{"id":3113,"date":"2026-04-18T08:32:59","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T08:32:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T08:32:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T08:32:59","slug":"does-happiness-lead-to-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Happiness Lead to Success? The Science Says Yes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Most of us have been quietly running the same calculation our whole lives: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/turning-<a href=\"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/70-work-affirmation-for-balance-and-happiness\/\">work<\/a>-and-free-time-into-spaces-for-growth\/&#8221;>work<\/a> hard, achieve the goal, then feel happy<\/em>. Get the promotion first. Reach the number in the bank account first. Earn the life you want \u2014 and <em>then<\/em> let yourself relax into some kind of joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&#8217;s the thing though. The science has turned that formula completely upside down. The question of whether does happiness lead to success has now been studied across hundreds of thousands of people \u2014 and the answer is almost the opposite of what most of us were taught. Happiness doesn&#8217;t wait at the finish line. It&#8217;s actually one of the most powerful things driving you toward it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This post walks you through what the research really shows, why it matters for your everyday life right now, and \u2014 most importantly \u2014 a few gentle, doable things you could start today to actually feel better <em>and<\/em> perform better at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Relevant blog to read: <a href=\"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/little-things-for-long-and-happy-life\/\">Little Things for Long and Happy Life<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Formula Most of Us Were Taught Is Back to Front<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You probably know the feeling. You tell yourself: <em>once I get that thing sorted, I&#8217;ll finally be happy.<\/em> Once the project is done. Once the relationship is stable. Once life calms down a little. And then you get there \u2014 and the goalpost quietly moves again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is sometimes called the success-then-happiness fallacy. And it&#8217;s exhausting, because by its own rules, you never quite arrive. The stress of constantly chasing the next milestone actually chips away at the very well-being you&#8217;re hoping to eventually reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Harvard researcher Shawn Achor spent years studying this pattern \u2014 and what he found flips everything around. His research showed that the brain in a positive state is <strong>31% more productive<\/strong> than a brain in a neutral, stressed, or negative state. That&#8217;s not a small edge. That&#8217;s a meaningful, measurable difference in what you&#8217;re actually capable of doing \u2014 and it&#8217;s available to you <em>before<\/em> any external achievement happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So the formula isn&#8217;t: succeed \u2192 feel happy. It&#8217;s closer to: cultivate happiness \u2192 become more capable of succeeding. That shift in direction changes everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What the Research Actually Shows About Positive Emotions and Success<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A landmark review published in <em>Psychological Bulletin<\/em> in 2005 pulled together findings from hundreds of studies \u2014 cross-sectional, longitudinal, and experimental \u2014 involving hundreds of thousands of people. The conclusion was striking: happy people don&#8217;t just feel better. They consistently <em>do<\/em> better. Across income, work performance, health, relationships, and friendships \u2014 prior happiness levels predicted future success, not the other way around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is what researchers call positive affect. It&#8217;s not about forcing a smile or pretending everything is fine. It&#8217;s about the general presence of more positive emotions in your day \u2014 things like feeling engaged, curious, grateful, or connected. And that internal climate, it turns out, shapes your behaviour in ways that quietly build success over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&#8217;s what positive emotions actually do to your brain and your output:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Creativity expands:<\/strong> Research summarised by Shawn Achor found that creativity nearly triples and problem-solving improves significantly when you&#8217;re in a positive emotional state \u2014 compared to a stressed or neutral one.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Your brain opens up:<\/strong> Positive emotions literally broaden the range of thoughts and actions you can access. You notice more options, make better decisions, and connect ideas more easily.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Resilience grows:<\/strong> When you feel more optimistic going <em>into<\/em> a challenge, studies show your chances of getting through it successfully rise \u2014 beyond what genetics or environment alone would predict.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Your relationships deepen:<\/strong> Happy people are naturally more prosocial \u2014 more generous, more collaborative, more likely to invest in others. And strong relationships are one of the most consistent predictors of long-term success and health.