Course Rewirements

The hope is that you're taking this course not just because you want to learn about theories of how
to live a happier life, but also because you personally want to live a happier life.

And that means you’re going to have some homework. Each week, you will be assigned a set
of “rewirement” activities to do each day. We call them “rewirements” because they’re
practices aimed at rewiring your habits. Research suggests that if you do these rewirements
as prescribed, you should get a boost in your mood and overall well-being.

The on-demand format allows you to take the Course at your own pace. You could binge watch all
the lectures at once, or you could split them up by weeks. It’s your call. That said, even though you
can watch the videos at your own pace, we encourage you to really take the time to practice the
rewirements on a weekly schedule. As you’ll see in the lectures, research shows that increasing
our own well-being takes daily, intentional effort over long periods of time.

Here is a quick outline of the Rewirements you will be asked to work on in the course. Don't worry,
you will get a thorough explanation on what the rewirement is and how to implement it in your daily
life in the week it appears.

 Week 1. Signature Strengths

 Week 2. Savoring & Gratitude Journal
 Week 3. Kindness & Social Connection
 Week 4. Exercise & Sleep
 Week 5. Meditation & Gratitude Visit
 Week 6. (It's a SURPRISE!)
 Week 7. Rewirement Challenge Part 1
 Week 8. Rewirement Challenge Part 2
 Week 9. Rewirement Challenge Part 3
 Week 10. Rewirement Challenge Part 4

You’ll also notice that many of the rewirements are not synced to the week where the corresponding
lectures appear. Many of the rewirements are reviewed in depth during the second half of the
course. This is on purpose because it helps to understand why the mind works the way it does
before diving into what you need to do to increase happiness. The content in the first half of the
course builds this important foundation; it helps you understand why the rewirements are so
powerful and important. Spreading the rewirements out also gives you the chance to sample and try
new activities throughout the course rather than trying to do all of them at once.
Rewirement Tracking
We encourage you to keep track of your rewirement progress throughout the course. Here are some
options you can try.

Your Own System

You can keep track of your Course Rewirements any way that is convenient to you! You can use
your daily planner, a piece of paper you tack up on the wall, a note on your phone, etc.

The important thing here is that you use a system that works for you.

Handouts
You will also find Rewirement Handouts in "Your Rewirement for the Week" readings that you can
print out. Each sheet will have 7 empty circles for you to mark your progress over the week. You can
print out the sheets each week or you can get ahead and download a workbook of all the
Rewirement Handouts.

To make the PDF feel like a booklet, you can print Double-Sided, Flip on Short-Edge, and then
staple along the left edge.

ReWi App
You can find ReWi in the App Store or in the Google Play Store by searching "ReWi" and
looking for our black and white brain logo. ReWi on iOS & ReWi on Android .

ReWi works for most but continues to be buggy. If the app does not work for you we apologize for
the inconvenience but suggest using another tracking method or an alternative behavior tracking
app. Please do not let technology interfere with your progress when there are a variety of low tech
solutions to monitor your rewirement activities.

Some important things to note:

 ReWi is available in most countries, but is not available in countries that are embargoed or
sanctioned by the US.
 ReWi will be used to run research but you do not have to consent in order to use the app
 Some Rewirements are nested together because they are similar (and also assigned in the
same week). For example, Savoring and Gratitude are nested under Gratitude and Connection
and Kindness are nested under Social.
 Some Rewirements have timed prompts to help guide you through the activity (i.e.
Meditation and Goals)
 Responses to Frequently Asked Questions can be found on the ReWi Discussion Thread.

Please keep in mind that you do not have to use ReWi to participate in the course, it is just one
of many options you can try to monitor your progress. You can report bugs and general feedback for
the app using this survey link.

Week 1 Rewirements: Measure Your

Happiness and Discover Your Strengths
This week, we’ll begin by assessing our current levels of subjective well-being before
starting the class and learning a bit about our signature strengths. You will kick off the
rewirements by intentionally applying your signature strengths in your day-to-day life.

Measure your Baseline Happiness

Your first "assignment" is to measure your current level of happiness using one or two validated
psychological surveys. These scores will serve as a “baseline” of your happiness level at the start of
this experience. At the end of the course, you’ll redo the survey to see if your happiness and overall
mood have changed after doing these positive practices for several weeks. This process will help
you understand your journey by giving you a point A and a Point B. In other words, you will be able
to understand what your current happiness level is right now, how much room for growth you have,
and whether you have changed over time as a result of applying the lessons in this course. You may
choose any option or any combination of options outlined below.

1. The first option is PERMA (an acronym for Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships,
Meaning, and Accomplishment— the basic dimensions of psychological flourishing). The
questionnaire is 23 questions and once you submit your responses, you will receive scores
ranging from 0-10 for each pillar along with scores for overall well-being, health, and negative
emotions.
 2. The second option is based on The Authentic Happiness Inventory. It’s a quick set of 24
questions that provides an overall measure of your happiness levels. At the end of the survey
you will receive a score between 1 and 5 based on your responses. If you plan on using the
ReWi app, please note that you will be prompted to take this survey during the app on-boarding
process.
3. The third option may be best suited for those who do not wish to take the online surveys for
various reasons. In this case, you can ask yourself: On a scale of 1-5, how happy are you with
your life right now? Your rating for this question can act as your baseline happiness metric.

The PERMA Profiler and the Authentic Happiness Inventory are embedded within the course and
available as the next two course items as ungraded plugins. If you are on a mobile device and/or
otherwise unable to view the embedded surveys, then you can link out to the PERMA
Profiler and Authentic Happiness Inventory.

Regardless of which option you choose, please keep track of your score and write it down
somewhere you will remember for later.

When you receive your score, you will likely want to compare to others and will wonder “is my score
“good” or “bad?” While these questions are fair, we encourage you to focus on your own score and
your own improvement.

REWIREMENT HANDOUT:

01_MeasureHappiness_New.pdfPDF File

Find Your Signature Strengths

This week you will also have an opportunity to identify your Character Strengths, which we’ll learn
more about in an upcoming lecture. To identify your Character Strengths, take the online test
available on the VIA website. The test comprises 120 questions and takes 30 minutes or so. There
are no right/wrong answers, and there are no better/worse answers. The key is to be authentic, so
that you can derive the most from the experience. Encourage your co-workers, friends, and family to
take the questionnaire too, so that you can discuss your respective scores and the idea behind the
VIA with them. After taking the test, you will get the ranking of your 24 strengths. Print it out if you
can and keep track of your top 4 strengths. (Note: Laurie Santos and Yale University are not
affiliated with the VIA website, but doing the survey on this website allows you to access the survey
easily and for free, and it allows researchers to learn more about how character strengths work.)

