All this time spent at home away from friends, family, and loved ones amid a public health crisis can significantly affect one’s mental health. To cope, we scour the internet for shows, programs, games, and so much more that can help keep our idle minds busy and entertained.
But instead of binge-watching a new television series or obsessively play Instagram games for hours, why not take this free online course that teaches you all about the science of happiness?
“The Science of Well-Being” is a free program you can take on Coursera patterned after the most popular course at Yale University, “Psychology and the Good Life,” taught by psychology professor Dr. Laurie Santos.
According to the official description, the program provides students with tips and information backed by science on how to be happy and build productive habits that can help uplift their lives.
Although it’s been offered online since 2018, the course has earned nearly 300,000 enrolments within the last two weeks since communities around the world have been placed under quarantine amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
“This is a physical health crisis but also a mental health crisis,” Santos told Today. “People’s routines have completely changed. People are social distancing, they are not allowed to do the one main thing they do when things are stressful, which is often go hang out with their friends often in public spaces.”
“A lot of people have been looking for things to do to feel better in this current crisis,” she added. “Especially people who are home and have a little more free time on their hands are looking for things to do that are productive.”
“I think we really can teach people not necessarily to be happier but to teach people the right things to do to become happier.”
You can take the course here.
(ALSO READ: Make Better Use of Your Leisure Time at Home by Taking this Free Japanese Self-Study Course)
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