EdX

The Path to Happiness: What Chinese Philosophy Teaches us about the Good Life (edX)

Offered by HarvardX, Harvard University,
The Path to Happiness: What Chinese Philosophy Teaches us about the Good Life (edX)

Why should we care about Confucius? Explore ancient Chinese philosophy, ethics, and political theory to challenge your assumptions of what it means to be happy, live a meaningful life, and change the world. Today, finding happiness is about mindfulness and discovering your true self. You may have heard that happiness is found by looking within. Ancient Chinese philosophy challenges all of these modern assumptions. From Confucianism to Daoism, the philosophies developed over two thousand years ago are among the most powerful in human history.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see EdX's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

This course brings voices from the past into modern contexts to explore the path to a good life today. The philosophical concepts discussed provide tools to change your life and increase personal happiness by focusing on your actions, the power of ritual, and the importance of sensing the world around you.
Through a series of lectures, animations, discussions, and reflection diaries, this course focuses on close readings from prominent Chinese philosophers. The course requires no prior knowledge of Chinese philosophy or history and all texts are in translation.
Adapted from one of the most popular classes at Harvard, this course is now available online for the first time. Learn from award-winning professor Michael Puett and start on your path towards happiness.

What you'll learn

  • Understanding ancient Chinese philosophy to live a better life
  • Tools for self-awareness, the power of ritual, and sensing the world around you
  • How personal actions and counteractions change the world
  • The philosophical theories of Confucius, Mozi, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, and Han Feizi
Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Crafting Realities: Work, Happiness, and Meaning (edX) EdX
Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore,IIMBx

Crafting Realities: Work, Happiness, and Meaning (edX)

Management & Leadership Business

Learn to create and experience your work as a joyful and meaningful activity - for yourself and others. This course draws upon positive psychology, neuroscience, sociology, and philosophy to guide participants in proactively crafting their own work experience. It weaves inputs from these various fields into a series of lectures and experiential exercises.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Neuroscience Philosophy Sociology
Details
A Life of Happiness and Fulfillment (Coursera) Coursera
Indian School of Business - ISB

A Life of Happiness and Fulfillment (Coursera)

Health & Society Social Sciences

What are the determinants of a happy and fulfilling life? This is surely one of life’s biggest questions, and a question that has interested many of our ancestors. Buddha famously gave up his kingdom in search of happiness. Several Greek philosophers (from Aristotle to Epicurus and Plato to Socrates) had their own views on what it takes to be happy. And of course, we all have our own theories about happiness too.

May 25th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Health Psychology Plato
Details
Resiliencia Familiar (edX) EdX
Universidad Anáhuac,AnahuacX

Resiliencia Familiar (edX)

Social Sciences

Conoce algunas herramientas para afrontar las adversidades de la vida personal y familiar al propiciar un cambio positivo en tu persona y la de tus seres queridos, para alcanzar la felicidad. ¡Descubre tus emociones y capacidad de resiliencia! y ¡Sorpréndete de cómo se puede comenzar de nuevo tu proyecto de vida!

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Family Happiness Resilience
Details
From Sleep Disorders to Sleep Health (Coursera) Coursera
University of Michigan

From Sleep Disorders to Sleep Health (Coursera)

Health & Society

Healthy sleep is essential to good physical and mental health. If you or someone you know has ever struggled with sleep, daytime alertness, or has recently been diagnosed with a sleep disorder, From Sleep Disorders to Sleep Health can be a helpful guide. In this course, you’ll explore the importance of sleep and the barriers that can prevent effective sleep. You will learn how sleep needs, functions, and vulnerabilities can differ dramatically across the human lifespan, from childhood to adulthood.

