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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how psychological capital (PsyCap) and self-driven personality fuse to affect happiness at work in the nursing profession in Uganda. Design/methodology/approach This paper adopts a cross-sectional descriptive and analytical design. The authors use structural equation modelling to test hypotheses. Using proportionate and simple random sampling procedures, a sample of 900 respondents was drawn from different hospitals in Uganda of which a response rate of 88.9% was obtained. Findings The magnitude effect of self-driven personality on happiness at work depends on PsyCap, implying that the assumption of non-additivity is met. Research limitations/implications Only a single research methodological approach was used, and future research through interviews could be undertaken to triangulate. Practical implications To boost happiness at the workplace, heads of hospitals should always endeavour to find a viable self-driven personality and PsyCap blend that can add value to nurses’ happiness in Uganda. Social implications It is essential for health human resource managers to understand, how self-driven personality and PsyCap foster happiness among nurses in Uganda. Originality/value This is one of the few studies that focus on testing the interactive effects of PsyCap on the relationship between self-driven personality and happiness at the workplace in Uganda’s health sector.