How to become happier in 6 weeks

The most basic shift we might want to make in becoming happier is redefining happiness. On our way to do so we’ll find out that  mental health has been a matter of concern not only among millennials but also among the so-called Gen Z. If we think that Generation Z has figured it all out including happiness there is a great number of scientific studies that prove quite the opposite. In contrast, this is the generation that is actively looking for answers in questions like “How I can make my life happier?”, “How can I boost my wellbeing on a day-to-day basis?”, “How do I define happiness”. This might be the reason why most of our questions on happiness might need to lead us to the questions and the subsequent answers of this younger generation.

According to Business Insider, a 2018 Yale’s University class called “Psychology and the Good Life” that started as an experiment became one of the most popular classes during the University’s 317-year history, and attracted both national and international media attention.

The creator of this class Professor Laurie Santos was interviewed by the New York Times and she told that she created the class in response to concerning levels of student depression, anxiety, and stress. She also mentioned that a stunning one in four Yale students were taking the course  which counts for 1,182 students being enrolled. The fact that even the best Yale’s lectures never exceeded the 600 attendants, make this class a real success story.

This 6-weeks course offers a number of practices of well-being and happiness and includes video lectures, optional readings, and daily “rewirement” activities that will help the student to build happier habits, boost in their mood and overall well-being.

In detail, it is consisted of 5 quick lectures where the viewer will explore

• the misconceptions on happiness
• how we can overcome our biases
• our expectations about happiness and why they are so bad
• stuff that increase happiness
• strategies we should be using

The course is completely free and can be found on Coursera’s platform -here

Everything you need to know about the class

• No cost

The class offers 2 options. The one gives the choice complete the course for free and to have access to all the available online materials including the assisgnment without obtaining a certificate. The second option entails all the above with the only difference that the student pays $49 to get an electronic certificate.

• No extra reading

There is no additional requirement to commit on additional reading. Also, there is no penalty for missing an assignement’s deadline. This makes the class suitable for people with busy lives. There is only a link with additional reading only for people who want to explore more in the field of happiness and wellbeing.

• You can discover more about yourself

There is the “Character Strengths Test” where it helps you to discover more about what type of person you are and more about your personality’s positive and negative attributes

• See if it works – tangible results

There is an option to register your levels of happiness before and after you take the course which makes it even more interesting. It helps you to see to what extend this course worked for you.

• Increase your well-being in 6 weeks

The program invites students to apply the suggested techniques on a daily basis for a 6 weeks’ time. Despite the fact that these techniques are not time-consuming they require a certain level of commitment. The reason this program has been designed this way is that research shows that increasing your own well-being takes a committed effort within long periods of time.