Many of us may be struggling to cope with the pandemic as we approach one year being in lockdown. With mostly everyone stuck at home, people are finding refuge on the internet and searching for ways to stay sane.
To assist with the demand, one of the top universities in the world has provided a free online course on finding happiness. Psychology professor Dr. Laurie Santos is the brains behind Yale’s most popular class ever in its 317-year history. ‘Psychology and the Good Life’ began in the spring of 2018, with a total of 1,182 students enrolled in the subject — over its typical count of around 600 for large lectures.
After gaining massive attention from media, Santos was met with endless requests to make it accessible online. Now, ‘The Science of Well-Being‘ is available on Coursera for anyone interested. The iteration of the Yale course is a blend of positive psychology with the real-life applications of behavioral science.
The description reads, “Professor Laurie Santos reveals misconceptions about happiness, annoying features of the mind that lead us to think the way we do, and the research that can help us change.”
The syllabus includes video lectures and activities on topics like ‘Why Our Expectations are so Bad’ and ‘Stuff that Really Makes Us Happy’. The 10-week course is meant to help build healthier habits that will lead you to happiness. Over 3 million people have already enrolled in the course.
It has received only positive feedback, with an average of 4.9 stars. “Great fun way of learning about personal thought processing, attitudes and well-being. Very helpful course to get me to assess my life and how to make the changes I needed to improve my well-being,” one review states.
Santos also has a podcast called ‘The Happiness Lab‘, where she shares more scientific research and other stories that may alter the way you think about happiness.
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