Yoga

Research at the intersection of yoga and happiness offers a broad spectrum of cross-disciplinary studies.

Research Topics
  • Effects of Yoga Practices on Subjective Well-being: Investigate the impact of various yoga practices (such as asana, pranayama, meditation) on subjective well-being indicators like happiness, life satisfaction, and positive affect.
  • Yoga and Psychological Resilience: Explore how regular yoga practice contributes to psychological resilience, including its role in buffering against stress, adversity, and negative life events.
  • Yoga and Emotional Regulation: Examine the mechanisms through which yoga enhances emotional regulation skills, including the cultivation of mindfulness, self-awareness, and emotional acceptance.
  • Yoga and Positive Psychology Interventions: Develop and evaluate yoga-based interventions grounded in positive psychology principles, aimed at enhancing happiness, gratitude, resilience, and other positive emotions.
  • Yoga for Specific Populations: Investigate the efficacy of yoga interventions for specific populations, such as individuals with depression, anxiety, chronic pain, or trauma histories, in promoting happiness and overall well-being.
  • Yoga and Neurobiological Correlates of Happiness: Utilise neuroimaging techniques to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the effects of yoga on happiness-related brain circuits, including areas associated with emotion regulation, reward processing, and social bonding.
  • Yoga and Social Connectedness: Explore the role of yoga in fostering social connectedness, empathy, and compassion towards oneself and others, including its potential to strengthen social support networks and promote prosocial behavior.
  • Yoga and Mindfulness-Based Approaches to Happiness: Compare the effectiveness of yoga-based interventions with other mindfulness-based approaches (such as Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) in promoting happiness and well-being outcomes.
  • Yoga and Lifestyle Factors: Examine the synergistic effects of yoga practice in combination with other lifestyle factors (such as diet, sleep, exercise) on overall happiness and quality of life.
  • Longitudinal Studies on Yoga and Happiness: Conduct longitudinal studies to investigate the long-term effects of sustained yoga practice on happiness trajectories and subjective well-being outcomes across the lifespan.
  • Cultural and Philosophical Perspectives on Yoga and Happiness: Explore the cultural and philosophical dimensions of yoga and their implications for understanding happiness, including cross-cultural variations in conceptions of well-being and flourishing.
  • Yoga and Workplace Well-being: Investigate the impact of yoga-based interventions in workplace settings on employee happiness, job satisfaction, stress reduction, and overall productivity.

By exploring these research topics, scholars can contribute to a deeper understanding of the synergistic relationship between yoga and happiness, paving the way for evidence-based interventions and practices that promote holistic well-being and flourishing.