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Derrick Wirtz
(He, Him, His)Associate Professor of Teaching
Psychology
Office: ART 328Phone: 250.807.8276
Email: derrick.wirtz@ubc.ca
Graduate student supervisor. Not considering Psychology graduate students for September 2027 intake.
Research Summary
Subjective well-being; happiness; the “good life”; cross-cultural differences in emotion; flourishing & thriving; positive emotions; interventions to increase well-being.
Courses & Teaching
Introduction to psychology; introduction to research methods and design; positive psychology.
Biography
Derrick is an Associate Professor of Teaching in the Department of Psychology. His research focuses on the science and application of subjective well-being, commonly referred to simply as “happiness.” He has published a variety of peer-reviewed articles on topics including culture and happiness, social media use and happiness, and interventions to increase happiness. His love of scholarship extends to the classroom, where is a teacher of introductory psychology, research methodology, and positive psychology. Derrick has been nominated for several teaching awards and received pedagogical grants to include open educational resources in his courses, reducing the cost burden to students, as well as the use of technology to facilitate effective and inclusive learning through both in-person and online learning courses.
Websites
Center for Obesity and Well-being Research Excellence
Google Scholar
Degrees
BSc University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
MA University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
PhD University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Research Interests & Projects
My research laboratory focuses on the topics of happiness and subjective well-being. A current area of focus is ENHANCE (Enduring Happiness and Continued Self-Enhancement), a randomized controlled trial investigating the ability of a comprehensive well-being intervention to produce lasting changes in subjective well-being. Additional research interests include concepts of the “good life,” cross-cultural differences in the predictors of happiness, and the measurement and assessment of well-being.
Selected Publications & Presentations
| 2023 | Lutz, P., Newman, D. B., Schlegel, R. J., & Wirtz, D. (2023). Authenticity, meaning in life, and life satisfaction: A multicomponent investigation of relationships at the trait and state levels. Journal of Personality, 541–555. |
| 2023 | Galinha, I. C., Oishi, S., Pereira, C., & Wirtz, D. (2023). Personal values and life domain satisfaction predict global life satisfaction differently across cultures. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 40, 3319–3343. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075231173157 |
| 2023 | Tseu, A., & Ganesh, K., & Wirtz, D. Adjusting in a pandemic: Experiences of incoming international students. Frontiers in Education, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1003051 |
| 2022 | Tov, W., Wirtz., D., Kushlev, K., Biswas-Diener, R., & Diener, E. Well-Being Science for Teaching and the General Public. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17, 1452-1471. |
| 2020 | Wirtz, D., Tucker, A., Briggs, C., & Schoemann, A.M. (2020). How and Why Social Media Affect Subjective Well-Being: Multi-Site Use and Social Comparison as Predictors of Change Across Time. Journal of Happiness Studies. DOI 10.1007/s10902-020-00291-z |
| 2020 | Kushlev, K., Heitzelman, S., Lutes, L., Wirtz, D., Kanippayoor, M., Leitner, D., & Diener, E. (2020). Does happiness improve health? Evidence from a randomized controlled trial. Psychological Science, 31(7), 807-821. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797620919673 |
| 2020 | Heintzelman, S. J., Kushlev, K., Lutes, L. D., Wirtz, D., Kanippayoor, J. M., Leitner, D., Oishi, S., & Diener, E. (2020). ENHANCE: Evidence for the efficacy of a comprehensive intervention program to promote subjective well-being. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 26(2), 360- 383. https://doi.org/10.1037/xap0000254 |
Selected Grants & Awards
| Individual Recipient
2026 |
UBC Open Education Resource (OER) Excellence and Impact Award, Okanagan Campus |
| Co-authored with Dr. Ying Zhu, Faculty of Management
2026 |
Curriculum and Teaching Innovation Grant Ethical and Experiential Integration of Generative AI in Undergraduate Research Methods |
| Principal Investigator
2017-2018 |
UBC-Okanagan Open Education Resources Grant Psychological Science Lab Manual: An Open Resource for Introduction to Research Methods and Design |
| Principal Investigator
2017-2018 |
Irving K. Barber School of Arts & Sciences Curricular Innovation Award University of British Columbia, A Hybrid Approach to Team-Based Learning, Open Science, and Professional Presentation |