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 2025: Pilot testing begins.

July 2025: Submission of Stage 1 Registered Report.

Late 2025: Review process and acceptance of Stage 1 Manuscript.

2025-2026: Data Collection and finalization of Stage 2 Registered Report.

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 October 2024, we have 1020 researchers from 72 countries on our books. The world map below highlights the countries in which we have at-least one researcher residing...

Last Updated: 18th October 2024