Journal profile · Multiple
Journal of Happiness Studies
ISSN 1389-4978 · eISSN 1573-7780 · Springer Nature · 8 issues per year
Journal of Happiness Studies: CAS Zone 2 · Psychology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.68; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,490; median 339 days to acceptance (55 articles, last 24 months); 163 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
The journal's website announces a move to full open access: We are pleased to announce that Journal of Happiness Studies will become a fully open access (OA) on 1 January 2027. Source ↗Publisher website ·
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Happiness Studies is published by Springer Nature and is in Zone 2 of Psychology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction, Optimism, Hope, and Well-being and Health disparities and outcomes, together about 50.8% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Announcement We are pleased to announce that Journal of Happiness Studies will become a fully open access (OA) on 1 January 2027. As a result, all submissions received from 16 June 2026 are subject to an article publication charge (APC) if accepted and published in the journal (unless a waiver is applied). Please see our FAQs which can be found at the bottom of this page for more information on APCs, funding options, waivers and the journal's transition to fully open access. The international peer-reviewed Journal of Happiness Studies is devoted to theoretical and applied advancements in all areas of well-being research. It covers topics referring to both the hedonic and eudaimonic perspectives characterizing well-being studies. The former includes the investigation of cognitive dimensions such as satisfaction with life, and positive affect and emotions. The latter includes the study of constructs and processes related to optimal psychological functioning, such as meaning and purpose in life, character strengths, personal growth, resilience, optimism, hope, and self-determination. In addition to contributions on appraisal of life-as-a-whole, the journal accepts papers investigating these topics in relation to specific domains, such as family, education, physical and mental health, and work. The journal welcomes high-quality theoretical and empirical submissions in the fields of economics, psychology and sociology, as well as contributions from researchers in the domains of education, medicine, philosophy and other related fields.The Journal of Happiness Studies provides a forum for three main areas in happiness research: 1) theoretical conceptualizations of well-being, happiness and the good life; 2) empirical investigation of well-being and happiness in different populations, contexts and cultures; 3) methodological advancements and development of new assessment instruments.The journal addresses the conceptualization, operationalization and measurement of happiness and well-being dimensions, as well as the individual, socio-economic and cultural factors that may interact with them as determinants or outcomes.Central Questions include, but are not limited to:Conceptualization:What meanings are denoted by terms like happiness and well-being?How do these fit in with broader conceptions of the good life? Operationalization and Measurement: Which methods can be used to assess how people feel about life?How to operationalize a new construct or an understudied d
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Edward C. ChangPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 3 in mainland China (about 5%); most named United States 17, United Kingdom 6, South Africa 5, Germany 4, Canada 4 (66 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Psychological Well-being and Life SatisfactionPsychology34.4%
- Optimism, Hope, and Well-beingPsychology8.4%
- Health disparities and outcomesSocial Sciences8.1%
- Psychological and Temporal Perspectives ResearchPsychology6.3%
- Behavioral Health and InterventionsPsychology3.8%
- Cultural Differences and ValuesPsychology3.5%
- Employment and Welfare StudiesHealth Professions3.5%
- Mindfulness and Compassion InterventionsPsychology3.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Psychology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Psychology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Psychology, Multidisciplinary | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Psychology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Psychology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Psychology, Multidisciplinary | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Psychology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Psychology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Psychology, Multidisciplinary | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
SCIEPsycINFOERIH PLUSCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS, RePEc
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 3.68LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.7Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 5.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.1LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.38LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.63LetPub ·
- h-index
- 170OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,587OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.79OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 8.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 44.12%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 154LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 1,400,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,267 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 117 | 63 | 40 |
| 2025 | 163 | 82 | 407 |
| 2024 | 126 | 71 | 1,093 |
| 2023 | 96 | 46 | 1,172 |
| 2022 | 125 | 83 | 2,415 |
| 2021 | 148 | 78 | 3,381 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
339 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 255 days – 396 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 18 days (95 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 355 days
- Sample
- 55 articles with submission and acceptance dates (299 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Submission to first decision
- 17 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,490 / EUR 2,790 / GBP 2,490 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Colour charges
- Charged; see the journal's website for the amount
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 10,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted3, with length limits
- articleThe average length of an article is approximately 7,500 words.Length not stated
- editorialDouble-blind peer review This journal follows a double-blind reviewing procedure. This means that the author will remain anonymous to the reviewers throughout p…Length not stated
- reviewGuidelines SNAPP Double Anonymous Peer Review Guidelines Back to top Length of paper The average length of an article is approximately 7,500 words. Articles sho…main text ≤ 7,500 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
Data transparency Model summary
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Journal of Happiness Studies, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Double-blind peer review
Double-blind peer review Model summary
This journal follows a double-blind reviewing procedure. This means that the author will remain anonymous to the reviewers throughout peer review. It is the responsibility of the author to anonymize the manuscript and any associated materials. Author names, affiliations and any other potentially identifying information should be removed from the manuscript text and any accompanying files (such as …
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Frequency
- 8 issues per year
- ISSN
- 1389-4978
- Electronic ISSN
- 1573-7780
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Happiness Studies
What CAS zone is Journal of Happiness Studies in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Happiness Studies is in Zone 2 of Psychology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Psychology, Multidisciplinary / Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Psychology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Happiness Studies?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.68; CiteScore 7.1, h-index 170.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Happiness Studies?
Based on the dates recorded on 55 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 339 days (interquartile range 255–396 days). Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of Journal of Happiness Studies?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: Optional. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Journal of Happiness Studies based?
Of the 66 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 3 (about 5%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (17), United Kingdom (6) and South Africa (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Happiness Studies?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Happiness Studies is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists SCIE, PsycINFO, ERIH PLUS and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Happiness Studies open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Happiness Studies is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,490.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .