Research of all kinds can promote well-being by enriching our understanding of the cognitive, social, and physical environments in which we live, and the ways in which they meet our various needs. Research can be supported and conducted by governments, commercial enterprises, nonprofit organizations, colleges, universities, and individuals. Research methods include observations, interviews or surveys, and experiments. Experiments differ from other studies by manipulating the independent variable to see if it causes a change in the dependent variable. Some studies are quantitative, and some are qualitative. Each research method has strengths and weaknesses. Concerns about research include reliability, validity, and generalizability, as well as ethics. Research should be disseminated to other researchers, to students, and to the general public. Readers need to critically evaluate research reports.