14.5 The Pursuit of Happiness — What Science Says Will Actually Make You Happy | Psychology 2e
After this lesson you will be able to…
- Explores how societal expectations for happiness often conflict with scientific data.
- Learn the scientific definition of true happiness as a long-term state of well-being.
- Discover Martin Seligman's three measurable elements that define subjective well-being.
- Understand how the three elements of happiness combine to create a "full life."
- Learn about worldwide happiness scores and the significant decline in US happiness.
- Explore how social relationships are key to happiness, but parenting statistically lowers it.
- Understand that wealth increases happiness only up to a certain income, then plateaus or declines.
- Learn about effective forecasting, focalism, and the hedonic treadmill that distort our happiness predictions.
- Discover how severe negative life events can permanently lower one's baseline happiness.
- Learn how positive psychology interventions can actively rewire the brain to increase happiness.
- Understand Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's concept of "flow" as a deeply engaging, skill-based activity.
- Summarizes how scientific findings challenge traditional cultural ideas about achieving happiness.
- Ponders whether modern consumer-driven economic systems are designed to keep us unsatisfied.
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(0)This lesson digs into the rigorous science of subjective well-being, challenging the cultural blueprints most of us have been handed since childhood. ...
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Quiz: The Science of Subjective Well-Being
FundamentalsAnswer each question based only on what was presented in the video lesson. No outside knowledge is needed — all answers can be found in the content you just watched.
Practice: The Science of Subjective Well-Being
PracticeAnswer each question using concepts from the video lesson on the science of happiness. Questions increase in difficulty — read each one carefully before responding.