300 students enrolled in the first course and… 1200 in the second. A new record! The former record was held by a course entitled "Psychology and the Law,” taken by 1050 students in 1992. Taught since January 2018 by Laurie Santos, “Psychology and the good life” is praised by Yale students. But why the success?

In an interview with NBC News, Laurie Santos, a professor of psychology, tells us that her class was created in reaction to the alarming research on students’ emotional health. This research made her aware of the feelings of anxiety and stress experienced by the students, many of whom feel overwhelmed by the university’s academic load, something that risks limiting their potential. Young people work hard for years to gain acceptance to universities like Yale, but even once they enter the institution, the intense rhythm continues. According to Laurie Santos, the students adopt bad “life habits” and don’t know how to “prioritize their happiness.”

As one freshman student told the New York Times: “In reality, a lot of us are anxious, stressed, unhappy, numb. The fact that a class like this has such large interest speaks to how tired students are of numbing their emotions — both positive and negative — so they can focus on their work, the next step, the next accomplishment.” A 2013 report indicates that during their schooling, half of Yale’s students seek mental health care.

In the campus’s giant auditorium, usually reserved for official ceremonies and symphony concerts, the students learn about a topic that concerns them directly: their own happiness. The course aims not only to teach the latest psychology findings on happiness (what makes us happy?), but also happiness strategies that can be put into practice. The students are encouraged to apply the methods taught in order to build better habits and promote their own positive change. Students have daily “homework” that consists (among other things) of meditating for ten minutes a day, sleeping eight hours, performing a good deed, and reducing time spent on social networks (perhaps the most difficult task…).

Soon maybe all universities will be offering happiness courses.