NOTE ON DATA COLLECTION: The VIA Institute on Character is a non-profit organization

dedicated to bringing the science of character strengths to the world through supporting research,
creating and validating surveys of character, and developing practical tools for individuals and
practitioners. Your responses to questionnaires on the VIA’s website are entirely voluntary and will
be used, anonymously, in ongoing research by The VIA Institute on Character, the creators of the
questionnaires, and other researchers with VIA’s permission. While the data is used anonymously
you can also consider using a fake name and email to participate (although using your real email
may be helpful to log back into to the site and refer to your survey results). More information
regarding what information is collected, how it is used, and how it is shared can be found on
the VIA’s Privacy Policy.

ALTERNATIVE: If you do not feel comfortable sharing your information, you can review the
descriptions of the 24 Character Strengths and self-identify your top strengths.

Use Your Signature Strengths

To get you into the practice of doing intentional and effortful activities to boost your own happiness,
we want you to try to use your top strengths this week. Each day for the following week, try to use
your selected strength in a new way. For example, if curiosity is one of your strengths, enroll in
another Coursera course on a topic you know nothing about; if kindness is your strength, perform an
anonymous favor for someone; and so on. Try to use your strengths at least once per day all week
long. You can find suggestions on ways to use each strength here and here. You will learn more
about how to use your strengths in an upcoming lecture, and can read more by exploring the VIA
Website.

REWIREMENT HANDOUT:

01_SignatureStrengths.pdfPDF File

Want to skip ahead in the course to learn more about the science behind character strengths?

 Watch lecture from Week 5 titled “Good Job” (explanation of Character Strengths appears

within the first 13 minutes of the video)

Beyond This Course - Learn Even More About Character

Strengths:
 Read more about why Character Strengths are important from the VIA Website
 Read more about the main research on Character Strengths from this book
 Read more about the research on the power of using your Character Strengths

Ways to Learn More

Books
 Martin Seligman, Flourish: A New Understanding of Happiness and Well-Being - and how to
Achieve Them (a fantastic overview of positive psychology from the father of this discipline)
 Ed Diener, Happiness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Psychological Wealth (a nice introduction
to the science of well-being from one of its pioneer
 Ryan Niemiec & Robert McGrath, Power of Character Strengths: Activate and Ignite Your
Positive Personality (an official guide on Character Strengths)

 Daniel Lerner & Alan Schlechter, U Thrive: How to Succeed in College (and Life) (a book
aimed towards undergraduates which covers many of the rewirements taught in this course)

Free Online Talks

 Martin Seligman’s TED Talk - The new era of positive psychology

Week 2 Rewirements: Savoring &

Gratitude
This week, we’ll rewire our habits by focusing on the good things in life. Specifically,
we’ll try to make a habit of practicing gratitude and savoring the good things in our lives.

Savoring
Savoring is the act of stepping outside of an experience to review and appreciate it. Often we fail to
stay in the moment and really enjoy what we’re experiencing. Savoring intensifies and lengthens the
positive emotions that come with doing something you love. For the next seven days, you will
practice the art of savoring by picking one experience to truly savor each day. It could be a nice
shower, a delicious meal, a great walk outside, or any experience that you really enjoy. When you
take part in this savored experience, be sure to practice some common techniques that enhance
savoring. These techniques include: sharing the experience with another person, thinking about how
lucky you are to enjoy such an amazing moment, keeping a souvenir or photo of that activity, and
making sure you stay in the present moment the entire time. Every night, make a note of what you
savored (Note: you can make a list in a notebook, use a notes app on your phone, use a calendar,
or whatever works for you!). When you do write things down at the end of the day, be sure to take a
moment to remember the activity.
  Watch lecture from Week 4 titled "Thwart Hedonic Adaptation" (explanation of savoring
appears in the first 8 minutes of the video)

Daily Gratitude Journal

Gratitude is a positive emotional state in which one recognizes and appreciates what one has
received in life. Research shows that taking time to experience gratitude can make you happier and
even healthier. For the next seven days, you will take 5-10 minutes each night to write down five
things for which you are grateful. They can be little things or big things. But you really have to focus
on them and actually write them down (Again, try to develop a tracking method works for you and
utilize a note on your phone, a daily calendar, a special notebook, etc). You can just write a word or
short phrase, but as you write these things down, take a moment to be mindful of the things you’re
writing about (e.g., imagine the person or thing you’re writing about, etc.). This exercise should take
at least five minutes. Do this each night for the whole week.

 Watch lecture from Week 4 titled "Thwart Hedonic Adaptation" (explanation of gratitude

begins around minute 13:25 of the video)

Beyond This Course: Learn More About Savoring and Gratitude

 Learn more about the science of gratitude from expert Robert Emmons
 Read Robert Emmons’ book on the science of gratitude

References & Notes

G.I. Joe Fallacy
Santos & Gendler (2014). Knowing is half the battle? Edge.

This article defines the G.I. Joe Fallacy which is the mistaken idea that knowing is half the battle.
The article reads, “recent work in cognitive science has demonstrated that knowing is a shockingly
tiny portion of the battle for most real world decisions.”

Good Job
Gilbert et al. (1998). Immune neglect: A source of durability bias in affective forecasting. Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 617-638.
This paper tells us why we don’t feel as bad as we think we will when turned down for a job

Money
LinkedIn Survey (2014). What recent grads care the most about.

This graphic shows what recent grads care about the most (hint: it’s money)

Lyubomirsky (2007). The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want. New
York, NY: Penguin Books. Page 44.

This book tells us salary goals rise as salary rises

Eagan, et al. (2015). The American Freshman Survey. Higher Education Research Institute, Page
53, Weighted National Norms—All Respondents.

