This course explores the concept of happiness, including how individuals pursue and experience it, its impact on our well-being, and its surprising effects on our bodies. The course covers topics such as the new science of happiness, reward pathways, the role of emotions, empathy, and the influence of social status. The teaching method involves a TEDTalk by cognitive researcher Nancy Etcoff. The intended audience for this course is individuals interested in understanding the complexities of happiness and its implications on human behavior and society.
Overview
Syllabus
Intro
We try to be happier
So far, not much success
Depression and Anxiety Rising
Happiness same as ever
Freudian Pessimism
Good Bad/Approach Avoidance
The new science of happiness
Positivity Offset
Reward and Pleasure Pathways
Universal Signal of Enjoyable Emotions
Biophilia
Emotions are contagious or the "shared manifold of subjectivity"
Imitation to Empathy to Compassion
Forget about yourself
The Sexual Brain and the gene replicator
Social Status: Dominance vs Prestige
Can money buy happiness?
Materialism
Men's Value Shifts after "Quantum Change" Miller and deBaca
Women's Value Shifts after "Quantum Change"
Post Material World
To be happy...
In the end
Taught by
TED
