Why Aren’t We Teaching Our Students How to be Happy?

This summer, I decided for the first time in my Psychology of Human Growth & Development course to introduce my students to the research into the science of happiness. The impetus for this came as I was prepping lecture regarding parenting styles and I noticed that parents consistently identify the happiness of their children as their ultimate goal as their caregivers, despite variations in the pathways they may take in attempting to achieve such an ambition.

This got me thinking, wouldn’t it be fun to explore the science of happiness with my students in the class and actually look at the literature regarding what variables happiness is actually associated with? Historically, there has been a bias in the field where psychologists have focused more on pathology than well-being, thus for too long issues such as what constitutes happiness or how it can be achieved has been marginalized or largely ignored.

As I embarked on the first presentation of this science of happiness lecture, I was met by both enthusiasm and skepticism by my students. Enthusiasm because they were all eager to discuss, debate, dissect and explore pathways to happiness, and skepticism because at times, what the empirical research has uncovered regarding happiness was hard for my students to actually believe.

In response, for instance, to my sharing that one study found getting an extra hour of sleep each night would do more for a person’s daily happiness than getting a $60,000 raise (as reported by Rubin, 2009), one student scoffed, “Who exactly did they ask that question to for those results?” This actually led to a lively debate, as I encouraged my students to consider the cumulative toll of sleep deprivation on well-being and happiness. Moreover, we began to explore as a class the distinction between pleasure-seeking or quick bursts of pleasure, which could come from a large bonus or raise versus more stable or long-lasting forms of well-being that require greater discipline and lifestyle habits, which would also include sleep-related behaviors. Both types of experiences could be described as happiness, although one is more fleeting than the other.

Introducing students to practical ways that their daily choices could be making them more or less happy ignited one of the most participatory and enthusiastic responses from my class. Everyone can relate to the pursuit of happiness, and as we dissected the empirical findings, we started to link them back to questions of how children are being raised in our culture, and what types of values or messages about happiness are being transmitted to them—deliberately or not.

For instance, most students weren’t exactly surprised to hear that there is not a direct or even predictable correlation between happiness and wealth. At the same time, however, they were also honest in sharing that they imagine being happier with more money in their pockets. Why, as a society, are we all participating in the relentless pursuit of material gain if in fact it is not the most predictable road to happiness and well-being?

The takeaway of this experience with my students is that for them to thrive in higher education environments, they have to be able to use what we are teaching them not only in an academic context or to further their knowledge but in a practical way that can enrich their lives outside of the classroom as well. Particularly within a community college environment, where I teach full-time, the demographics of our school are very diverse, our students have a lot of other demands, and they are seeking knowledge and skills that they can apply to many areas of their lives. What more fundamental skill-building can we bestow on them—especially within the context of a psychology course—than how to live their lives in a way that can enhance their happiness? Alas, this is where the goals of educators and parents converge—we are all seeking the happiness of those who we have been tasked with guiding through adulthood.

Copyright Azadeh Aalai 2017

Source: Pixabay/Alexas_Fotos