What makes people happy? The seemingly easy question had never been so hard to answer when I started to ponder it seriously – it was somewhat ridiculous that I had hardly any idea what to answer. In the hope of finding an answer to this question, I enrolled in the course “The Science of Well-Being”, a well-known MOOC course offered by Yale University on Coursera.

The course was so intriguing that I completed all the lecture videos with great interest in around a dozen hours. Following the course instructor, Prof Laurie Santos, I learned about several important concepts regarding our understanding of happiness and the science behind it. The topics covered by the course include our misconceptions of happiness, the reasons behind such misconceptions, the methods to counteract them, the ways to effectively improve our happiness, and also the approaches to put the ideas into practice and form healthy habits. As Prof Santos’ G.I. Joe fallacy indicates, “Knowing is not half the battle,” I would comment that the greatest challenge in completing this course was not learning about these concepts; it was the practice that required most of the efforts and determination. Following the instructions, I picked up a good habit to form, and tried to put it into practice in the previous weeks. The outcome was unexpectedly pleasant – not only had I formed a good habit and developed a much healthier lifestyle, but my happiness score increased significantly as well.

Therefore, of all the MOOCs I have read in this semester, I would say that this course was the most enlightening one. Having read this course, I have a strong feeling that I have gained a much better understanding about myself and become an undoubtfully happier person. Moreover, the company of my friend, who has not only completed the course with me, but shared her thoughts with me and listened to mine patiently as well, has made this course even more meaningful to me. My appreciation is beyond words.