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Sonja Lyubomirsky:

Happiness Researcher

Sonja Lyubomirksy has spent much Through her research, Lyubomirsky

of her life studying happiness. She found that everyone has a “happiness
is a psychologist. This is a scientist set point.” This is a person’s normal
who studies the human mind—how level of happiness. When good or
it works and how it affects behavior. bad things happen, happiness may
Lyubomirsky’s research looks at how increase or decrease. But everyone
happiness changes over time and will eventually go back to their
what people can do to increase their happiness set point. Set points are
happiness. determined in part by our genes. They
are also determined by what we do
Lyubomirksy was born in 1966
and how we think. So it’s possible to 604
in Moscow, in what was then the
reset our happiness set point.
Soviet Union. Her family emigrated Number of hours it
to the United States when she was took Sonja Lyubomirsky
nine. They settled in the suburbs of Sonja to write The How of
Washington, DC. She learned English Lyubomirsky Happiness
from American TV. in 2016. • Published in 2007,
this was the first book
In 1989, Lyubomirsky earned her Lyubomirsky wrote for
bachelor’s degree in psychology the layperson. THINK ABOUT IT
from Harvard University. She did • It describes activities Lyubomirksy found that many people
her graduate studies at Stanford in people can do to increase need to work hard to increase their
California. Her advisor encouraged happiness. These include happiness. What do you think that
her to study happiness. She finished acts of kindness and means? What might you do to improve
giving thanks.
her PhD at Stanford in 1994. She • Lyubomirsky’s second your happiness, or the happiness of
has been a psychology professor book, The Myths of others?
at University of California, Happiness, came out in
14 Riverside, ever since. 2013. 15