Positive Psychology: to what extent does contemporary research support the effectiveness of happiness hacks

Every self-help author, positive psychologist and meditation guru wants people to believe they have the secret to happiness. In recent decades, large volumes of research have been conducted on happiness, particularly regarding the interventions and activities that can supposedly improve people’s happiness. This paper provides a review of this literature, critically evaluating the effectiveness of different happiness interventions. In addition, the paper delineates reasons for being cautious regarding interventions that claim to lead to lasting changes in happiness, delving into some of the psychological barriers to happiness, and the reasons many people struggle to experience and maintain a positive mood. The focus here will be on social comparison, competition, psychological pain and hedonic adaptation. With regard to happiness interventions, the effectiveness of meditation and mindfulness, nature exposure, social interaction and gratitude will be critically evaluated. The paper aims to use scientific evidence to determine which interventions are more useful (in terms of impact and practicality) for improving feelings of happiness. It also aims to identify happiness hacks that may be in need of further research prior to drawing conclusions regarding their effectiveness. Research found a potential for happiness hacks to overcome evolutionary barriers to happiness. However, many of these lack objective measures thus must be approached with caution; and so with further research, greater insight can be gained into positive psychology methodologies. Therefore, individuals can make more informed decisions of which hacks to invest their time and money into.