Sonja Lyubomirsky is a social psychologist, but you could also consider her a kind of happiness expert. This is because Sonja has spent her life researching happiness: Why some people are happier than others, what the benefits of happiness are, and how to be sustainably happy.
Sonja studied at both Harvard and Stanford, and she is now a professor at the University of California, Riverside where she teaches social psychology and the science of well-being, among other courses.
Sonja’s research on happiness is award-winning; she has been awarded a Templeton Positive Psychology Prize, a Science of Generosity grant, two John Templeton Foundation grants, a Character Lab grant, and a million-dollar grant (with Ken Sheldon) from the National Institute of Mental Health. Beyond this, her research has been featured in
hundreds of magazines and newspapers, and she has appeared in multiple TV shows, radio shows, and feature documentaries in North America, South America, Asia, Australia, and Europe. Sonja has lectured worldwide and to a variety of audiences, including business executives, educators, physicians, entrepreneurs, military officers, mental health professionals, life coaches, retirees, students, and scholars.
She is the author of a bestseller: “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”. Her books can be seen as self-help advice based on the best experimental data.
Sonja is truly passionate about helping others to achieve sustainable happiness. She has not only spent her career researching the topic, but shares what she learns. She gives talks, has a blog on Pyschology Today and she even offers a free online course in happiness.