The Happiness Advantage: Why Thriving Teams Outperform
Series Context & Introduction
Welcome to Week 3 of our Workplace Wellness & Burnout Prevention series! After exploring human-centered leadership and proven strategies for burnout prevention, we’re shifting gears to something just as vital—proactive wellbeing and the science of happiness at work.
This week, we dig into the real business value of positive psychology, using The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor as our anchor. Supported by insights from Bring Your Human to Work and The Burnout Fix, we’ll show how happiness isn’t just a “feel-good” perk—it’s a strategic asset that fuels energy, creativity, and sustained team performance.
“The Happiness Advantage”
The Research Is Clear: Happiness Powers Success
Shawn Achor’s groundbreaking work reveals a simple but often-overlooked truth:
Happiness fuels success—not the other way around.
When teams are positive, connected, and energized, every metric improves: productivity, creativity, retention, and even profit.
Achor identifies seven core principles that drive the “happiness advantage”:
The Happiness Advantage: Positive brains have a performance edge.
The Fulcrum & the Lever: Mindset determines what’s possible.
The Tetris Effect: Training your brain to spot wins and opportunities.
Falling Up: Using adversity as a springboard for growth.
The Zorro Circle: Focus on small, controllable wins to regain momentum.
The 20-Second Rule: Make positive habits easy and negative ones harder.
Social Investment: Strong relationships are the ultimate resilience builder.
Why it matters:
Achor’s research (supported by Gallup and Harvard) proves that teams with a “happiness advantage” are:
31% more productive
3x more creative
10x more engaged at work
And organizations that invest in positive psychology see stronger cultures, better collaboration, and lasting results—especially when combined with the human-centered practices we explored in Weeks 1 & 2.
Supported by Top Voices in Wellbeing
Bring Your Human to Work (Keswin): Human connection and gratitude accelerate happiness and team performance.
The Burnout Fix (Jiménez): Positive rituals—like daily gratitude or recognizing wins—are burnout’s best antidote.
Key Takeaways (For the Skimmers!)
Happiness at work is a leadership strategy, not just a mood.
The “happiness advantage” is proven: Positive teams outperform.
Small habits—like gratitude rounds, daily wins boards, and social investment—fuel energy and resilience.
Happiness is contagious: Leaders set the tone.
What’s Up Next This Week
Wednesday: How leaders create and sustain positivity—practical tools, habits, and frameworks for real impact.
Thursday: Small habits, big results—positivity in dental teams and how to make happiness a daily practice.