A Life of Happiness and Fulfillment

I started the course all over again last week. Not because the first time around was difficult, but because there is so much information packed into the course that a second round seems imperative.

Even after completing the course, I put off writing a review because my vocabulary seemed extremely inadequate. The struggle was similar to the first exercise wherein I had to define happiness. I knew but could not articulate. To simply say “The course is very useful” is an understatement. So is “The teacher is excellent”.

Given that my vocabulary is not increasing dramatically any time soon, I finally decided to at least put down the tangible and let the intangible be for the time being.

Here’s my experience:
- A classmate, Moos Lamerus, concatenated all the suggested readings (links to various studies, articles, TED talks etc) into a single document that ran into 99 pages. That THAT much of research (at a minimum) had gone into the making of the course, is a very very impressive fact indeed.
- In one exercise, I learnt to define happiness (so simple but oh so not easy). I thought I knew, and was I surprised!
- In another, I learnt to move out of my comfort zone a wee bit.
- By the end of yet another exercise, I realised that I don’t face any major problems on a daily basis. Something which I’d taken for granted.
- And another exercise in which I felt relieved to know that I was already doing the right thing even when no one around me was. Strengthened my beliefs.
- One of my favourites is the peer reviews of the exercises. I made my son read a few of the altruistic acts I was reviewing. Thought it will be better than preaching. And now he wants to read it every day and then discuss it with me. Bonus benefit of the course!
- Having read a lot of spiritual, self-help, psychology books, I wouldn’t say that everything in the course was new to me. As another classmate, David Benson put it “this course is like opening up parts of me and re-examining them in light of new ideas.” Some forgotten concepts came to the fore, some existing concepts I was able to look at from a modern and scientific point of view and yet some simply made more sense.
- All of above was made so much more interesting (addictive even) with Dr. Raj’s style of teaching – fun, full of energy, simple and that something (vocab limitation again!!) which kept me glued to the lesson. I’m not the only one who felt sad the course ended.
- He is also the only teacher (amongst the Coursera courses that I took) who actually joined in both the forums and engaged with the students, answering our questions, providing additional reading material relevant to the discussion, even an additional exercise for us to do.

A Life Of Happiness And Fulfillment is truly one of the best courses I’ve attended and with one of the best teachers I’ve come across till date.

A Life of Happiness and Fulfillment, or ALOHAF (isn't the acronym great!?), is an excellent online course.

I took it in the context of a study group. So my fellow study group members and I had to chance to meet Raj, the course instructor, during weekly live sessions he was kind enough to lead, where he recapped the course and took questions. Raj is a fantastic, happy person, and this is reflected in his happiness course.

The course itself is a scientific yet approachable survey of what happiness is and how one may go about trying to maximize happiness in their life. The first time I heard of the course, I was a bit sceptical: is happiness something that can really be taught - online of all places? After going through the course, for me, the answer is "yes"!

The course identifies different "sins" we tend to commit without even noticing and that negatively impact our happiness levels. The explanations are backed with research. Raj doesn't just tell - he convinces through evidence. The course is filled with mind-expanding concepts and vocabulary: medium maximization, reactance, happiness set point, mental GATES. I didn't realize I'd learn so much about psychology.

For instance, the course is filled with references to peer-reviewed psychology papers and interviews with global experts conducted by Raj. It makes frequent use of compelling metaphors and comparisons to make concepts easy to understand and remember. And each module ends with a habit to address each happiness "sin" and with an exercise to put into practice what you've learned.

The workload is significant. There are 4 to 5 hours of content per week, including many videos and many optional materials. Videos include questions to keep you engaged. And the course has several peer-assessments and quizzes, including some longer ones in the final module - you'll need a solid memory or good notes to tackled those confidently.

This is one of those courses that I think will help me in the long run. Many people are prone to the "sins" identified and don't even realize it, including me. I'm an optimistic and rather naturally happy person. So I was surprised to realize that I still fall prey to some of the "sins" - such as "devaluing happiness" or trying to be too "internally controlling". Just becoming aware of what these sins are already helps. I now notice when I commit some of them and can catch myself.

