Happiness Advantage study published in JONA
23 Feb 2025Significant evidence shows happiness can increase
By: Shannon Priem, senior content specialist
The prestigious Journal of Nursing Administration (JONA) has published a significant study by Salem Health’s Happiness Advantage research group.
Their study showed solid evidence that people can improve their subjective happiness. Intervention group participants increased happiness by 17 percent compared to the control group over the 6-month follow-up period. Then, subjective happiness was sustained by 70% in the intervention group at the 18-month follow-up.
Nancy is willing to help Medical Staff learn more about (and use) the model — but first learn what it’s all about!
“We proved that if you do two sequential things — first, understand how principles of positive psychology and neuroscience can rewire your brain to see through a lens of positivity,” said principal investigator Nancy Dunn. Knowing this science leads to believing you can get happier.
Second, engage in at least two science-based activities over a 21-day challenge; for example, practicing gratitude, increasing physical activity, random acts of kindness, etc. “This experiential learning and the good feelings that result will become muscle memory for your future well-being,” Nancy said. Collectively, this is called a positive psychology intervention (PPI).
About the research
Research began during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2021 after receiving Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval. Health care provider burnout spiked during the pandemic, reaching rates of 49 to 69%, Nancy said – with significant burnout occurring among physicians.
The study team recruited 200 Salem Health staff and physicians who were randomized into intervention and control groups. The intervention group took five months to do the PPI in two sequential phases: 1) Reading "The Happiness Advantage" book by Shawn Achor; and 2) participating in a 21-day challenge to adopt evidence-based happiness-boosting behaviors.
“Publishing in JONA is incredible — it shares our success worldwide,” Nancy said, noting that after they presented the project at the 2023 Magnet Conference where they reached thousands of nurses, 20 more hospitals started the Happiness Advantage.
Bottom line: You can retrain your brain to feel happier. Do something new — something you like to do — 21 days in a row and you end up with a new habit. “It’s contagious,” she said.
Read JONA Happiness Advantage article here or download here. Of the 113 professional nursing journals, JONA is ranked third for impact.
Research team and JONA article authors
Primary Investigator: Nancy Dunn MS, RN, Clinical Excellence Coordinator.
Co-Investigators:
- Sara Nash, MSN, RN, CMSRN, NE-BC, Infection Preventionist;
- Paul Howard, PHD, MLIS, CHEC Librarian;
- Frieda Ryan Anzur, BSN, RN, OCN, Assistant Nurse Manager, Medical Surgical Oncology.
Additional authors:
- Margo Halm, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
- Elizabeth Whitney Lora, BA
- Jeff Gau, MS