Jun 8th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Stress Management Mindfulness Sleep Management
Details
Empathy and Emotional Intelligence at Work (edX) EdX
University of California, Berkeley,BerkeleyX

Empathy and Emotional Intelligence at Work (edX)

Business

Learn research-based skills to strengthen empathy and trust, improve collaboration, and create more innovative, productive, and satisfying experiences at work. One of the key insights from the science of happiness is that our own personal happiness depends heavily on our relationships with others. By tuning into the needs of other people, we actually enhance our own emotional well-being.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Productivity Emotional Intelligence Happiness
Details
Mindfulness and Resilience to Stress at Work (edX) EdX
University of California, Berkeley,BerkeleyX

Mindfulness and Resilience to Stress at Work (edX)

Management & Leadership Social Sciences

Learn research-based strategies to help you foster mindfulness, handle stress, and guard against burnout. Stress, anxiety, and burnout are rampant across workplaces today: 80 percent of workers feel stress on the job, and nearly half say they need help learning how to manage it. While many organizations may assume that intense stress is unavoidable, even admirable, research suggests that too much stress is toxic to our health and performance, leading to burnout and harming the culture of organizations as a whole.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Mindfulness Happiness Resilience
Details
The Science of Well-Being for Teens (Coursera) Coursera
Yale University

The Science of Well-Being for Teens (Coursera)

Personal and Professional Development

A recent survey found that 37% of teens say they have poor mental health. This 6-week course aims to curb this mental health crisis by bringing together the best insights from Dr. Laurie Santos’ popular Yale course Psychology and the Good Life. In this course, you will explore what the field of psychology teaches us about how to be happier, how to feel less stressed, and how to thrive in high school and beyond. The lessons along with short weekly ‘happiness homework’ assignments will ultimately prepare you to put these scientific findings into practice. The ultimate goal is for you to feel better and build healthier habits. Parents, teachers, and other professionals supporting teenagers may also find the course beneficial.

Jun 1st 2026
5-12 Weeks
Psychology Mental Health Happiness
Details
De-Mystifying Mindfulness (Coursera) Coursera
Leiden University

De-Mystifying Mindfulness (Coursera)

Health & Society Personal and Professional Development

Interest in meditation, mindfulness, and contemplation has grown exponentially in recent years. Rather than being seen as mystical practices from ancient Buddhism or esoteric philosophy, they are increasingly seen as technologies rooted in evidence from psychology and neuroscience. Mindfulness has become the basis for numerous therapeutic interventions, both as a treatment in healthcare and as a means of enhancing well-being and happiness. For millions around the world, mindfulness has become a life-style choice, enhancing and enriching everyday experience. Mindfulness is big business.

Jun 1st 2026
5-12 Weeks
Philosophy Psychology Ethics
Details
The Career Design Lab: Change your Job, Change your Life (Coursera) Coursera
University of California, Santa Cruz

The Career Design Lab: Change your Job, Change your Life (Coursera)

Personal and Professional Development

If your work isn’t fulfilling, now is the time to change direction and design a life you love. This course is for people at any life stage who want a job they enjoy and a career aligned with their values. If you’re languishing at work or feel like quiet quitting is your only option, why not change careers and flourish professionally? University of California Santa Cruz life design educator Remy Franklin will guide you through the career design process from start to finish in 4-8 weeks.

Jun 1st 2026
4 Weeks
Career Mindfulness Positive Psychology
Details
#talkmentalillness (Coursera) Coursera
University of Colorado Boulder

#talkmentalillness (Coursera)

Health & Society

I am a professor and mental health researcher and educator, and I’ve been working in the field for over 15 years. Like so many of my colleagues, however, I was unprepared for the wave of mental health challenges that would face our society in 2020. From COVID-19 and the devastating economic impacts of the pandemic to racial justice protests, widespread natural disasters, our current cultural moment presents unprecedented mental health concerns, and particularly for marginalized communities. For this reason, I led a field-wide call to action for mental health research and treatment that resulted in this #TalkMentalIllness course.

Jun 8th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Treatments Psychological Depression
Details
Teacher SEL: Programs, Possibilities, and Contexts (Coursera) Coursera
University of Colorado Boulder

Teacher SEL: Programs, Possibilities, and Contexts (Coursera)

Education

Social and emotional learning, or SEL, student programs have flourished in schools during the last decade. Unfortunately inadequate attention has been paid to teachers’ social and emotional learning. In this course the instructors (Randy Testa and Dan Liston) introduce and examine distinct and established teacher SEL programs, as well as some alternative possibilities.

Jun 8th 2026
4 Weeks
Learning Teaching Teacher
Details