Is it possible to learn to be happy? At the very least, one would assume, not at school. Nonetheless, Yale University offers a lesson in Happiness, pleasure and joy. And, fact, it appears to work.
I’m not sure how I’m going to make my students happy. Laurie Santos, a Yale University professor, was inspired to create her happiness course by this burning question.
She hadn’t anticipated it to be such a big success — her lecture series is the most popular in Yale history.
Santos aims to raise awareness among students in the area of mental health and self-care by including positive psychology in her course, PSYC 157: Psychology and the Good Life.
The data of the American College Health Association show just how necessary this is. A majority of American students (52%) say they feel hopeless, whereas (39%) have depression symptoms that interfere with regular functioning.
Santos’ Course is far from being the first to be seen on college campuses, but there is a major difference between her approach and others.
With many other lectures, the focus is on introducing the subject of wellness and well-being, but Santos’ talk goes above and beyond that.
She works on behaviour modification, habit transformation, and using every opportunity to its fullest. Learning about both the scientific basis of happiness and the practice of happiness is a way that students learn about happiness.
Brain Deception
The course begins with a quiz. Students must complete the quiz to participate in the programme. The test’s outcome indicates the student’s level of unhappiness.
While this may seem frightening, knowledge of one’s happiness level is critical for staying on track. In this manner, you can actually monitor your progress during and after classes.
Santos addresses the many misunderstandings regarding happiness in the courses that follow.
Our brains are very adept at following erroneous gut feelings: they seem to lead to ultimate happiness, but really lead to something quite different.
Consequently, in class, Santos decided to just go straight to the subject of “How To Be Happy.”
Taking a lengthy trip or buying a new home are just a few of the things that may make someone happy right now. A chocolate bar is a much smaller item that can make someone happy.
But! Even fundamental necessities like having bread on the shelf and a secure haven are not enough to make you happier, so don’t waste your time trying to find it in your head.
Unfortunately, your brain is malfunctioning. You need a change for nearly all of the items on the list: more money, a new home, and something you don’t have presently.
Your mind tells you again and over again that you will be happy when you get that one item. As a result, you’re constantly plagued by the need for “more,” “more,” “more,” while your sense of contentment shrinks.
Your Own Actions Are Responsible for 40 per Cent of Your Happiness
During the second section of the programme, Santos delves into the well-known concept of Sonja Lyubomirsky, a psychologist who works at the University of California, Berkeley.
As stated by Lyubomirsky, our genes decide 50 per cent of our happiness (so you have no control over this) and external circumstances determine the remaining 10 per cent of our happiness (you have limited influence on this).
Your ideas, actions, and attitude account for the remaining 40% of your overall success. 40 per cent of your personal happiness is entirely under your control, according to research.
Okay. And this begs the question: how do you deal with that pleasant stroke of good fortune, which you may mould into the happiest form?
Psychologists researching happiness habits have shown that individuals who describe themselves as happy spend a lot of time with family and friends, have gratitude, optimism, and exercise as key aspects of their daily routine.
Because study into habits doesn’t allow for certain methods to be certain, it is never feasible to ensure that one of the habits will make you happy. This way of looking at it is this: someone can be both happy and taller than average, but this does not entail that being taller than average makes you happy.
Happiness Is Not For Sale
The fact is that money doesn’t bring happiness; everyone knows that. While it is widely accepted, it holds a significant position in modern culture. That is correct, correct?
Many of Lyubomirsky’s conclusions are found in this work. When individuals earn $30,000 a year, they have posed the question, “What annual income would make you happy?” and the average annual wage they provide is $50,000. People who earn $100,000 per year will answer: “I’m twice as happy since I earn twice as much as the standard of happiness.” Rather, the desire is to make about $250,000 a year, so that they may be completely satisfied.
That, in a nutshell, is to say it does not end there. Until you can provide yourself with fundamental needs, money and happiness have nothing to do with each other.
To Be Happy, You Must Work On It
But, of course, seeing this connection between happiness and optimism and appreciation does not need a four-month study. Another cliche that we all know to be true is that spending money on things that provide no lasting joy is futile.
Santos’ lectures on happiness include at least two points of clarity.
- Yes, it is feasible, and focusing on your own happiness is worthwhile.
- The pursuit of happiness is never-ending.
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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Photo credit: César Abner Martínez Aguilar on Unsplash