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Back in 2018, Yale professor Laurie Santos’ class Psychology and the Good Life — which unpacked the science behind true happiness — became the most popular on-campus course in the history of the university. Naturally, an online version called the Science of Well-Being followed, boasting over 3 million enrollments through the e-learning platform Coursera.
While the wildly successful positive psychology course has always been free to audit, you can now get full access to the course through Coursera’s Cyber Week deal. Full access means you’ll receive grades and a certificate of completion you can add to your Linkedin page (normally $49) if you enroll by December 4,
The Science of Well-Being is one of the Insider Reviews Team’s most recommended online courses because of its approachability and tangible advice on how to be happier. Insider Reviews senior reporter Mara Leighton found the lectures easy to watch and the overall course “immediately and concretely useful.” (You can read the full review here). And journalist Justin Maiman said that his “happiness improved greatly in a short amount of time” upon finishing the course.
Learners fill out questionnaires at the beginning of the course so they can track their emotional progress along the way. One nice benefit of doing the limited-time, full access route is you have 180 days to complete the course if you want the certification at the end. That way, you might be more incentivized to finish the course (and gain valuable insight on if you actually feel happier by the end). And since many of the tips apply to common misconceptions of happiness (such as indulging in Netflix binges or social media scrolling), it can be an especially crucial course to improve your mental health while stuck at home during the pandemic.
If you like the idea of positive psychology, here are similar Coursera courses and Specializations you can get full access to for free through Dec 4:
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