One core theme of my work focuses on the connection between prosocial behavior and happiness. While much of the happiness literature emphasizes self-care or personal goals, my research asks:
What happens when we shift our focus from ourselves to others?
I study how acts of kindness, generosity, and helping affect well-being, and how being prevented from helping (thwarted beneficence) can actually undermine happiness. This line of research reveals that happiness is often a relational achievement: it flourishes when people feel useful, connected, and able to contribute positively to others’ lives.
Example publications:
Titova L. & Sheldon K. M. (2022). Happiness comes from trying to make others feel good, rather than oneself. Journal of Positive Psychology, 17(1), 21-33.
Titova L. & Sheldon K. M. (2022). Thwarted Beneficence: Not Getting to Help Lowers Mood. Journal of Positive Psychology, 17(3), 341-355.
🏡 Happiness and Places
Another strand of my work investigates how our physical environments, especially our homes and personal spaces, shape and reflect well-being. I explore what makes a space feel “homely” or emotionally safe, and how perceptions of hominess are tied to the happiness and personality of the people who live there.
I’m also interested in mental places, such as imagined “happy places,” and how people use them as emotional regulation tools. Ongoing studies are examining whether having a strong, vivid mental image of a happy place supports greater meaning in life, emotional resilience, or more adaptive coping strategies.
Example publication:
Titova L. & King L. A. (in press). Can happiness make a house a home? Journal of Positive Psychology.
🌏 Well-Being and Culture
Culture plays a powerful yet often underappreciated role in shaping how we define, express, and pursue happiness. My research in this area explores cross-cultural differences in emotional norms, such as whether people feel comfortable expressing happiness, and which well-being strategies are encouraged or discouraged in different cultural settings.
Some cultures promote low-arousal positive emotions (like calm or contentment), while others prioritize high-arousal states (like excitement and enthusiasm). I study how these differences affect happiness outcomes, and how people regulate and experience emotions in culturally congruent ways.
Example publications:
Titova L., Wagstaff A., & Parks A. C. (2017). Disentangling the Effects of Gratitude and Optimism: A Cross-Cultural Investigation. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 48(5), 754-770.
Sheldon K. M., Titova L., Gordeeva T. O., Osin E. N., Lyubomirsky S., & Bogomaz, S. (2017). Russians Inhibit the Expression of Happiness to Strangers: Testing a Display Rule Model. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 48(5), 718-733.
Tan C. S. & Titova L. (2025). Enjoying the moment of joy: Culture and self during emotional experience. Journal of Positive Psychology, 20(3), 498-509.