VOA慢速英语--幸福课：耶鲁大学最受欢迎的课程之一

Happiness Class One of Yale University's Most Popular Ever

The search for one of life’s greatest goals, happiness, is what brings almost 1,200 students to one of Yale University’s most popular classes ever.

The class is called "Psychology¹ and the Good Life." Psychology professor Laurie Santos teaches the class.

One in four Yale undergraduate students has registered to take it. It has the largest class registration² size in Yale’s 317-year history.

So, why do so many students want this class? Santos says it is the hope that science can help students find peace among all the stresses and difficulties they face at college.

"Students report being more depressed³ than they have ever been in history at college,” she said.

Social science research has led to many new understandings of how people find happiness, Santos says.

"They really want to learn those insights in an empirical, science-driven way," she said of the students taking her happiness class.

Yale was founded in 1701. It is the third-oldest university in the United States. It has had many famous individuals as students, including presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush, Supreme⁴ Court Justice Samuel Alito and actors Paul Newman and Meryl Streep.

Healthy body healthy mind

Santos said feelings of happiness are created through several things. Among them are socialization, exercise, meditation⁵ and plenty of sleep. She added that while many people may see money and possessions as goals in life, those things are not usually what make people most happy.

"Very happy people spend time with others, they prioritize time with their friends, time with their family.” Happy people even make time to talk to people who work at coffee shops, Santos added.

Santos also notes the psychological happening of "mis-wanting," which leads people to work towards the wrong goals in life.

"We work really hard to get a great salary or to buy this huge house," she said. "Those things are not going to make us as happy as we think."

School work for the happiness class, also known as Psyc 157, include showing more gratitude⁶, performing acts of kindness and increasing social connections.

Because of the popularity of the class, it has been made publicly available -- for free – on the website Coursera.

The class is already helping⁷ Yale students like senior Rebekah Siliezar. She describes her mindset before taking the class.

"What's most pressing on our minds is grades, it's the next job, it's a potential salary after graduation," said Siliezar. Now, she said tries more to “focus on the present moment and the people around me."

I’m Phil Dierking.

Words in This Story

empirical - adj. based on testing or experience?

gratitude - n. a feeling of appreciation⁸ or thanks?

potential - n. capable of becoming real?

prioritize - v. to organize (things) so that the most important thing is done or dealt with first?

meditation - n. the act or process of spending time in quiet thought?

salary - n. an amount of money that an employee is paid each year?

undergraduate - n. a student at a college or university who has not yet earned a degree

1 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

2 registration   

n.登记，注册，挂号

参考例句：

• Marriage without registration is not recognized by law.法律不承认未登记的婚姻。
• What's your registration number?你挂的是几号？

3 depressed   

adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的

参考例句：

• When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
• His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。

4 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

5 meditation   

n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录

参考例句：

• This peaceful garden lends itself to meditation.这个恬静的花园适于冥想。
• I'm sorry to interrupt your meditation.很抱歉，我打断了你的沉思。

6 gratitude   

adj.感激，感谢

参考例句：

• I have expressed the depth of my gratitude to him.我向他表示了深切的谢意。
• She could not help her tears of gratitude rolling down her face.她感激的泪珠禁不住沿着面颊流了下来。

7 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

8 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。