What is happiness? According to the Miriam-Webster Dictionary, “happiness” is “a state of well-being and contentment” and “a pleasurable or satisfying experience.”

In the Stanford Business Case for Happiness, the authors argue that businesses need to invest in happiness. They found that “In a meta-analysis of 27 studies of affect and job satisfaction, researchers concluded that happier people were 25 percent more satisfied in their jobs.”

Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage, says that when “you’re happy you achieve more: your intelligence rises, your creativity rises, your energy level rises and every single business outcome improves.” He calls this the “Happiness Advantage.” Achor’s research shows that “your brain at positive is 31 percent more productive that your brain at negative, neutral or stressed. You’re 37 percent better at sales. Doctors are 19 percent faster, more accurate at coming up with the correct diagnosis when positive instead of negative, neutral or stressed. Which means we can reverse the formula, to achieve success you should work at also being happy. If we can find a way of becoming positive, then our brains work even more successfully as we’re able to work harder, faster and more intelligently.”

If you are interested in moving up the happiness meter and shifting to a more positive mindset for greater job and life satisfaction, then this course if for you. The course concludes with a commencement speech set to video by David Foster Wallace called "This Is Water". The video is 9 minutes – please watch the video as part of this course.

Course Key Concepts: Positive Psychology, Happiness, Well-Being, Optimism