HUMAN HAPPINESS
PSYCHOLOGY 162
Instructor
Texts
Celidwen, Y. (2024). Flourishing Kin: Indigenous Wisdom for Collective Well-being. Sounds True.
Keltner, D. (2009). Born To Be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life. WW Norton.
Keltner, D. (2023). AWE: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How it Can Transform. Your Life. The Penguin Press.
Lyubomirsky, S. (2007/2008). The How of Happiness. The Penguin Press.
Scientific Articles Covered in Sections
Free Resources from UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center
greatergood.berkeley.edu Great articles
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/podcasts Science of Happiness Podcast
ggia.berkeley.edu Science-tested practices
EdX Science of Happiness course
Goals and procedures
What makes you happy? How will you bring happiness to the people around you? Our goal in this course is to engage you in an interdisciplinary approach to the study of happiness. There are four sections to this course. The first is devoted to understanding happiness across history and different cultural traditions (e.g., Indigenous Traditions, Buddhism, Romanticism, Age of Enlightenment). Turning to the science of happiness, we then will consider a first path to happiness, the cultivation of passions and intuitions that play a strong role in the good life (e.g., compassion, gratitude, awe, justice). Following this, we will consider the science and practice of strong social connection, and processes such as cooperation, non-violence, kindness, and forgiveness, which promote strong ties and communities. Finally, we will cover what is known about the resilient mind in handling stress, and how it is cultivated by practices such as mindfulness, self-compassion, narrative, play, and meaning making. All of these processes help us transcend the crises of our times and find meaning and purpose in what we do.
This is an interdisciplinary course. It will draw heavily upon the wisdom of Psychological Science (e.g., Social Psychology, Cultural Psychology, Evolutionary Theory, Health Psychology, Neuroscience) and related disciplines (Archeology, Anthropology, Cultural Studies, Economics, History, Indigenous Studies, Public Health, Sociology). My hope is that for each main concept we cover – say gratitude, or awe, or our passion for justice – we will trace its cultural history (sometimes back to our mammalian relatives), we will consider laboratory science and the neurophysiology of the phenomenon, and how it can be applied in your life beyond the classroom.
During this course we will also regularly engage in “practices” that are secular and science-tested. These brief exercises have proven to be beneficial for the individual and the community and the natural environment. Given the challenges of our times, of colonialism, polarization, climate crises, and economic pressures and inequality, I hope that you will build a set of practices, a philosophy of life, that you will take with you as you head into the world.
Sections
Sections are essential to this class. They are a backbone to what we cover, a way to go deep into the concepts. Much of the material covered in section will be on your exams. The sections will involve open discussion, an in depth look at scientific articles related to themes in the class, and exercises and practices. Your GSIs are incredible young scholars and will be vital to what you learn from this course.
Grading
85% of your grade will be based on three non-cumulative exams, made up of multiple- choice questions and short definitions. 15% will be based on your participation in sections. There is a lot of reading in the course – four books as well as a series of peer-review empirical articles in your sections. Please stay up to date.
My grading relies on traditional cut offs for grades (above 90% = As, between 80 and 90% Bs, etc). We apply some curving to the grade distributions, which typically results in a course distribution of about 40% As, 40% Bs, and 20% Cs. I do not believe in failing UC Berkeley Undergraduates, and should your performance falter, we will work hard to assist you.