NOTE - the lecture covers The American Freshman Survey Data from 2005 to show how the
average freshman in college answers the question, “what’s very important in life”. In lecture, 70%
responded “very well off financially” and 52% “develop a meaningful philosophy.” The stats from
2015, linked above, are actually even more polarizing with 82% and 46%, respectively. In 1967,
42% responded “very well off financially” and 86% “develop a meaningful philosophy” suggesting
American values have changed drastically in the past several decades.

Myers (2000). The American Paradox: Spiritual Hunger in an Age of Plenty. New Haven, CT: Yale
University Press.

This book tells us, “our becoming much better off over the last four decades has not been
accompanied by one iota of increased subjective well-being.”

Diener & Oishi (2000). Money and happiness: Income and subjective well-being across
nations. Culture and Subjective Well-Being, Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

This book excerpt correlates life satisfaction with income across countries (hint: it is not a strong
relationship)

Lyubomirsky (2007). The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want. New
York, NY: Penguin Books. Page 42.

This book also tell us how Life Satisfaction compares between the 1940’s vs. today
Kahneman & Deaton (2010). High income improves evaluation of life but not emotional well-being.
PNAS, 107(38), 16489-16493.

This paper tells us why at a certain point, money can’t buy happiness

New York Times. Economic diversity and student outcomes at Yale University.

This article tells us the median income at for Yale graduates at age 34 is $76,000 - most Yalies will
earn around the threshold for happiness at $75,000

Awesome Stuff
MC Big Data (2015). These are the most name dropped cars in hip hop. Medium.

This graphic highlights how pervasive glorifying awesome stuff like a luxury car is in our culture

Josephs (2013). The most name-dropped liquor brands in rap history. Complex.

This graphic highlights how pervasive glorifying awesome stuff like expensive alcohol is in our
culture

Nickerson et al. (2003). Zeroing on the Dark Side of the American Dream: A Closer Look at the
Negative Consequences of the Goal for Financial Success. Psychological Science, 14, 531-536.

This paper tells us those with materialist attitude and goals tend to have lower life satisfaction later
in life

True Love
Lucas et al. (2003). Reexamining Adaptation and the Set Point Model of Happiness: Reactions to
Changes in Marital Status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(3), 527-539.

This paper tells us we adapt to marriage after a few years and happiness returns to baseline

Perfect Body
Jackson et al. (2014). Psychological changes following weight loss in overweight and obese adults:
A prospective cohort study. PLOS, 9(8): e104552.
This paper tells us weight loss may not make you feel any happier

von Soest et al. (2012). Predictors of cosmetic surgery and its effects on psychological factors and
mental health: a population-based follow-up study among Norwegian females. Psychological
Medicine, 42(3), 617-626.

This paper tells us plastic surgery does not seem to alleviate mental health problems

Perfect Grades
Levine et al. (2012). Accuracy and artifact: Reexamining the intensity bias in affective
forecasting. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 103(4), 584-605.

This paper tells us people overestimate how they will feel about certain grades - but the paper also
suggests that inaccurately predicting future emotion may be a flaw in the research procedure in
which people predict one thing but are later asked to report another

Genes and circumstances

Lyubomirsky (2007). The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want. New
York, NY: Penguin Books.

This book tells us genes and circumstances don’t matter as much as we think, 40% of the
"sustainable happiness model” is under the control of our actions and thoughts

Ways to Learn More

Books
 Sonja Lyubomirsky, The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You
Want (a great introduction to work in positive psychology and a practical guide to using this
work in your daily life)
 Richard Thaler & Cass Sunstein, Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and
Happiness (a nice introduction to the science of behavior changes and how we can work with
some of the glitches of our own minds)
Week 3 Rewirements: Kindness & Social
Connection
This week, we’ll focus on positive practices that enhance our social lives. Specifically,
we’ll try to make a habit of increasing our social connection and taking part in more
random acts of kindness.

Random Acts of Kindness

Research shows that happy people are motivated to do kind things for others. Over the next seven
days, you will perform seven acts of kindness beyond what you normally do. You can do one extra
act of kindness per day, or you can do a few acts of kindness in a single day. These do not have to
be over-the-top or time-intensive acts, but they should be something that really helps or impacts
another person. For example, help your colleague with something, give a few dollars or some time to
a cause you believe in, say something kind to a stranger, write a thank you note, give blood, and so
on. At the end of each day, list your random act of kindness (You can make a list in a notebook,
keep a running note on your phone, log in a daily planner, or whatever method works for you). Just
make sure you've finished seven total new acts of kindness by the end of the week.

Want to skip ahead in the course to learn more about the science of random acts of kindness?

 Watch lecture from Week 5 titled "Kindness"

 Watch interview from Week 5 with Elizabeth Dunn

Make A Social Connection

Our social connections matter. Research shows that happy people spend more time with others and
have a richer set of social connections than unhappy people. Studies even show that the simple act
of talking to a stranger on the street can boost our mood more than we expect. Over the next seven
days, you will try to focus on making one new social connection per day. It can be a small 5-minute
act like sparking a conversation with someone on public transportation, asking a coworker about
his/her day, or even chatting to the barista at a coffee shop. But you should also seek out more
meaningful social connections, too. At least once this week, take a whole hour to connect with
someone you care about— a friend who’s far away or a family member you haven’t talked to in a
while. The key is that you must take the time needed to genuinely connect with another person. At
the end of the day, list the social connection you made and notice how you feel when you jot it down.
(Remember to keep track of your connections in your preferred rewirement tracking method).
REWIREMENT HANDOUT:

Want to skip ahead in the course to learn more about the science of social connection?

 Watch lecture from Week 5 titled “Social Connection”

 Watch interview from Week 5 with Nicholas Epley

Beyond This Course: Learn More About Kindness and Social

Connection
 Learn more about the importance of kindness and social connection from Sonja
Lyubomirsky’s book

References & Notes

Annoying Feature #1
Our minds’ strongest intuitions are often totally wrong

Gilbert & Wilson (2000). ”Miswanting: Some problems in the forecasting of future affective states.”
In Thinking and feeling: The role of affect in social cognition. New York, NY: Cambridge University
Press. Pages 178-197.

This book excerpt defines miswanting which is the act of being mistaken about what and how much
you will like something in the future

Annoying Feature #2
Our minds don’t think in terms of absolutes; our minds judge to relative reference points

Medvec et al. (1995). When less is more: Counterfactual thinking and satisfaction among Olympic
medalists. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69(4), 603–610.

