Most people would agree that happiness is one of the most salient and significant dimensions of human experience. After all, wouldn’t we all like to be happy? But what exactly is happiness? And how do we get more of it? Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., has dedicated her career to studying human happiness, and on this episode of POTC, she joins Yael to answer this question and more! Join us in this episode to learn the empowering practice of cultivating your own happiness through practical, evidence-based strategies today!

• The evidence-based strategies Yael and Diana use to foster happiness in their lives
  
• Sonja expertly breaks down what different studies are telling us about predicting and maintaining happiness
  
• Sonja’s goals for your happiness and how she can help you build those through evidence-based strategies and practices
  
• The empowering practice of cultivating your own happiness
  
• Hedonic adaptation and how it fits into the scientific art of cultivating happiness
  
• Practical advice for taking charge of your own happiness right now!
  
• Fostering happiness in the presence of positive and negative memories and experiences
  
• Which happiness-building activities work better for specific dispositions and temperaments
  
• The erroneous beliefs and myths about what makes us happy or unhappy
  

• Read Sonja’s 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
  
• Learn more about Barbara Fredrickson  
  
• Read Danny Kahneman’s study on parenting and happiness 
  
• Paul Bloom’s recent Atlantic piece on parenting and happiness
  
• Grab your copy of all our favorite books at bookshop.org/shop/offtheclockpsych.
  
• Check out Debbie, Diana, Yael, and Jill’s websites to access their offerings, sign up for their newsletters, buy their books, and more!
  

Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., is a Distinguished Professor and the Vice Chair of the Department of Psychology at the University of California where she currently runs the Positive Activities & Well-Being Lab. She earned both her A.B. in Psychology and her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from Stanford University. She has dedicated her career to studying human happiness, focusing on three main questions: 1) What makes people happy? 2) Is happiness a good thing, and 3) How and why can people learn to lead happier, more flourishing lives? Sonja has published numerous studies and made multiple media appearances exploring and discussing the answers to these questions. She has also published multiple books about happiness including The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want and her most recent work, The Myths of Happiness: What Should Make You Happy, But Doesn’t, What Shouldn’t Make You Happy, But Does. Learn more about Sonja at her website, sonjalyuobmirsky.com!

• Episode 2. Hygge – Happiness and the Danish Art of Cozy Connection  
  
• Episode 48. Practical Wisdom with Barry Schwartz
  
• Episode 97. The New Happiness with Matthew McKay
  
• Episode 116. Building a Meaningful, Values-based Life with Jenna LeJeune   
  
• Episode 180. Choosing to Live Your Values with Benji Schoendorff
  
• Episode 192. Happier with Tal Ben-Shahar
  
• Episode 224. The Sweet Spot with Paul Bloom