The Science of Well-Being
Yale psychology professor Laurie Santos walks through the research on what actually makes people happier, built around a series of weekly challenges rather than passive lectures. The six modules cover misconceptions about money and achievement, the annoying features of the mind that mislead our predictions about our own happiness, and evidence-backed practices like gratitude, savoring, exercise, sleep, and social connection, closing with a personal rewirement challenge to build a lasting habit. Coursera offers a Full Course, No Certificate audit option that gives free access to every video, reading, and quiz, funded in part by the David F. Swensen Fund for Innovation in Teaching. Over five million learners have enrolled since it became Coursera's most popular course ever. It runs roughly ten hours a week over six weeks but is fully self-paced.