About two months ago I subscribed to Farid Zakaria’s Global Briefing out of a need to be up-to-date with international affairs. After reading one of those daily emails recently with breaking news from around the globe, I was looking forward to watch GPS on CNN last Sunday.
I could not remember the topic that hooked me, but the day arrived. I was ‘listening’ to the show while doing my Lumosity mental workout. Then it came on the screen: happiness.
Who doesn’t want to be happy at least for a day in his life? Who wouldn’t like to get more of that feeling? And who would have thought it is something that could be learned, like math or history?
The guest talking about it on TV was Professor Laurie Santos from Yale University. She explained how hers has become the most popular course in the 300-plus years of the alma mater existence. Having enrolled 1,200 students this semester, the ‘happiness class’ will reach new frontiers soon: it is now available so anyone can take it for free at Coursera starting August 13th.
It is no coincidence that this field of study has so many followers in one of the world’s most prestigious universities precisely now. Last year, the Harvard Business Review found that 50% of American professionals believe their jobs have no significance. On the other hand, a YouGov (www.yougov.co.uk) poll in the United Kingdom discovered that 37% of Britons believe their work makes no meaningful contribution to society.
So, what makes us happy?
This course might have the answer. The official name is ‘The Science of Well-Being’ and it is divided in 3 parts. The first covers misconceptions we have about happiness. The second provides activities that help increase it and strategies to create better habits. The last part of the course gives a final assignment in order to apply a wellness exercise during four weeks.
Since ancient times, philosophers like Aristotle have tried to pin-point what happiness is all about. Over many centuries one thing has remained true: everyone is equipped with a unique toolbox to assist them in the pursuit of it. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary it is a state of well-being and contentment.
The key question here is: how can we perpetuate it?
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