The Science of Well-Being for Teens
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The Science of Well-Being for Teens
Instructor: Laurie Santos
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What you'll learn
You will learn what psychological science has to say about living the good life
You will engage in evidence-based behaviors proven to boost mood
Details to know
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There are 6 modules in this course
A recent survey found that 37% of teens say they have poor mental health. This 6-week course aims to curb this mental health crisis by bringing together the best insights from Dr. Laurie Santos’ popular Yale course Psychology and the Good Life. In this course, you will explore what the field of psychology teaches us about how to be happier, how to feel less stressed, and how to thrive in high school and beyond. The lessons along with short weekly ‘happiness homework’ assignments will ultimately prepare you to put these scientific findings into practice. The ultimate goal is for you to feel better and build healthier habits. Parents, teachers, and other professionals supporting teenagers may also find the course beneficial.
Note: This course does not confer Yale University grade, credit or student status. THE SCIENCE OF WELL-BEING FOR TEENS WAS PRODUCED IN PART DUE TO THE GENEROUS FUNDING OF THE ARTHUR M. BLANK FAMILY FOUNDATION AND THE JOHN TEMPLETON FOUNDATION.
In this module, you will learn what it means to be happy and why pursuing happiness is not a pointless endeavor. Dr. Santos addresses how our minds lie to us and how the science shows that our misconceptions about money, grades, and social media are holding us back from implementing the techniques studied in positive psychology.
What's included
13 videos4 readings1 assignment
13 videos•Total 68 minutes
- Why Take Yale's Most Popular Course?•12 minutes
- What Does It Even Mean to Be Happy?•8 minutes
- Is Becoming Happier a Selfish Thing to Do?•6 minutes
- Do Life Circumstances Determine Happiness?•3 minutes
- What Are the Benefits of Being Happier?•6 minutes
- Our Mind Lies to Us About Happiness•3 minutes
- Misconceptions #1: Money & Awesome Stuff•7 minutes
- Misconceptions #1.5: An Update on Money•7 minutes
- Misconceptions #2: Grades & College Admissions•4 minutes
- Misconceptions #3: Screen Time & Social Media•6 minutes
- Negative Mass Media?•2 minutes
- Dopamine Hits from Social Media?•2 minutes
- Being Fake Online?•2 minutes
4 readings•Total 40 minutes
- Happiness Homework•10 minutes
- Welcome Letter from Laurie•10 minutes
- Key Terms•10 minutes
- Free Access to the Course•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 30 minutes
- Module 1 Quiz•30 minutes
In this module, you will learn about biases that get in the way of our own happiness. Dr. Laurie Santos explores why we get used to good and bad things in life and how we can deal with growing accustomed to things and making bad predictions about what we will want in the future. Dr. Santos discusses how we compare ourselves to others using reference points and what we can do to deal with our limited attention.
What's included
12 videos2 readings2 assignments
12 videos•Total 59 minutes
- Our Minds Are Bad at Predicting Our Feelings•7 minutes
- Happiness Problem #1: We Get Used to Stuff but Don't Know It•10 minutes
- How Can We Deal with Hedonic Adaptation?•7 minutes
- Happiness Problem #2: We Compare Ourselves a Lot•4 minutes
- Happiness Problem #2: We Compare Ourselves to Other People•10 minutes
- How Can We Deal with Social Comparisons?•3 minutes
- Happiness Problem #3: Our Attention Is Limited•7 minutes
- How Can We Deal with Limited Attention?•5 minutes
- An Experience Gone Bad?•1 minute
- Comparisons Other Make About Us?•1 minute
- Reference Points & Self-Love?•1 minute
- Are Comparisons Motivating?•1 minute
2 readings•Total 20 minutes
- Happiness Homework•10 minutes
- Key Terms•10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 40 minutes
- Module 2 Quiz•30 minutes
- Happiness Homework Checkpoint•10 minutes
In this module, you will learn about behaviors that make us happy. Dr. Laurie Santos discusses behaviors such as engaging in social behaviors, finding time to do the things you love, and practicing healthy habits. Dr. Santos explains how a little bit of extra sleep each night or exercise can make a world of a difference.
