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Learner Reviews & Feedback for A Life of Happiness and Fulfillment by Indian School of Business

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5,808 ratings

About the Course

What are the determinants of a happy and fulfilling life? This is surely one of life’s biggest questions, and a question that has interested many of our ancestors. Buddha famously gave up his kingdom in search of happiness. Several Greek philosophers (from Aristotle to Epicurus and Plato to Socrates) had their own views on what it takes to be happy. And of course, we all have our own theories about happiness too. How valid are our theories? Until recently, if you wished for an answer to this question, you would've been forced to base it on discussions with spiritual leaders. Or, if you were lucky, you could've based it on late-night (and perhaps intoxicant-fueled) conversations with friends and family. Happily, all that has changed now. Over the past decade-and-a-half, scientists have gotten into the act big time. We now have a pretty good idea of what it takes to lead a happy and fulfilling life. This course, based on the award-winning class offered both at the Indian School of Business and at the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin, developed by Prof. Raj Raghunathan (aka "Dr. Happy-smarts") draws content from a variety of fields, including psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral decision theory to offer a tested and practical recipe for leading a life of happiness and fulfillment. Although not mandatory, reading Prof. Raj's forthcoming book, titled If you're so smart, why aren't you happy? can help you review and assimilate the material covered in this book at your leisure. For Coursera learners alone, the hardcover version of the book is available for a deep discount of 50%, plus shipping and handling. You can order the hardcover for 50% off by writing to Aaron at: Aaron@800ceoread.com. Please mention that you are a student of the "coursera happiness course" in your email. The course will feature guest appearances by several well-known thought leaders, including: - Dan Ariely (author of Predictably Irrational and, soon to be released, Irrationally Yours), - Ed Diener (“Dr. Happiness”), - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (author of Flow), By taking this course, you will discover the answers to questions such as: - Why aren’t the smart-and-the-successful as happy as they could—or should—be - What are the “7 Deadly Happiness Sins” that even the smart and the successful commit?, and - What are the “7 Habits of the Highly Happy” and how can you implement them in your life? By the end of the course, I expect students who have been diligent with the lectures and exercises to not just gain a deeper understanding of the science of happiness, but to also be significantly happier....

Top reviews

CR

Apr 23, 2018

Excellent course, Professor Raj is great. I found it very helpful to see what types of personality traits I have that may contribute to my happiness level and possible approaches to dealing with them.

LS

Jan 23, 2017

This course is a joy! I cannot recommend it highly enough. Practical advice based on long-term research, interviews with worldwide experts on the topics discussed, and a fabulous professor. So great!

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101 - 125 of 2,036 Reviews for A Life of Happiness and Fulfillment

By Pilar S

Sep 11, 2016

This course is absolutely amazing! I took it because I was feeling kind of moody in a regula basis and that made me very unhappy. The topics covered in the course made me understand how we do so many things that go against our happiness and made me think about my own situation and why I was getting upset about silly things.

I also found very interesting the focus of the course. I was worried it may be new age, happy clappy kind of affair, but it is very well structured, organised and all the facts are based in research, not on believes.

Happy, moody, sad... I'd recommend this course to everyone, there is plenty to learn and to understand for all of us.

Thank you Prof. Raj!

By SHAZAD K

May 21, 2020

My sister and I started Happiness courses together except she took the one offered by Yale University. After comparing our notes, I found that Dr. Raj's course is an all-encompassing and a very effective course. I found the course very valuable. All presentations were well-paced and had the right amount of intensity to keep me interested. I enjoyed the peer-reviewed exercises and enjoyed reviewing more than my share. I have already incorporated subjective insertions to avoid the pitfalls of disappointment when things don't turn out the way I had desired.

Eternal thanks to Dr.Raj and his team for a brilliant effort and adding value to the Coursera community.

