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In the pursuit of happiness, a new class leads the charge
A man in a blue shirt and khakis standing in front of rows of students sitting at desks.

A new course taught by James Pawelski of the Positive Psychology Center (standing) not only gives students an intellectual understanding of what it means to be happy and how to pursue it, but also aims to foster long-term change.

In the pursuit of happiness, a new class leads the charge

The course, taught by Positive Psychology’s James Pawelski, not only gives students an intellectual understanding of the subject but asks them to practice what they’re learning.

Michele W. Berger

Scientists found an opposite ‘light’ force to the driver of all your worst impulses
Science Alert

Scientists found an opposite ‘light’ force to the driver of all your worst impulses

Scott Barry Kaufman and a team of researchers from the School of Arts and Sciences have developed a Light Triad Scale to assess positive character traits in individuals, a counter to the Dark Triad that drives bad behavior. “Yes, everyday psychopaths exist. But so do everyday saints, and they are just as worthy of research attention and cultivation in a society that sometimes forgets that not only is there goodness in the world, but there is also goodness in each of us as well,” wrote Kaufman.

Weekly paid professional staff learn resilience through free, online opportunity
Woman in a black suit standing, gesturing with her hands, with an African American man in the background, in front of a red wall.

Karen Reivich (seen here in March 2019) is director of resilience training at Penn’s Positive Psychology Center. She teaches an online Coursera course, Resilience Skills in a Time of Uncertainty, that’s now free and available to the public. (Image: Eric Sucar)

Weekly paid professional staff learn resilience through free, online opportunity

Offered through the Online Learning Initiative and the College of Liberal and Professional Studies, the course teaches participants resilience, gratitude, authenticity, and more.

Michele W. Berger

Can you teach students to be happy? Colleges are trying.
Philadelphia Inquirer

Can you teach students to be happy? Colleges are trying.

James Pawelski’s course The Pursuit of Happiness goes beyond introducing students to positive psychology by encouraging them to practice it. Pawelski, of the School of Arts and Sciences, emphasizes the field’s two key concepts: emphasizing individual strengths and creating closer human bonds. “It’s important that wellness not be thought of as something merely important for mentally ill students,” he said.

Social scientists trade academic silos for shared work space
Coren Apicella and Corey Cusimano standing to the side as Geoff Goodwin speaks at a podium.

Penn psychologists Coren Apicella and Geoffrey Goodwin (at podium) co-direct the new Social and Behavioral Sciences Initiative, part of mindCORE. Corey Cusimano (center), a grad student in Goodwin’s lab, will also participate. Cusimano studies the ways in which people hold others responsible for their attitudes. (Photo: Yevgeniy Olkhov)

Social scientists trade academic silos for shared work space

Faculty and grad students in the new Social and Behavioral Sciences Initiative have access to two state-of-the-art labs, grants, and a collaborative environment aimed at creating a vibrant research community.

Michele W. Berger

Linguistic red flags from Facebook posts can predict future depression diagnoses
The new study reveals that indicators of the condition included mentions of hostility and loneliness, words like “tears” and “feelings,” and use of more first-person pronouns like “I” and “me.”

The new study reveals that indicators of the condition included mentions of hostility and loneliness, words like “tears” and “feelings,” and use of more first-person pronouns like “I” and “me.”

Linguistic red flags from Facebook posts can predict future depression diagnoses

The language people use in these social media posts can make these predictions as accurately as the tools clinicians use in medical settings to screen for the disease.

Michele W. Berger, Michele W. Berger , Katie Delach

India, which has long focused on student success now offers ‘happiness’ classes
The Washington Post

India, which has long focused on student success now offers ‘happiness’ classes

Alejandro Adler of the School of Arts and Sciences discussed India’s new “happiness” classes, which were inspired by a Bhutanese program to improve the “gross national happiness,” an alternative to measuring a country’s success via the gross domestic product indicator.

Video: Why This Psychologist Says You SHOULD Argue in Front of the Kids
Today.com

Video: Why This Psychologist Says You SHOULD Argue in Front of the Kids

Adam Grant of the Wharton School has said it’s healthy for parents to have disagreements in front of their children. Grant, who specializes in disrupting conventional wisdom, explained that presenting kids with multiple viewpoints can help them evolve into more creative adults.

It’s Never Been Sunnier in Philadelphia
The Wall Street Journal

It’s Never Been Sunnier in Philadelphia

Penn researchers found that Philadelphia and its surrounding areas were among the least trusting and least agreeable people in the nation. The overall mood, however, seems to have shifted in the wake of the Eagles’ Super Bowl victory. Martin Seligman of the School of Arts and Sciences said that it is “conceivable that victory in one sport would energize victory in another sport.”

How psychology explains the itch for spring cleaning
Katherine Milkman

Katy Milkman is the James G. Dinan Professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and holds a secondary appointment at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine.

nocred

How psychology explains the itch for spring cleaning

Wharton Professor Katherine Milkman teases out the “fresh start effect” of temporal landmarks like the first day of spring, New Year’s Day, and other meaningful calendar dates.