Psychology professor at Yale who teaches its most popular course, Psychology and the Good Life, and the free online version, The Science of Well-Being; hosts The Happiness Lab podcast
HappinessRelationships8 ideas
Checked 17 Oct 2026. Each line is in our own words, with where it was said and an independent study or guideline next to it.
The blueprint, line by line
Habit
Write down three to five things I’m grateful for, or small delights
Mixed evidence · A 2025 meta-analysis of 145 papers: a small lift in well-being (g = 0.19), mostly in positive mood. Against other active exercises the gain is close to zero (Davis 2016), and in a 2005 study only once a week helped, three times a week did not Research
Costs: 5 to 10 minutes a day (her estimate), no money; a notes app or a friend you text your delights to
Habit
Talk with someone in real time: a call, a video call or in person, not just texts
Mixed evidence · In a field and a lab experiment, phone and video calls built stronger bonds than texts and email, and were no more awkward than people feared. That more social time makes people happier rests mostly on daily-life surveys, not trials Research
Costs: 10 minutes or more, no money; a phone call counts
For your blueprint
Talk to strangers: the barista, the person next to you on the train or in the queue
Strong evidence · Commuters told to talk to a stranger had a nicer ride than those told to keep to themselves, in Chicago (2014) and again in London (2022); in a lab, the person talked to enjoyed it as much. It lifts that moment; nobody has tested months of it Research
Costs: no time set aside, no money; a few minutes you are waiting anyway
For your blueprint
Thinking of someone you’ve lost touch with? Send them a short note now
Strong evidence · Preregistered experiments: people who got an unexpected check-in appreciated it more than the sender predicted, and the gap was biggest when the note was a surprise or came from someone less close. It measures their appreciation, not your own happiness Research
Costs: a minute; “hey, thinking of you” is enough
For your blueprint
Feel like treating yourself? Treat someone else instead: a coffee, a gift, an hour of help
Mixed evidence · A large registered replication of the 2008 Science study: spending on someone else beat spending on yourself in the moment, but when people only remembered past spending the gain was small or absent. A 27-study meta-analysis of kind acts: a small-to-medium lift Research
Costs: the money or time you would have spent on yourself
For your blueprint
Choose time over money when you can: pay to skip a chore you dislike
Mixed evidence · In surveys of 6,271 adults in four countries (the Netherlands among them), people who paid for time-saving services were more satisfied with life; one small experiment (60 adults) showed it causally. No independent replication found Research
Costs: money, only where it’s realistic: cleaning, delivery, a shorter commute
Strong evidence · An overview of 97 reviews (1,039 trials): exercise had medium effects on depression, anxiety and distress, healthy adults included, and more intense was better. The antidepressant study she cites (Blumenthal 1999) used three supervised sessions a week, not daily Research
Costs: 30 minutes, no money; a brisk walk counts. She frames it as moving to feel good, not to change how you look
Mixed evidence · In 136 trials, mindfulness programmes eased anxiety, depression and stress compared with doing nothing, but did no better than other active practices such as exercise. Most were 8-week courses; a few minutes a day is less tested Research
Costs: 1 to 5 minutes a day, no money; a free beginner’s mindfulness audio, or an app if you like one
How to use this
Don't take all of it. Pick one or two lines that fit your week, try them for two weeks, and keep what works for you. That's what Vea is for: a weekly check-in that shows what each habit does for you.
Not an endorsement: these are our short summaries of what each person has published, with a link to the source. They have no connection to Vea. Ideas to try, not medical advice. On this list and want off? [email protected]