Module 1
The Duchenne Smile: Duchenne de Boulogne, a French anatomist, found that certain facial muscles were involuntarily engaged by the true feeling of joy. The combination of the zygomaticus major muscles (the cheek muscles) and a special muscle called the orbicularis oculi, which is just behind the eye and in front of the temple, make up the Duchenne Smile.
Eudaimonia: Eudaimonia is an ancient Greek term used by philosophers to describe not merely good feeling but happiness, including virtue.
Epicureanism: A school of thought established by Epicurus (341–270 BC) whose philosophy was that a happy life requires ataraxia (freedom from mental disturbance) and aponia (the absence of physical pain).
Positive Psychology: According to the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania, positive psychology “is the scientific study of the strengths that enable individuals and communities to thrive.” The field is founded on the belief that “people want to lead meaningful and fulfilling lives, to cultivate what is best within themselves, and to enhance their experiences of love, work, and play.”
Module 2
Affect: Psychologists refer to the spectrum of emotions exhibited by individuals as affect (a’-fekt). Affect typically refers to a person's state of mind, their attitudes, and emotions. The PANAS (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule) measures where your balance of positive and negative affect lies.
PANAS: Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. PANAS is a measure of an individual’s emotional spectrum derived from a scale/survey used to assess positive and negative affect developed by researchers Watson, Clark, and Tellegen. An individual’s PANAS profile reflects how much a person activates both positive and negative emotions.
The PERMA model: A positive psychology model developed by psychologist Martin Seligman. PERMA represents five domains that contribute to a person’s well-being or flourishing. These five domains are as follows:
- Positive Emotion (P)
- Engagement (E)
- Relationships (R)
- Meaning (M)
- Accomplishments/Achievements (A)
The limbic system: The limbic system is the network in the brain that regulates and controls various emotional and behavioral functions, especially those associated with survival instincts and motivational cues.
Day Reconstruction Method: A 2004 study led by psychologist Daniel Kahneman where participants were asked to write a short diary of their previous day and think of events like short episodes in their day. Then participants answered a series of questions that ranked these episodes onto scales of positive and negative affect.
Opposite Signal Strategy: A behavioral strategy in which an individual turns negative reinforcing behaviors into positive reinforcing behaviors by embracing difficulty rather than conceding to impulses.
Module 3:
Lee Robbins et al. 1974 study: Drug use by US Army enlisted men in Vietnam: A follow-up on their return home. This research investigated the use and disuse among US servicemen returning from Vietnam.
Oxytocin: A neurotransmitter released by the pituitary gland that is involved in human trust, love, and cooperation.
Neuroeconomics: A field of behavioral economics that investigates how the brain processes and influences decision-making.
Eros: Greek term for romantic love.
Philia: Greek term for deep friendship.
Agape: Greek term for love for everyone.
Pragma: Greek term for love based on convenience.
Philautia: Greek term for love of self.
Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing): An ancient text written by Lao Tzu (Laozi), a leading figure of Taoism.
Gospel of John: One of the oldest texts in historical Christianity and the fourth of the four New Testament narratives recounting the life and death of Jesus Christ.
Harvard Study of Adult Development: One of the world’s longest studies of adult life and development. Beginning in 1938, a cohort of 268 Harvard students, with an inner-city cohort being added later, was selected to be studied over their lifetimes with one simple idea: to understand and study the factors leading to human flourishing. Today the study continues with the original cohort’s families and descendants.
Module 4
The Reach Method: The REACH method of forgiveness was developed by the John Templeton Foundation during the 1990s. The REACH method consists of the following steps:
- Recall the hurt that a person has caused you.
- Empathize with your offender. Write down how they might be feeling.
- Altruistic gift: forgiveness is an unselfish, altruistic gift that you can give that person.
- Commit to forgiveness. Make a plan to follow through with forgiveness.
- Hold on to forgiveness. Think of a way you can follow up and reaffirm your connection to the other person
Module 5
The Four Idols: Thomas Aquinas proposed a definitive theory of happiness in Summa Theologiae. He theorized that in our pursuit of happiness, there are four idols that will divert us from the true path to happiness. They are money, power, pleasure, and fame.
Acquisition Centrality: Acquisition centrality is the idea that people are motivated (both consciously and subconsciously) to acquire money and material possessions as indicators of success and functional steps toward happiness.
Materialism: The relationship between well-being and the value individuals place on acquiring money and possessions./p>
The Hedonic Treadmill: The psychological phenomenon that an individual’s emotional expectations continue to evolve such that a satiation point is continually elusive.
Homeostasis: Physical homeostasis refers to the regulation and adaptation of our body’s cells, energy, and resources to arrive at relative stability or equilibrium. Emotional homeostasis is the psychological term for how our minds regulate emotions toward an equilibrium.
Module 6
The Marshmallow Test: A study developed in the late 1960s by psychologist Walter Mischel at Stanford University. Dr. Mischel was interested in how children exhibited willpower, and eventually how the use of delayed gratification led to various outcomes later in life.
The Voyage of Life (1842): A series of four paintings by American painter Thomas Cole. The paintings depict a pilgrim’s journey through the “River of Life” beginning with Childhood and Youth through Manhood and Old Age.
The U-Curve of Happiness: A statistical trend observed by economists and scholars that shows that happiness takes on the shape of a U as we age.
Post-Traumatic Growth: The psychological observation that people experience increases in personal strength after they have been through a traumatic or difficult life event.
Grit: A concept developed by psychologist and researcher Angela Duckworth. Grit is defined as sustained willpower over time that fuels a person to pursue and achieve goals in spite of setbacks. Developing grit is essential for pursuing happiness in life.
The Hope Circuit: The hope circuit is the name for a neurological pathway in the prefrontal cortex discovered and studied by psychologists Steven Maier and Martin Seligman. The hope circuit is engaged when we consciously decide to combat our sense of helplessness and pessimism by disputing whether our thoughts are realistic and envisioning positive outcomes instead of ruminating on negative ones.