This paper tells us due to the power of salient reference points, bronze winners tend to be happier
than silver medal winners
Lyubomirsky (2007). The How of Happiness: A New Approach to Getting the Life You Want. New
York, NY: Penguin Books. Page 44.

This book tells us salary goals rise as salary rises, which may be due to changing reference points

van Praag and Frijters (1999). "The measurement of welfare and well-being: the Leyden
approach." In Well-Being: The foundation of hedonic psychology. New York: Russel Sage
Foundation. Pages 413-433.

This book excerpt tells us reference points mess up good salaries - for every $1.00 increase in your
actual income, your “required income” increases by $1.40

Clark and Oswald (1996). Satisfaction and comparison income. Journal of Public Economics, 61(3)
359-381.

This paper tells us reference points mess up good salaries - if your coworkers make more money
than you do, then you will be less satisfied with your job

Clark & Oswald 1996.pdfPDF File

Solnick and Hemenway (1997). Is more always better?: A survey on positional concerns. Journal of
Economic Behavior and Organization, 37, 373-383.

This paper tells us reference points mess up good salaries - in a hypothetical earnings situation
people would prefer to make less money if their coworkers make less rather than make more money
if their coworkers make more

Clark (2003). Unemployment as a social norm: Psychological evidence from panel data. Journal of

Labor Economics, 21(2), 323-351.

This paper tells us those who are unemployed tend to be happier if the unemployment rate in their
area is high

O’Guinn and Shrum (1997). The role of television in the construction of consumer reality. Journal of
Consumer Research, 23(4), 278-294.

This paper tells us television programs - featuring products and activities associated with an affluent
lifestyle - act as a harmful social comparison skewing perception of others’ wealth and our own
wealth

Schor (1999). The Overspent American: Why We Want What We Don't Need. New York: NY:
Harper Perennial.
This book tells us watching television programs act as a harmful social comparison and increases
spending - you can also read an excerpt from the introduction here

Kuhn et al. (2011). The effects of lottery prizes on winners and their neighbors: Evidence from the
Dutch Postcode Lottery. American Economic Review, 101(5), 2226-2247.

This paper tells us social comparisons influence our spending - people that live next door to lottery
winners are more likely to buy a new car

Burleigh and Meegan (2013). Keeping Up with the Joneses affects perceptions of distributive
justice. Social Justice Research, 26(2), 120-131.

This paper tells us social comparisons mess up good grades - students would rather miss out on a
potential grade increase just so that others in the class don’t get an increase, too

Kenrick et al. (1993). Effects of physical attractiveness on affect and perceptual judgments: When
social comparison overrides social reinforcement. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 19(2),
195-199.

This paper tells us social comparisons mess up our perceptions of physical appearance - looking at
models make us feel bad

Kenrick et al. (1989). Influence of popular erotica on judgments of strangers and mates. Journal of

Experimental Social Psychology, 25(2), 159-167

This paper tells us social comparisons mess up our perceptions of physical appearance - looking at
models leads to lower ratings of our partners’ attractiveness

Vogel et al. (2014). Social comparison, social media, and self-esteem. Psychology of Popular Media
Culture, 3(4), 206-222.

This paper tells us use of social media makes us compare ourselves to others which lowers our self-
esteem - even a manipulated facebook feed featuring people that are worse off than we are does
not lead to much higher self-esteem ratings

Annoying Feature #3
Our minds are built to get used to stuff
Di Tella et al. (2010). Happiness adaptation to income and to status in an individual panel. Journal
of Economic Behavior & Organization, 76, 834–852.

This paper tells us that we adapt to earning more money (although we don’t adapt to increases in
social status as quickly)

Brickman et al. (1978). Lottery winners and accident victims: Is happiness relative? Journal of

Personality and Social Psychology, 36(8), 917-927

This paper tells us we adapt to having more money - even in extreme cases of lottery winners

Lucas et al. (2003). Reexamining Adaptation and the Set Point Model of Happiness: Reactions to
Changes in Marital Status. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(3), 527-539.

Remember this paper from last week? This paper tells us we adapt to marriage after a few years
and happiness returns to baseline

Gilbert (2007). Stumbling on Happiness. Gilbert (2007) New York; NY: Vintage Books.

This book states, “wonderful things are especially wonderful the first time they happen, but their
wonderfulness wanes with repetition”

Annoying Feature #4
We don’t realize that our minds are built to get used to stuff

Levine et al. (2012). Accuracy and artifact: Reexamining the intensity bias in affective
forecasting. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 103(4), 584-605.

Remember this paper from last week? This paper tells us we overestimate our emotions and getting
bad grades won’t make us feel as bad as we think they will - we adapt to bad events, too

Dunn et al. (2002). Location, location, location: The misprediction of satisfaction in housing

lotteries. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29(11),1421-1432.

This paper tells us our predictions are worse for negative events - when you think about the future,
you tend to focus on the wrong features and overestimate their importance (as seen in adaption to
“bad” dorms)

Gilbert et al. (1998). Immune neglect: A source of durability bias in affective forecasting. Journal of

Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 617-638.
This paper tells us people are generally unaware of their the psychological immune system which is
why they tend to overestimate their emotional reactions to negative events - example in lecture
highlights professors getting tenure or not

Eastwick et al. (2008). Mispredicting distress following romantic breakup: Revealing the time course
of the affective forecasting error. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 44, 800-807.

This paper tells us we mispredict how we will feel if we break up with a significant other - we think
we will feel much worse than we actually do

Sieff et al. (1999). Anticipated versus actual reaction to HIV test results. The American Journal of
Psychology, 112(2), 297-31.

This paper tells us people getting an HIV test anticipate more distress given a positive result and
anticipate less distress given a negative result which is more extreme than what they experience
when they get their results back

Ayton et al. (2007). Affective forecasting: Why can't people predict their emotions? Thinking &
Reasoning, 13, 62-80.

This paper tells us affective forecasts (predicting our emotional response given a certain outcome)
are too extreme and greater previous experience of an emotional event does not lead to any greater
accuracy of the predictions - highlighted in drivers test candidate

Gilbert (2007). Stumbling on Happiness. Gilbert (2007) New York; NY: Vintage Books.

This book also outlines some of cognitive biases covered in lecture such as focalism (the tendency
to think just about one event and forget about the other things that happen) and immune neglect
(unawareness of our tendency to adapt to and cope with negative events).