For instance, I tend to overthink small details (being "internally controlling"). Now, when I realize I'm doing this, it's not that I'll just stop worrying, but I'll definitely worry less. Instead, I'll to re-prioritizing what really matters: happiness, which in turn helps me relax. The course also emphasizes the importance of being healthy, physically and mentally, and of practicing mindfulness. I hope I'll get better at it over time, but it's already helping.

I think this course might be able to help others too. So I strongly recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Writing a review for Prof. Raj Raghunathan (aka Dr. Happy Smarts’) “Happiness course” is very exciting to me. I consider myself very fortunate to be working as Prof. Raj’s teaching assistant for the Happiness course at the Indian school of Business for the last two years.
Assisting Prof. Raj with the happiness course has been a truly transforming, eye-opening, and an exciting time of my life. Dr. Happy smarts has a personality and a style that seamlessly blends with the objectives of the happiness course—trust me, he walks the talk. A professor with a sunny and bright disposition, Prof. Raj is genuinely happy and one who strives to enrich the lives of others with a greater understanding and a lasting experience of happiness. Among the course I have assisted, the happiness course undoubtedly emerges as my favorite one owing to the following reasons:
• Prof. Raj’s course is entirely based on scientific findings of happiness that he molds into interesting and easily applicable insights that are practically applicable at every step in one’s life. It is a course that anyone can connect with, and participate in order to enrich one’s happiness.
• The course has helped me personally to a great extent: it offered me the opportunity to delve into myself, to gain deeper insights on significant and most ignored and unquestioned aspects of my life such as the meaning and significance of happiness in my life, the things that make me happy, the sins of happiness, and most importantly, how I can be happy by prioritizing and not pursuing happiness. I can surely say I am a much happier and a brighter person today – having been a part of the happiness course for long.
• The course dwells on exploring the roots and the meaning of a happy and fulfilling life; Prof. Raj offers a rich research-based understanding of happiness, and dwells on the many facets of a fulfilling life that we all long for. The examples, metaphors, and analogies are simple to understand, and easy to relate to.
• Prof. Raj not only exhibits a demonstrated knowledge on the topic of happiness, he also lives every bit of it. The happiness course is one that can be readily personalized, I find myself walking the path of gratitude, altruism, mindfulness, and all the other things that are outlined in the happiness course – all of which I am very grateful for.

In summary, I love being a part of the happiness course because of its simple approach, and its great emphasis on practical application, and individualization of happiness. I strongly recommend this course to the people out there who are trying to better understand the roots of a happy and fulfilling life. I earnestly hope you will take the course, and benefit from it as I did.

It took me a long while (around two years) to finally complete this enlightening course, as life got in the way. If I am going to summarize, in one sentence, what this offering is all about, it would be this: “This a crash course on being a good person.” The course is packed with so much great content that I had no other choice but to save the lectures offline indefinitely. This will allow me to revisit the lectures from time to time as if they are parts of a pocket reference. Furthermore, it is delivered by someone most, if not all, people will listen to with respect: a business school professor with an engineering degree, an MBA and a PhD. If someone with such credentials, experience and expertise in an extremely competitive discipline believes in everything contained in the material, then I think everyone should really give some pause and consider what the course has to offer. For me, the most important component of the course is the comprehensive discussion on mindfulness. My only issue with the course is that some of the evidence presented felt either preliminary or too-much-leap. Nevertheless, one is unlikely to lose anything unfavorable and likely to gain something beneficial in heeding the prescriptions of the course. All in all, this course is highly recommended to everyone regardless of age, status in life, and experience.

I'm happy and sad today because I never wanted this course to end, and I cried like a baby during the "good bye" video that was the last in the course.
I will never be able to fully express what this course and the Professor who brought it to life has meant to me and more importantly what it will continue to mean to me. This has been an amazing enjoyable and life changing experience for me. I don't know if another Professor could have made this kind of impact Professor Raj with his wonderful sense of humor his ability to be accessible and make this course so much fun that I looked forward to every single session. With the help of beautiful Catherine and his other amazing colleagues he made this course so special so meaningful I will carry it with me forever! The material studied through this course was important to me and my desire to make positive changes in my life.
I am not a youngster and most likely inside I was thinking the "old dog new tricks" would pertain but as it turns out it can happen. I started this course with a happiness level that according to the scale was so low it was recommended that I seek help immediately which was surprising I didn't realize I was that bad off. My score said "depressed" I am happy to say that my re-evaluated score at the end of this course was "very happy"! And I feel it! I have a long way to go before I reach my ideal self but this course and the wonderful people involved in it have given me the tools that I need and I make progress every day.
This course changed my life and I will be forever grateful to Professor Raj, Catherine, fellow students and Coursera for giving me this opportunity. Not only for the course but for the continued support that they are willing to give to us.
If you are lucky enough to take this course don't be skeptical be open minded and you will learn some amazing things. I feel strongly that this course and the book Professor Raj has written can and will change your life too. Thank you so very much!

