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A Life of Happiness and Fulfillment

Coursera · Indian School of Business · 6 HN comments

HN Academy has aggregated all Hacker News stories and comments that mention Coursera's "A Life of Happiness and Fulfillment" from Indian School of Business.
Course Description

What are the determinants of a happy and fulfilling life?

This is surely one of life’s biggest questions, and a question that has interested many of our ancestors. Buddha famously gave up his kingdom in search of happiness. Several Greek philosophers (from Aristotle to Epicurus and Plato to Socrates) had their own views on what it takes to be happy. And of course, we all have our own theories about happiness too.

How valid are our theories?

Until recently, if you wished for an answer to this question, you would've been forced to base it on discussions with spiritual leaders. Or, if you were lucky, you could've based it on late-night (and perhaps intoxicant-fueled) conversations with friends and family. Happily, all that has changed now. Over the past decade-and-a-half, scientists have gotten into the act big time. We now have a pretty good idea of what it takes to lead a happy and fulfilling life.

This course, based on the award-winning class offered both at the Indian School of Business and at the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin, developed by Prof. Raj Raghunathan (aka "Dr. Happy-smarts") draws content from a variety of fields, including psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral decision theory to offer a tested and practical recipe for leading a life of happiness and fulfillment.

Although not mandatory, reading Prof. Raj's forthcoming book, titled If you're so smart, why aren't you happy? can help you review and assimilate the material covered in this book at your leisure.

For Coursera learners alone, the hardcover version of the book is available for a deep discount of 50%, plus shipping and handling. You can order the hardcover for 50% off by writing to Aaron at: [email protected]. Please mention that you are a student of the "coursera happiness course" in your email.

The course will feature guest appearances by several well-known thought leaders, including:

- Dan Ariely (author of Predictably Irrational and, soon to be released, Irrationally Yours),

- Ed Diener (“Dr. Happiness”),

- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (author of Flow),

By taking this course, you will discover the answers to questions such as:

- Why aren’t the smart-and-the-successful as happy as they could—or should—be

- What are the “7 Deadly Happiness Sins” that even the smart and the successful commit?, and

- What are the “7 Habits of the Highly Happy” and how can you implement them in your life?

By the end of the course, I expect students who have been diligent with the lectures and exercises to not just gain a deeper understanding of the science of happiness, but to also be significantly happier.

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Provider Info
This course is offered by Indian School of Business on the Coursera platform.
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Hacker News Stories and Comments

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I loved this MOOC, which covers a lot of the research on happiness:

https://www.coursera.org/learn/happiness

I was just like you. This free self guided video series changed my life. Please, please, PLEASE take a look and give it a chance.

https://www.coursera.org/learn/happiness

A Life of Happiness and Fulfillment https://www.coursera.org/learn/happiness
gkst
Thanks for this suggestion! I did The Science of Happiness https://www.edx.org/course/the-science-of-happiness. Not sure what "the best" really means, but I think it had the biggest impact on my life.
You watch this course:

https://www.coursera.org/learn/happiness

Then re-evaluate your life.

julianusti
thx bro, I'll.
Omnius
your use of the contraction like this broke me. i had to read it 4 times before it "worked".
petropolisful
It's what it's :P
9/10

I'd say that's roughly half because I enjoy the work and half because over the years I've got better at looking after myself, being self-aware and cultivating positive habits.

For me, the big wins have been:

(1) Regular exercise (daily cardio, weight training 3x a week)

(2) Daily mindfulness meditation.

(3) Flexible hours, remote working.

In some circumstances, (3) can be hard to negotiate. But (1) and (2) are up to you.

See also this excellent survey of positive psychology: https://www.coursera.org/learn/happiness/

On the subject of happiness, Prof Raj Raghunathan's "A Life of Happiness and Fulfillment" is also something I would highly recommend. The learner stands to gain a lot of insights on the types of motivations serve to enhance as well as undermine happiness.

Check out https://www.coursera.org/learn/happiness

Have changed for the better because of it :)

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