Can You Be Happier? with Sonja Lyubomirksy

Sonja Lyubomirsky is a professor of Psychology at the University of California - Riverside. Her research on the science of happiness has been the recipient of many honors.  She is a best-selling author of the books The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want and The Myths of Happiness: What Should Make You Happy, but Doesn’t, What Shouldn’t Make You Happy, but Does. In this conversation, you will hear Sonja share her thoughts and findings on happiness.  Sonja shares some of her findings that prove that positive activity interactions work.  Sonja also talks about some of the myths of happiness, which is the topic of her latest book.  She talks about the identification process to determine which interactions may work for individuals.  She also talks about happiness in group dynamics, specifically the workplace.  Sonja must present these interventions in various ways, depending on the environment and situation and she explains how she does that.   Connect with Sonja Lyubomirsky: Website: http://sonjalyubomirsky.com/ You’ll Learn: [01:57] - Sonja shares what she hopes attendees gain from her presentations on happiness. Sonja says that it is possible to become happier. [03:06] - Happiness is a broad term and Sonja describes how she defines the term.   [04:07] - Sonja’s talks about the short-term and long-term improvements people can make with happiness.  She explains that short-term happiness is easier to achieve than long-term happiness. [05:10] - Sonja describes the benefits of people being happy in the workplace.  She also explains why it’s not a good thing to be “too happy” in the workplace. [06:46] - Sonja lists a few interventions that people can use in the workplace to become happier at work. [08:38]- Sonja shares some of her findings that prove that positive activity interventions work.  She talks about gratitude and the role that factors like culture and dosage play a role. [10:37] - In her book, The How of Happiness, Sonja provides a survey to help determine which interventions might work for individuals.  She talks about this identification process. [13:04] - Sonja shares some of the myths of happiness. [15:32] - Sonja talks about the idea of happiness and well-being in social environments and with each other in various relationships. [16:50] - Happiness shouldn’t be forced on anyone. Sonja talks about situations where happiness interventions aren’t the right strategy. [19:11] - Sonja explains how she presents these interventions in different types of workplaces. [20:00] - The Lightning Round with Sonja Lyubomirsky Your Resources: The International Positive Psychology Association’s 5th World Congress on Positive Psychology Born to Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life - Dacher Keltner The Power Paradox: How We Gain and Lose Influence - Dacher Keltner The Art of Happiness - Dalai Lama The Undoing Process: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds - Michael Lewis Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for joining me again this week.  If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the bottom of this post.   Also, please leave an honest review for the Making Positive Psychology Work Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated. They do matter in the rankings of the show, and I read each and every one of them. And finally, don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes to get automatic updates. It’s free! Special thanks to Sonja for joining me this week. Until next time, take care!