This excellent course is a very thorough introduction in learning about the ways that you can approach life that will make you happy or unhappy. I found it to be far more helpful than reading self help books.
Through the readings and listening to the lectures, I have come to more deeply understand the concepts that I have been trying to understand for years. For example, the concept of gratitude is something that we hear a lot about, but this course explains what it actually is, how to do it, and what the opposite of that is.
Raj and his guests make the material approachable and straightforward. No prior knowledge is required. The practical exercises are similar to those seen in various forms of therapy. The final exam involves a fair amount of writing, and seems a bit challenging. However, by the time you have finished the course, you are confident that you have actually learnt the material.
There are links to numerous further readings on the topics. The only change that I would like to see would have been to have these readings free, perhaps for loan online through the university, for the duration of the course.

A couple of years ago a friend talk me into taking what became a genuine life-changing course on Coursera (Prof. Dan Ariely's "Beginners Guide to Irrational Behavior"). This course is now my second life-changing Coursera course. The research presented and the techniques for overcoming an inherent tendency towards the negative has helped me maintain an equilibrium during a difficult period. (Even friends and family have commented on the change.) And I can honestly say that I am doing better emotionally, psychologically and even physically (my doctor has commented on the change). I wish I had found this course before age 61! I'm certain it would have had an enormously positive impact.

For those interested in behavioral and positive psychology there is plenty of meat to consume, particularly in the outside reading materials. For those looking for practical applications of the current research, this is the focus of the course. The course does take some effort and application, and there is a small annoying glitch in the peer review forms, but fortunately part of the course is learning how to handling small annoyances with poise. And for the personal affects to occur requires "the lightbulb to really want to change" (to borrow from the old "How many psychologists does it take to change a lightbulb joke.").

I can honestly say that not only did I learn a great deal about current behavioral psychology research (the "wallet drop" studies will be a conversation topic for a long time), but the course had the second largest personal impact on my life of any of the Coursera — and most academic — courses I have taken. Do not wait until you are 61 to take this course. Please. The techniques and strategies taught can have a profound, positive affect on your future.

I watched the first three weeks of lecture videos and decided to drop it and not to waste any more time on it. Many statements given in the course are not convincing, or at least not presented in a convincing way, and therefore the conclusions do not appeal to me at all and I do not think I will become any more happier after I finish this course.

I will just give two examples.

An experiment mentioned in the video is about a baby monkey separated from its mother deciding which fake "mother" it would like to stay with. One is a metal structure with food while the other is a cushion without food. The study found that the monkey spent most of its time with the latter one. Of course! If I were a monkey I would undoubtedly make the same choice. Even as a baby, a monkey does not need to have food all the time! Who, or what animal, does not want to stay comfortable? I feel that this study is really boring and the conclusion "the baby monkey needs love" is just nonsense.

Another statement made in the lecture is like "people who are self-avoidant have lower job satisfaction". What on earth does this imply? Well, "having low job satisfaction" probably means "less" happiness but is that necessarily a bad thing? The job simply sucks and I cannot even complain about it?

And the "chasing superior" and "become successful" part is also very dubious. I believe that there are tons of counterexamples and counterarguments for that.

After these I think I would rather spend time on a well structured, well reasoned psychology or philosophy course than on this one.

As Prof. Raj would start the class by saying "If you are smart why arent you happy" the course questions each of our beliefs that we build through years of living in this world. At times it would question our belief system, our thinking process but once you are through the phase of introspection everything will fall in place!

