{"id":796,"date":"2019-11-10T11:45:12","date_gmt":"2019-11-10T11:45:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/heartlycenter.com\/?p=796"},"modified":"2025-08-26T12:09:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T12:09:16","slug":"formal-happiness-education-i-say-yes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heartlycenter.com\/index.php\/2019\/11\/10\/formal-happiness-education-i-say-yes\/","title":{"rendered":"Formal Happiness Education? I Say YES!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What does it take to be truly<\/em> happy and how do we get what it takes? As someone who guides people to have more happiness, fulfillment, and success, I know these are not new questions. In fact, they may be two of the oldest questions ever asked, and to those still seeking the answers, the quest may feel never-ending and unfulfilling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The truth is there is a tried-and-true<\/em> way to have deep, continual happiness. The problem is most people are practicing the trial-and-error<\/em> method, using failed attempts and other experiences to mark their course. If they\u2019re persistent and lucky, they figure it out \u2013 many in mid-life, when they double-down their efforts to \u201cget it\u201d or discover it before their time-on-planet Earth comes to a screeching halt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What if we were taught how to be happy when we started being taught how to tie our shoes or say the alphabet, or for today\u2019s young-uns, use a smart-phone or a tablet? What would life be like for young people who are equipped with the know-how to create ongoing happiness from their pre-teen years? Would you encourage your child to take such classes? Would you ensure such classes were available?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A recent <\/a>article entitled \u201cPositive education: Learning and teaching for well being and academic mastery<\/a>,\u201d by Matthew White and Margaret Kern, that was published in a 2018 issue of the International Journal of Well being, reports that teaching skills that lead to happiness also protects mental and emotional health in children, and helps to improve their social behaviors. It has a positive impact on how young people understand themselves, their relationships and their families.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Consider that one of the most common factors affecting teens and young adults today is the stress related to their studies. Students today are adopting stress levels similar to adults during the school year. Issues depriving young people of happiness and wellbeing, including bullying, low self-esteem, self-medicating with alcohol and\/or drugs, anxiety disorder, and suicide, have risen to all-time highs. In the United States, teen stress<\/a> rivals that of adults, and 1 in 10 teens goes through a depressive disorder by the time they reach adulthood. These and other statistics are a loud call for us to take more significant and pervasive measures to teach young people how to live a more positive life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the great passions in my life is teaching life-mastery skills to young people. Interestingly, when I interact with them, I find they are aware they have issues to resolve, and they\u2019re open to the learning, sometimes, far more than adults. Whether I\u2019m talking to high school students or undergraduate and graduate college students, they seem to drink the wisdom in like it\u2019s quenching a long-standing thirst. And that\u2019s whether we\u2019re discussing issues like navigating \u201cplayground\u201d dynamics, interacting across cultures, improving self-esteem, understanding and embracing fear, or interpersonal exchanges like how to say \u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d They try on the tips I give them right away, their lives change for the better, and they make permanent belief and behavior shifts that support their pursuit of happiness longer-term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The independent survey by Harris Interactive Inc., on behalf of the American Psychological Association brings attention to the importance of helping teens learn healthy coping mechanisms for stress sooner rather than later.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t agree more! In fact, I have taken my work with young people beyond workshops, and have been piloting a credit-bearing life-skills curriculum at the University of California, Irvine since 2015. The entry-level course is called Living 101: Being Happy and Whole\u00a9, and you can learn more about it here<\/a>.
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\u201cI honestly took this class to better myself. Every time after class, I feel more refreshed, positive, and good about myself. I go home on the weekends and share what I have learned from this class with my sister because I feel like it\u2019s something she would enjoy hearing and learning about. Thank you for teaching this course that helped me open up more and be true to myself.\u201d <\/em>
<\/p>\n ~ <\/em>E. Heng, Behavioral Psychology, 2018\u00a0<\/em><\/strong> <\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

My goal is to bring courses to current college students, as well as high school juniors and seniors. We\u2019re exploring how to provide in-depth educational programs that help young people:<\/p>\n\n\n\n