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

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.

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

What You Will Learn

  • Understand the scientific foundations of Positive Psychology
  • Explain how skills of well-being can be learned and taught
  • Describe why mind and body flourish together
  • Discuss inspiring new developments in the field of Positive Psychology

Course 1 of 5 in the Foundations of Positive Psychology Specialization.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Positive Psychology Introduction by Dr. Martin Seligman
In this module, Dr. Martin Seligman introduces the scientific foundations of positive psychology and key research findings that led to a revolutionary understanding of what makes people flourish. Participants will learn about research-based skills and exercises to increase well-being and begin to practice these skills in their own lives.

WEEK 2
The Skills of Well-being Can Be Learned, Taught, and Transformative
In this module, Dr. Martin Seligman shares the great leaps in scientific understanding that created the foundation for a science of well-being at individual, communal, and global levels.

WEEK 3
Being Whole: Mind/Body Flourishing Throughout Life
In this module, Dr. Martin Seligman shares key research questions from the field of Positive Psychology, and the answers turn some conventional assumptions on their head. Are we shaped by the future vs. the past? And what does science tell us about mind/body flourishing? What gets better as we age?

WEEK 4
Future Directions in Positive Psychology
In this module, Dr. Martin Seligman discusses some of the most inspiring recent and future developments in the field of Positive Psychology, in particular those that transcend individual experience and have the potential to transform our world.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment (Clinical Perspective) (Coursera) Coursera
Columbia University

HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment (Clinical Perspective) (Coursera)

HI-FIVE (Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment) Training is a 12-hour online course designed by Columbia University in 2016, with sponsorship from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). The training is role-based and uses case scenarios. Also, it has additional, optional modules on other topics of interest or relevance. Although we suggest to complete the course within a month's timeframe, the course is self-paced and so you can start and finish the course at anytime during a month's time period. No additional hardware or software are required for this course.

Jun 8th 2026
4 Weeks
Public Involvement in Research (Coursera) Coursera
Imperial College London

Public Involvement in Research (Coursera)

This course focuses on participatory approaches in research, known as 'public involvement' in the UK. You'll specifically, consider why citizens and patients would be involved in research and explore participatory approaches across and within the research cycle in more detail, diving into questions such as: What kinds of participation can be undertaken at each of the 7 stages of the cycle? How can you utilise participation in research? What examples of using participatory approaches exist in research?

Jun 10th 2026
4 Weeks
Introduction to Psychology (Coursera) Coursera
University of Toronto

Introduction to Psychology (Coursera)

This course highlights the most interesting experiments within the field of psychology, discussing the implications of those studies for our understanding of the human mind and human behavior. We will explore the brain and some of the cognitive abilities it supports like memory, learning, attention, perception and consciousness. We will examine human development - both in terms of growing up and growing old - and will discuss the manner in which the behavior of others affect our own thoughts and behavior.

Jun 8th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Understanding Cancer Metastasis (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

Understanding Cancer Metastasis (Coursera)

Over 500,000 people in the United States and over 8 million people worldwide are dying from cancer every year. As people live longer, the incidence of cancer is rising worldwide, and the disease is expected to strike over 20 million people annually by 2030. Everyone has been, or will be touched by cancer in some way during their lifetime. Thanks to years of dedication and commitment to research we’ve made enormous advances in the prevention and treatment of cancer, But there is still a lot of work to be done. In this course, physicians and scientists at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine explain how cancer spreads or metastasizes.

Jun 8th 2026
3 Weeks
Sit Less, Get Active (Coursera) Coursera
University of Edinburgh

Sit Less, Get Active (Coursera)

Physical inactivity and sedentariness are “silent killers”. Do you feel like you spend too much time sitting? Do you feel like you would like to be more active? Are you unsure about how to incorporate physical activity into your daily life? We are here to help. Join us on a journey to learn about how to sit less and become more active. Use this FREE course to learn how to monitor your own activity and set physical activity goals.

