In this popular free course from Yale University and Coursera, Professor Dr. Laurie Santos teaches an intimate group of Yale students about the science of happiness. Throughout the videos in the course, she references dozens of studies to back up her claims of what social science has discovered about what does and doesn't make us happy. She begins the course by highlighting some false beliefs we might have relating to happiness such as beliefs in getting the ideal job, a certain amount of money, awesome worldly possessions, and a perfect body. In the next set of videos, she points out some annoying features of our minds that might be getting in the way of our happiness, such as our hedonic adaptation (getting used to the positive things in life) or our constantly comparing ourselves to others (which is why social media often makes us unhappy).
Dr. Santos then gets into what actually does make us happy, highlighting things like social connection, time affluence, meditation, exercise, good sleep, and why experiences make us happier than buying stuff. The latter half of the course deals with putting these well-being activities into practice. Throughout the course, Dr. Santos has question-and-answer time with the students. She has a down-to-earth way of speaking that isn't too academic, and it's an excellent course that will get you thinking about what is contributing to your own happiness. If you're unhappy, it will provide you with some strategies to boost your happiness!
Dr. Santos also teaches a version of the course called The Science of Well-Being for Teens, which is available on Coursera and on her YouTube channel. And if you enjoy her research and teachings you might want to check out her popular podcast The Happiness Lab Podcast.