The majority of my research career has been devoted to studying human happiness. Why is the scientific study of happiness important? In short, because most people believe that happiness is meaningful, desirable, and an important, worthy goal, because happiness is one of the most salient and significant dimensions of human experience and emotional life, because happiness yields numerous rewards for the individual, and because it makes for a better, healthier, stronger society. Along these lines, my current research addresses three critical questions: 1) What makes people happy?; 2) Is happiness a good thing?; and 3) How and why can people learn to lead happier and more flourishing lives?
My Research
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 & 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
Check out my books!
The How of Happiness
The Myths of Happiness
The Science of Happiness
The Science of Social Connection