What's included
10 videos2 readings2 assignments
10 videos•Total 53 minutes
- What Make Us Happier: Behaviors•1 minute
- Social Connection•8 minutes
- Kindness•5 minutes
- Flow & Fun•10 minutes
- Signature Strengths •6 minutes
- Healthy Habits•11 minutes
- Time Affluence•9 minutes
- Happy People & Charity?•1 minute
- Helping Others?•1 minute
- Changes in Sleep Patterns?•1 minute
2 readings•Total 20 minutes
- Happiness Homework•10 minutes
- Key Terms•10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 40 minutes
- Module 3 Quiz•30 minutes
- Happiness Homework Checkpoint•10 minutes
In this module, you will learn about thought patterns that lead to better moods. Dr. Laurie Santos addresses the power of focusing our thoughts and developing the right mindset in order to experience gratitude, practice mindfulness, and get some perspective.
What's included
9 videos2 readings2 assignments
9 videos•Total 53 minutes
- What Makes Us Happier: Thoughts•2 minutes
- Experiencing gratitude•8 minutes
- Practicing mindfulness•7 minutes
- Fighting your inner critic•13 minutes
- Getting some perspective•10 minutes
- Developing the right mindset •8 minutes
- Avoiding Apathy?•2 minutes
- Gaslighting Yourself?•1 minute
- Lying to Yourself?•2 minutes
2 readings•Total 20 minutes
- Happiness Homework•10 minutes
- Key Terms•10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 40 minutes
- Module 4 Quiz•30 minutes
- Happiness Homework Checkpoint•10 minutes
In this module, you will learn how harnessing our feelings can make us happier. Dr. Laurie Santos explores how we need both our positive and negative emotions in order to improve our well-being. Dr. Santos also explores how to regulate your fight-or-flight response using a tool that is most definitely underused, the breath.
What's included
5 videos2 readings2 assignments
5 videos•Total 24 minutes
- What Makes Us Happier: Feelings•1 minute
- Accepting negative emotions•10 minutes
- Bridging our empathy gaps•6 minutes
- Regulating our fight-or-flight•6 minutes
- Avoiding Rumination During Meditation?•1 minute
2 readings•Total 20 minutes
- Happiness Homework•10 minutes
- Key Terms•10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 40 minutes
- Module 5 Quiz•30 minutes
- Happiness Homework Checkpoint•10 minutes
In this module, you will learn techniques to achieve happiness goals learned throughout the course. Dr. Laurie Santos investigates how we can put happiness tips into practice, addressing the ways in which situations and people can affect us. Dr. Santos additionally discusses how to implement better habits and hack the habits that we do have.
What's included
11 videos6 readings3 assignments
11 videos•Total 46 minutes
- Putting These Happiness Tips into Practice•2 minutes
- Realizing the Situation Around Us•8 minutes
- Harnessing the Power of Other People•7 minutes
- Understanding the Habit Loop•7 minutes
- Hacking the Habit Loop•5 minutes
- Leveraging Our Associations•7 minutes
- Rethinking Our Psychological Timeline•5 minutes
- Happiness is up to you!•1 minute
- Messing Up Your Goal?•1 minute
- Coping with Negative People?•1 minute
- Dr. Santos' Strategies?•2 minutes
6 readings•Total 55 minutes
- Happiness Homework•10 minutes
- Final Assignment Preview•10 minutes
- Key Terms•10 minutes
- Measure Your Happiness Again!•10 minutes
- Keep Learning•10 minutes
- Are you a teacher?•5 minutes
3 assignments•Total 120 minutes
- Module 6 Quiz•30 minutes
- Final Writing Assignment•30 minutes
- Express Your Creativity•60 minutes
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Reviewed on Jun 18, 2024
Excellent content and clear, actionable concepts - something in it for everyone! Thank you for making this so accessible for learners and educators!
Reviewed on Aug 29, 2024
This course was extremely digestible and useful
I would recommend it to anyone:))) I look forward to more courses aimed at teens and btw her podcast is amazing!!
Reviewed on Sep 6, 2025
Dr Laurie Santos explains beautifully such that everyone can understand. She even gives practical tips that are easy to implement and are highly beneficial
Frequently asked questions
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When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
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