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Learner Reviews & Feedback for The Science of Well-Being by Yale University

4.9
stars
37,282 ratings

About the Course

NEW TEEN VERSION AVAILABLE HERE: https://www.coursera.org/learn/the-science-of-well-being-for-teens In this course you will engage in a series of challenges designed to increase your own happiness and build more productive habits. As preparation for these tasks, Professor Laurie Santos reveals misconceptions about happiness, annoying features of the mind that lead us to think the way we do, and the research that can help us change. You will ultimately be prepared to successfully incorporate a specific wellness activity into your life. THE SCIENCE OF WELL BEING WAS PRODUCED IN PART DUE TO THE GENEROUS FUNDING OF THE DAVID F. SWENSEN FUND FOR INNOVATION IN TEACHING....

Top reviews

LG

Apr 21, 2023

Magnificent!

Clear and concise revelations about the human condition, how to understand the tricky nature of our minds and practical advice about how to counteract those deceptions.

Marvellous.!

LH

Aug 21, 2020

Great fun way of learning about personal thought processing, attitudes and well-being.

Very helpful course to get me to assess my life and how to make the changes I needed to improve my well-being.

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826 - 850 of 10,000 Reviews for The Science of Well-Being

By Kim F G

May 29, 2020

This is a great course that helped me understand and appreciate that my inability to maintain a happy state is in fact normal and that if I want to feel happier more often than I need to commit to continuing to work at it via the strategies I put in place the last four weeks and beyond including my use of the ReWi app. I'll continue to listen to the Happiness Lab podcasts to see what new information I can attain beyond that which I learned in this great course.

By Son-U M P

Aug 20, 2023

I recommended this course to my Kids, my Brother and now, you, as well. It's wonderful. Concrete recommendations and practices on how to be happier, with scientific explanations, data and theories presented in a great format by an excellent instructor. It's no wonder that this is apparently the most popular undergrad course at Yale. Check it out, savor it. I enjoyed it immensely, and have already started benefiting from the practices recommended in the course.

By Anna W

Nov 16, 2020

This is a fantastic course! The online format is so easy to use, yet it doesn't make the student feel excluded as many online courses do. Dr. Laurie Santos is an amazing professor and teaches in a way that is so simple to understand and very relatable while helping you learn mind-blowing information! This is probably the most life-changing course I have ever taken. I am definitely going to share this course with people who want to learn how to become happier!

By Cecelia S

May 4, 2022

I took this at the same time as my son took the course at Yale. We both found it quite useful in making small improvements in our daily lives and overall happiness. I feel like it actually gave me some tools that I can continue to use toward self improvement. I tried to share a like to the specific course on Facebook because I thought many of my friends could benefit, but the link just reverted to a general Coursera link, which was a bit of a disappointment.

By Paulo F S

Mar 12, 2024

The training was exceptional, providing valuable insights into cultivating a culture of well-being within our teams and personal lives. We gained practical, effective strategies to foster balance and mental health, applicable both at work and at home. Furthermore, the Coursera platform proved to be excellent and user-friendly, with the added bonus of an outstanding instructor like Dr. Laurie Santos, who brings a wealth of knowledge and warmth to the course.

By K G

Aug 4, 2020

This class is amazing. I enjoyed learning the science behind our happiness perceptions. Although I still have goals to meet in my final rewirement - I find I am practicing other things to be a happier person - savoring, gratitude, exercising strengths, etc. I must say that I was apprehensive but I am truly a happier person after taking the course. People have even commented to me that I seem happier. Take a chance & take the course - join the happy people!

By Robbie

Sep 17, 2020

Dr. Laurie Santos has provided a fantastic course here. I am really glad that I can now say with confidence that these techniques improve well-being as there are studies to confirm these methods. Meditation has been the most life-changing for me. If anyone is wondering how to get started, consider using an app like Calm or Headspace, but my personal favourite is Waking Up by Sam Harris.

I wish you all the best of luck with your well-being going forward!

By Elspeth H

Aug 24, 2020

This course gave me a lot think about. I appreciated that I could change my deadlines so that I could take the time to do the extra reflecting that I wanted to do. While this course affirmed notions I have about happiness, it clarified, which research, other aspects I wasn't clear about. I still have a lot of reading and reflecting to do but I would recommend this course wholehearted to anyone wanting to understand the roots of their own happiness better.

By Judith M

Jul 18, 2021

As a clinical psychologist, I was already familiar with some of the positive psychology research, and had done some mindfulness, savoring, and gratitude practices myself as well as teaching them to clients. The course helped me learn new things, however, and, importantly, gave me the structure and challenge to work on developing a new habit to improve my well-being. I really enjoyed it and feel that I learned a lot. And my happiness scores increased too!

By Sam L

Jun 7, 2020

This was my first course I completed, so I don't really have a reference point. With that in mind, I really enjoyed it! I was able to solidify what I thought lead to well-being, and learn more about other techniques that maybe weren't as effective as I thought, or I had never thought of at all. I think this course is relevant regardless of what academic interests you have, because ultimately your happiness is perhaps the most essential part of your life.

