TITLE:
Myths and Misconceptions about Happiness: A Study of 13 Myths
AUTHORS:
Adrian Furnham
KEYWORDS:
Happiness, Myths, Misconceptions
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.18 No.4,
April
7,
2026
ABSTRACT: This study examined to what extent people endorsed thirteen myths about happiness. In all, 405 European adults over 21 years indicated the extent to which they thought established happiness myths true or false. Five myths were thought to be more true than untrue, while only two were predominantly rated as definitely false. These beliefs were unrelated to demographic and ideological variables. Limitations and implications are discussed.