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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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194,216 already enrolled

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Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.8

821 reviews

Beginner level
No prior experience required
Flexible schedule
1 week at 10 hours a week
Learn at your own pace
96%
Most learners liked this course

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.8

821 reviews

Beginner level
No prior experience required
Flexible schedule
1 week at 10 hours a week
Learn at your own pace
96%
Most learners liked this course

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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Assessments

12 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer
Taught in English

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 videosTotal 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 Happiness3 minutes
  • Misconceptions #1: Money & Awesome Stuff7 minutes
  • Misconceptions #1.5: An Update on Money7 minutes
  • Misconceptions #2: Grades & College Admissions4 minutes
  • Misconceptions #3: Screen Time & Social Media6 minutes
  • Negative Mass Media?2 minutes
  • Dopamine Hits from Social Media?2 minutes
  • Being Fake Online?2 minutes
4 readingsTotal 40 minutes
  • Happiness Homework10 minutes
  • Welcome Letter from Laurie10 minutes
  • Key Terms10 minutes
  • Free Access to the Course10 minutes
1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes
  • Module 1 Quiz30 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 videosTotal 59 minutes
  • Our Minds Are Bad at Predicting Our Feelings7 minutes
  • Happiness Problem #1: We Get Used to Stuff but Don't Know It10 minutes
  • How Can We Deal with Hedonic Adaptation?7 minutes
  • Happiness Problem #2: We Compare Ourselves a Lot4 minutes
  • Happiness Problem #2: We Compare Ourselves to Other People10 minutes
  • How Can We Deal with Social Comparisons?3 minutes
  • Happiness Problem #3: Our Attention Is Limited7 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 readingsTotal 20 minutes
  • Happiness Homework10 minutes
  • Key Terms10 minutes
2 assignmentsTotal 40 minutes
  • Module 2 Quiz30 minutes
  • Happiness Homework Checkpoint10 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 videosTotal 53 minutes
  • What Make Us Happier: Behaviors1 minute
  • Social Connection8 minutes
  • Kindness5 minutes
  • Flow & Fun10 minutes
  • Signature Strengths 6 minutes
  • Healthy Habits11 minutes
  • Time Affluence9 minutes
  • Happy People & Charity?1 minute
  • Helping Others?1 minute
  • Changes in Sleep Patterns?1 minute
2 readingsTotal 20 minutes
  • Happiness Homework10 minutes
  • Key Terms10 minutes
2 assignmentsTotal 40 minutes
  • Module 3 Quiz30 minutes
  • Happiness Homework Checkpoint10 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 videosTotal 53 minutes
  • What Makes Us Happier: Thoughts2 minutes
  • Experiencing gratitude8 minutes
  • Practicing mindfulness7 minutes
  • Fighting your inner critic13 minutes
  • Getting some perspective10 minutes
  • Developing the right mindset 8 minutes
  • Avoiding Apathy?2 minutes
  • Gaslighting Yourself?1 minute
  • Lying to Yourself?2 minutes
2 readingsTotal 20 minutes
  • Happiness Homework10 minutes
  • Key Terms10 minutes
2 assignmentsTotal 40 minutes
  • Module 4 Quiz30 minutes
  • Happiness Homework Checkpoint10 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 videosTotal 24 minutes
  • What Makes Us Happier: Feelings1 minute
  • Accepting negative emotions10 minutes
  • Bridging our empathy gaps6 minutes
  • Regulating our fight-or-flight6 minutes
  • Avoiding Rumination During Meditation?1 minute
2 readingsTotal 20 minutes
  • Happiness Homework10 minutes
  • Key Terms10 minutes
2 assignmentsTotal 40 minutes
  • Module 5 Quiz30 minutes
  • Happiness Homework Checkpoint10 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 videosTotal 46 minutes
  • Putting These Happiness Tips into Practice2 minutes
  • Realizing the Situation Around Us8 minutes
  • Harnessing the Power of Other People7 minutes
  • Understanding the Habit Loop7 minutes
  • Hacking the Habit Loop5 minutes
  • Leveraging Our Associations7 minutes
  • Rethinking Our Psychological Timeline5 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 readingsTotal 55 minutes
  • Happiness Homework10 minutes
  • Final Assignment Preview10 minutes
  • Key Terms10 minutes
  • Measure Your Happiness Again!10 minutes
  • Keep Learning10 minutes
  • Are you a teacher?5 minutes
3 assignmentsTotal 120 minutes
  • Module 6 Quiz30 minutes
  • Final Writing Assignment30 minutes
  • Express Your Creativity60 minutes

Instructor

Instructor ratings
4.9 (280 ratings)

Top Instructor

Yale University
4 Courses5,149,412 learners

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Showing 3 of 821

KA
·

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!

FL
·

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!!

NS
·

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

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¹ Some assignments in this course are AI-graded. For these assignments, your data will be used in accordance with Coursera's Privacy Notice.