LOVE this course... made me sit back and view myself honestly with my character strengths and well-being. I finished 3 months ago and I am still practicing my virtues daily to strengthen my character. I am can practice and apply what I have learned in my personal life as well as with my learners. I recommend this course to anyone wanting to develop their well-being. I am planning to pursue more courses in Positive Psychology now that I have my Well-Being 'turned on'. This is an asset for everyone to have in their life... When we look within ourselves and can identify with our Well-Being, we, as mentors, can then help those that are lost to achieve theirs. I am enjoying this learning Journey. Thank you!

Love this course. So much excellent, evidence-based content. Packed with specific examples that one can choose to incorporate in their own life toward positive change and a fuller, happier life. After the first lesson in the course, I told both of my grown children that if they finish the course, I will pay for their certificate. This is how important I believe the happiness mindset is in life. My life motto has always been love God, love people, and use stuff. I think when people are not happy with themselves, they flip it and tend to use people and love stuff. That is not a road that will lead to happiness. This course uses science to back up the idea that stuff (beyond basic needs) doesn't lead to happiness.

There is nothing better than having legitimate, tried and true strategies to add to our bag of tricks, so to speak to get through what life throws in our path. This course has been an enlightenment to what I'm sure we all suspected about how qualified we are to know the games our, hearts, mind, and brain plays in our happiness on a minute to minute bases. We are all better equipped to take on the challenges of, the mis-wanting , the rethinking we must do, being aware of annoying features, thwarting Hedonic adaptions and becoming more aware of the many character strengths that we all have to learn to develop in order to find that ever elusive thing called HAPPINESS we seek. I except your help with gratitude.

Great information and then practical ways to start implementing tools to increase your happiness and well-being in my own life. I especially appreciate how honest and transparent the professor was while explaining the "why" and "how" and then how even she fails and is human. So many good pieces. Not a lot of new information (although there was research and data to back up what I already "knew" and "felt" to be true. More than just a class...it is a jump-start to creating a better, happier life! I would highly recommend this course to anyone interested in improving their lives. I especially appreciate that it is offered for free! Especially during this pandemic (I've been unemployed for almost 4 months now!)!

The course gave me a broader perspective of how to gain happiness. Extremely helpful and I'm really happy I took it. I now find myself thinking of many of the lessons daily. And it can help my mood or my approach to something I’m dealing with. Being aware of how the rewirements also help you physically is a good motivator. It’s difficult at times to not revert back to certain negative feelings, but now I have a way to deal with those times, or a way to replace them with helpful thoughts and behaviors. This is an excellent course…very enlightening, interesting, and informative. Also, very helpful. Actually, I think it would be great if all Americans would take this course. The whole world, actually.

This was a great course. I honestly lived this course every day, and it worked. It was good fun too, and not too taxing. The professor was fun, and if you want this certificate, you'll get it. It was fun, not challenging, but the strategies rubbed off. It is a perfect course for a beginner, or someone who has been doing the more difficult courses on Coursera, and needs a light-hearted break, for a few weeks. Real life strategies, ppl, real life strategies! There is a mass of references in this course, so if you want to get into psychology, and you want access to primo readings, I recommend. I didn't think it could be possible but Laurie is the coolest professor out. Loved the course!!! Go and do it, ppl!!!

To start with the lecturer is just one of the best ; Dr Laurie Santos knows how to powerfully and effectively involve her students at Yale as well as the audience on coursera ,thank you soo much for taking your time to make sure we understand the many concepts very properly in this course. This has been such a great course that has taught me on how things that we do daily like experiences and time affluence highly bring happiness to our lives .It has also taught me that things like having more pay ,better grades ,relationships amongst others may not necessarily give us make us more happy . i highly advice anyone keen on understanding about their life and why some things happen to take this great course .

So far, as an adult professional, I've attended many courses both privately, as well as thanks to my employers. This course was/is the best experience I've had as its impact is so positive on me and my life. Maybe I am mature enough to really make it work, and continue developing myself, however there are special components of this course that really motivated me. The content is amazing and with all additional books, reference materials I can easily spend months/even years :) digging more about what is interesting for me, and the practice part was so important for me. Thank you Professor Laurie Santos for your passion, wisdom, credibility, and for being yourself during the entire journey. Kind regards!

