ImpaQ Ecosystem•Clarivate, Scopus & CORE Data
Clarivate WoS 2024 / 2025 Data
IMPAQ
WoS SCIE Q1Scopus Q1SCImago #2,838Top JournalHybrid

Journal of Happiness Studies

Identifier (ISSN):1389-4978(Print)/1573-7780(Online)
•
Publisher:Springer Nature
Clarivate JCR Index Advisory: Active (SSCI)
Clarivate IF (2026)
3.7↑ +0.4
Journal Impact Factor
IF Trend↓
WoS Quartile
Q1
WoS SCIETop Tier
Clarivate WoS JCR
WoS Categories↓
JCR Release Date: 2026-06-17

Impact Factor Trend (2022–2026)

Clarivate IF trend for Journal of Happiness Studies

WoS Q1
23564.0920224.620233.120243.320253.72026
Annual Impact Factor Metric
Current (2026):3.7
Scopus SJR & RankScopus Q1
1.378
#2,838

SCImago Journal Rank citation prestige weighting

Scopus Year: 2025
H-Index (2025)
126

126 papers with at least that number of citations each

WoS: SCIE / JCRTop Tier
Self-Citation Rate6.5%
Safe Level (< 15%)Warning Level (> 20%)
Self-citation below 15% indicates strong scholarly independence.
Volume & Open AccessHybrid
137articles/year
44.12% Gold OA•94.96% Original Research

Aims & Scope

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 dimension in the well-being domain? What are the best measures for investigating specific well-being related constructs and dimensions? Prevalence and causality Do individuals belonging to different populations and cultures vary in their well-being ratings? How does individual well-being relate to social and economic phenomena (characteristics, circumstances, behavior, events, and policies)? What are the personal, social and economic determinants and causes of individual well-being dimensions? Evaluation: What are the consequences of well-being for individual development and socio-economic progress? Are individual happiness and well-being worthwhile goals for governments and policy makers? Does well-being represent a useful parameter to orient planning in physical and mental healthcare, and in public health? Interdisciplinary studies: How has the study of happiness developed within and across disciplines? Can we link philosophical thought and empirical research? What are the biological correlates of well-being dimensions?

Topics Covered (Recognized by AI)
Psychology99.5%Social psychology96.8%Psychotherapist94.6%Medicine85.6%Positive psychology82.3%Political science70.8%Law70.3%Nursing70%Pathology69.3%Public health64.8%Quality of Life Research64%Philosophy47.4%Happiness45.9%Sociology39.5%Mathematics34.8%Economics34.5%Developmental psychology32.8%Computer science29.9%Epistemology29.8%Life satisfaction26.9%Biology25.3%Clinical psychology25%Statistics23.8%Subjective well-being23.2%Psychiatry22.7%Physics21.5%Well-being20.6%
Primary Research Areas

WoS Categories & Quartiles

Detailed JCR / JCI category rankings and quartile breakdown from Clarivate

Clarivate JCR & JCI
JCRSSCI2026

PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Q1
Rank37/222
IndexSSCI
JCRSSCI2026

SOCIAL SCIENCES, INTERDISCIPLINARY

Q1
Rank21/275
IndexSSCI
JCISSCI2026

PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Q1
Rank25/222
IndexSSCI
JCISSCI2026

SOCIAL SCIENCES, INTERDISCIPLINARY

Q1
Rank30/276
IndexSSCI

Annual Historical Statistics & Publications

Track annual publication volume, total citations, and Impact Factor evolution

12 year
2026Latest
IF3.7
Articles / Year103
Total Citations21
2025
IF3.3
Articles / Year163
Total Citations351
2024
IF3.1
Articles / Year126
Total Citations1,041
2023
IF4.6
Articles / Year96
Total Citations1,137
2022
IF4.087
Articles / Year125
Total Citations2,356

SCImago & Scopus Journal Intelligence

Global SCImago ranking, SJR prestige index, Scopus coverage, and societal policy impact

Rank #2,838Scopus Q1SCImago Profile
Scopus Coverage:2001, 2003, 2005-2026
Scopus Broad Areas:Social Sciences
Scopus Citation Rank (SJR)Q1
1.378

Weighted prestige citation metric per document indexed in the Scopus database.

Quartile: Scopus Q1
Citations / Doc (2 years)
4.30

Average citations received per document published in the 2-year window.

2-Year Citation Window
Estimated Publication Fee (APC)
$3,562 USD

Estimated Article Processing Charge for Open Access publication.

Estimated cost / article

Scopus 3-Year Publication & Citation Window

3-Year Citations2,039
3-Year Documents428
Citable Documents428

Aggregated from Scopus database across the 3-year SJR evaluation window.

Societal Impact & Inclusivity (SCImago)

Policy Citations (Overton)0

Citations in government and international policy documents

Female Author Rate52.0%

Percentage of female authors published in the journal

Real-world societal policy reach and author gender diversity tracked by SCImago.

Scopus Subject Categories

Social Sciences (miscellaneous)Q1
Academic Metric Intelligence

Journal Metrics & Citation Visualizations

Total Cites vs Self-Cites

Evaluation of scholarly independence and citation reach

Total citations steady growth
Self-citation: 6.5%

Citations per Document

Citation metric windows across 2, 3, and 4 years

Cites / Doc (4 years)Cites / Doc (3 years)Cites / Doc (2 years)

Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Classification

Major / minor zone classification and CAS Early Warning List history

Major Category (Broad Field):
1区 (Zone 1)Psychology
Minor Category (Specific Field):
1区PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
CAS Early Warning List History:
Updated annually: 2020 – 2024
2020
Not warned
2021
Not warned
2022
Not warned
2023
Not warned
2024
Not warned

Academic Intelligence Overview & Context

ImpaQ Analysis

Journal of Happiness Studies (ISSN: 1389-4978) is a peer-reviewed international scholarly journal in the field of Multiple, published by Springer Nature in Netherlands. The periodical holds a Journal Impact Factor (JIF) of 3.70, ranking in quartile Q1 of Web of Science (SCIE), a Scopus SJR indicator of 1.378 (Q1), an H-index of 126.

The journal enforces rigorous peer evaluation with a publication frequency of 8 issues per year, an annual output of approximately 137 scientific articles. In terms of accessibility and author fees, it operates under the Hybrid model with an estimated APC of $3,562 USD. It serves as a benchmark publication platform for academics, researchers, and doctoral candidates seeking global research visibility.

Publishing & Editorial Information

Detailed publisher, peer-review turnaround, and publication cycle specifications

Open Access Model
Hybrid
Publisher
Springer Nature
Publication Language
English
Frequency
8 issues per year
Indexing & Databases
SSCIScopusPubMed

Similar Journals in Discipline

Journals in the same research field with comparable impact metrics

Record UUID: c7edb829-451d-4608-9177-fe5f0d5a9af1
Database Updated: 2026-10-01