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>None of this means life has to feel perfect. It means that even small, regular boosts to your emotional state have a compounding effect over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why 90% of Happiness Is Already Inside You<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here&#8217;s the most surprising part \u2014 and possibly the most freeing. Shawn Achor&#8217;s research found that roughly <strong>90% of your happiness comes from internal factors<\/strong>, not external ones. Not your salary. Not your job title. Not your circumstances. Ninety percent is generated from the inside \u2014 from how you interpret the world, what you pay attention to, and the habits you practise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sit with that for a second. Almost everything you&#8217;ve been waiting on \u2014 the raise, the relationship, the version of your life that finally feels settled \u2014 accounts for maybe 10% of how happy you actually feel. The other 90% is already in your hands. Which means you don&#8217;t have to wait. Not even a little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A 2021 study of nearly one million military personnel reinforced this, linking optimism and frequent positive emotions directly to career promotions and recognition \u2014 independent of talent or training. What separated people wasn&#8217;t just skill. It was the emotional lens they brought to their days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This doesn&#8217;t mean positive thinking magically fixes hard things. It means your internal emotional climate is a genuine resource \u2014 one you can actually tend to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Actually Build More Happiness Starting Today<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You don&#8217;t need a retreat or a major life overhaul. The research points to small, consistent practices that shift your emotional baseline over time. Think of them less as tasks and more as quiet investments in the version of yourself that shows up better \u2014 at work, at home, in hard moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Write down three specific things you&#8217;re grateful for each day:<\/strong> Not vague things like &#8220;my family&#8221; \u2014 specific moments. &#8220;My colleague covered for me this afternoon.&#8221; This trains your brain to actively scan for positive experiences, which shifts what you notice and remember.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Start your morning with two minutes on your strengths:<\/strong> Before checking messages or news, spend a couple of quiet minutes thinking about something you genuinely do well and how you want to bring that today. It&#8217;s a small act that sets a different tone.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Track small wins:<\/strong> At the end of each day, note one thing \u2014 however minor \u2014 that went well or that you made happen. Celebrating micro-progress builds the kind of frequent positive emotions that the research links to better performance over time.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Protect one meaningful connection each week:<\/strong> A real conversation, not a quick text. Human connection is one of the strongest drivers of both happiness and long-term career success, according to the longitudinal research.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Find one task each day that feels genuinely meaningful:<\/strong> Even in a job that&#8217;s hard or exhausting, there&#8217;s usually something that connects to a value you hold. Identifying it \u2014 even briefly \u2014 activates the kind of engagement that positive psychology research links to resilience and creativity.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reframe challenges as information, not failure:<\/strong> When something goes wrong, asking &#8220;what can I learn here?&#8221; instead of &#8220;what does this say about me?&#8221; is a small but powerful shift. Optimism during difficulty, the research shows, genuinely raises the likelihood of a better outcome.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>None of these are about forcing positivity or pretending hard things aren&#8217;t hard. They&#8217;re about giving your brain slightly more positive material to work with \u2014 consistently \u2014 so that over time, your emotional baseline quietly lifts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What This Means for the Way You Live Right Now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You know that feeling when you&#8217;re running on empty \u2014 when everything feels like a hill and even small tasks feel heavy? That&#8217;s not a character flaw. That&#8217;s what happens when your emotional resources are depleted. And the research is clear: depleted people don&#8217;t perform at their best, no matter how hard they push.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The counterintuitive truth is that looking after your happiness isn&#8217;t a luxury you earn after success. It&#8217;s actually one of the most practical, evidence-backed things you can do <em>for<\/em> your success. Positive emotions improve productivity not as a side effect \u2014 but as a direct cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The PERMA framework from positive psychology \u2014 Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment \u2014 gives a useful map here. But forget the acronym for a moment. What it really describes is shockingly simple: feel things, connect to people, do work that matters to you. Research reviewed in <em>Frontiers in Psychology<\/em> found that individuals who actively cultivate these five elements see measurable improvements in well-being and genuine boosts in productivity. Not because they ignored difficulty, but because they stopped waiting for conditions to be perfect before allowing themselves to feel okay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You don&#8217;t have to overhaul your life to feel more of what helps you thrive. You just have to stop treating happiness as the reward at the end \u2014 and start recognising it as part of what gets you there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"schema-faq wp-block-yoast-faq-block\">\n\n<div class=\"schema-faq-section\">\n    <strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Q. <strong>Does happiness lead to success or does success lead to happiness?<\/strong><\/strong>\n    <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">A. Research strongly suggests happiness leads to success more than the other way around. A large 2005 review in Psychological Bulletin found that people with higher positive emotions consistently went on to earn more, perform better at work, and build stronger relationships \u2014 before those successes happened. While achieving things can give a short-term happiness boost, the effect fades quickly. Building happiness first creates a more lasting and productive foundation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"schema-faq-section\">\n    <strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Q. <strong>What did Shawn Achor find about happiness and the brain?