Excellent class. I believe I have a much better understanding of well-being as a result of taking this class. I really appreciated the manner in which concepts were introduced and supported by relevant research. As a result of taking this course, I have (a) learned a number of strategies to enhance inner peace and well-being, (b) gained an awareness of many myths regarding what brings happiness, and (c) developed a deep appreciation for the importance of approaching life with a growth mindset. My greatest take away from the course is that when I live in a manner that is consistent with my character strengths, I feel that I am "in the flow," living joyfully, and my sense of well-being is at its best!

The course was divided into short segments that made it easy to complete amidst a busy schedule and provided time to ‘digest’ the information.

The lectures were entertaining and easy to follow. Links to articles, TED talks and books relevant to the course material were very valuable. I used many of them to expand my studies in particular areas of interest.

The course content was enlightening and the focus on helping students actually implement changes to improve their happiness was invaluable.

I have a bachelors degree, two masters degrees and a medical degree. Out of all of my classes in all of those years of school, this has been by far one of the most enjoyable! I give it my highest recommendation!

I have learned that a good deal more of `my happiness `is under `my own direct control` than I had previously thought. This course has provided me with research data on `What makes humans happy` and has taught me specific strategies to create new habits in my life which in turn increase my happiness levels . I am now using a growth mindset in place of my long held `fixed mindset` . I am delighted to be exploring the new theory that Happiness grows with focus and willingness to practice new habits . I love the experiential aspect of this course where I actually experienced the results of my own practice for 4 weeks and proved the theories for myself. Thank you for this wonderful course.

I love the casual and personal vibe Dr. Laurie Santos created around this learning experience. This is a really helpful course, especially when you're in quarantine and struggling to feel happy with your circumstances. This course set me on a path of gratitude and self-awareness. I thought I knew most of the concepts this course covered, but the way it's structured made it more compelling, and I did end up learning and practicing a lot of new things too. A bit of a slow burn if you're used to mindlessly scrolling through Social Media as a habit to numb your sadness, but if you put those collective social media hours into this course, you'll have completed it in no time and come out a lot happier!

I loved the flexibility of this online course. I ended up taking a break midway thru due to work obligations and I appreciated the email follow up on my status. That email prompted me to jump back in! Laurie's presentations were easy to listen to and I liked the occasional pop up questions. The resources provided enabled me to dig deeper into topics that I wanted to explore more on. The final rewirement was easy to commit to and easy to assess. I must admit I was afraid the requirement would be to write an essay or "term" paper! The prompts were great and I enjoyed doing the peer reviews as well. My overall happiness scores went up and I find I use some of the strategies in my personal and work

Dr. Santos is a wonderful instructor. She is intelligent, calm and honest. She expresses how some of these things are hard to incorporate into her life, too, even though she knows and teaches the science. Her manner is welcoming and nonjudgmental. She introduced many knowledgeable lecturers, who added dimension to the course. I enjoyed this course. There are many different items/theories to learn. She presented in a thoughtful and logical manner. She is engaging and empathetic

Sometimes, it was a bit difficult to navigate the technology of the course. It took a while to understand how to respond to the final project and other items. Clearer instructions and navigation would be helpful

Realmente este curso me ha ayudado a ver las cosas desde otra perspectiva. Al comienzo de este, me sentía un poco deprimida, perdida y aunque hay mucho camino por recorrer aun debo admitir que mi estado de ánimo y autoestima han mejorado significativamente. Cree un plan e implemente la mayoría de los temas discutidos en clase y debo admitir que hubo gran cambio. Exhorto a que todos tengan la oportunidad de inscribirse en este curso para que abran nuevos caminos de conocimientos que realmente van a poder aplicar en su vida cotidiana. Este curso fue de mucha ayuda, además, ya que en la situación mundial que enfrentamos del coronavirus me hizo olvidar todos esos problemas por un rato. Excelente.

This class was extremely hard not so much the learning aspect but the work you need to put in. To find out in oneself that you are ungrateful was a big reality check for me,yes it hurt but truth does. Finding kindness for me mended,fixed,and rewired my heart which made me a better person. I enjoyed all the classmates, their real input made it much easier to go through a struggle or obstacle you can't seem to get the answer for yourself. Professor Santos was amazing and brilliant, she always came from a different side of things making you use your creative mindset. I never had Teacher/Professor so unique. Great course, mindful thinking has greatly improved my well being. Thank You to everyone.

