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Positive Psychology - The Science of Happiness

In this ongoing course, students will learn a lot about psychology, how the brain works, and how to apply positive psychology to their own lives!
Miss Shauna
Average rating:
4.8
Number of reviews:
(94)
Popular
Class

What's included

1 live meeting
30 mins in-class hours per week
Homework
1 hour per week. included
Assessment
included

Class Experience

Positive psychology is a branch of psychology that zooms in on the strengths and behaviors of individuals that allow us to build a life of meaning and happiness! Essentially, this class explores the science behind what behaviors and habits lead to a truly happy and fulfilled life. 

Each week we will learn about a new dimension of happiness, see detailed brain scans and pictures, as well as watch videos that explain how the brain works and how we can make it work for us! I want students to leave class with a unique and in-depth understanding of their own brains and how psychology is used to benefit us.  

Psychology is a lot to take in but I've structured class to boil the complicated science down into bite-sized pieces of information that students can comprehend and apply to their own lives! Class runs reviews often and students may join, leave, and return during any week without losing material. 



Breakdown of weekly classes: 

Week of Oct 1: How the food you eat affects your brain. Which foods produce happy feelings and why?  (Getting to see a VR video inside the brain! Watch neurons firing!) 

Week of Oct 7: Intro to the brain parts and functions. (Human brain dissection video! Very cool! Not graphic (no blood.) parents may request to see the video before class if they would like to screen it.)

Week of Oct 14: Positive psychology basics: Character Strengths and Virtues: Courage, Humanity, Justice, Temperance, and Transcendence (the ability to look beyond yourself in ways such as gratitude, hope, and humor.)

Week of Oct 21: Psychologist Study - Who were the positive psychology founders?: Martin Seligman, Christopher Peterson, Abraham Maslow, and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

Week of Nov 1: Building blocks of well-being called the PERMA model: Positive emotions, engagement (with a project, for instance), positive relationships, meaning, and accomplishment/achievement. (There are other models, but this is the one we cover in this class.)

Week of Nov 7: Positive psychology practices you can try at home to promote well-being. Gratitude exercises and journal. 

Week of Nov 14: The four main "happy" chemicals: Dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins, can contribute to feelings of happiness. Tips and tricks on how to achieve each one!

Week of Nov 21: (No classes on the 18th) What is “Flow” in positive psychology terms? It's one of the foundational pieces of happiness! We'll also sketch out a "stress bucket" to identify what things are filling it up and what things empty it out. 

Week of Dec 1: Understanding chemicals in the brain: Neurotransmitters (Get to watch a kinesin protein walk a ball of endorphins around the brain!) Science is so cool!

Week of Dec 7: Rewiring the brain! Setting goals and breaking bad habits. (Get to see the brain rewire itself in a video posted from the University of California, San Francisco.)

...More to come...


*This class is not intended to treat or diagnose. This class is not intended to be therapeutic in any way and is strictly for educational purposes.
Learning Goals
What positive psychology is exactly
Ways to increase happiness
learning goal

Other Details

Parental Guidance
This class is not intended to treat or diagnose. This class is not intended to be therapeutic in any way and is strictly for educational purposes. YouTube is used in class to watch videos and VR scans of brain parts and functions. I love seeing the kids get excited when they get to see neurons firing, chemicals moving around, and things lighting up inside the brain!
Supply List
Everything will be provided in class via screen share
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
  • Youtube
Joined February, 2022
4.8
94reviews
Popular
Profile
Teacher expertise and credentials
I am finishing my psychology degree now; specializing in child and adolescent development. (As of July 2024, I only have 7 months left before my graduation date.)
Also, I have been tutoring anxiety and ADHD classes for over a year.

Reviews

Live Group Class
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$15

weekly
1x per week
30 min

Live video meetings
Ages: 10-14
1-8 learners per class

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