A happiness course at the University of Bristol has helped students improve their well-being in a lasting way. Launched in 2018, the “Science of Happiness” course at the University of Bristol was the first of its kind in the UK. This teaching was based on the best studies in psychology and neuroscience on happiness. The results were positive as it is estimated that students had, on average, increased their well-being by 10 to 15% by the end of the year.
However, the students who maintained these “happy habits” in the long term (such as physical exercise, gratitude, keeping a journal, or meditation) were the ones who had the most significant results. The main author of the famous course, Professor Bruce Hood, compared his course to going to the gym: “It’s like going to the gym: we can’t expect to take a single class and be fit forever. Just like for physical health, we must continually work on our mental health, otherwise improvements are temporary.”
“Getting out of your own head” to reach happiness
Many of these happiness lessons encourage everyone to build relationships with others. The teacher emphasizes the need for otherness: “Much of what we teach revolves around positive psychology interventions that divert your attention from yourself, by helping others, being with friends, being grateful, or meditating.”
This goes against the current trend of self-positivism or self-care more broadly in vogue: “This is the opposite of the current doctrine of self-care, but countless studies have shown that getting out of our own head helps us move away from negative rumination that can be at the root of so many mental health problems,” the professor insists. This happiness course has also been summarized by Professor Hood in a new book. The manuscript, entitled The Science of Happiness: Seven Lessons for Living Well, was published in March 2024.
Essential lessons on happiness
According to the press release from the University of Bristol, here are the essential lessons from this unusual course:
– Talking to strangers makes us happier, even though most of us avoid such encounters.
– Social media is not bad for everyone, but it can be for those who focus on their reputation.
– Loneliness has an impact on our health, weakening our immune system.
– Optimism increases life expectancy.
– Giving gifts to others activates the reward centers of our brain and often provides a greater sense of happiness than spending money on oneself.
– Lack of sleep affects how we are perceived by others.
– Walking in nature deactivates the part of the brain linked to negative rumination, which is associated with depression.
– There is a correlation between kindness and happiness.