Global Happiness Megastudy

Who are we?

We are a group of happiness and methodology experts aiming to test which happiness strategies have the strongest impact on mood worldwide, and which strategies work best for which people. In this large-scale, collaborative project, we expect to involve over 100 researchers testing 24 different interventions. We plan to submit this project as a registered report to a prestigous journal (e.g., Nature, Nature Human Behaviour).

What is this study about?

The Global Happiness Megastudy is a large-scale, cross-cultural, collaborative project comparing the effectiveness of eight popular, easily implemented happiness intervention strategies. Specifically, we will focus on short (<25 minute) activities that are scalable, cheap, and easily self-administered. To maximize generalizability, we intend to collect data from participants across the globe, while measuring a wide range of potential moderating factors and testing the impact of several versions of each happiness strategy. To achieve these goals, we will need a diverse team of collaborators to assist with intervention design and data collection.  

Project Plan

June 2024: Lead team and expert panel complete the first draft of the methodology.

July 2024: Call for collaborators and submission deadline for intervention proposals.

August 2024: Expert panel reviews intervention proposals.

October-November 2024: Final proposals submitted.

March - December 2025: Pilot testing.

2026-2027: Submission of of  the registered report. Review process and Data Collection.

What to do if I want to collaborate?

If you would like to be a data collection collaborator, visit the Call for Collaborators page and complete the 2-minute expression-of-interest form.

How many researchers do you have on board?

As of December 2025, our team includes 79 researchers from around the world who contributed to the design of our study. Moreover, several hundred researchers from more than 70 countries have expressed interest in supporting our data collection efforts. 

Last Updated: October 2024