World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
The Journal of Positive Psychology
H-index 34

The Journal of Positive Psychology

1743-9760

Published by: Taylor & Francis

https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/rpos20

Ranking & Metrics

Discipline name Position Best Scientists Publications D-Index
Psychology 98 194 265 33

Additional Metrics

Number of Best Scientists*: 228
Documents by Best Scientists*: 282
Top 100 Ranked Scientists*: 9
SCIMAGO H-index: 111
SCIMAGO SJR: 2.03
Impact Factor: 2.9

Overview

Top Research Topics at The Journal of Positive Psychology?

The Journal of Positive Psychology is organized to address concerns in the fields of Social psychology, Positive psychology, Well-being, Developmental psychology and Happiness. Research on Social psychology addressed in the journal frequently intersections with the field of Meaning (existential). The Positive psychology works featured in it incorporate elements from Psychological intervention, Pedagogy, Applied psychology and Clinical psychology.

While work presented in The Journal of Positive Psychology provided substantial information on Clinical psychology, it also covered topics in Intervention (counseling), Optimism and Depression (differential diagnoses). Topics in Well-being explored in the journal were investigated in conjunction with research in Mental health, Eudaimonia and Affect (psychology). The Journal of Positive Psychology facilitates discussions on Developmental psychology that incorporate concepts from other fields like Feeling and Cognition.

  • Social psychology (52.40%)
  • Positive psychology (25.93%)
  • Well-being (24.40%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

  • The Satisfaction With Life Scale and the emerging construct of life satisfaction (1086 citations)
  • Witnessing excellence in action: the ‘other-praising’ emotions of elevation, gratitude, and admiration (605 citations)
  • How to increase and sustain positive emotion: The effects of expressing gratitude and visualizing best possible selves (573 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at The Journal of Positive Psychology:

The published papers are organized to address concerns in the fields of Social psychology, Well-being, Positive psychology, Happiness and Clinical psychology. The published articles explore topics in Social psychology which can be helpful for research in disciplines like Eudaimonia and Meaning (existential). The journal publications focus on Well-being but sometimes tackle the closely related topic of Subjective well-being which is concerned with Diener.

What topics the last edition of the journal is best known for?

  • Social psychology
  • Cognition
  • Developmental psychology

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

The main points discussed in the journal deals with Social psychology, Well-being, Positive psychology, Happiness and Gratitude. The Journal of Positive Psychology tackles studies in Humility and the interrelated subject of Personality to gain insights into Social psychology. In The Journal of Positive Psychology, Developmental psychology, Psychological well-being, Context (language use) and Social support are investigated in conjunction with one another to address concerns in Well-being research.

Intervention (counseling), Mental health, Psychological intervention and Clinical psychology are some topics wherein Positive psychology research discussed in the journal have an impact. While Happiness is the focus of the journal, it also provided insights into the studies of Psychiatry, Eudaimonia and Value (ethics). In addition to Gratitude research, the journal aims to explore topics under Expression (architecture) and Perception.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

  • Revisiting the Sustainable Happiness Model and Pie Chart: Can Happiness Be Successfully Pursued? (17 citations)
  • Positive psychology in a pandemic: buffering, bolstering, and building mental health (16 citations)
  • Comparing the effects of performing and recalling acts of kindness (13 citations)

Papers citation over time

A key indicator for each journal is its effectiveness in reaching other researchers with the papers published at that venue.

The chart below presents the interquartile range (first quartile 25%, median 50% and third quartile 75%) of the number of citations of articles over time.

The top authors publishing in The Journal of Positive Psychology (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Don E. Davis (24 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition, 1 less than at the previous edition,
  • Daryl R. Van Tongeren (22 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition, 1 less than at the previous edition,
  • Joshua N. Hook (21 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
  • Everett L. Worthington (18 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition,
  • Willibald Ruch (18 papers) published 3 papers at the last edition, 1 more than at the previous edition.

The overall trend for top authors publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top authors.

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in The Journal of Positive Psychology (based on the number of publications) are:

  • University of Pennsylvania (35 papers) published 3 papers at the last edition, 1 less than at the previous edition,
  • Hope College (31 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition, 3 less than at the previous edition,
  • Virginia Commonwealth University (27 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition,
  • University of Michigan (25 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition,
  • Claremont Graduate University (25 papers) published 3 papers at the last edition, 3 less than at the previous edition.

The overall trend for top affiliations publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top affiliations.

Publication chance based on affiliation

The publication chance index shows the ratio of articles published by the best research institutions in the journal edition to all articles published within that journal. The best research institutions were selected based on the largest number of articles published during all editions of the journal.

The chart below presents the percentage ratio of articles from top institutions (based on their ranking of total papers).Top affiliations were grouped by their rank into the following tiers: top 1-10, top 11-20, top 21-50, and top 51+. Only articles with a recognized affiliation are considered.

During the most recent 2021 edition, 3.23% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 20.00% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 20.00% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 18.89% of all publications and 41.11% were from other institutions.

Returning Authors Index

A very common phenomenon observed among researchers publishing scientific articles is the intentional selection of journals they have already attended in the past. In particular, it is worth analyzing the case when the authors participate in the same journal from year to year.

