How do we really get happier?
In a new review in the journal Nature Human Behavior, researchers Elizabeth Dunn and Dunigan Folk found that many common strategies for increasing our happiness may not be supported by strong evidence. In fact, almost 95% of experiments on three common strategies—spending time in nature, exercise and engaging in mindfulness/meditation—did not hold up to even the most basic of current best practices for showing psychological effects.
The Replication Crisis
In their review, Dunn and Folk said recent changes in the way scientists conduct research have led their team to re-examine previous work in the field of psychology.
Around 2011, scientists faced a big challenge: the Replication Crisis. Researchers found that the results of many studies couldn’t be replicated because they had too few subjects, used flawed methodologies or over-analyzed data so it showed statistically significant results.
Suddenly, multiple popular studies that seemed like they were backed by strong evidence were thrown into question.
Since then, many researchers have altered how they conduct experiments to ensure that their evidence really does back up their conclusions. But Dunn and Folk also wanted to look backwards at previous happiness research to see how research in their field held up against updated standards.
Setting the baselines
Before they could begin reviewing thousands of papers, Dunn and Folk had to identify their criteria for solid research.
First, they considered statistical power, which is the probability that researchers will detect an effect when one exists. Higher statistical power allows researchers to be…
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