Positive psychology is a relatively recent scientific enterprise with the central objective of understanding and facilitating happiness and subjective well being and studying predictive factors that influence such states. This course provides a comprehensive overview of the various constructs associated with positive psychology (e.g., gratitude, resilience) from a theory- and evidence-based perspective. The assessment of positive emotions, character strengths, and meaning will be presented. The application of these constructs at the subjective, individual, and sociocultural level will be addressed and the rationale for why positive psychology interventions are efficacious in medical/health care settings will be examined.

• Understand the important methods, terms, theories and findings in the field of positive psychology.
• Summarize the research related to the psychological definition and measurement of well-being and happiness, and the importance of self-regulation of thoughts and emotions in goal directed behavior.
• Identify the connection between personal traits and the importance of relationships to well-being and resilience.
• Apply the basic concepts from the discipline to personal and professional goals, with an understanding of their clinical application in medical and healthcare settings.