Robert Waldinger, a psychiatrist at Harvard University, has decided to work a few fewer hours to spend more time with the people he loves. Sonja Lyubomirsky began writing messages of gratitude to friends and stopping to smell the roses in a garden near her home. Another researcher set Thursday aside for family. Pretty simple choices, especially for people who have spent a good part of their lives trying to understand what makes us happy.
In January 2026, thirteen scholars and representatives of some long-gone pioneers of well-being research gathered for a three-hour conversation. Together they represented over 600 years of scientific and professional experience. They wanted to discuss a question that concerned them personally: how much had everything they had discovered studying happiness changed their lives?
The reflections converged in the study published in Journal of Happiness Studiesauthored by Säde Stenlund of Harvard University, Kelsey O’Connor of the Luxembourg statistical institute STATEC Research and Lara Aknin of Simon Fraser University, Canada.
No experiments with volunteers to undergo tests or questionnaires to measure how happy the participants were. The authors have collected personal experiences and considerations of some of the protagonists of research on psychological well-being. And their answers tell something interesting: knowing the studies on happiness has pushed several researchers to concretely reorganize their days.
Less work and more time for people
Waldinger directs the Harvard Study of Adult Development, one of the longest studies of adult life ever conducted. For over eighty years, scholars have followed hundreds of people, observing their health, relationships and living conditions. One of the most important findings concerns human relationships: people who maintain significant ties tend to be more satisfied with their lives and enjoy better health.
Waldinger decided to apply this knowledge to his own agenda too, taking some hours away from work to dedicate them to his loved ones. On the other hand, it would be rather curious to spend your life demonstrating how important relationships are and then never find the time to cultivate them. The other scholars also said they gave more space to friendships, marriages, children, grandchildren and the community they belong to.
As Lara Aknin explained in an in-depth study published by Simon Fraser University, having even just one person you can count on can make a big difference to your well-being. Feeling part of more relationships and communities can further strengthen this. Happiness, of course, depends on numerous factors. Yet, if he had to indicate a particularly important one, Aknin would choose relationships with other people.
The messages of gratitude and the scent of roses
Sonja Lyubomirsky, a psychologist at the University of California at Riverside and one of the leading scholars of happiness, said she has changed some habits after years of research. He began to express gratitude to friends more often, to seek out social opportunities more, and to give himself time to appreciate pleasant experiences that he might previously have overlooked.
Among these there is also the scent of flowers in a rose garden near the house. These are behaviors that require little time, yet can easily disappear among daily commitments. In Lyubomirsky’s case, studying their possible benefits became a reason to practice them with more intentionality.
Other participants said they pay more attention to people during conversations, volunteer, or look for opportunities to help others. Then there is John Helliwell, economist and historical collaborator of World Happiness Reportwho found concrete confirmation of his research in his wife’s daily kindness and commitment to the community.
For him, happiness also has a rather playful side: he often begins seminars by inviting the audience to sing If You’re Happy and You Know Itthe English version of our “If you’re happy, you know it, clap your hands”. Someone has to remind a room full of scholars that you can also have fun.
Money matters, especially when it isn’t enough
The relationship between money and well-being also appears among the reflections of scholars. Economic security, the possibility of having a home, access to care and satisfying basic needs are important conditions for living well. However, researchers have discussed how an increase in income can impact happiness once a stable situation is achieved.
The relationship between money and well-being remains a subject of scientific debate. However, the group shared a priority: improving the conditions of those who are worse off should have particular weight in public choices. An example was offered during the conversation: on a happiness scale from zero to ten, helping one person go from two to three should count more than taking another from seven to eight.
From this consideration also arose a reflection on access to public services. When getting support means having to continually demonstrate your poverty, the stigma can discourage people who need it. Universal services, such as health care accessible to all, can avoid at least part of this problem. In short, happiness also depends on the material conditions in which we live. Grateful messages to friends are a good habit, but they don’t pay the rent.
Why researchers are worried about young people
During the meeting the scholars also discussed the worsening of well-being among young people in North America and Western Europe. A concern confirmed by the World Happiness Report 2026, which documents a decline in life satisfaction in the youngest groups of these geographical areas, accompanied by changes in social relationships and trust towards others.
Some participants also called into question the growing scholastic and professional competition, where rankings, individual results and continuous comparisons risk transforming every experience into a competition. Yet, those who have dedicated their careers to studying well-being say they have learned to give more importance to relationships, collaboration and a sense of belonging.
There is another common feature in the testimonies: many of these researchers continued to work well beyond retirement age, some even without receiving a salary anymore. Scientific work represented for them a source of interest, satisfaction and personal meaning. The authors wondered whether studying happiness, and applying what was learned, might also have contributed to their longevity. However, this is a hypothesis that these testimonies do not allow to verify.
Being happy doesn’t mean being happy every day
From the conversation also emerges a consideration that is less obvious than it seems: generally happy people still go through moments of sadness, difficulty and loss.
Scholars have recounted very different paths. Some have always considered themselves optimistic people, others have learned to cultivate habits that help them cope better with complicated periods. Not everyone attributed their behaviors to scientific research: some had learned them much earlier, through education or family experiences.
As Stenlund explained, a good life can also include adversity and moments of unhappiness. The ability to adapt one’s choices to individual circumstances, values and possibilities is part of well-being.
There is, therefore, no routine capable of making everyone happy in the same way. The testimonies collected in the work tell the choices of a very particular group of people, with important scientific careers and living conditions that do not necessarily represent those of the general population.
However, an interesting detail remains. After decades spent studying happiness, some of its leading experts have decided to change especially how they spend their time. A Thursday with the family, a phone call to friends, a few hours less work. The studies helped them understand which aspects of life deserved more attention. Then they had to find time to deal with it.
