The Science of Happiness
"A free eight-week Science of Happiness course that will offer practical, research-backed tips on living a happy and meaningful life." - The Huffington Post
We all want to be happy, and there are countless ideas about what happiness is and how we can get some. But not many of those ideas are based on science. That's where this course comes in.
"The Science of Happiness" is the first MOOC to teach the ground-breaking science of positive psychology, which explores the roots of a happy and meaningful life. Students will engage with some of the most provocative and practical lessons from this science, discovering how cutting-edge research can be applied to their own lives. Created by UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, the course will zero in on a fundamental finding from positive psychology: that happiness is inextricably linked to having strong social connections and contributing to something bigger than yourself--the greater good. Students will learn about the cross-disciplinary research supporting this view, spanning the fields of psychology, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, and beyond.
What's more, "The Science of Happiness" offers students practical strategies for tapping into and nurturing their own happiness, including trying several research-backed activities that foster social and emotional well-being, and exploring how their own happiness changes along the way.
The course's co-instructors, Dacher Keltner and Emiliana Simon-Thomas, are not only leading authorities on positive psychology but also gifted teachers skilled at making science fun and personal. They'll be joined by world-renowned experts discussing themes like empathy, mindfulness, and gratitude--experts including Barbara Fredrickson, Paul Ekman, Sonja Lyubomirsky, and Jon Kabat-Zinn. Health professionals who register can earn continuing education units for their participation.
Consider signing up for this course with a friend or group - tweet about your registration, share it on Facebook, and use the buddy system to stay on track. Join the conversation on The Greater Good Science Center Facebook page, or in the BerkeleyX: GG101x The Science of Happiness Facebook group.
NOTE: This course is a self-paced course on edX.
What you'll learn
- What happiness really means and why it matters to you
- How to increase your own happiness and foster happiness in others
- Why social connections, kindness, and community are key to happiness
- Which mental habits are most conducive to happiness and how mindfulness can help
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| Rating | 4.2★ based on 42 ratings |
|---|---|
| Length | 11 weeks |
| Effort | 11 weeks, 4–5 hours per week |
| Starts | On Demand (Start anytime) |
| Cost | $169 |
| From | Berkeley, BerkeleyX, University of California, Berkeley via edX |
| Instructors | Dacher Keltner, Emiliana Simon-Thomas |
| Download Videos | On all desktop and mobile devices |
| Language | English |
| Subjects | Social Sciences |
| Tags | Social Sciences |
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What people are saying
science of happiness
Again, I think this course is really meant as a simple introduction to the science of happiness, yet seems more focused on having the student find his own path to what makes him happy.
Take the course and you might enjoy life a little more by using the science of happiness.
The lectorers are amazing and I am very grateful to them for the hard work they put in order to present this course to so many people around the world and explain to them the science of happiness!
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think the course
The neuroscience is not very rigorous – I think the course directors intentionally made this an easy class so they could get more people to sign up and get through the material.
I think the course should need more of a guidance through the lesson, it could for example start of with a question like: "How can someone/a community maximize their overal joy, happiness & satisfaction" and the deduct best practices by referring to other (previous) research from other fields.
positive psychology
You may not be very happy ,but you will never be sad again An absolutely wonderful course that I highly recommend to those interested in gaining greater insight into positive psychology and the drivers (and barriers) to happiness.
Glad edX step into positive psychology.
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what makes
I highly recommend this course for everyone who wants to feel happier and to understand what makes them happy!
worth it
It took some time to do, but it is well worth it.
Obtaining happiness can be difficult but the pursuit is worth it.
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own happiness
On the one hand, there is quite a bit of information provided on what make someone happy, but on the other, this is definitely a "touchy-feely" course that uses weekly happiness surveys and encourages keeping a journal to measure your own happiness.
It gives you many techniques that you can practice to improve your own happiness, as well as tons of scientific information to back it up.
email address
Of course I do have an account, but then I try to open an account and a message says that the email address I am using is already taken.
Then I proceed to use my email address with which I open the account and it comes again saying that the email address I am trying to use is already taken.
`` touchy-feely ''
Careers
An overview of related careers and their average salaries in the US. Bars indicate income percentile.
Adjunct Professor, Graduate Psychology $47k
Positive Pay Specialist $48k
Research Professor, School of Psychology $50k
Chair, Psychology Department $53k
Assistant Professor of Psychology 2 $56k
Professor of Psychology; department chair $59k
Program Administrator, Positive Health Mnagement $62k
Professor of Psychology and Chair of Psychology Department $67k
Adjunct Lecturer in Psychology $73k
Dean of Faculty; Professor of Psychology $93k
Assistant Commonwealth Professor of Psychology $99k
Assistant Professor of Education and Psychology $131k
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| Rating | 4.2★ based on 42 ratings |
|---|---|
| Length | 11 weeks |
| Effort | 11 weeks, 4–5 hours per week |
| Starts | On Demand (Start anytime) |
| Cost | $169 |
| From | Berkeley, BerkeleyX, University of California, Berkeley via edX |
| Instructors | Dacher Keltner, Emiliana Simon-Thomas |
| Download Videos | On all desktop and mobile devices |
| Language | English |
| Subjects | Social Sciences |
| Tags | Social Sciences |
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