EdX

Pathways to Happiness (edX)

Pathways to Happiness (edX)

Learn what happiness is and find your pathways to it. Along with changes and challenges of going through a pandemic, many people are finding that what gave them happiness before does not work or no longer exists. If you feel like you need to reconnect to what makes you happy, this course is for you! In this course, we will define and analyze what happiness is by looking at social science research data. We will look at the elements of happiness and identify which ones are most related to you.

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

This four-week course will walk you through the social science research about happiness. You will learn how to increase accomplishment and pursue achievement, foster a sense of meaning, and promote engagement. Not all pathways to happiness are the same. By better understanding different elements that lead to happiness, and by doing some self reflection activities, you will find what positive interventions work for you.

What you'll learn

  • Understand scientific research about positive psychology
  • Apply relevant scientific strategies to your own life
  • Foster a sense of meaning
Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Meditation: A way to achieve your goals in your life (Coursera) Coursera
Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology - KAIST

Meditation: A way to achieve your goals in your life (Coursera)

Do we truly think that we have lived for ourselves? Perhaps we have lived for money, love, fame, family and pride etc.? Therefore, we don’t seem to be satisfied even though we are full of those things. It is because that we don’t know ourselves. Eric Fromm talked about human nature as two modes of being: “To Have” and “To Be”. If we are “Having” the nature of possessions, we are not satisfied, and feel empty and futile. Then, how can we be “Being” the nature of our inner-selves? Sometimes, we happened to be aware of this “Being” nature and try to change ourselves, but fail. But, because of our daily routines, it’s easily forgotten. And more it is hard to escape from our unwanted minds controlling us.

Sep 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks
The Science of Generosity: Do Good…Feel Good (edX) EdX
University of Pennsylvania,PennX

The Science of Generosity: Do Good…Feel Good (edX)

Explore how generosity can increase your own happiness and make a difference in the communities around you. Skip About this course What does it mean to be generous? Can giving make you happier and healthier? In this course, we’ll hear from multiple experts and explore the many facets of generosity by looking closely at the meanings, traits, and motivations behind giving behaviors across communities and cultures.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
The Science of Generosity: Do Good...Feel Good (Coursera) Coursera
University of Pennsylvania

The Science of Generosity: Do Good...Feel Good (Coursera)

What does it mean to be generous? Can doing good actually make you feel good? In this course, we’ll hear from multiple experts and explore the many facets of generosity by looking closely at the meanings, traits, and motivations behind giving behaviors across communities and cultures. We’ll discuss how generosity contributes to our own happiness and well-being as well as the happiness and well-being of our loved ones, our local communities, and our global society.

Oct 5th 2026
4 Weeks
Empathy and Emotional Intelligence at Work (edX) EdX
University of California, Berkeley,BerkeleyX

Empathy and Emotional Intelligence at Work (edX)

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
Demystifying Mindfulness (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Leiden University

Demystifying Mindfulness (FutureLearn)

Discover the science of mindfulness, learn how it works and why, from a political, psychological, and philosophical perspective. Experience mindfulness for yourself, and learn whether it really works. Interest in meditation, mindfulness, and contemplation has grown rapidly in recent years. These practises are increasingly being seen as scientifically and psychologically valid forms of therapy.

Jul 5th 2021
5-12 Weeks
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)

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.

Sep 21st 2026
4 Weeks
Teaching Character and Creating Positive Classrooms (Coursera) Coursera
Relay Graduate School of Education

Teaching Character and Creating Positive Classrooms (Coursera)

Positive psychology meets K-12 pedagogy. This course explores key ideas of positive psychology and shows how great teachers apply those lessons to maximize student engagement and accomplishment. Through lectures, discussions, interviews and footage of great educators in action, you’ll learn how to integrate character-based objectives into your own teaching.

Apr 27th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Positive Psychology: Resilience Skills (Coursera) Coursera
University of Pennsylvania

Positive Psychology: Resilience Skills (Coursera)

Learn how to incorporate resilience interventions into your personal and professional life with Dr. Karen Reivich. In this course, you are exposed to the foundational research in resilience, including protective factors such as mental agility and optimism. Several types of resilience interventions are explored including cognitive strategies; strategies to manage anxiety and increase positive emotions such as gratitude; and a critical relationship enhancement skill.

Sep 28th 2026
4 Weeks
Positive Psychology: Martin E. P. Seligman’s Visionary Science (Coursera) Coursera
University of Pennsylvania

Positive Psychology: Martin E. P. Seligman’s Visionary Science (Coursera)

Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman—renowned worldwide as the “father of Positive Psychology”—has led visionary leaps in the scientific research, empirical data and personal understandings of human flourishing. This course explores the past, present and future of positive psychology as a journey through the key scientific leaps led by Dr. Seligman and his colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania's Positive Psychology Center and Master of Applied Positive Psychology program.

Sep 21st 2026
4 Weeks
Success (Coursera) Coursera
University of Pennsylvania

Success (Coursera)

Do you want to be more successful? This course was designed to help you define what success means to you, and to develop a plan for achieving it. Wharton Professor G. Richard Shell, an award-winning author and the creator of the popular Wharton School course on the meaning of success, created this course to help you answer the questions that arise when you consider how best to use your life. Drawing on his decades of research and mentoring, Shell offers personalized assessments to help you probe your past, imagine your future, and measure your strengths.

Sep 21st 2026
4 Weeks
The Science of Happiness (edX) EdX
University of California, Berkeley,BerkeleyX

The Science of Happiness (edX)

The first MOOC to teach positive psychology. Learn science-based principles and practices for a happy, meaningful life. "A free eight-week Science of Happiness course that will offer practical, research-backed tips on living a happy and meaningful life." - Huffington Post. We all want to be happy, and there are countless ideas about what happiness is and how we can get some. But not many of those ideas are based on science. That’s where this course comes in.

Self Paced
Self-Paced