Individual Listing

3111C PSYCHOLOGY BUILDING
University of California
Riverside, CA 92521

Lyubomirsky, Sonja

Professor of Psychology

College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

Psychology


Biography

The majority of my research career has been devoted to studying human happiness. My current research addresses three critical questions - 1) What makes people happy?; 2) Is happiness a good thing?; and 3) How can we make people happier still? In addition, a separate line of research focuses on people's responses to depression. For a detailed description of my research program, please see my web page.

Degrees

AB Psychology 1989

Harvard University

PhD Psychology 1994

Stanford University

Awards

Templeton Positive Psychology Prize ($50,000), John Templeton Foundation and APA
Faculty of the Year Award, Department of Psychology, UCR, 1999-2000
Faculty Mentor of the Year, University Honors Program, 1999-2000


Research Area

Cognitive, Motivational, and Behavioral Processes in Subjective Happiness The Architecture of Sustainable Happiness Cultural Influences on Happiness Responses to Depression

Publications

Lyubomirsky, S. (2001). Why are some people happier thanothers?: The role of cognitive and motivational processes in well-being. American Psychologist, 56, 239-249.
Lyubomirsky, S., Tucker, K.L., & Kasri, F. (2001). Reponses to hedonically conflicting social comparisons: Comparing happy and unhappy people. European Journal of Social Psychology, 31, 511-535.
Lyubomirsky, S., Tucker, K. L., Caldwell, N.D., & Berg, K. (1999). Why ruminators are poor problem solvers: Clues from the phenomenology of dysphoric rumination. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 1041-1060.
Lyubomirsky, S., & Ross, L. (1999). Changes in attractiveness of elected, rejected, and precluded alternatives: A comparison of happy and unhappy individuals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 988-1007.
Lyubomirsky, S., Caldwell, N. D., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1998). Effects of ruminative and distracting responses to depressed mood on the retrieval of autobiographical memories. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 166-177.
Lyubomirsky, S., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1995). Effects of self-focused rumination on negative thinking and interpersonal problem-solving. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69, 176-190.