By Stefanie H

May 8, 2020

I really enjoyed the course. Although I knew that some things are supposed to make you happy but actually don't, it was important for me to have the scientific proof. In this course I got all the information needed and with the weekly rewirements I changed some old habits and started creating new ones. Although it means putting some effort into that, I am quite sure that this course helps me to stick with my new strategies in the coming weeks and months.

By Joy F

Jul 10, 2020

Absolutely fabulous course. I have encouraged everyone possible to take this online course. It is especially helpful during the COVID pandemic. The instructor is easy to listen to, clear in her teaching and the videos and readings relevant. You will learn a great deal - about how we can be negatively influenced and how we can recognize and deflect those influences to become stronger, kinder human beings - to ourselves and to others. It is life changing.

By Amelia E B

Jun 15, 2020

Now I know why this course is the most popular course offered by Yale University on Coursera . I feel happier than when I started this course . I have a better understanding of the Science of Wellbeing . An enormous amount of Tips, tools and resources to use so I can rewire my mind in a more positive and worry free manner .

Thanks profesor Laurie Santos . Your energy and knowledge are very much appreciated .

Be well, take care and stay safe and healthy !

By Alex C

Jul 16, 2020

Dr. Santos did an amazing job of curating this course. She made each lecture super easy to understand by breaking down complex theories and providing multiple studies and examples to back them up. I really liked how you were able to try out each of the different rewirements throughout the course work to get a sense of each one before committing to one behavior for the final 4 week-challenge. I'd love to take another positive psychology course with her.

By Bridget G

Jun 9, 2020

This course has worked wonders on my own personal happiness and also grown my knowledge of the science behind happiness & well-being. If you put the time in to really listen to the lectures, repeat them to understand, and reflect, then you will have the necessary knowledge of happiness habits and the reasoning behind them. If you put the time in to then practice these habits, then you will see how your daily well-being improves. Thank you Dr. Santos!!!

By Christi F

Jul 5, 2020

Laurie Santos Science of Well-Being Course has taught me better skills for creating happiness in my life! I've benefited from learning to implement savoring, gratitude & exercise. I also enjoy implementing and understanding the importance of sleep, meditation, social interaction, reflection and random acts of kindness. I look forward bringing my best self and sharing what I've learned with friends and co-workers! Thank you for creating this class!

By Beth P

Jun 21, 2020

This is what I would call the perfect course. The professor is truly invested in the material. The weekly sessions are clear and easily laid out. The wealth of information is vital and practical. You are forced to engage within your community of friends & family and meet complete strangers through enriching your social connections. You are provided with a toolbox of skills with which to use during the final 4 week challenge to improve your well-being.

By Ellen B

Jun 6, 2020

It's awesome! I am so glad someone suggested it to me at the start of the stay at home order where I live. I think that helped put things into perspective and make sure I didn't go down a rabbit hole (no offense to rabbits). I'd highly recommend this course for someone who is looking to set goals and gain various science-based driven perspective on life, especially as sometimes our mind does silly things to us that don't help us as much as we'd think.

By Y A

Jan 15, 2020

Thanks a lot for this course.

First part is perfect: videos always provide great information and last no more than the time needed to transmit this information. They are pleasant to watch and put in a postive mood. Books references to go into deeper details are perfect, and interviews of other professors than Laurie are great.

2nd part - rewirement challenge makes sure you actually try and put what you've learn into practice... and it works !

Great job !

By Priyanka A

Jul 20, 2020

this was really amazing course ,i knew what actually the well being is. ,did not expect.for each and every module ,sources and research has been done. I loved the rewirement challenge so that all hope for changes in their levels of happiness.i like the stratagies that have been explained especially WOOP .even the peer reviewed assignment is like answer to the point, its not like submitting your experiences in a essay format.

happy for this course....!

By Albin L

Sep 10, 2019

This course has the potential for many insightful lessons and the tools for practical, very rewarding and significant personal growth, well-being and happiness. It's possible to take a casual and superficial view of the course material, which is not intellectually complex. But that approach would likely not only result in limited understanding of the science of well-being and happiness, but a missed opportunity for a positive change in one's life.

By jason R

Sep 28, 2020

Great course, transcripts, resources, citations. Only issue was the questions for the final rewirement challenge were slightly different than the prompts in the submission for the final assignment. Continuity of that with accurate questions and number of sentences would be appreciated I bet to future participants. I will promote this course for others and hope to someday interview Santos for my radio show Comedy for a Change with Jason Robo on KMUD.

By Kathryn K

Jun 5, 2020

Excellent course that should be taken by everyone! Such interesting information about what makes us happy and more importantly, what doesn't. The science behind it and all the studies that have been done are fascinating. The strategies for increasing happiness are very helpful and the rewirement challenge really worked to establish a new, healthy habit! The professor is very engaging and does a great job at teaching the material. A must take class!!

By Josué P

Aug 1, 2023

It's a great course. Not only Dr. Laurie Santos is knowledgeable and provides all the scientific support for what's thought in the course, you get to bring all of that into practice and actually start bringing happiness into your life; in my own personal experience before the course I scored very low in happiness, after the course it was significantly better. I recommend this course to anyone and everyone (as well as her podcast The Happiness Lab).