In the past 20 years, the field of psychology made a wonderful shift of attention. Instead of looking at what is wrong with people, such as exploring mental illness and psychological symptoms, they started to research and explore the gifts, passion, and genius of people. The branch of psychology that studies the positive aspects of the mind and heart is known as positive psychology. It’s a subfield of psychology that was founded by Martin Seligman.
Since its development, there are many universities and think tanks that now give their attention to what brings our lives happiness and joy and meaning. One such organization is the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, who has completed many hours of extensive research on happiness.
Bringing Happiness into More Lives
As a result of their research, the center put together a course that reveals their findings. In fact, the course was created to help bring happiness into the lives of more and more people.
The Science of Happiness is a free online course that explores the roots of a happy and meaningful life. Participants will learn very intriguing information and lessons that positive psychology has uncovered. The course provides a participant with cutting-edge research that can be applied to one’s life. The course is divided into eight weeks with time in the middle to take a mid-term test as well as a time at the end for a final test.
What’s most beneficial about the course is that students will learn practical strategies for fostering their own happiness. Certainly, one of the reasons that lead people to drink or use drugs is because they are unhappy. They might be facing challenges or feeling lonely. However, it’s possible to transform some of the unhappiness or difficulty in our lives. Research suggests that up to 40% of happiness depends upon our habits and activities.
Knowing this, the creators of the course added a research-tested practice that can facilitate social and emotional well being. Also, the course has been developed in such a way that participants can track their progress as they move through the course.
The free online course includes video of top experts on happiness, articles and other easy-to-read information on how to develop happiness, weekly practices that can foster happiness and well being, as well as test and quizzes to track progress and understanding.
Make an Effort to Be Happy
If you’re used to living a challenging life, making a conscious effort to be happy can bring significant changes to your life. You might have to consciously make your way to happiness until it’s there inside of you naturally. When our minds and hearts are used to trauma, grief, and struggle, happiness might have to be a lesson to learn and a skill to develop. Fortunately, this course can facilitate that. And the great benefit to this course is that it’s free. The information, research, and expert talks are available to you right now for free! You can check out the course here!