The Science and Practice of Happiness

1 credits · Undergraduate

In this course, we will tour different approaches to understanding happiness, covering the great thinking from the past millennia found in the humanities and contemplative traditions (e.g., Indigenous traditions, Buddhism, Romanticism) and the recent social biological study of happiness. We will focus topics such as compassion, awe, gratitude, cooperation, forgiveness, narrative, purpose, and resilience. Each topic will include discussion of the wisdom from the humanities (e.g., art, poetry, philosophy), social science and neurophysiology, and a research-tested practice in which students learn to cultivate happiness and the resilience to stress.