Jun 14th 2026
3 Weeks
Design and Interpretation of Clinical Trials (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

Design and Interpretation of Clinical Trials (Coursera)

Clinical trials are experiments designed to evaluate new interventions to prevent or treat disease in humans. The interventions evaluated can be drugs, devices (e.g., hearing aid), surgeries, behavioral interventions (e.g., smoking cessation program), community health programs (e.g. cancer screening programs) or health delivery systems (e.g., special care units for hospital admissions). We consider clinical trials experiments because the investigators rather the patients or their doctors select the treatment the patients receive.

Jun 8th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Service Transformed: Lessons in U.S. Veteran Centered Care (Coursera) Coursera
University of Michigan

Service Transformed: Lessons in U.S. Veteran Centered Care (Coursera)

Improving health care for veterans has become a matter of national attention and has gained increasing attention from the medical community. With the current surge of veterans reintegrating into civilian society it is critical to improve the training of the next cadre of providers who will provide care for our veterans. It is widely known that veterans receive care in all aspects of the health system, thus providers in veteran focused care facilities, military health serves and civilian locals must be aware of the unique needs of veterans. It is perhaps even more important to educate civilian providers who may be unfamiliar with the unique physical, mental and emotional needs related to military service.

Jun 8th 2026
5-12 Weeks
HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment (Administrative/IT Perspective) (Coursera) Coursera
Columbia University

HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment (Administrative/IT Perspective) (Coursera)

HI-FIVE (Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment) Training is an approximately 10-hour online course designed by Columbia University in 2016, with sponsorship from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). The training is role-based and uses case scenarios. No additional hardware or software are required for this course. Our nation’s healthcare system is changing at a rapid pace.

Jun 8th 2026
4 Weeks
Big Data, Genes, and Medicine (Coursera) Coursera
The State University of New York

Big Data, Genes, and Medicine (Coursera)

This course distills for you expert knowledge and skills mastered by professionals in Health Big Data Science and Bioinformatics. You will learn exciting facts about the human body biology and chemistry, genetics, and medicine that will be intertwined with the science of Big Data and skills to harness the avalanche of data openly available at your fingertips and which we are just starting to make sense of.

Jun 8th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Leading Healthcare Quality and Safety (Coursera) Coursera
George Washington University

Leading Healthcare Quality and Safety (Coursera)

Ensuring patient safety and healthcare quality is critical and should be a key focus of everyone in healthcare practice. This course provides healthcare practitioners and others with an introduction to the knowledge and skills needed to lead patient safety and quality improvement initiatives at the micro and macro levels. Participants will explore the foundations of health care quality and the science underlying patient safety and quality improvement, design and select effective health care measures, analyze patient safety problems and processes using tools such as human factors analysis, apply systematic approaches including the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) model to address quality improvement challenges, and learn strategies to lead a culture of change

Jun 8th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Serious Gaming (Coursera) Coursera
Erasmus University Rotterdam

Serious Gaming (Coursera)

Have you ever wondered how playing games can help us to train people, deal with societal challenges or raise awareness of contemporary social issues? In this MOOC you will learn the ins and outs of games that are designed with exactly those purposes in mind: serious games. We will define serious games and discuss the different types that have been developed. We will explain why people like to play them and what impact they may have.

Jun 8th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Genomics: Decoding the Universal Language of Life (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Genomics: Decoding the Universal Language of Life (Coursera)

What is a genome? A genome contains all of the information that a cell needs to develop, function, and reproduce itself, and all the information needed for those cells to come together to form a person, plant, or animal. Genomes contain an organism’s complete set of genes, and also the even tinier genetic structures that help regulate when and how those genes are used. The ability to regrow a torn ligament, the clues that might predict the onset of mental illness, the nutritional potential of crops, and even the history of life itself, are all encoded in genomes. By taking this course, you will discover how scientists are deciphering the language of genomes to learn how to develop sustainable food and fuel supplies, improve disease treatment and prevention, and protect our environment.

Jun 8th 2026
5-12 Weeks