Penguin Speakers Bureau
Biography
Sonja Lyubomirsky, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside. Originally from Russia, she received her AB, summa cum laude, from Harvard University and her PhD in social/personality psychology from Stanford University. Lyubomirsky currently teaches courses in social …
Read moreSonja Lyubomirsky, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside. Originally from Russia, she received her AB, summa cum laude, from Harvard University and her PhD in social/personality psychology from Stanford University. Lyubomirsky currently teaches courses in social psychology and positive psychology and serves as the Department of Psychology’s graduate advisor. Her teaching and mentoring of students have been recognized with the Faculty of the Year and Faculty Mentor of the Year Awards.
In 2002, Lyubomirsky was awarded a Templeton Positive Psychology Prize. Currently, she is an associate editor of the Journal of Positive Psychology and (with Ken Sheldon) holds a five-year million-dollar grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to conduct research on the possibility of permanently increasing happiness. Her research has been written up in dozens of magazines and newspapers and she has appeared on multiple TV shows, radio shows, and feature documentaries in North America and Europe. She has lectured widely to a variety of audiences, including business executives, life coaches, retirees, students, and scholars. THE HOW OF HAPPINESS encompasses her findings on the nature of happiness.
In her work, Lyubomirsky has focused on developing a science of human happiness. To this end, her 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? She is currently exploring the potential of happiness-sustaining activities—for example, expressing gratitude, doing acts of kindness, visualizing one’s “best possible selves,” and reflecting on happy moments—to durably increase a person’s happiness level. She has been conducting research on happiness for eighteen years and has published widely in the area.
Lyubomirsky lives happily in beautiful Santa Monica, California, with her husband, Peter Del Greco, and their two small children, Gabriella and Alexander.
Visit Lyubomirsky’s website at www.thehowofhappiness.com.
Speaking Topics
- The How of Happiness
A scientific approach to getting the life you want
- Why Be Happy and How Can It Be Done?
How happy are you, and why?
- In the Pursuit of Happiness
Boosting well-being through gratitude, kindness, and optimismIs It Possible to Become Lastingly Happier?
- Answers from the science of well-being
- Discovering the real keys to happiness
Happiness-Enhancing Strategies
- Counting your blessings
- Cultivating optimism
- Avoiding overthinking and social comparison
- Practicing acts of kindness
- Nurturing relationships
- Doing more activities that truly engage you
- Replaying and savoring life’s joys
- Committing to your goals
- Developing strategies for coping
- Learning to forgive
- Practicing religion and spirituality
- Taking care of your body
Featured Book
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THE HOW OF HAPPINESS
"THE HOW OF HAPPINESS is smart, fun, and interesting—and unlike almost every other book on the same shelf, it also happens to be true."—Daniel Gilbert, Harvard University Professor of Psychology
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