Keeping a record of happiness

gzlaser

from 21st century

THE final class numbers were in this week: Positive Psychology, whose content resembles that of self-help books, was taken by 855 students. It even beat out Introductory Economics, at Harvard University.

Every Tuesday and Thursday at 11:30 am, students crowd into Sanders Theatre to learn about \"a fulfilling and flourishing life\". It focuses on what makes people feel good.

In the last several years, positive psychology classes have cropped up on more than 100 campuses around the United States.

Marty Seligman, the University of Pennsylvania professor, is considered the father of positive psychology. Seligman sees the student enthusiasm as reflecting the tremendous appeal of the positive psychology movement in society at large. \"When nations are wealthy and not at war, people start asking what makes life worth living, and that's what positive psychology is about,\" said Seligman.

Research findings support the idea that happy people function better. People were asked to keep a diary every night for six months, recording things that had gone well that day. The research found that they fared better in measures of happiness and optimism than those who didn't keep a record.

Furthermore, studies show that optimism is a skill that can be taught and learned.

On Tuesday, midway through the positive-psych lecture, the lights dimmed and hundreds of students were led through a couple of minutes of meditation. They were asked to focus on their breathing and releasing the tension in their bodies.

Seligman then suggested that a single glorious, ecstatic experience could change a person for the better for life. He went on to explain how students might increase the likelihood of such an experience by cultivating gratitude for the beautiful things in their lives by taking time to listen to music.

Students left the 90-minute-long class cheering and smiling. \"My goal is to create a bridge between the ivory tower and main street, to bring together the accessibility of self-help,\" the teacher said.

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ecstatic狂喜的

flourish 繁荣

introductory 介绍性的

meditation 沉思

nonetheless 虽然如此

optimism 乐观

psychology 心理学

tremendous 巨大的