SKIP TO: Header | | | Navigation | Main Content | Footer

Greater Good Science Center • Magazine • In Action • In Education

Happiness Articles & More

Does Happiness Undermine Success?

Are you content to postpone happiness to promote achievement?

By Christine Carter | February 4, 2013

Are you pushing your children to succeed? Or giving them skills for happiness? This short video explains how happiness can lead to success. We all know successful people who are NOT happy. But did you know that happy people are more likely to be successful?

© 2013 Christine Carter, Ph.D.

Like this post? We hope you’ll become a fan of Raising Happiness on Facebook, or sign up for the Raising Happiness monthly newsletter.

Advertisement X

About the Author

Christine Carter

Christine Carter, Ph.D. is a Senior Fellow at the Greater Good Science Center. She is the author of The New Adolescence: Raising Happy and Successful Teens in an Age of Anxiety and Distraction (BenBella, 2020), The Sweet Spot: How to Accomplish More by Doing Less (Ballantine Books, 2015), and Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents (Random House, 2010). A former director of the GGSC, she served for many years as author of its parenting blog, Raising Happiness. Find out more about Christine here.

Comments

blog comments powered by Disqus

Meet the Greater Good Toolkit

For your bookshelf: 30 science-based practices for well-being.

Order Now
Related Articles
- How Feeling Socially Connected Can Help With Chronic Pain
  May 16, 2023
  A new study finds that people who have a greater sense of connection and belonging seem to experience pain differently.
- Six Ways to Deal With Someone Who Wronged You
  May 15, 2023
  Here's what we have learned from 25 years of research about forgiveness—and its alternatives.
- Seven Guidelines for Healthy Social Connection
  May 12, 2023
  If loneliness is an epidemic, governments can offer public health guidelines for connection—which is exactly what Canada is working on.
Take the Happiness at Work

How happy are you when you’re on the clock?
Take the Quiz
What Inspires Eboo Patel to Bridge Differences

Eboo Patel shares the path that led him to create interfaith initiatives that bridge religious differences to create a better world.
Feeling Overworked? Take a Fika Break (The Science of Happiness Podcast)

A short break does more than just fuel our bodies, it strengthens our minds. Our overworked guest tries the Swedish practice of "fika"—taking short coffee breaks throughout the workday.