No quest in life is greater than finding out what truly makes you happy. It’d be a shame to waste an entire lifetime barking up the wrong tree only to realize in your final years what truly matters. But sadly, not everyone finds true happiness. A 2025 Gallup poll found that only 44% of Americans are “very satisfied” with their lives, down 21 points from 2020 and the lowest score since the poll began in 2001.
To help people better understand what makes humans happy, 13 of the world’s leading well-being researchers got together earlier this year on a Zoom call. Their goal: to share what their 600 total years of happiness research and lived experience taught them about finding the good life. They documented their reflections in a research paper published in the Journal of Happiness Studies.
The overwhelming takeaway is that relationships are the biggest key to happiness. “Happiness emerges from a symphony of factors, but if I had to pinpoint one secret to happiness, relationships with other people might be it,” said Lara Aknin, a professor of social psychology at Simon Fraser University, who coauthored the study with Harvard University’s Säde Stenlund and Kelsey O’Connor from Luxembourg’s National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies, in a statement.
“We know that having just one person you can count on is extremely consequential. Having more relationships and more communities that you feel a part of compounds that sense of well-being,” Aknin continued.
The researchers’ discussion yields five key takeaways:
1. Relationships matter more than almost anything else
Several researchers on the Zoom call reported consciously spending more time with loved ones after seeing the evidence from their own research.
2. More money doesn’t mean more happiness
Yes, a comfortable income and financial security are important foundations—but once your basic needs are met, added income has less impact on happiness.
3. Meaningful work contributes strongly to happiness
Happiness comes from doing work and activities that feel worthwhile and aligned with your values.
4. Happiness can grow through intentional habits
Several researchers said they applied findings from happiness science to their own lives, such as expressing gratitude, savoring positive experiences, investing in relationships, listening more deeply, volunteering, and being more socially engaged.
5. Happiness is not about feeling good all the time
Well-being grows when people shape their lives around their values, strengths, and relationships, and learn to adapt when circumstances change.
The researchers also noted that happiness isn’t just about being dealt a good hand in life. It’s about how you handle your circumstances. Leading models find that 10% of people’s happiness comes from life circumstances, such as where you grew up, relationship status, or employment. However, 40% of a person’s happiness comes from “volitional activities,” or how you choose to spend your time.
“That leaves a lot of opportunity for people who may be more innately pessimistic to start practicing research-backed strategies like meditation or gratitude that might help them see the world in a more positive way,” Aknin said.
Unfortunately, many in the U.S. are struggling to find true happiness these days. But the good news is that, according to the world’s leading minds on the subject, we can all choose to be happy, regardless of our circumstances, if we follow their research. And when one person chooses the path of happiness, others will follow.
“With many large and threatening realities taking place in the world right now, I sometimes worry that the pursuit of happiness can seem trite. But one reason I remain committed to the scientific study of happiness is that happiness in and of itself predicts a number of valuable outcomes, including the motivation to help other people,” Aknin explained.