By Surendranath M

Aug 23, 2020

Youngsters who aspire for successful career with a bright future must compulsorily enroll for this course. Prof. Raj poular in social media as Dr Happy Smarts is wonderful and thrived and highly excited to bring in concerned scientists, researchers and academicians to talk to and present their works and outcomes. Some of among among them look elderly and were keen to share their knowledge on various modules of the course. This course actually demonstratd the level of present teaching technics hitherto not available in Indian Universities. Various advantages of online courses also could be experienced. I am really grateful to Prof Raj and Coursera ISB team.

By Marcel R

Jun 27, 2017

This course surpassed all my initial expectations. Frankly, didn't expect much, giving this happiness topic is so full of advices and no research subsidizing them. This course is organized in a way that all ideas presented have background information and research to back it up beyond mere claims. Prof. Raj present it all in a very clear and entertaining way, he's charismatic and keep un upbeat all along the course duration. This course have made me reflect on my life and "sins" more than some years of therapy. I can only be thankful to prof. Raj and his team, and highly recommend this course to everyone. It's a great investment of time, I assure you!

By Elizabeth T

Dec 4, 2016

The information in the course was really excellent and was set up in a way that it wasn't overwhelming. I wish I could give four and a half only because some of the videos explaining procedures were really long and were obsolete, and also because different parts of the site would say that I needed to submit something and others would say that everything was received so it made me really nervous - at one point the site was telling me that I was late in submitted my work and that I'd need to sign up for a later class but it turns out my assignments had been submitted and graded before the cut off time so that alert just really frazzled me if anything.

By Franklin C

Feb 28, 2016

I really enjoyed this course! Dr. Raghunathan has a lot of energy and is very engaging in the videos for each module. The information is clear and easy to understand, yet at the same time, has led to serious improvements in my life. Not only that, the assignments in this class get each of us to reach out and connect with people in our communities in an organic and comfortable manner. Also, there are a lot of very good book recommendations throughout the course and I highly recommend checking some of them out!! I've already recommended this course to friends in my "real life", and I hope that this review will sway someone to enroll. Stay well!

By Pim M

Aug 24, 2016

This course doesn't just help you give an understanding about happiness. It really helps increase your knowledge in a wide variety of areas. Anybody will benefit from this course, but if you're interested in (cognitive) psychology this really helps with building or expanding your knowledge of subjects like motivation. Personally I've done a Master in Applied Cognitive Psychology, and have read about self-determination theory, but never have I seen it applied so broadly to so many subjects. I feel like I understand my own degree much better now. Not just that; since this course I feel like I understand everything and everyone better now...

By Deleted A

Apr 25, 2018

Excellent introductory course on positive psychology and available research supporting specific methods to understand and improve happiness. Lecturer is excellent. He makes efforts to engage the audience by providing in-depth reading material and then summarizing the work in easy-to-follow, clear language. The course is up-to-date (2017 ) and I would recommend this to anyone who wants a preview into specific ways for enhancing happiness. It's not a directed "how-to book" but rather it points at resources and explains them well enough to encourage/facilitate students to make their own choices about which approaches might be useful.

By Jocelyn S

Sep 12, 2020

This class was highly enjoyable. Professor Raj did very well teaching topics and giving examples. I love his attitude about this course. I loved how there are many resources to look at outside of the course (videos, books, articles) and the resources shared in the course are amazing too! I will take the things I learned from this course and try to use them as often as I can. It is easier to recognize my "deadly sins" of unhappiness and flipping them into "happy habits" for myself and those around me in my life. I really appreciate the time that was put into this course into making it both fun and informative.. Thank you!

By Tami V L

Sep 23, 2020

I thoroughly enjoyed this course. Raj is a dynamic, positive, well-organized presenter, which contributed to the enjoyment of the course. The material is very useful both in terms of my work as a psychologist and in my personal life, and I am referring back to my notes frequently as they are so helpful in everyday life. I have recommended this course to several clients already as well as my own family members. The readings, resources, and general format are exceptional. Thank you for making this course available on!ine. I look forward to doing the extended meditation and going through some of the recommended reading!