The Returning Authors Index presented below illustrates the ratio of authors who participated in both a given as well as the previous edition of the journal in relation to all participants in a given year.

Returning Institution Index

The graph below shows the Returning Institution Index, illustrating the ratio of institutions that participated in both a given and the previous edition of the conference in relation to all affiliations present in a given year.

The experience to innovation index

Our experience to innovation index was created to show a cross-section of the experience level of authors publishing in a journal. The index includes the authors publishing at the last edition of a journal, grouped by total number of publications throughout their academic career (P) and the total number of citations of these publications ever received (C).

The group intervals were selected empirically to best show the diversity of the authors' experiences, their labels were selected as a convenience, not as judgment. The authors were divided into the following groups:

  • Novice - P < 5 or C < 25 (the number of publications less than 5 or the number of citations less than 25),
  • Competent - P < 10 or C < 100 (the number of publications less than 10 or the number of citations less than 100),
  • Experienced - P < 25 or C < 625 (the number of publications less than 25 or the number of citations less than 625),
  • Master - P < 50 or C < 2500 (the number of publications less than 50 or the number of citations less than 2500),
  • Star - P ≥ 50 and C ≥ 2500 (both the number of publications greater than 50 and the number of citations greater than 2500).

The chart below illustrates experience levels of first authors in cases of publications with multiple authors.

Understanding the Career and Education Requirements for Psychologists in Nevada

As valuable as the knowledge derived from The Journal of Positive Psychology is, it remains imperative for budding psychologists to understand the career and schooling prerequisites needed for their prospective field. In specific locations such as Nevada, for instance, aspiring psychologists should be aware of the particular set of requirements applicable in the state.

According to details provided on the psychologist education requirements nevada page, certain prerequisites must be fulfilled to establish a successful career in psychology in Nevada. These prerequisites include attaining a suitable level of academic qualification, completing the required number of supervised professional experience, and passing the mandatory examinations.

The first stepping stone is earning a doctorate from an accredited psychology program. Moreover, the state of Nevada demands at least two years (or 3,000 hours) of supervised professional experience, from which at least 1,500 hours should be completed post-doctorally. Furthermore, prospective psychologists must pass the Examination for Professional Practice in Psychology (EPPP) and Nevada's jurisprudence examination.

Understanding these prerequisites is crucial for anyone aiming to establish a successful career in psychology and contribute to the research in journals like The Journal of Positive Psychology.

Top Publications

  • Effectiveness of positive psychology interventions: a systematic review and meta-analysis

    Alan Carr;Katie Cullen;Cora Keeney;Ciaran Canning

    (2020)
    548 Citations
  • Positive psychology in a pandemic: buffering, bolstering, and building mental health

    Lea Waters;Sara B. Algoe;Jane Dutton;Robert Emmons

    (2021)
    334 Citations
  • Third wave positive psychology: broadening towards complexity

    Tim Lomas;Lea Waters;Paige Williams;Lindsay G. Oades

    (2021)
    311 Citations
  • Gratitude and health: An updated review

    Lilian Jans-Beken;Nele Jacobs;Mayke Janssens;Sanne Peeters

    (2020)
    263 Citations
  • Links between intellectual humility and acquiring knowledge

    Elizabeth J. Krumrei-Mancuso;Megan C. Haggard;Jordan P. LaBouff;Wade C. Rowatt

    (2020)
    235 Citations
  • Systems informed positive psychology

    Margaret L. Kern;Paige Williams;Cass Spong;Rachel Colla

    (2020)
    192 Citations
  • Revisiting the Sustainable Happiness Model and Pie Chart: Can Happiness Be Successfully Pursued?

    Kennon M. Sheldon;Sonja Lyubomirsky

    (2021)
    179 Citations
  • Hope and well-being in vulnerable contexts during the COVID-19 pandemic: does religious coping matter?

    Victor Counted;Kenneth I. Pargament;Andrea Ortega Bechara;Shaun Joynt

    (2020)
    169 Citations
  • The critiques and criticisms of positive psychology: A systematic review

    Unknown

    (2023)
    163 Citations
  • Living well by "flowing" well: the indirect effect of autotelic personality on well-being through flow experience

    Dwight C. K. Tse;Jeanne Nakamura;Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

    (2021)
    97 Citations

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

Exploring Psychology in the USA opens doors to diverse career pathways, many of which can be pursued through flexible online education options. For those interested in combining creativity with mental health, art therapy graduate programs offer specialized training that blends psychology and artistic expression to support emotional well-being.

Individuals seeking to make a broad social impact might consider an online masters of social work. This degree prepares graduates to work directly with vulnerable populations across various community and healthcare settings.

For students eager to enter the workforce quickly, fast track masters in psychology provide an efficient pathway to gain advanced knowledge and credentials without lengthy program durations, helping graduates stay competitive.

Similarly, those focused on therapeutic roles can benefit from pursuing an accelerated online masters in counseling degree. This degree prepares students to become licensed counselors equipped to offer mental health services in clinical environments.

Overall, these related online degrees offer flexible, targeted options that cater to various interests and career goals within the psychology and mental health fields.

Best Scientists Contributing to This Journal