EdX

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

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.

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

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.
We won’t just talk about generosity: you’ll be able to do good and feel good -- without spending lots of time or money. You’ll have multiple opportunities for both doing and feeling good throughout the course and you’ll create a giving plan that helps you continue your generous acts into the future.

What you'll learn

  • Identify behaviors that demonstrate generosity and prosocial behaviour
  • Identify values, perceptions, and meanings of generosity in a variety of communities and cultures
  • Describe why “doing good” results in “feeling good”
  • Describe motivations for generosity and prosocial behavior
  • Reflect on giving strategies and their impact
  • Create a giving plan that supports continued generosity
Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Giving 2.0: The MOOC (Coursera) Coursera
Stanford University

Giving 2.0: The MOOC (Coursera)

A philanthropist is anyone who gives anything — time, money, experience, skills, and networks — in any amount, to create a better world. This course will empower you to become a more effective philanthropist and make your giving more meaningful to both you and those you strive to help. Giving 2.0: The MOOC, is a Stanford University-sponsored online course intended to teach givers of all ages, backgrounds, incomes and experiences to give more effectively. Taught by social entrepreneur, philanthropist and bestselling author Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen, Giving 2.0: The MOOC will teach you how to assess nonprofits, create a high-impact philanthropic strategy, volunteer more effectively, use existing, free technology for good and more.

Sep 21st 2026
5-12 Weeks
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
Positive Psychology (edX) EdX
American Psychological Association,APA

Positive Psychology (edX)

In this course you will learn about positive psychology, the scientific study of how psychological states, such as happiness, and character strengths, such as optimism and gratitude, contribute to well-being. You will learn about research on ways you can thrive and flourish personally and professionally. Upon completing this course, you will understand the important roles that positive emotions, relationships, and meaning play in happiness, life satisfaction, and mental health.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Managing Happiness (edX) EdX
HarvardX,Harvard University

Managing Happiness (edX)

Managing Happiness encourages you to explore the science of happiness, allowing you to find your truest self. Through cutting-edge survey tools, the best research, and trends in social science, neuroscience, and philosophy to help learners unlock the strategies to create a more purposeful life, full of long-lasting enjoyment and satisfaction.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Introducing Humanism: Non-religious Approaches to Life, with Sandi Toksvig (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
Humanists UK

Introducing Humanism: Non-religious Approaches to Life, with Sandi Toksvig (FutureLearn)

Learn about humanism - a non-religious, ethical worldview shared by millions across the world. Presented by Sandi Toksvig. Learn about how humanists approach life's big questions. Humanism is a non-religious, ethical world view shared by millions of people around the world. Humanists believe that this life is the only life we have, that the universe is a natural phenomenon with no supernatural side, and that we can live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity.

Jan 18th 2021
5-12 Weeks
Entrepreneurship in Nonprofits (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Basel

Entrepreneurship in Nonprofits (FutureLearn)

Take a look at the world of social entrepreneurship and familiarize yourself with new concepts and methods of entrepreneurship. Learn about economic tools to become a successful social entrepreneur. Nonprofit organizations operate globally in many areas. They address societal issues in fields like health, culture and arts, environment, education and research. With their work, they make a significant contribution to sustainable social and ecological development.

Apr 10th 2023
5-12 Weeks
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
Fundraising and Development Foundations (Coursera) Coursera
University of California, Davis

Fundraising and Development Foundations (Coursera)

In this course, you will gain an introduction to the basic terminology and concepts in the field, along with an overview of the development cycle from identification and cultivation through stewardship and recognition. You will learn how to develop a case for support, identify and assess prospective donors, match a donor’s interests and needs with your organization’s mission and goals, recognize planned giving benefits to your donors, structure a successful solicitation, and respond to ethical dilemmas.

Sep 28th 2026
4 Weeks
Thriving 101: Designing a Fulfilling Life & Career (Coursera) Coursera
University of Colorado Boulder

Thriving 101: Designing a Fulfilling Life & Career (Coursera)

Are you ready to enhance your life?  Are you craving more fulfillment and less stress?  Is it possibly time to make a career change? Before aimlessly and impulsively diving into changes in your life, it’s a smart move to take the time to learn what the science and other experts have revealed truly leads to fulfilling lives and careers.   

Sep 21st 2026
5-12 Weeks
Leading Oneself with Personal Excellence (Coursera) Coursera
University of Colorado Boulder

Leading Oneself with Personal Excellence (Coursera)

Before we can lead others well, we must first learn to lead ourselves well. Knowing personal excellence is the culmination of this journey. In this course, you will describe how and why to set goals and create action plans, increase your focus and reduce distraction, harness motivation and flow state for performance, build self-efficacy and agency, and redefine your relationship with stress, anxiety, fear and adversity.

Sep 28th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Resiliencia Familiar (edX) EdX
Universidad Anáhuac,AnahuacX

Resiliencia Familiar (edX)

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

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

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