Although the emerging discipline of Happiness Studies began in the field of Psychology (Ben-Shahar, 2007), most often called “Positive Psychology”(Martin Seligman, 2002), it has morphed into an interdisciplinary field including anthropology, sociology, and philosophy, among others. Few U.S. colleges offer Happiness courses taught in the discipline of Communication (Myers, 2024). This presentation articulates how using communication concepts such as Interpersonal Communication and Intrapersonal Communication, which Howard Gardner (1983) in his groundbreaking book on Multiple Intelligences claims are two of the eight major types of Intelligence, can be highly effective in teaching the college-level Happiness course. Because the best predictor of happiness is mutually supportive interpersonal relationships (Ben-Shahar, 2021), the author discusses recent research, activities, and techniques to help improve interpersonal communication effectiveness, and, thus, interpersonal relationships. The author also discusses the effectiveness of engaging in intrapersonal activities such as journaling, gratitude letters, positive affirmations, etc., as Ben-Shahar (2021; 2007) claims they helped his students become happier. Indeed, I found this to be the case when I taught a college course on Happiness & Communication for three semesters. It is vitally important to create more college-level courses on Happiness in a variety of disciplines because college students have increasingly been experiencing higher levels of depression and anxiety over the decades – exacerbated by the worldwide Covid epidemic (Santos, 2023).

Authors:
Monique Myers, Stonehill College, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Monique Myers is a University Associate Professor/Senior Lecturer at Stonehill College in United States

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

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