the science behind happy

If you’ve ever been in interested in taking a MOOC (Massive Online Open Course), but have been turned away by the intensity of some of the subjects and coursework, I may have found one you might be interested.

EdX is offering a course this fall semester on “The Science of Happiness” from professors at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center. The course promises “to teach the ground-breaking science of positive psychology, which explores the roots of a happy and meaningful life.” Pretty heavy stuff there… especially if all the secrets are held in just a simple (& free) online course for the masses!

I’ve dabbled in a bit of the scientific happy stuff online via Happify and have been pleasantly surprised by the simplicity of how small activities can refocus your thoughts and attitudes. So diving in a bit deeper into the background of it all seems like it would be fun (and useful) to do. I mean, it’s probably a better use of my time than mining great happy quotes on Pinterest?

So… I’m signed up and ready to go on September 9th and will be posing as a student reading out in the quad on my lunch breaks. After five years of working on a college campus, I figure it’s the least I can do to blend in with my surroundings.

Right now, there are 85,000 people signed up and ready to participate in the class… maybe you’ll join us?