I recommend this course to anyone and everyone who wants to attain fulfillment. Most probably everyone in this world looks towards money, fame and material things to happiness and fulfillment. I couldnt find a better example of such a person than me. Unfortunately, those things provide us only fleeting happiness. Dr, Raj through this course provides us with tools that can pull us out of the vortex, think straight and in turn make us more productive and move towards what will make us happy.

Below is my detailed review of the course and how it has transformed me in a span of 1 year.
http://www.clicksbyuma.com/2015/04/22/happy-smarts/
A great course for the uber connected hyper active society.

I just completely finished the course and I can confirm what I already knew to be true in the very beginning... the course is EXCELLENT! I was introduced to Coursera through this course and originally wasn't going to take it because I had already signed up for other courses and thought I knew enough about happiness through my psychology and spiritual backgrounds. Well, I was wrong!
This course introduced me to new concepts, all which were backed up with an abundant amount of studies and sources, as well as exercises which really allowed for personal reflection and growth towards one's own happiness. In addition , Prof Raj brings an infectious energy and a passion of the subject to the lectures, which helps to keep students engaged. Especially admirable is his involvement (and that of his team - Catherine) in discussion forums, further emphasizing his engagement and willingness to help.
This course has certainly set the bar high for my expectation of MOOCs. I highly recommend it!

We get so busy at chasing our short term goals that many times we forget the larger picture of our life: the things we love, our passions, family and relationship. We get so engrossed in getting each perfect A, the best job, the highest appraisal that we lose sight of the things that we are losing. This course is important if you want to balance the world view of success with a feeling of fulfilment - striking the sweet spot, not losing one for the other. Prof. Raj Raghunathan is an incredibly smart researcher, a teacher with a great presence, sense of humor and knowledge and network of people who are successful in more than the usual definition of success. In him, every student will find a sympathetic listener and an honest individual. The assignments designed for the course will the student closer to the real person that s/he is. As a successful student who got an A in the course, I recommend this course to everyone who has passions: passion to excel, passion to create or passion to achieve.

The Happiness Course is possibly one of the best things that happened to my life - and I kid you not! I was enthusiastic about life in general, buy after this course, I immediately started to feel so much difference in how I live every single day of my life.

Raj, whom I over time developed immense respect and affection for, is a very solid guy. He does not preach, but talks about logic, about facts, about research, this bringing every single person into the fold of this beautiful realm.

The manner in which the course is structured, with multiple activities that leave you completely touched, and I'm the process creating happiness for even those you love, is amazing.

Very strongly recommend anyone and everyone to take this course, and complete it till the end come what may.

You don't get to change your life in such a beautiful way every single day. Buy this advice. This thing is really amazing and this guy is an absolute Rockstar!!

What an extraordinarily well taught course! I deeply appreciated all the time the professor spent in crafting this course. I delighted in how he used video interviews, recommended books to read, and gave me concrete ways to increase my happiness levels. He was an amazing teacher. He had fabulous energy while teaching and spoke with unbelievable clarity in presenting difficult ideas. Undoubtedly, he deeply cared about being a wonderful teacher. His students at the University of Texas and at Coursera are incredibly lucky to have had him as their teacher.

I am looking forward to buying his forthcoming book, "If you are so smart, why aren't you happy?". I have already encouraged many of my friends to take this course!

In short, as a retired professor of 25 years who reviewed many professors for promotion and tenure, I can boldly state that Professor Ragunathan is one of my top two favorite professors. Joyfully, Kathy

Professor Raj and every single person of his team has instrumented an extraordinary course, which covers a lot of fields about what happiness and fulfillment , means . An excellent balance between thougths , feelings and logic.

Based on scientific papers , many interviews of brilliant specislists and at the same time enriched with music and shapes.

From day 1 u need to dedicate as much time is possible to the course. From exercise 1 u start to come closer to yourself: discover your needs, your goals, your sourse within. Understanding your surroundings with all of your senses.

Time flies and before u know it , u are already at week 6, than a dilemma comes to your mind : -What Happend ? - What is the purpose of this ? In a magical way the answer is there , from now on u can see life not only with your eyes , u are a more positive and optimistic person , u become again what u were from your birth , a human beeing. Of course its not a magical way , its the way which Professor Raj and his co-collaboratos , reveal u.

