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Is Happiness Learnable?

Happiness isn’t only determined by genetics. It’s a skill we can develop with practice.

By Christine Carter | October 22, 2012

Have you been wondering if you can encourage your Eeyore to be a bit sunnier? Or if your cynical spouse could look at the bright side a little more often? This quick video answers those questions.

Convinced, but wondering what skills foster happiness in kids? Start by teaching kindness (see also last week’s quick video), forgiveness, or stress management.

I’d love to know what you think! Post a comment here.

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© 2012 Christine Carter, Ph.D.

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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.

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