Tuesday, May 14   3:30pm

Whither Happiness? When, How, and Why Might Positive Activities Boost vs. Undermine Well-Being

 Sonya Lyubomirsky,  University of California Riverside

Happiness not only feels good; it is good. Happy people have more stable marriages, superior health, and higher incomes. Fortunately, experiments have shown that people can intentionally increase their happiness. In this presentation, I will introduce a model (and supporting evidence) that describes when and why activities like gratitude or kindness can promote well-being and produce other positive outcomes.  Finally, I will propose several ways by which engaging in presumably happiness-increasing activities may backfire.