<\/strong><\/strong>\n    <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">A. Shawn Achor&#8217;s Harvard research found that the brain in a positive emotional state is 31% more productive than in a neutral or stressed state. He also found that creativity nearly triples when you&#8217;re feeling positive \u2014 and that roughly 90% of happiness is driven by internal factors like mindset and habits, not external achievements. His work challenges the idea that you need to succeed first before allowing yourself to feel good.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"schema-faq-section\">\n    <strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Q. <strong>Can positive emotions actually improve my productivity at work?<\/strong><\/strong>\n    <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">A. Yes \u2014 and the evidence is surprisingly strong. Positive emotions broaden your thinking, improve problem-solving, and make you more creative and collaborative. Studies have also linked optimism and frequent positive emotions to career promotions and recognition. The practical takeaway is that small daily habits \u2014 like noting three specific things you&#8217;re grateful for \u2014 can genuinely shift your emotional baseline and, over time, your output.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"schema-faq-section\">\n    <strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Q. <strong>Is happiness something I can build, or is it just personality?<\/strong><\/strong>\n    <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">A. It&#8217;s largely something you can build. Shawn Achor&#8217;s research found that about 90% of your happiness comes from internal factors \u2014 how you interpret events, what you pay attention to, and the small habits you practise daily. Genetics play a role, but they&#8217;re far from the whole story. Regular practices like gratitude, meaningful connection, and tracking small wins have been shown to shift emotional baselines over time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"schema-faq-section\">\n    <strong class=\"schema-faq-question\">Q. <strong>What is the PERMA model and how does it relate to success?<\/strong><\/strong>\n    <p class=\"schema-faq-answer\">A. PERMA stands for Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment \u2014 a framework from positive psychology. Research has found that people and workplaces that actively cultivate these five elements show measurable improvements in well-being, reduced anxiety, and higher productivity. It&#8217;s a practical map for building the kind of internal conditions that make success more likely, rather than waiting for success to make you feel better.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Author&#8217;s note<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Thank you for taking the time to focus on your well-being and for being your own cheerleader in this journey called life. I truly appreciate you for choosing to invest in yourself today, and I&#8217;m honored that you spent a part of your day here. Remember, every small step you take matters, and you&#8217;re doing an amazing job. Keep going\u2014you&#8217;ve got this!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Most of us chase success hoping happiness will follow. But the science shows it works the other way around. Here&#8217;s what the research reveals \u2014 and what to do with it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3112,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-container-style":"default","site-container-layout":"default","site-sidebar-layout":"default","disable-article-header":"default","disable-site-header":"default","disable-site-footer":"default","disable-content-area-spacing":"default","footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[22,331,341,342,340,299,27,343],"class_list":["post-3113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-happiness","tag-happiness","tag-mental-wellness","tag-mindset","tag-positive-emotions","tag-positive-psychology","tag-productivity","tag-success","tag-well-being"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Does Happiness Lead to Success? The Science Says Yes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Does Happiness Lead to Success? The Science Says Yes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Most of us chase success hoping happiness will follow. But the science shows it works the other way around. Here&#039;s what the research reveals \u2014 and what to do with it.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"My Well-being Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mywellbeingapp\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-18T08:32:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Group-63-2-1.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Purnima Raj\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@mywellbeingapp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@mywellbeingapp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Purnima Raj\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Purnima Raj\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1c159a20f09fa7587451bc041e4679\"},\"headline\":\"Does Happiness Lead to Success? The Science Says Yes\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-18T08:32:59+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1912,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/does-happiness-lead-to-success.avif\",\"keywords\":[\"Happiness\",\"mental wellness\",\"mindset\",\"positive emotions\",\"positive psychology\",\"Productivity\",\"Success\",\"well-being\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Happiness\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":[\"WebPage\",\"FAQPage\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\\\/\",\"name\":\"Does Happiness Lead to Success? The Science Says