This is an excellent course that I found well worth my time. The professor, Laurie Santos, has designed a thoughtful program that (1) examines our preconceptions about happiness, (2) lays out the science behind what actually has an impact on our well-being (in an accessible way), and (3) sets you up with useful tools for actual behavioral modification. This way, you are not just absorbing information, but also making real-life changes in a way that is both effective and on your own terms. Dr. Santos is a charming, lively, and engaging speaker. The course is done with the participation of a dozen or so undergrad students, so you it almost feels like you're really in a classroom at Yale.

This course was quite an enjoyable journey, and will remain relevant for many years to come. As someone who has always been interested in taking courses on psychology and well-being, The Science of Well-Being not only met my expectations but thoroughly exceeded them. It challenged my way of thinking with reputable research findings and encouraged me to reevaluate my priorities, like choosing not to isolate myself when studying and instead spend that time more meaningfully with my peers. The plethora of supplemental readings provided by the course especially piqued my curiosities. I highly recommend this course to anyone looking to be happier and develop a deeper appreciation for life.

The course was superbly designed. It was not overwhelming. Every week I looked forward to the days I had committed. I wanted to practice wellness but did not know a structured way to do it. In this course we started from small goals of savoring, meditating, practicing gratitude to bigger goals.

The instructor Ms. Santos was very good. She did not teach from a superior place. She practiced with us and showed us that we don't need to be distressed because we faltered some times because she made it clear that she herself had designed the course because she too wanted to practice.

I have started 3 healthy practices -Gratitude, savoring the moment and meditation after doing this course.

La ciencia del bienestar ha sido un curso de mucha ayuda para mí, lo comencé en un momento donde me sentía muy mal, a veces sin sentido y descubrí que todo esto ocurría porque estaba basando mi felicidad en los lugares equivocados, pensaba que iba a ser feliz cuando obtuviera alguna cosa en concreto y aquí aprendí que la felicidad es una desición que tenemos cada uno; claro que no basta con saberlo eso también lo aprendí. Me es de mucha ayuda el poder entender los rasgos molestos de mi mente y como científicamente tenemos respuestas para nuestros comportamientos, pero me da mucha esperanza saber que hay herramientas que tenemos disponibles siempre que pueden hacernos más felices.

A truly fantastic and life-changing course. I found the pacing to be perfect, as well as the way material was staggered week by week. I looked forward to the lectures every week and loved implementing each piece into my daily life. I was actually kind of bummed out when we had a couple of weeks off to practicethat didn't have lectures (it might be because my key strength of Curiosity was one of my major practice points in this program and I loved hearing the great teacher present more). I've taken lots of notes and am really going to enjoy implementing more and more of these learnings into my personal and professional life, as I've already been doing. Whole-heartedly recommended!

This course was AMAZING!! So accessible, so full of resources that you could pick and choose from. In addition to the informative lectures, there were interviews, TED talks, articles and scientific studies provided for students to peruse at their own pace. I loved the design of the course, setting up the ways in which our minds hijack us and then slowly digging into how we can rewire.

The course does a great job of combining helpful tips and tricks to change practice--I'm looking at you, WOOP method--as well as the science behind the impact and benefit from those practices.

This course--and of definitely, Dr. Santos--were the perfect balm in the time of corona confinement.

I truly enjoyed this course I would take it again if I could. Professor Santos was a great professor. Several of terms that I have learned from class have stayed with me. The rewirements have especially stayed with me and I plan to work on implementing daily exercise for the next four weeks because of the health benefits and I want to see if I can use what learned from this class to help me stick with this rewirement. I know there will be challenges but I also know that there will be a great success as well and I believe that I can do it not for the surface reasons that I have learned from this class that are not truly important but for myself and for my growth as a person.

It was such a fun and insightful journey! Wise and charming lecturer (I’ve actually become a huge fan of The Happiness Lab podcast by Dr. Lauries Santos after this course). Well-presented and science-based information backed by reliable research and studies. Abundant interesting and helpful resources. The classroom setting (lessons were recorded in Dr. Santos’s living room) makes me feel very engaged and relaxed.

What hooked me to this course was the title “the most popular course in Yale” on social media, but what kept me staying was its very content. So far, this course is truly the most engaging and practical one that I’ve ever taken in my life, both in school and online.