Unlocking Joy: The Science Behind What Really Uplifts Our Spirits

The study of happiness has resulted in countless studies, surveys, literature and critiques, yet the aspects that consistently elevate mood, the degree to which they do so, and the demographics that benefit most are still not fully understood.

Now, psychologists have drafted plans for the globe’s largest happiness experiment to conclusively determine what genuinely enhances emotional wellbeing, the efficacy of various strategies, and whether these advantages are uniform worldwide.

“Our aim is for this to become the largest, most thorough, and most varied experiment on happiness ever carried out,” stated Prof Elizabeth Dunn, a psychologist from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. “It’s like a superhero team: many leading happiness researchers from across the globe have united to collaborate.”

Over the past six months, more than 1,000 researchers from upwards of 70 countries have presented proposals for the initiative. In December, a panel of experts narrowed these down to seven categories of interventions, each containing three or four distinct methods, which will be evaluated in the Global Happiness Megastudy.

The research team aims to enlist at least 30,000 individuals globally for the experiment. Participants will be randomly allocated to complete a brief intervention from the list, or designated to a control group for benchmarking. Each happiness intervention is structured to require no more than 25 minutes and needs no special equipment.

The approaches encompass physical activities, such as yoga, high-intensity interval workouts, or body weight resistance training, as well as social engagements, where individuals might contact a relative, challenge themselves to act in more outgoing manners, or converse with an AI companion.

“All interventions can be executed at home; people aren’t required to have anyone observing or assisting them,” remarked Dr Barnabás Szászi, a behavioural scientist and lead investigator of the project at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest. “That was a deliberate choice on our part.”

The project seeks to tackle limitations that cast doubt on the credibility of previous happiness research. One issue is that the majority of research has relied on “weird” participants – western, educated, industrialised, affluent, and democratic – implying that the majority of findings are based on individuals from North America, Europe, and other western areas. What induces happiness in someone in Chicago could potentially fail to work in Chongqing, Nagoya, or Mombasa.

The lack of variety is not the sole problem. Happiness interventions are administered in varied manners across different populations and contexts, rendering direct comparisons impossible. Additionally, challenges arise when researchers do not pre-register their studies, which necessitates them to outline their methodologies and analyses beforehand. This can lead to misleading assertions if scientists repeatedly assess their data until they discover a statistically significant outcome. This method, known as p-hacking, is compared to drawing a bullseye around a bullet hole and claiming to have struck the target.

Having laid the groundwork, Dunn and Szászi are currently seeking funding to advance the project. If everything proceeds smoothly, they intend to publish a registered report in a prominent journal to chronicle the methods and data analyses they will employ. The experiments themselves should commence shortly thereafter.

“What will we achieve by the end of it?” Dunn queried. “We will possess the largest and most varied dataset ever amassed regarding the strategies that foster happiness. How effective are these strategies? Do they function universally? Do some work exceptionally well for a select group of individuals while barely impacting many others?

“If we can find strategies that are effective universally, or at least within specific contexts, and ascertain which types of places or individuals benefit, this would signify a significant advancement in the science of happiness.”