Forum, Sacramento, CA
  • AUG 29, 2023: Invited Speaker, Management of Organizations Talk Series, Walter A. Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, CA
  • AUG 30, 2023: Invited Speaker, Colloquium Speaker Series, Institute for Personality and Social Research, University of California, Berkeley, CA
  • SEP 6, 2023: Invited Speaker, Resilience Lecture Series, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX (virtual)
  • SEP 15, 2023: Invited Speaker, Physician Well-Being Grand Rounds, Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, New York, NY
  • OCT 6, 2023: Invited Speaker, MD Student Retreat, School of Medicine, University of California, Riverside, CA POSTPONED
  • OCT 28-29, 2023: Invited Speaker, MAPP Summit, Philadelphia, PA
  • NOV 27, 2023: Invited Speaker & Casey Fellow, Upper Canada College Casey Fellow Speaker Series, Toronto, CANADA
  • FEB 15, 2024: Invited Speaker, Glenbard Parent Series, Glen Ellyn, IL (virtual)
  • APR 13, 2024: Keynote Speaker, URJ Camp Newman Women’s Weekend, Santa Rosa, CA
  • MAY 23, 2024: Keynote Speaker, Annual Conference of the Western Positive Psychology Association, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

Recent Courses Taught

  • Social Psychology
  • Science of Well-Being
  • Seminar in Social Psychology: Positive Psychology
  • Professional Development and Research Ethics