Tim Lomas is a Psychology Research Scientist in the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and part of the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University. Dr Lomas’ main research focus is exploring cross-cultural perspectives on wellbeing, especially concepts and practices deemed ‘non-Western.’ Current projects include: assisting with the Global Flourishing Study, a longitudinal study of 240,000 people in 22 countries; helping lead the Global Wellbeing Initiative, a collaboration with Gallup to develop and analyse new items for their World Poll that reflect non-Western views of wellbeing; creating a lexicography and conceptual map of ‘untranslatable’ words relating to wellbeing; and a project funded by the Templeton Foundation to look into Muslim perspectives on wellbeing.

After completing his undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Edinburgh in 2002, Tim spent several years working as a musician and a psychiatric nursing assistant. Between 2008 and 2012 Tim undertook his PhD at the University of Westminster, where his thesis focused on the impact of meditation on men's mental health (combining cognitive neuroscience, narrative, and ethnographic analysis). From 2013 to 2020 Tim was a lecturer in positive psychology at the University of East London, where he helped to run their MSc in Applied Positive Psychology (later also combined with Coaching Psychology). Since 2013, Tim has published over 80 papers and 11 books relating to wellbeing, involving topics/approaches including linguistics, semiotics, art, emotional dialectics, balance/harmony, systems theory, social theory, politics, gender, and Buddhism. His work has been featured in publications including TIME, The New Yorker, and Scientific American. His latest book, entitled Happiness, will be published in 2022 by MIT Press as part of their Essential Knowledge series.

Select recent papers

Lomas, T. (2021). Life balance and harmony: Wellbeing’s golden thread. International Journal of Wellbeing, 11(1), 18-35.

Lomas, T. (2021). Towards a cross-cultural lexical map of wellbeing. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 16(5), 622-639. ​

Lomas, T., Case, B. W., Cratty, F., & VanderWeele, T.J. (2021). A global history of happiness. International Journal of Wellbeing, 11(4), 68-87.

Lomas, T. & VanderWeele, T. J. (2021). The complex creation of happiness: Multidimensional conditionality in the drivers of happy people and societies. Online ahead of print.

Lomas, T., Waters, L., Williams, P., Oades, L.G., & Kern, M. L. (2021). Third wave positive psychology: Broadening towards complexity, The Journal of Positive Psychology, 16(5), 660-674.

Select articles

Samuel, S. (2019). American happiness is plummeting. Could a few words change that? Vox.

Steinmetz, K. (2018). How learning new words could make you happier. TIME.

Anthes, E. (2016). The glossary of happiness. The New Yorker.

Select presentations

Lomas, T. (2018). Expanding our experiential horizons through untranslatable words. TEDxZurich.

Lomas, T. (2017). Positive experiential cartography. MAPP alumni presentation.

Lomas, T. (2017). Positive Psychology 2.0: New ideas for happier living. Action For Happiness.