The already pressing concerns around happiness and mental health among the college aged population have been exacerbated by the sweeping changes of COVID-19. In response, I have developed a comprehensive educational intervention. I created a Happiness 101 undergraduate course to be offered in the spring of 2021 at the University of Alabama.
The problem is that college students are showing decreased levels of happiness and increased levels of mental illness.
Mental illness and chronic ‘unhappiness’ are reaching crisis levels. This problem is particularly pronounced on college campuses. Rates of depression amongst college aged individuals doubled from 2009 to 2017 according to a study published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology. What’s more, suicide is the second leading cause of death among individuals aged 10-34 according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
The solution is an education intervention in the form of a happiness course to empower students to live happier lives.
This course focuses on understanding happiness and wellbeing from the perspective of positive psychology. Habit formation and behavioral change are also a key component of the course to encourage students to apply their knowledge in the real-world. I have synthesized several positive psychology survey instruments and worked with the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) to develop a ten question survey. This survey will be issued before, immediately after, and several months after the course to track longevity of outcomes in student happiness and engagement.