Sonja Lyubomirsky is a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside

University of California, Riverside

The University of California, Riverside, commonly known as UCR or UC Riverside, is a public research university and one of the ten general campuses of the University of California system. UCR is consistently ranked as one of the most ethnically and economically diverse universities in the United...

 and author of The How of Happiness, a book of strategies backed by scientific research that can be used to increase happiness.

She is often quoted in news articles about positive psychology and happiness. In the book The Only Self-Help Book You'll Ever Need, a criticism of self-help books, Lyubomirsky's The How of Happiness is praised as a self-help book that has claims backed by empirical data.

She is also an associate editor of the Journal of Positive Psychology. She holds a $1 million 5-year grant the National Institute of Mental Health

National Institute of Mental Health

The National Institute of Mental Health is one of 27 institutes and centers that make up the National Institutes of Health...

 to research long-term happiness with Kennon Sheldon

Kennon Sheldon

Kennon Sheldon is a professor of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri. He is known for his research in positive psychology. In 2002 he was a recipient of a Templeton Foundation "Positive Psychology" prize , and has received large research grants for his work...

.

The How of Happiness

The premise of The How of Happiness is (1) that happiness is worth striving for, and (2) that 50 percent of a given human's happiness level is genetically determined (based on twin studies), 10 percent is affected by life circumstances and situation, and a remaining 40 percent of happiness is subject to self control

Self control

Self control is the ability to control one's emotions, behavior and desires in order to obtain some reward later. In psychology it is sometimes called self-regulation...

. The strategies offered in the book are designed to target the 40 percent of happiness that is subject to manipulation.

The How of Happiness has spawned an iPhone

IPhone

The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...

 application called Live Happy, produced by Signal Patterns. Lyubomirsky is on the company's scientific advisory board.

The How of Happiness has also spawned a song called The How of Happiness Book Tune, which acts as a mnemonic aid to help readers remember the content within the book.

External links

• Lyubomirsky's webpage about The How of Happiness
• 20/20 video segment covering Lyubomirsky and The How of Happiness
• Video of Good Morning America interview with Lyubomirsky about The How of Happiness
• Op-ed piece by Lyubomirsky in the New York Times, about the 2008 economic downturn and how it did not affect happiness levels, published on December 26, 2008