PSYC 282 - Psychology of Happiness

Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)

If you asked people what their most paramount goal in life was, many would say “to find happiness.” However, true lasting happiness often proves to be an illusive thing. In this course we will discuss the psychological research and theory surrounding subjective feelings of happiness. What is happiness and why do humans feel happiness and other more specific positive emotions like gratitude, awe, and compassion? According to the research, what things in life truly give happiness and what things do people often only mistakenly think will give happiness? In this course we address such questions by examining and critically evaluating current psychology research and popular perspectives on happiness, with course structure focusing on class discussion. The course culminates in students developing their own research proposals in the topic area. Peter Kearns.

Prerequisite(s): PSYC 105.

Two 75-minute periods.

Course Format: CLS