Sonja Lyubomirsky
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"Sonja Lyubomirsky" is a professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of California, Riverside and author of The How of Happiness, a book of strategies backed by scientific research that can be used to increase happiness.

She is often quoted in news articles about positive psychology and happiness. In the book The Only Self-Help Book You'll Ever Need, a criticism of self-help books, Lyubomirsky's The How of Happiness is praised as a self-help book that has claims backed by empirical data.

Lyubomirsky is also an associate editor of the Journal of Positive Psychology.

More Sonja Lyubomirsky on Wikipedia.

We found that this isn't always true. Positive affect is one attribute among several that can lead to success-oriented behaviors. Other resources, such as intelligence, family, expertise and physical fitness, can also play a role in peoples' successes.

It just means that the person who's born happy doesn't have to try as hard -- just like thin people don't have to work at it as much. You can make yourself happier using all kinds of strategies -- but you have to put some effort into it.

When people feel happy, they tend to feel confident, optimistic, and energetic and others find them likable and sociable. Happy people are thus able to benefit from these perceptions.

It's clear that the relationship is bi-directional. It's an upward spiral.

Happy people are more likely than their less happy peers to have fulfilling marriages and relationships, high incomes, superior work performance, community involvement, robust health and even a long life.

Only very, very good actors can fake them.