Yes\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/does-happiness-lead-to-success.avif\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-18T08:32:59+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/does-happiness-lead-to-success.avif\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/does-happiness-lead-to-success.avif\",\"width\":940,\"height\":627,\"caption\":\"Does Happiness Lead to Success? The Science Says Yes \u2014 does happiness lead to success\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Does Happiness Lead to Success? The Science Says Yes\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"My Well-being Blog\",\"description\":\"Be your own cheerleader\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"My Well-being\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/app_store.avif\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/app_store.avif\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":1024,\"caption\":\"My Well-being\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/mywellbeingapp\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/mywellbeingapp\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/mywellbeingapp\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/bf1c159a20f09fa7587451bc041e4679\",\"name\":\"Purnima Raj\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/litespeed\\\/avatar\\\/f61eed9a1103be6ef9dec793b73594a0.jpg?ver=1776194826\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/litespeed\\\/avatar\\\/f61eed9a1103be6ef9dec793b73594a0.jpg?ver=1776194826\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/litespeed\\\/avatar\\\/f61eed9a1103be6ef9dec793b73594a0.jpg?ver=1776194826\",\"caption\":\"Purnima Raj\"},\"description\":\"I am the Founder of My Well-being App. I have been an SEO expert for 5 years. My Well-being Blog is a place where you can come to read all sorts of blogs related to Mental and Emotional Health. It helps you to Be Your Own Cheerleader.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/mywellbeing.me\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/mywellbeingblog\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Does Happiness Lead to Success? The Science Says Yes","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Does Happiness Lead to Success? The Science Says Yes","og_description":"Most of us chase success hoping happiness will follow. But the science shows it works the other way around. Here's what the research reveals \u2014 and what to do with it.","og_url":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\/","og_site_name":"My Well-being Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mywellbeingapp","article_published_time":"2026-04-18T08:32:59+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":675,"url":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Group-63-2-1.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Purnima Raj","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@mywellbeingapp","twitter_site":"@mywellbeingapp","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Purnima Raj","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\/"},"author":{"name":"Purnima Raj","@id":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/bf1c159a20f09fa7587451bc041e4679"},"headline":"Does Happiness Lead to Success? The Science Says Yes","datePublished":"2026-04-18T08:32:59+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\/"},"wordCount":1912,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/does-happiness-lead-to-success.avif","keywords":["Happiness","mental wellness","mindset","positive emotions","positive psychology","Productivity","Success","well-being"],"articleSection":["Happiness"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":["WebPage","FAQPage"],"@id":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\/","url":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\/","name":"Does Happiness Lead to Success? The Science Says Yes","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/does-happiness-lead-to-success.avif","datePublished":"2026-04-18T08:32:59+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/does-happiness-lead-to-success.avif","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/does-happiness-lead-to-success.avif","width":940,"height":627,"caption":"Does Happiness Lead to Success? The Science Says Yes \u2014 does happiness lead to success"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/does-happiness-lead-to-success\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Does Happiness Lead to Success? The Science Says Yes"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/","name":"My Well-being Blog","description":"Be your own cheerleader","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/#organization","name":"My Well-being","url":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/app_store.avif","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/app_store.avif","width":1024,"height":1024,"caption":"My Well-being"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mywellbeingapp","https:\/\/x.com\/mywellbeingapp","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mywellbeingapp\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/bf1c159a20f09fa7587451bc041e4679","name":"Purnima Raj","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/wp-content\/litespeed\/avatar\/f61eed9a1103be6ef9dec793b73594a0.jpg?ver=1776194826","url":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/wp-content\/litespeed\/avatar\/f61eed9a1103be6ef9dec793b73594a0.jpg?ver=1776194826","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/wp-content\/litespeed\/avatar\/f61eed9a1103be6ef9dec793b73594a0.jpg?ver=1776194826","caption":"Purnima Raj"},"description":"I am the Founder of My Well-being App. I have been an SEO expert for 5 years. My Well-being Blog is a place where you can come to read all sorts of blogs related to Mental and Emotional Health. It helps you to Be Your Own Cheerleader.","sameAs":["https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog"],"url":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/author\/mywellbeingblog\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3113"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3113\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mywellbeing.me\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}