Ways to Learn More

Books
 Daniel Kahneman, Thinking Fast and Slow (a fantastic review of work in behavioral decision-
making on the ways that our minds suck)
 Daniel Gilbert, Stumbling on Happiness (a laugh-out-loud book that provides important
insight into why we often fail to know what will make us happy)
Free Online Talks
 Dan Gilbert’s TED Talk - The surprising science of happiness

Week 4 Rewirements: Exercise & Sleep

This week, we’ll focus on making sure we prioritize the types of healthy physical
practices that boost our mood, such as exercise and sleep.

Let’s Get Physical

Research suggests that ~30 minutes a day of exercise can boost your mood in addition to making
your body healthier. For the next week, you will spend each day getting your body moving with at
least 30 minutes of exercise. Set aside a location and time (write it in your calendar!). Then hit the
treadmill at the gym, do an online yoga class, or throw on some headphones and dance around your
room to cheesy pop songs. This isn’t supposed to be a marathon-level of activity; it’s just to get your
body moving a bit more than usual (Note: if you have physical limitations that prevent you from doing
this weeks activity, do plan to skip it for obvious reasons). At the end of the day, make sure to log
your activity. Be sure to take a moment to notice how much better you feel after getting some
exercise in.

Sleep!
One of the reasons we’re so unhappy in our modern lives is that we’re consistently sleep deprived.
Research shows that sleep can improve your mood more than we often expect. For the next week,
you must get at least seven hours of sleep for at least four nights of the next week. I know, I know.
You’re super busy this week. There are deadlines to meet, friends to see, errands to run, etc. But
sleep is going to make you feel better— both physically and mentally. So pick four nights this week,
note them in your calendar, and get ready to get some much needed sleep. Also be sure to practice
good sleep hygiene too— no devices before bed and try to avoid caffeine and alcohol on the days
you’re getting your sleep on. Each morning, be sure to log your amount of sleep in the tracking
method you’ve been using for the rewirements. Make sure you get four nights of 7+ hours over the
course of the week.

Watch lecture from Week 5 titled "Healthy Practices" (review of the research on sleep begins around
minute 4:05 of the video)&
References & Notes

Rethink “Awesome Stuff”

Invest in experiences rather stuff

Boven & Gilovich (2003). To Do or to Have? That Is the Question. Journal of Personality and
Social Psychology, 85(6), 1193–1202.

This paper tells us it is better to do than to have - experiences make people happier

Kumar et al. (2014). Waiting for Merlot: Anticipatory Consumption of Experiential and Material
Purchases. Psychological Science, 25(10),1924-1931.

This paper tells us experiences have a longer-lasting effect on happiness

Pchelin & Howell (2014). The hidden cost of value-seeking: People do not accurately forecast the
economic benefits of experiential purchases. The Journal of Positive Psychology,9(4), 322-334.

This paper tells us when looking at future purchases we’re more likely to value material purchases
over experiential purchase but when looking at past purchases we’re more likely to value
experiences over material goods

Boven et al. (2010). Stigmatizing materialism: On stereotypes and impressions of materialistic and

experiential pursuits. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36(4), 551–563.

This paper tells us we are socially driven to avoid materialism

Howell & Hill (2009). The mediators of experiential purchases: Determining the impact of
psychological needs satisfaction and social comparison. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 4(6),
511-522.

This paper tells us experiential purchases make you feel more alive and are less susceptible to
social comparisons

Thwart Your Adaptation

Savoring
Jose et al. (2012). Does savoring increase happiness? A daily diary study. The Journal of Positive
Psychology, 7(3), 176-187.

This paper tells us savoring positive experiences makes you happier

Lyubomirsky et al. (2006). The costs and benefits of writing, talking, and thinking about life’s
triumphs and defeats. Journal of personality and social psychology, 90(4), 692.

This paper tells us thinking about life’s positive moments makes you happier-- and so does writing
about life’s negative moments

Negative visualization
Koo et al. (2008). It’s a wonderful life: Mentally subtracting positive events improves people’s
affective states, contrary to their affective forecasts. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,
95(5), 1217–1224.

This paper tells us thinking about how something good in your life might not have happened actually
makes you happier

Make this day your last

Kurtz (2008). Looking to the future to appreciate the present: The benefits of perceived temporal
scarcity. Psychological Science, 19(10), 1238-1241.

This paper tells us you enjoy things more when you think it’s going to end soon

Gratitude
Emmons et al. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of
gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of personality and social psychology, 84(2),
377.

This paper tells us that gratitude - counting the good things in our lives - makes us happy

Seligman et al. (2005). Positive Psychology Progress: Empirical Validation of Interventions.

American Psychologist, 60(5):410-21
This paper explores several happiness interventions and tells us gratitude interventions can
increase happiness

Seligman et al. (2005)..pdfPDF File

Barton et al. (2015). Linking financial distress to marital quality: The intermediary roles of
demand/withdraw and spousal gratitude expressions. Personal Relationships, 22, 536–549.

This paper tells us being grateful can help us through difficult times (as seen in the case of
marriage)

Grant & Gino (2010). A little thanks goes a long way: Explaining why gratitude expressions motivate
prosocial behavior. Journal of personality and social psychology, 98(6), 946.

This paper tells us receiving gratitude makes us feel valued and motivates us to be more generous

Reset Your Reference Points

Morewedge et al (2010). Consuming experience: Why affective forecasters overestimate
comparative value. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46 (6), 986-992.

This paper tells us how we predict how happy something will make us in relation other standards
either inferior or superior. The example in lecture is thinking about how much you will enjoy eating
potato chips in comparison to chocolate and then in comparison to sardines.

Interrupt consumption
Nelson & Meyvis (2008). Interrupted consumption: Adaptation and the disruption of hedonic
experience. Journal of Marketing Research, 45(6), 654-664.

This paper tells us that despite not wanting them, breaks actually make us enjoy positive
experiences more

Nelson et al. (2009). Enhancing the Television-Viewing Experience through Commercial

Interruptions. Journal of Consumer Research, 36(2), 160-172.