By Satyam D

Apr 4, 2018

I'm deeply grateful to Prof Raj and his team for making this excellent course available to all. There is an incredible amount of scientific research done to create this course. And yet it is fun and enjoyable.

The course gave me a great opportunity to learn the fundamental facts about happiness. Now I am more aware about what constitutes life success. I have learnt a lot about myself while doing the course and I strongly believe I have made a very good investment of my time and effort.

I sincerely thank everyone in Coursera and Dr Raj's team for increasing the net happiness in this world with this course! :) :) :)

By Vinay K

Mar 5, 2021

I was instantly attracted towards this course the moment I saw it on Coursera. I was proved right by opting for this and I have fallen in love with the whole course unfolding the life of happiness and I am ever grateful to my coach Raj for helping many people like me in discovering our purpose of life. His extensive research on happiness, which was mostly philosophical hitherto, and sharing it with us in such simplistic words is just awesome and he truly stands out as a modern monk for me. Thank you again to Coursera and Raj for this wonderful journey. I make sure I will pass on this treasury to many more people.

By Irene H

Jun 10, 2017

Raj is an energetic and engaging teacher. He covered the topic from every imaginable angle so we learned all the ways we sabotage our own happiness and the appropriate "fixes". I appreciated all of the guest speakers / interviews, which showed the multidisciplinary nature of the topic as well as its importance in the personal, social, and even national spheres. The various measures of our own personal happiness, trust, etc. were very revealing and encouraged me to think about and apply the information in my own life. Thanks to all those at the ISB who helped to put together this very interesting course!

By Debanjoly C

Oct 9, 2020

Well it was a wonderful journey. I had been searching for a course like this for years. At last I found this. Well structured and very in depth discussions were given for every topic with plenty of real life examples and researches. It changed my perception about life ,about happiness, about success. Although I have finished all the assignments and tasks seriously but still feel like I have lot more to learn from this course. I wish I had access to this course for life time :). Instructor was really engaging and energetic. Such a mind refreshing course by an Indian instructor. Proud to be an Indian.

By Joshua L F

Jan 5, 2016

This course delivered a ton of very good perspectives, insights, and data to help you grasp an all-important topic which is not typically explored on an academic level. Instead of bombarding you with opinions, this course approaches the topic in both an analytical and personal way, inviting you to explore and expand your own definitions of happiness while learning the science behind it.

I found my consciousness of as well as my knowledge about happiness elevated substantially through this course's teachings, and I would recommend it to anyone serious about living an intentional and happy life.

By M M

Sep 10, 2020

Absolutely an amazing course to take. Prof. Raj. is so insightful and fun, he loves to add in jokes as well. This course has opened my eyes and introduces you to many good books which, I have purchased most of his recommendations. I love how this course just doesn't let the fun end, it helps you continue your happiness journey even after you complete this course. Thank you Prof. Raj. and all that had contributed to this fantastic course. Thank you for introducing Swati as well, she is adorable. I cannot thank you all enough. Highly recommend if you truly want to learn to be happy. =)

By GSR M

Aug 24, 2020

Successfully completed the course called *A Life of Happiness and Fulfillment*, offered by Indian School of Business (ISB) through MOOCS on the #courseera platform. The content & delivery was awesome. Prof. Raj Raghunathan is an excellent teacher.It was great learning to explore the determinants of Happiness & Fulfillment from the world's renowned scientists in the field of happiness.It was worth the investment of time & money. My biggest learnings were about Happiness, Flow, Mindfulness, Abundance.I recommend this course. Thank you Prof. Raj, ISB & Coursera Team for such a wonderful course.

