If you’ve ever wondered how to find happiness and how to live a “good life,” a new study, to which an SFU professor helped contribute, apparently has some potential answers.
A global study, which involved SFU social psychology professor Lara Aknin and 12 other international leaders in “well-being science,” has outlined some key takeaways when it comes to what contributes most to being happy.
The findings were published in the “Journal of Happiness Studies,” and it states that well-being science has gone from being a contested topic to a field with growing relevance.
A collective of a whopping 600 years of research revealed what it means to live a good life, and also the future of the field of well-being research. A lot of the takeaways may seem like common sense.
Regarding key contributors to happiness, the study found that relationships matter more than anything else.
“Several researchers on the Zoom call reported consciously spending more time with loved ones after seeing the evidence from their own research,” SFU notes.
A constant debate when it comes to happiness is whether or not money can buy it. The study found that more money doesn’t mean more happiness. And while a comfortable income and financial security are “important foundations,” once basic needs are met, income has less of an impact on overall happiness.
Another key takeaway was the need to address declining youth well-being, which data from the Government of Canada supports. Canada’s findings suggest that between 2015 and 2021, positive mental health decreased and mental illness increased among those 12 to 25 years old.
The study also places strong emphasis on “meaningful work,” suggesting that happiness can come from work and activities that feel “worthwhile” and that align with your values.
According to a 2026 Leger report on happiness, B.C. was one of the lower-ranked provinces.
While it found that a majority of B.C. residents were happy on the average happiness index (69 out of 100), that still left a lot of people reportedly not feeling all that happy.
The SFU-involved study points out that happiness isn’t about feeling good all the time.
“Researchers also talked about well-being as a journey,” Aknin said.
The study suggests that some of the leading models of happiness show that around 10 per cent of someone’s happiness is attributable to someone’s life circumstances.
“Things that are big and relatively difficult to change, like where you live, your age, your employment status or your relationship status,” the study states.
“That leaves a lot of opportunity for people who may be more innately pessimistic to start practising research-backed strategies like meditation or gratitude that might help them see the world in a more positive way,” Aknin says.
“With many large and threatening realities taking place in the world right now, I sometimes worry that the pursuit of happiness can seem trite. But one reason I remain committed to the scientific study of happiness is that happiness in and of itself predicts a number of valuable outcomes, including the motivation to help other people,” she added.
She also said that when people feel they’re doing well, they have the ability and motivation to both engage in world affairs and to take care of people they love, including taking care of their communities.
If you need a good cry, we can help. Additionally, if you feel alone or depressed and are facing a mental health crisis, you can call or text 988 to reach the National Suicide Crisis Helpline.