PSYC 414: Positive Psychology

In this course, we will explore positive psychology, or the study of practices that promote happiness, improve well-being, enhance subjective meaning in life, and increase other positive experiences and traits. The course will rely heavily on experiential learning, in which students are asked to implement various positive practices and then reflect upon the effects of such practices. Positive characteristics such as happiness, flow, creativity, compassion, grit, resilience, self-efficacy, and spirituality/ self-transcendence will be explored. Practices such as meditation, mindfulness, identification of emotions, empathizing, pursing one’s interests, forming meaningful social relationships, and spending time in beautiful nature will be discussed.