Sonja Lyubomirsky
Born 1966 · Age 59
Russian-born American psychologist; Distinguished Professor at University of California, Riverside; leading researcher in happiness and wellbeing; author of The How of Happiness and The Myths of Happiness.
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Life & Career Timeline
Immigrated to the United States (approx.)
Moved with family to the United States and settled in California (immigrated at about age nine).
Graduated A.B., Harvard University, summa cum laude
Received Bachelor of Arts (Psychology), summa cum laude; received Thomas T. Hoopes Prize and Faculty Prize for Outstanding Honors Thesis.
Awarded Thomas T. Hoopes Prize & Faculty Prize
Received Harvard's Thomas T. Hoopes Prize for outstanding scholarly work and departmental Faculty Prize for Outstanding Honors Thesis.
National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship
Awarded NSF Graduate Fellowship (tenure listed as 1989–1992).
NIH Individual National Research Service Award (NRSA)
Received an Individual National Research Service Award from the National Institutes of Health (term 1993–1994).
Ph.D. in Social/Personality Psychology, Stanford University
Awarded Ph.D.; doctoral thesis titled 'The hedonic consequences of social comparison: implications for enduring happiness and transient mood.' Advisors included Lee Ross and Susan Nolen-Hoeksema.
Centennial Teaching Assistant Award, Stanford
Received Centennial Teaching Assistant Award at Stanford University.
Joined UC Riverside as Assistant Professor
Started faculty appointment in the Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside (Assistant Professor, 1994–2001).
Cancer Research Coordinating Committee Grant (UCR)
Received funding from UCR's Cancer Research Coordinating Committee (1998–1999) for research (project details not specified).
B/START Award, NIMH (1999–2000)
Received a B/START award from the National Institutes of Mental Health (research funding for early career investigators).
Faculty of the Year & Faculty Mentor of the Year (UCR Honors)
Won Faculty of the Year Award (Department of Psychology) and Faculty Mentor of the Year, University Honors Program (1999–2000).
Published Subjective Happiness Scale (Lyubomirsky & Lepper)
Published validation paper for the widely used Subjective Happiness Scale (Social Indicators Research), making the scale available and widely used in multiple translations.
Promoted to Associate Professor, UCR
Appointed Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology (2001–2005).
Templeton Positive Psychology Prize (APA / John Templeton Foundation funding)
Recipient of the Templeton Positive Psychology Prize (and associated funding/grant support from Templeton/related sources).
NIMH R01 Award & million-dollar grant (with Ken Sheldon)
Received an R01 from the National Institute of Mental Health (listed 2004–2009). Wikipedia and other sources indicate a million-dollar grant with Ken Sheldon from NIMH for related research.
Promoted to Full Professor, UCR
Appointed Professor in the Department of Psychology (2005–2019).
Best Paper Award, Journal of Happiness Studies
Received the Best Paper Award from the Journal of Happiness Studies.
Published 'The How of Happiness' (Penguin Press)
Released The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want (Penguin Press). The book popularized the 50% genetics / 40% intentional activity / 10% circumstances framework.
The How of Happiness translated into multiple languages
The How of Happiness was translated (Wikipedia: 22 languages; personal site references wide international publication).
Scientific advisory role for Live Happy iPhone app (Signal Patterns)
The How of Happiness inspired an iPhone app called Live Happy produced by Signal Patterns; Lyubomirsky served on the company's scientific advisory board.
Research on benefits of happiness (review)
Published influential reviews (e.g., Lyubomirsky, King, & Diener, 2005 and follow-ups) summarizing positive outcomes of happiness across health, social, and work domains.
Faculty of the Year Award, Dept. of Psychology (UCR)
Received Faculty of the Year Award for the Department of Psychology, UC Riverside (2012–2013 period).
Published 'The Myths of Happiness' (Penguin Press)
Released The Myths of Happiness, exploring why some expected-happiness events fail and others succeed (media coverage around 2013).
Maret Distinguished Alumni Award
Received the Maret Distinguished Alumni Award from The Maret School, Washington DC.
Dennis L. Chernin Memorial Lecturer, Yale University
Invited to deliver the Dennis L. Chernin Memorial Lecture at Yale University.
Appointed Vice Chair, Dept. of Psychology, UCR
Served as Vice Chair of the Department of Psychology at UC Riverside (2017–2021).
Distinguished research & cross-cultural intervention studies
Ongoing high-profile research showing efficacy of gratitude, kindness, and connection interventions across countries and populations (published intervention studies in teens, students, professionals, and children).
Carol and Ed Diener Award for Outstanding Mid-Career Contributions
Received Diener Award recognizing outstanding mid-career contributions in personality psychology.
Notre Dame Science of Generosity-funded research (team work)
Conducted and published research on whether happiness and generosity propagate across social networks (funded by Notre Dame's Science of Generosity Initiative).
Christopher J. Peterson Gold Medal (IPPA)
Awarded the Christopher J. Peterson Gold Medal by the International Positive Psychology Association.
Appointed Distinguished Professor, UCR
Elevated to Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology at UC Riverside (2019–present).
COVID-19 related social-connection research
Published work on how social distancing and smartphone use affected social connection and well-being during COVID-19 (multiple publications noted).
Honorary Doctorate, University of Basel
Received an honorary doctorate (Dies Academicus) from the Faculty of Psychology, University of Basel.
Research showing kindness affects immune-cell gene expression
Published findings (Nelson-Coffey et al., 2017 cited; follow-up/related biological studies through 2021–2022) linking acts of kindness to changes in immune-related gene expression.
Elected AAAS Fellow
Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in recognition of scientific contributions to psychology and the science of happiness.
Top Cited Researcher recognition (Clarivate/Web of Science)
Listed as a top-cited researcher at UC Riverside by Clarivate Analytics Web of Science (exact year(s) and ranking reported on professional profiles).
Faculty Research Lecturer Award (UCR campus-wide)
Received the Faculty Research Lecturer Award from the Academic Senate, University of California, Riverside (campus-wide honor).
H-index reported as 91 (profile milestone)
Professional site lists H-index = 91, reflecting extensive citation impact.
Ongoing large-scale research program on positive activities and connection
Continues to run lab at UCR studying gratitude, kindness, connection, humility, hedonic adaptation, and physiological/biological correlates; uses grants from various sources including John Templeton Foundation, Hitachi CRL, and Notre Dame generosity initiative.
Media & public engagement: books, film, podcasts, TV interviews
Appearances include film 'Mission Joy', TV interviews (Good Morning America, Anderson Cooper), podcasts (Rich Roll), and wide press coverage (Fortune, LA Times), amplifying public impact of her work.
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