FAQ > About Subjective Well-Being (Happiness and Life Satisfaction), by Dr. Diener > Q: Can we make ourselves happier?
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A: This is a 64,000 dollar question, about which we have surprisingly little direct evidence. We know that cognitive style correlates with SWB. We also have some studies where cognitive style is altered, and people become happier (or less depressed). So it seems as though people can change their level of SWB with persistent work, but we need much more data. Michael Fordyce has conducted a few controlled studies to try to raise people's happiness, and finds that a multimodal intervention (get more friends, think positively, don't worry so much, etc.) can increase people's reports of SWB, but these studies too are in their infancy.
Last updated on September 14, 2007 by Dr. Walt