This paper tells us that commercials actually make watching TV more positive

Ways to Learn More

Books
 Robert Emmon, Thanks! The New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier  (a nice
introduction to the work on gratitude and happiness)

Week 5 Rewirements: Meditation &

Gratitude Visit
This week, we’ll harness the power of our mind control and meditation to increase our
happiness. We’ll also conclude with a practice known to have a huge impact— the act
of sharing your gratitude with others.

Meditate!
Meditation is a practice of intentionally turning your attention away from distracting thoughts toward a
single point of reference (e.g., the breath, bodily sensations, compassion, a specific thought, etc.).
Research shows that meditation can have a number of positive benefits, including more positive
moods, increased concentration, and more feelings of social connection. For the next week, you will
spend each (at least) 10 minutes per day meditating. Find a quiet spot where you won’t be disturbed
while you’re meditating. If you are new to meditation, you can try one of three guided meditations
available on SoundCloud. And remember— meditation isn’t about the meditation itself; it’s about
building a skill that we can use later. Lots of people find it hard at first, but stick with it and see if it
allows you to feel a bit calmer over the course of the week. At the end of the day, log when and how
long you meditated in your preferred tracking system.

This week you will learn about how meditation can boost your mood. If you want to jump ahead a
few lectures you can watch the following:

 Full lecture "Mind Control" in Week 5

Gratitude Letter/Visit
One of your last rewirements is one that research suggests will have a big impact on your happiness
and that of another person. This week, write a letter of gratitude to someone you care about. For this
assignment, think of one living person who has made a big difference in your life, but whom you
never properly thanked. Then find a quiet spot when you have a half-hour free and write a heartfelt
letter to that person explaining how he or she has touched your life and why he or she is meaningful
to you. Your letter can be as long as you want, but try to make it at least 300 words or so. Then you
must deliver that letter to the person in question. Just say you want to talk to that person without
explaining why. You could read the letter to your chosen person over the phone or Skype, but for an
extra huge happiness boost, we recommend scheduling a time to visit this person in person to share
your letter. However you meet up, you should read the letter aloud. We also recommend that you
both have some tissues handy for this one. A gratitude letter is one of the most powerful tool for
increasing happiness because it can forge social bonds and really change someone’s life.

Remember learning about the science behind gratitude in Week 4? If you want to refresh your
memory you can watch the following:

 Lecture from Week 4 titled "Thwart Hedonic Adaptation" (discussion of gratitude begins

around minute 13:25 of the video)

Beyond This Course: Learn Even More About Meditation

 Learn more about the power of meditation in Hedy Kober’s TEDx Talk

 Learn more about mindfulness from mindfulness expert Jon Kabat-Zinn

References & Notes

Better Wanting: Part 1

Things we said that don’t make us happy, can make us happy - with a different approach

Signature strengths (in a job rather than Money)

Seligman (2004). Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your
Potential for Lasting Fulfillment. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.

Chapters 8-10 of this book outline character strengths and the benefits of applying them in your
everyday life

Seligman et al. (2005). Positive Psychology Progress: Empirical Validation of

Interventions. American Psychologist, 60(5):410-421

This paper explores several happiness interventions and tells us using top signature strengths in a
new and different way everyday for one week had an enduring impact on happiness
Lavy & Littman-Ovadia (2017). My better self: Using strengths at work and work productivity,
organizational citizenship behavior, and satisfaction. Journal of Career Development, 44(2) 95-109

This paper tells us that those who use signature strengths at work are more productive and more
satisfied with their job

Harzer & Ruch (2012). When the job is a calling: The role of applying one’s signature strengths at
work. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 7,362-371.

This paper tells us that people enjoy work more and think of work as a calling when they use ~4
signature strengths at work

Flow (in a job rather than Money)

Csikszentmihalyi (2008). Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York, NY:
HarperCollins.

This books tells us that achieving a state of flow makes an experience genuinely satisfying as
people typically experience deep enjoyment, creativity, and a total involvement with life

Csikszentmihalyi (1992). Optimal Experience: Psychological Studies of Flow in

Consciousness.Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

This book offers a comprehensive survey of research on the 'flow' experience - a desirable or
optimal state of consciousness that enhances a person's psychic state - in various context/cultures
and how it affects work satisfaction, academic success, and the overall quality of life

Csikszentmihalyi (1999). If we are so rich, why aren’t we happy. American Psychologist, 54, 821-
827.

NOTE - this paper is NOT mentioned in lecture, but if you do not have access to the books above,
you can read this article to get a sense of Csikszentmihalyi’s perspective on how flow relates to
happiness

Growth Mindset (rather than Good Grades)

Deci (1971). Effects of externally mediated rewards on intrinsic motivation. Journal of Personality
and Social Psychology, 18(1), 105-115.
This paper tells us that positive feedback aids intrinsic motivation, but monetary rewards detract
from intrinsic motivation

Dweck (2007). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.

This book outlines how people with a fixed mindset (those who believe that abilities are fixed) are
less likely to flourish than those with a growth mindset (those who believe that abilities can be
developed)

Grant & Dweck, (2003). Clarifying Achievement Goals and Their Impact. Journal of Personality and
Social Psychology, 85(3), 541–553.

This paper tells us having a growth mindset predicts active coping, sustained motivation, and higher
achievement in the face of challenge (as seen in pre-med grades)

Blackwell et al. (2007). Implicit theories of intelligence predict achievement across an adolescent

transition: A longitudinal study and an intervention. Child Development, 78(1), 246-263.

This paper explores how the growth mindset relates to achievement - if we think we have the ability
to improve, we will!

Mangels et al. (2006). Why do beliefs about intelligence influence learning success? A social
cognitive neuroscience model. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 1(2), 75-86.

This paper tells us those with growth mindsets tend to focus on learning-related goals and bounce
back better from failure increasing the likelihood of learning success

Better Wanting: Part 2 & 3

Things that actually make us happy

Kindness
Otake et al. (2006). Happy people become happier through kindness: A counting kindnesses
intervention. Journal of happiness studies, 7(3), 361-375.

As the title suggest, this paper tells us that counting your kindness leads to happiness
Lyubomirsky (2005). Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change. Review of
general psychology, 9(2), 111.

This paper tells us that doing random acts of kindness is one of many ways you can take intentional
effort to make yourself happier

Dunn (2014). Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

This book tells us money CAN buy happiness if you spend it on the right things such spending
money on others rather than yourself

Dunn et al. (2008). Spending money on others promotes happiness. Science,319 (5870), 1687-

1688.