Please , enroll to this couse , u will become better person for yourselves, for the people u love and for the humanity.

Many thanks from Greece.

With smiles .

This course has some very serious technical mistakes that make it unbelievably frustrating to work with at times. I understand that it would be costly to re-shoot videos, or to re-work the website, but ... darn people !!! ... this is a university class, and these mistakes date from before Raj's book was published - years ago!! How do students find out that there are mistakes or non-existent links? When they complain to one of the mentors who then tells you that the link does not work.

For the entire 6 weeks I took this course, I did not know who "my" mentor was - they changed
from week to week. The vast majority of comments on the posts were at least 3 months, and often years, old. Only here and there did I actually communicate with someone from the current cohort. Very frustrating.

I was not able to find out how other students graded my assignments. Yes yes, I get it - it's Coursera's issue - but this is YOUR course, so I think referring students to COURSERA whenever an issue pops up is simply wrong. There should be somebody in the administration of the class who can respond to problems

For working adults, this course has way too much work to do on a weekly basis.

This class on happiness left me very, very, very frustrated and unhappy. I often did not agree with the philosophical/purely psychological approach to the subject, but I seldom heard back from other students concerning my objections.

What I found positive is that the class contains extensive bibliographies and videographies, and I already bought several books from the recommended reading list.

What I found positive is that I now do mindfulness training, i.e., I could not fit what I had expected would be at least half an hour of time into my life. I now accept that several minutes, twice a day, can work, and that I can transition from there to more time when I am less busy. But right now, the few minutes are a part of my daily routine.

I had joined this course out of curiosity and never intended to complete it but the content was so much interesting that it got me hooked. I could not get away till I completed viewing all videos.
I have taken various courses from well known British, American, German and Spanish institutes through various online forums but the amazingly great amount of research that was shared in this course was simply awesome. The recommended readings will keep me occupied for a long time.
Going through the course was a self awareness exercise for me and now I can share lots of scientific stuff with people struggling with happiness around me.
Efforts of all the course team for coming up with such a wonderful course are commendable. Teaching assistant and Prof. Raj were very responsive on discussion boards wherever their input was needed. Getting response personally from Prof. Raj on discussion forums was pleasantly surprising as usually students get an hour long live office hour or a few minutes recorded Q& A session once a week
Some assignmnets were peer graded and I was quite apprehensive while submitting my work for peer review but peers were really gracious in grading and feedback provided was constructive. Peers were also very helpful on social network.
I wish I could have clicked 5 stars when rating this course. It surely deserves full grades. I have taken the course on its first run and there were delays in uploading course assessments and exams that was bit frustrating. It is easier to take quiz when one finishes watching relevant module videos but we had to wait till last week to start submissions. The self grading part of course also needs some restructuring. I am sure future runs of the course will be perfect. Overall it was a superb course.

OVERVIEW

Each module and the entirety of the course is structured very comprehensively. The lectures incorporate various professors who are experts in their field via video conference, telephone, and quotes. Lecture videos (though sometimes long) have lots of embedded quizzes and relevant external videos. Just like taking a course at university, supplemental (yet an optional) reading list is provided for those who wish to explore further.

LECTURE VIDEOS

Prof Raj definitely knows what he is talking about and the videos are easy to follow. There are only a few videos where the audio isn't the best, but transcripts can be downloaded on Coursera, and a clean-format of the transcription can be found on the Facebook page. The animations, lighting, audio, in general are all great.

THE COMMUNITY

The discussion forum is very active. With at least three mentors active during the duration of the course, and at least one responding to a post within a business day, you won't feel like you're taking the course alone.

CAUTION !

Although it states that time commitment is 2-3 hours a week, it will most likely take more than that. The total number of minutes spent on watching all lecture videos (for that week) averages to a little over 2 hours. If you're like me and want to take notes or take a break while studying or re-watch a lecture, you'll need more time. Plus on top of that, there are quizzes and assignments. (You can save time by not submitting assignments via the ISB website.) I would allocate minimum 3 hours a week for this course and maximum 5. Bare this in mind for those who are working or studying full-time or are taking other MOOC courses.