The Science of Happiness
- Free to audit
- Paid certificate
- Course certificate
- Beginner
- 11 weeks
The Science of Happiness is an eleven-week BerkeleyX course taught by Dacher Keltner and Emiliana Simon-Thomas of UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center. It introduces positive psychology: what researchers mean by happiness, why it matters, and which practices raise well-being. The course moves from the meaning and importance of happiness to the evidence on social connection, kindness and community, and then to the mental habits most conducive to happiness, including mindfulness, with practices you can try on yourself and use to foster happiness in others. edX lists it as introductory with no prerequisites, self-paced at four to five hours a week.
Auditing is free: you enrol at no cost and work through the material, but audit access on edX lasts only while the course run is active and excludes graded assignments and the certificate. The optional verified certificate costs $169. Instruction is in English with English transcripts.
What you’ll learn
- Explain what happiness means in psychological research and why it matters for everyday life
- Apply evidence-based practices that raise your own well-being and support the happiness of others
- Describe the role of social connection, kindness and community in a satisfying life
- Recognise the mental habits linked to happiness and use mindfulness to strengthen them
Who it’s for
Anyone curious about the research behind well-being who is willing to try the practices week by week; no background in psychology is needed.
Source: BerkeleyX (opens in a new tab) · Verified · Report a change
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