This paper tells us spending money on others makes you feel good

Aknin et al. (2013). Prosocial spending and well-being: Cross-cultural evidence for a psychological
universal. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104 (4), 635-652.

This paper tells us the happiness that comes from giving to others may be a worldwide, universal
human response

Social connection
Myers (2000). The funds, friends, and faith of happy people. American psychologist, 55(1), 56.

This paper tells us that having strong social ties makes you healthier

Diener & Seligman (2002). Very happy people. Psychological science, 13(1), 81-84.

This paper tells us that being social/having strong social ties makes you happier

Epley (2014). Mindwise: Why We Misunderstand What Others Think, Believe, Feel, and Want. New
York, NY: Vintage.

This book explores more of our mispredictions and introduces us to more research on the surprising
mistakes humans so routinely make

Epley & Schroeder (2014). Mistakenly seeking solitude. Journal of Experimental Psychology:

General, 143(5), 1980.
This paper tells us that talking to strangers makes us happy. Even if you are reluctant to talk to a
stranger, you and the stranger get a happiness boost after talking to each other

Boothby et al. (2014). Shared experiences are amplified. Psychological Science, 25(12), 2209-

2216.

This paper tells us sharing experiences with another person makes them better

Time Affluence
Whillans et al. (2016). Valuing time over money is associated with greater happiness. Social
Psychological and Personality Science, 7(3), 213-222

This paper tells us that prioritizing time over money - as a stable preference - makes you happier

Hershfield et al. (2016). People who choose time over money are happier. Social Psychological and
Personality Science,7(7), 697-706.

As the title suggests, this paper tells us those that choose time over money are happier - the paper
also reveals that the majority of people choose money over time

Moligner (2010). The pursuit of happiness: Time, money, and social connection. Psychological

Science, Psychological Science 21(9) 1348–1354)]

This paper tells us that thinking about time makes you happier than thinking about money - thinking
about time boosts the motivation to socialize which is associated with greater happiness

Mind Control (via Meditation)

Killingsworth & Gilbert (2010). A wandering mind is an unhappy mind. Science, 330(6006), 932–
932.

As the title suggests, this paper tells us that mind-wandering makes us feel bad. This paper also
concludes that we mind wander 46.9% of the time!

Mason et al. (2007). Wandering minds: The default network and stimulus-independent

thought. Science,315(5810), 393–395.

This paper tells us our brains are wired to wander - mind-wandering is associated with activity in the
brain’s default network which is the cortical region active when the brain is at rest
Brewer et al. (2011). Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network
activity and connectivity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of
America, 108(50), 20254-20259.

This paper tells us meditation stops mind-wandering

Fredrickson et al. (2008). Open hearts build lives: positive emotions, induced through loving-
kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Journal of personality and social
psychology, 95(5), 1045-1062.

This paper tells us that meditation makes you happier

Hölzel et al. (2011). Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter
density. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 191(1), 36-43.

This paper tells us meditation increases gray matter

Mrazek et al. (2013). Mindfulness training improves working memory capacity and GRE
performance while reducing mind wandering. Psychological science, 24(5), 776-781.

This paper tells us that mindfulness helps working memory and has been shown to increase GRE
performance

Hutcherson et al. (2008). Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. Emotion,

8(5), 720.

This paper tells us certain types of meditations can make you feel more socially connected

Healthy Practices - Exercise

Babyak et al. (2000). Exercise treatment for major depression: maintenance of therapeutic benefit
at 10 months. Psychosomatic medicine, 62(5), 633-638.

This paper tells us working out three times a week works just as well as Zoloft for depression
recovery

Hillman et al. (2008). Be smart, exercise your heart: exercise effects on brain and cognition. Nature
reviews neuroscience, 9(1), 58-65.

This paper tells the positive effects of exercise on cognition and brain function
Healthy Practices - Sleep
Dinges et al. (1997). Cumulative sleepiness, mood disturbance and psychomotor vigilance
performance decrements during a week of sleep restricted to 4-5 hours per night. Sleep: Journal of
Sleep Research & Sleep Medicine, 20(4), 267-77.

This paper tells us sleeping only ~5 hours/night (aka sleep debt) leads to mood disturbances

Walker et al. (2002). Practice with sleep makes perfect: sleep-dependent motor skill
learning. Neuron, 35(1), 205-211.

This paper tells us sleeping more helps us learn motor skills

Wagner et al. (2004). Sleep inspires insight. Nature, 427(6972), 352-355.

This paper tells us sleeping boosts cognitive performance

Huffington Post. Lose Sleep, Lose Your Mind and Health

This graphic shows the negative implications of poor sleep after one night and prolonged over time

Ways to Learn More

Books
 Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (a wonderful review of
the research on flow and how we can get in the zone)
 Martin Seligman, Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your
Potential for Lasting Fulfillment (a great introduction to the work on happiness generally as well
as the power of using your character strengths)
 Carol Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success (a lovely introduction to the power
of a growth mindset)
 Elizabeth Dunn & Michael Norton, Happy Money: The Science of Happier Spending (an
elegant overview of the research on the science of spending, explaining how you can get more
happiness for your money)

Free Online Talks

 Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s TED Talk - Flow, the secret to happiness
  Carol Dweck's TED Talk - The power of believing that you can improve
 Michael Norton's TEDx Talk - How to buy happiness
 Matthew Killingsworth's TED Talk - Want to be happier? Stay in the moment
 Hedy Kober's TEDx Talk - How can mindfulness help us

Week 6 Rewirement: Time Affluence

Surprise! Your rewirement for this week is that you have no rewirement. Appreciate
your time affluence. Use the time you would have dedicated to your weekly rewirement
homework to do something fun. This extra time is yours and we want you to enjoy it.

References & Notes

Situation Support
Wansink et al. (2006). The office candy dish: proximity’s influence on estimated and actual
consumption. International Journal of Obesity, 30, 871–875.

This paper tells us explores how environmental factors (specifically the location of candy in the
office) influences food intake - the closer it is the more likely it is you will eat it

Wansink et al. (2016). Slim by design: kitchen counter correlates of obesity. Health Education and
Behavior, 3(5), 552-558.

