Web site logical path: [www.psy.gla.ac.uk] [~steve] [courses] [PosPsy] [this page]

The psychology of happiness in practice

This is my page to hold bits about our two DACE (adult education) courses about the psychology of happiness, which are based on the fairly new field of Positive Psychology. Versions of them ran twice each in the period 2008-10, but are not currently running. ("We" are Emily Cutts, Quintin Cutts, and Steve Draper. The DACE web pages will hold official descriptions of them, how to enrol, etc. On this page I discuss (with less of a word limit) what I think these courses are about.

The two courses are:

• The psychology of happiness: a balanced perspective to increasing personal well-being. (Oct-Nov 2009)
• The psychology of happiness: learning from other disciplines. (Jan-Mar 2010)

Contents (click to jump to a section)

• The psychology of happiness: a balanced perspective to increasing personal well-being (Oct-Nov 2009)
  • Practical details
• The psychology of happiness: learning from other disciplines. (Jan-Mar 2009)
  • Practical details
• General links
• Links for tutors

The psychology of happiness: a balanced perspective to increasing personal well-being (Oct-Nov 2009)

• New research. Anyone interested in research findings in positive psychology: a hot new topic in academic psychology that is not yet part of most undergraduate curricula. Whether you're an undergraduate wanting a bit about some interesting new stuff not yet in regular courses, or a non-psychologist wanting to hear about some of the interesting bits of the subject.
• Self-help. People interested in being happier i.e. a "self help" approach. What is different here is that the exercises on this course are all based on effects that have been established by research published in reputable scientific journals.
• Student PDP. Undergraduates taking "personal development" seriously as embracing a whole life approach, in which studying is one integrated part of their lives. Narrow and partial approaches to PDP (personal development planning) treat it as about career preparation, or study skill training, but a fuller view is that it is about organising one's whole life, and developing a view on the place of work and study within that. An important part of this course is the findings, which certainly apply to students as much as to anyone, that happiness depends on activities that are meaningful (not just pleasurable); and that we need activities that are both enjoyable now and serve long term plans as well; and that being rushed due to poor time planning is no way to be happy.

The content of this course: There are three kinds of content this course offers its students:

• Concepts and evidence on what has been shown to make people happier e.g. writing gratitude letters.
• Gaining some understanding of the nature of that evidence and its strengths and weaknesses. This is in fact learning something of the underlying nature of psychological research.
• Personal practical exercises based on the concepts that you can try yourself.

Practical details