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Psychology

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

A smarter way to think about willpower

A smarter way to think about willpower

Angela Duckworth of the School of Arts and Sciences and Katherine Milkman of the Wharton School are among co-authors of an op-ed about self-control. While many believe Americans’ willpower is on the decline, the authors write, “the scant scientific evidence on the question suggests that if anything, the capacity to delay gratification may be increasing.”

Former Penn President Judith Rodin speaks on resilience
Judith Rodin dressed in blue at podium Former Penn President Judith Rodin delivers a talk at the Penn Dental Cheung Auditorium on April 10.

Former Penn President Judith Rodin speaks on resilience

Returning to campus to deliver the Penn Forum for Women Faculty’s Phoebe S. Leboy Lecture, Rodin reflected on her tenure at the University and the Rockefeller Foundation, while explaining her concept of ‘resilience.’
Scientists found an opposite ‘light’ force to the driver of all your worst impulses

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.

Penn junior Christina Steele named Beinecke Scholar
Junior Christina Steele

Christina Steele, a junior psychology major in the College of Arts and Sciences, is a 2019 Beinecke Scholar, a program which provides substantial scholarships for graduate education.  (Photo: Aaron Olson)

Penn junior Christina Steele named Beinecke Scholar

Penn junior Christina Steele has been awarded a Beinecke Scholarship to pursue her graduate education. She is the 12th Beinecke Scholar from Penn since the award was first given in 1975.
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

What is esketamine?
Man sits down with doctor to discuss mental health

What is esketamine?

Following FDA approval of esketamine as a nasal spray to address otherwise untreatable cases of depression, Michael Thase, a professor of psychiatry at Penn Medicine, explains what it is and how it came to be.
An affirmation tree grows on campus
Elana Burack hangs cards on chicken wire tree Elana Burack, left, hangs an affirmation notecard, as Julia Magidson looks on from a distance.

An affirmation tree grows on campus

Through a Penn Wellness and Sachs grant, Elana Burack, a senior religious studies major, is touring the ‘Affirmation Tree’ around campus, soliciting reflections from the University community at large.