Overview

Discover scientifically validated pathways to enhance your happiness and psychological well-being in this course, designed to help you pursue a meaningful and satisfying life. Some of these pathways, like developing meaningful friendships, may be obvious to you, while others, such as focusing on gratitude, mindfully meditating, helping people in need, and viewing others with unconditional positive regard, may be less obvious. Upon completion of this course, in addition to having a clear plan for improving your happiness and life satisfaction, you will have a deeper understanding of happiness, insight into how you can find meaning in your life, an awareness of the role of positive emotions in different cultures, and an appreciation of how public policies can improve or worsen the happiness of a country as a whole. Overall, regardless of who you are, the material in this course can put you on a path to a happier, more fulfilling life.

Syllabus

Learn With PsycLearn Essentials

This module introduces you to your PsycLearn Essentials course. Find out what’s included in this course and how to navigate the modules and lessons. You’ll also learn valuable study tips for successful learning.

Opening to Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness

This module introduces you to positive psychology as a field of psychological theory and research that focuses on the psychological states, individual traits or character strengths, and social institutions that enhance subjective well-being and make life worth living.

History of Positive Psychology

This module discusses the history of positive psychology, including early forebears of the discipline and contemporary contributors to positive psychology.

Factors in Subjective Well-Being

In this module, we discuss a theory that suggests that positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning in life, and accomplishment are the major factors that impact subjective well-being. We then present some additional factors that researchers identify as contributing to subjective well-being.

Happiness as a Policy Issue

This module discusses the World Happiness Report, which focuses on how happiness and well-being are signs of progress, the measurement of happiness, and how these measurements can be used to make policy.

Prosocial Behavior

In this module, we discuss why we help others and how this experience increases our well-being and happiness. Norms of reciprocity and social responsibility will be explored as reasons why we help others. We’ll also introduce evolutionary and psychological factors to explain helping behavior. The effects of bystanders on a person’s helping behavior will be discussed. Finally, methods to increase helping behavior, such as teaching empathy and socializing helping, will be described.

Course Summary

This module contains the course summary, a review of all of the material you’ve learned in the course. It is broken down into one lesson for each of the course’s learning objectives. Within each lesson are a list of key takeaways, a list of key terms, and a set of practice questions to help you decide if you’ve understood the material. When you feel comfortable with the material presented here, move on to the next module and take the course’s cumulative quiz.

Cumulative Quiz

This module contains a quiz covering all of the material in this course. It will count for 30% of your total course grade, so make sure you’ve reviewed the course material well. Good luck!

Course Resources

This module contains a glossary, course references, and a list of contributors to the course.

PsycLearn Essentials APA Student Resources

This module provides a variety of information and tools from the American Psychological Association (APA) that will help inspire you as you complete your coursework and plan your career goals. Explore APA resources on various psychological issues and scholarly research and writing; a list of sites providing valuable resources on diversity, equity, and inclusion in psychology education and in the professional community; resources on a career in psychology; and links to career opportunities at the APA.