The Yale Happiness Class, formally known as Psyc 157: Psychology and the Good Life, is one of the most popular classes offered in the university's 320-year history. The class was only ever taught in person once, during the spring 2018 semester, as a 1, 200-person lecture course in the largest space on campus. That March, a free 10-week version made available to the public via Coursera, titled "the Science of Well-Being," also became instantly popular, attracting hundreds of thousands of online learners. But when lockdowns began last March, two full years later, the enrollment numbers skyrocketed. To date, over 3. 3 million people have signed up, according to the website.
The Coursera curriculum asks students to, among other things, track their sleep patterns, keep a gratitude journal, perform random acts of kindness, and take note of whether, over time, these behaviors connect with a positive change in their general mood.
One small study from the curriculum involved polling（投票）632 Americans to predict how happy they would be if they were given $5 to spend on themselves versus getting $5 and being told they must spend it on someone else. In the study, people predicted that they would be happier if they were allowed to keep the money. But participants consistently reported afterward that they had in fact got more satisfaction from spending money on someone else.
Some studies show that finding reasons to be grateful can increase your general sense of well-being. Kezie Nwachukwu, 22, took the class at Yale. He didn't think it was revolutionary; however, he has managed to find some lasting value in the curriculum. He said. "I should be so grateful for everything that I have. Because you're not built to notice these things. "
