GracefulFlavor

See here. Professor Tal Ben-Shahar teaches “Positive Psychology” at Harvard. It’s the largest course on Harvard’s campus, and one many say is the most difficult class they’ve ever taken. Think it’s foo-foo? Think again.

About a week ago, Ben-Shahar made a brief appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Among the most notable dialog:

Jon Stewart: I hate to use the phrase ’self help“, but in some respects isn’t this is a self help class for college students?

Tal Ben-Shahar: Yes, and unashamedly so. The class is very much about improving the quality of the students lives and improving the quality of their communities.

JS: And when they leave are they happier? Is that quantifiable?

TBS: We don’t have long-term measures, but the reason the class is so popular is that students tell their friends, ”I’m actually better off because of this class.“

JS: Is there a scientific basis for happiness, is that the suggestion here?

TBS: This whole field of Positive Psychology has really been picking up around the world and it’s among the largest classes on numerous campuses, and the reason is for the first time we have a science of happiness. Until now the whole realm was dominated by the ’self help’ movement, which is mostly about the 5 easy steps happiness, the 3 steps to find your perfect lover.

JS: There’s also a ”Secret“

TBS: There are no secrets, there are no easy steps, it’s actually a work book more than anything else. Many of the students comment that it’s actually the hardest class they ever took at Harvard.

In this day and age, when everything is focused on the more traditional measures of progress and success, it’s amazing to see such attention be paid to what really is the core of happiness: believing in and trusting the courage of your own conviction. It’s time we stopped letting others — most notably, the collective “society” — dictate to us what success (and fulfillment) means. And it’s also nice to see the science of psychological happiness and well-being take a step closer to real credibility and away from hippie/gypsy self-help wonkery.