Program Overview

The Science of Health and Happiness

The RCSI Centre for Positive Health Sciences presents a new online public course entitled 'The Science of Health and Happiness'.

Course Overview

The course is designed to provide information on the science of health and happiness, covering topics such as diseases of lifestyle, mind-body connections, whole person health, and routes to happiness.

Course Structure

The course consists of 10 weeks, with each week focusing on a specific topic:

• Week 1: Getting started - Introduction to the course and diseases of lifestyle
• Week 2: Biology: mind-body connections - Exploring the interlink between mind, brain, and body
• Week 3: Whole person health - Examining the six pillars of lifestyle medicine
• Week 4: What are the routes to happiness? (part 1) - Studying happiness scientifically and the importance of mindset
• Week 5: What are the routes to happiness? (part 2) - Focusing on gratitude, empathy, compassion, and kindness
• Week 6: Meditation for health - Exploring mindfulness and meditation
• Week 7: Your emotions and you - Understanding emotional intelligence and cultivating positive emotions
• Week 8: Your strongest self - Building resilience, trauma, and growth
• Week 9: Happiness across the lifespan - Fostering happiness, health, and well-being in childhood, adolescence, and aging
• Week 10: Putting it all together - Key takeaways and strategies for happiness and health

Faculty

The course is delivered by faculty members from the RCSI Centre for Positive Psychology and Health, including:

• Professor Ciaran O'Boyle, Director
• Dr. Pádraic Dunne, Lecturer
• Dr. Trudy Meehan, Lecturer

Resources

Additional resources are available for each week, including PDF documents and videos.