Go on a run, hike through nature and meditate, and you’re basically guaranteed a happier life. At least, that’s what scores of listicles might lead you to believe. But a new review of hundreds of studies on happiness questions just how strong the evidence is for some of these happiness hacks.
The finding comes in the wake of the “replication crisis” in psychology, where the results of dozens of key psychological studies haven’t been able to be repeated (SN: 8/27/15). In response, scientists have reassessed reams of old studies and doubled down on the best practices for ensuring that new studies will hold up under scrutiny (SN: 8/27/18).
To find studies of happiness that applied these best practices, psychologists Dunigan Folk and Elizabeth Dunn of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver combed through hundreds of papers. The team focused on research that studied a large sample of people, which helps tease out real effects, and studies that were pre-registered, meaning that researchers outlined how they were going to conduct a study before starting it. That way, they can’t tweak it midway; it’s the scientific equivalent of calling your shot in pool.
Although studies of happiness were plentiful, studies that met these high standards were relatively scarce. And the evidence they offered, especially for exercise, meditation and time in nature, was weaker than one might expect, the researchers report July 20 in Nature Human Behaviour.
Science News spoke with Dunn to discuss happiness, how we can get better at studying it and what science says works — and doesn’t — to build a happier life. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
SN: Why study happiness?
Dunn: Science has given us our most essential human advances. It’s because of science that we got to the moon, that we have substantially increased longevity, that we have COVID vaccines. The scientific method is what solves our greatest challenges, and…
Read the full article here