By Adriana S V

Dec 8, 2020

Este curso ha sido una de las experiencias personales más importantes de mi vida, siento que más que una formación académica es una luz en el camino para saber afrontar nuestra vida personal con herramientas claras que nos ayudan a profundizar sobre el propósito de nuestra existencia,

Los profesores son maravillosos, el Dr. Rajagopal Raghunathan es un instructor maravilloso, su carisma y conocimiento hacen que las clases sean agradables, interesantes y muy divertidas.

Recomiendo este curso para quienes quieran Cre Ser como personas y aportar luz a la humanidad en estos tiempos difíciles.

By Deepak N

Feb 5, 2017

This is the best course that I ever had in my lifetime. At the time of signing-up for this course, I was bit skeptical that how someone can teach us happiness and could be it be a spiritual discourse?But I'm happy, I was proved wrong. This course has no spiritual discourse and methods taught in this course are complete based on scientific facts and 100% practical. Having practised few techniques,I feel a positive difference in a way I see & feel experiences.

Thank you Prof.Raj for having delivered this course on Coursera. No wonder this is one of the highly rated course in the website.

By Manolis S

Aug 25, 2015

I am just mid-way through this course but I really can't stop myself from writing this review now, before I even finish it! Definitely it is the best course I have personally taken, despite the large number of courses I have experienced, some of them of excellent quality, in Coursera and elsewhere. Here we have a charismatic professor giving a great teaching performance, offering a vast amount of knowledge, a wealth of positive motivation and a big lesson for life! Obviously there is huge effort and hard work behind these exemplary video lectures. I would give it a 6/5 if I could..

By Miriam M

Aug 14, 2020

I have been a lifelong student and this is one of the best study program I have experienced. The content was useful and life changing . The format of video lectures interspersed with mini questions and the longer quizzes and assignments all served to validate learning . The many opportunities to hear from so very many worldwide experts was priceless.

Professor Raj is a brilliant academic and his passion for ALOHAF is unparalleled .

His legacy will be this unique ability to change our world to a happier place , student by student .

Best wishes to him and his team always . Miriam

By Jakub Z

Oct 25, 2015

I really enjoyed this course for many reasons. I found it very useful in helping me identify things that make me happy and how to experience them more often and also other aspects and habits of the highly happy. The exercises are very engaging, pushing the students out of their comfort zone just the right amount. Also, I found the teacher, Prof. Raj, to be a really nice, down-to-earth kind of guy, which made it easier for me to follow the course - not the best actor, but a great teacher ;). He is the kind of guy I would be happy to hang out with and share a beer or two :)

By Linda G

Nov 1, 2015

Highly recommended course, very well documented, fun, and with great practical information. Dr. Rajagopal Raghunathan is an excellent speaker, and he added great videos of recognized specialist in the theme. Congratulation to Coursera and the Business India School.

Un curso muy recomendable, esta muy bien documentado, muy ameno, con información útil y práctica. Además del Dr. Rajagopal Raghunathan, que es un excelente expositor, hay muy buenos videos de especialstas muy reconocidos. Felicidades a coursera y a la Escuela de Negocios de la India por tan buen material.

By Yoxa D

Nov 14, 2015

This course is AMAZING! I haven't finished it yet, but I'm in week 6 and starting to miss it already. As a former engineer/scientist, I can appreciate the research and science that has gone into the topic of happiness. It is very well summarized here. The lessons are fun and engaging. Also, the resources from the optional reading list will keep me busy for awhile, which I definitely don't mind! I would highly recommend this to all, those highly happy as well as those that would like to learn how to be happier. Can't say it enough, but THANK YOU, Dr. Raj!!

By Artur A

Aug 28, 2015

Awesome course. I want to thank all the people who worked on this course. Especially I want to express gratitude to Prof. Raj, he is a really good teacher, I watched every video with a big interest. Your students in universities are big luckers to have such a great teacher. Prof. Raj and his team have done a big job, learned a lot of materials, took a lot of interviews etc. just for preparing this terrific course for us. Thank you so much. English is not my native language, maybe I did some mistakes, but I hope I've expressed my gratitude pretty clear.