The Promenta Wellbeing Lab is a leading Norwegian research unit dedicated to advancing an integrative and causally informed science of human wellbeing. We combine interdisciplinary, cutting-edge research with a strong commitment to real-world impact, generating new knowledge on the structure, development, and determinants of wellbeing, while designing and testing interventions that improve lives. By integrating theory with advanced empirical methods, we seek to understand how wellbeing develops, why it varies across individuals and contexts, and how it can be strengthened at both the individual and societal level.
Our research
Our research on human happiness and wellbeing spans the following key areas:
Conceptualization and measurement: We develop and advance theoretical, empirical, and methodological models of wellbeing that can inform research and policymaking. Our research integrates insights from philosophy and psychology to develop expanded and holistic models of human wellbeing. It also includes empirical investigations of the underlying structure of wellbeing and psychological resilience, the role of values in wellbeing, as well as efforts to advance understanding of the nature of the relationship between wellbeing and illbeing.
Social relations and processes: This research examines the complex and dynamic associations between human wellbeing and social processes. Current work explores how social connections and environmental characteristics are associated with mental health and wellbeing over time, as well as the role of social relationships in fostering resilience and support for women’s wellbeing during pregnancy and the childrearing period.
Causal processes, genetic and environmental factors, and development: This work seeks to uncover the causal processes underlying wellbeing, examine the role and interplay of genetic and environmental factors, and understand how wellbeing develops across the life course, including patterns of stability and change over time. Ongoing research investigates whether the genetic and environmental sources of wellbeing and social relations are interlinked, explores the role of social relations in the causal pathways to wellbeing, and seeks to account for genetic confounding to help identify causal environmental processes.
Wellbeing promotion and interventions: Our work spans prevention and intervention across multiple levels – from structural and universal initiatives to targeted individual support – with a focus on transdiagnostic or common-factor approaches to mental health and wellbeing. Ongoing projects develop and evaluate school- and curriculum-based programs, strengthen family and caregiving environments, and design accessible individual interventions, including digital tools and course-based formats. By integrating insights across schools, families, and individual contexts, we aim to create scalable, flexible solutions that promote wellbeing across the lifespan
How we work
Our work on human happiness and wellbeing takes an interdisciplinary approach, integrating perspectives and methodology from psychology, philosophy, genetics, and related fields. Much of our research draws on unique, genetically informed longitudinal datasets available in Norway, including the Mother, Father and Child Birth Cohort (MoBa) and the Norwegian Twin Registry, combined with advanced analytical methods. In addition, randomized controlled studies are used to evaluate health-promoting strategies across populations and contexts.
