![]() More than 400,000 people have participated in the program since its inception in 2014, so clearly I’m not alone in my quest to become a happier human.Įmiliana Simon-Thomas, PhD, the center’s science director and a cocreator of the course, attributes its popularity to our dawning realization that we’re seeking happiness in all the wrong places. Grumpi-ness is not my destiny.Įncouraged, I enrolled in an eight-week online course called The Science of Happiness, offered through the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley. As I pored over the happiness research, I discovered rigorous studies demonstrating, among other things, that happiness is not solely determined by income, health, or genetics. I’m a science journalist, so to investigate, I headed straight to the academy. But recently, as I surveyed a roomful of grumpy older relatives at a family gathering, I experienced an epiphany not unlike Ebenezer Scrooge’s when he recognized his Ghost of Christmas Future: Just because I didn’t inherit a happy-go-lucky personality doesn’t mean I can’t learn to be happier. People who resemble Weebles, wobbling without ever falling down.įor as long as I can remember, I’ve moved through life holding my breath as if bracing for bad news - and two bouts with cancer haven’t helped. ![]() People who smile unprovoked, people who insist upon silver linings. I’ve always been suspicious of cheerful people. ![]()
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