This paper tells us how environmental factors (specifically the types of food visible on the kitchen
counter) influences eating habits and health - the presence of fruit on the counter was associated
with lower BMI

Goal Setting
Klein et al. (1990). The role of goal specificity in the goal-setting process. Motivation and Emotion,
14, 179-193.

This paper tells us that goal specificity improves task performance

Stadler & Oettingen (2010). Intervention effects of information and self-regulation on eating fruits
and vegetables over two years. Health Psychology, 29(3), 274-283.

This paper tells us self-regulation helps you stick to your goals

Gollwitzer & Brandstätter (1997). Implementation intentions and effective goal pursuit. Journal of

Personality and Social Psychology, 73(1), 186-199.

This paper tells us that those the with implementation intentions (aka having a plan to perform goal-
directed behavior given certain situations) are more likely to achieve their goals

Duckworth et al. (2013). From fantasy to action: Mental contrasting with implementation intentions
(MCII) improves academic performance in children. Social Psychological and Personality Science,
4(6), 745-753.

This paper tells us mental contrasting and implementation plans (via the WOOP technique) can help
you achieve goals as seen in improved academic performance

Stadler et al. (2009). Physical activity in women: Effects of a self-regulation intervention. American

Journal of Preventive Medicine, 36(1), 29-34.

This paper tells us self-regulation (via the WOOP technique) can help you stick to your exercise plan

Ways to Learn More

Books
 Gabriele Oettingen, Rethinking Positive Thinking: Inside the New Science of Motivation (a
nice introduction to the work on using implementation intention and WOOP in your daily life)

Final Rewirement Challenge

Commit to one of the rewirements for 4 weeks
The hope is that by this point in the course, you have sampled several rewirements such as: using
your strengths, savoring experiences, keeping a gratitude journal, connecting to others, performing
kindness to others, exercising and sleeping more, meditating, and writing a gratitude letter. Pick one
of the requirements from the course that resonated with you, one that you want to practice in
earnest. Perhaps you want to tackle the rewirement that was the most challenging for you to
complete or maybe you want to focus on the rewirement that had the most positive impact on your
mood. Whatever your reasons may be, we want you to put this rewirement into practice for 4 weeks
in hopes of making a long-term habit.

For reference, here is a quick breakdown of the rewirements:

 Signature Strengths - using your top character strengths in new ways

 Savoring - taking time to savor the things you enjoy
 Gratitude - (List and/or Letter) - expressing gratitude for the people and things in your life
 Kindness - increasing your acts of kindness
 Social Connection - making connections with strangers and acquaintances along with
scheduling time for the people in your life
 Exercise - increasing your physical activity to at least 30 minutes a few times a week
 Sleep - making sure you sleep at least 7 hours a night several times a week
 Meditation - meditating for 5-10 minutes if you are a beginner or increasing your time in
meditation if you already meditate regularly
More information about all the rewirements from the course can be found here in the Resources
section of the course.

Prepare for the Peer Review Assignment in Week 10

The 4-Week Rewirement Challenge is the basis for your only graded writing assignment.

Our guess is that you are taking this course not just because you want to learn about theories for
living a happier life. You’re taking this course because you also want to live a happier life yourself.
Unfortunately, as we saw in lecture, merely knowing about the psychological research on behavior
change is not enough to change our behavior (read: G.I. Joe Fallacy!). To actually achieve personal
changes from taking this class, you need to put in the work and time needed to rewire your bad
habits and strategies. And that’s the goal of this final project: rather than just hearing about what
science says about improving well-being, we want you to actually try a scientifically-backed strategy
for improving well-being yourself. For real. And for more than just a week.

Making this self-improvement project a requirement of the class has two big benefits that fit with the
themes of the course. First, making you change your habits as part of the final writing assignment
increases the chances that you’ll actually get around to making those changes happen. With the
social support of your fellow learners in this course and your grade on the line, you’ll be more likely
to actually make changes that you want to see in your life happen. Ultimately, this writing
assignment is a way of nudging you into the behavior changes you’ve wanted to make for a while
but haven’t put the time and effort into yet.

For this writing assignment, you will practice a rewirement for 4 weeks before responding to
the writing prompts outlined in the Peer Review assignment. The prompt in the Peer Review
Assignment will ask you the following:

1. Which rewirement did you pick and why?

2. Did you socially commit to the rewirement?
3. Did you utilize situation support or goal setting strategies?
4. How many times you did you PLAN to do the rewirement and how many times did you
ACTUALLY do it? How did you track your progress?
5. Did your happiness score change over time?
6. How was the overall experience for you?

Pro Tip
Make a plan! Think about how many times you will do your rewirement, when will you
do it, where will you do it, who will you do it with? Having concrete answers to these
questions will help you stick to your plan

Pro Tip
Make a plan! Think about how many times you will do your rewirement, when will you
do it, where will you do it, who will you do it with? Having concrete answers to these
questions will help you stick to your plan

Pro Tip
Design your environment to set yourself up for success. Take a moment to consider
situation support and brainstorm ways to promote good environments and fix bad
environments.

Pro Tip
Try your best to have a growth mindset. Think of this rewirement challenge as a
learning experience and focus on your progress. Changing behaviors is hard but with a
bit of effort and dedication you can improve your outcomes.

Measure Your Happiness

To see if this course (and doing the rewirements specifically) has helped you feel a little happier, we
want to you retake your level of happiness using the same survey(s) you started with. You may have
used the PERMA Profiler, the Authentic Happiness Inventory, or the 1-question happiness scale
("On a scale of 1-5, how happy are you with your life right now?").

Also note, you may have taken the Authentic Happiness Survey and/or the PERMA Profiler on
the University of Pennsylvania’s Authentic Happiness website depending on when your session
started. You may log back in to that website to generate your scores or take the surveys embedded
in the course as the next two course items. If you are on a mobile device and/or otherwise unable to
view the embedded surveys, then you can link out to the PERMA Profiler and Authentic Happiness
Inventory.
Keep track of your score and compare it to your baseline measure.

NOTE: You will be asked to reflect on your 4 week challenge and your pre- and post-course
happiness scores in the Final Writing Assignment. If you plan on completing the assignment,
please plan to re-measure your happiness before you submit your respo

https://www.coursera.org/learn/the-science-of-well-being/ungradedWidget/owvG5/measure-your-
post-course-happiness-using-the-perma-profiler