A Condensed Positive Psychology Course Improves Students’ Subjective Well-Being and Academic Achievement

Abstract

Background Completing positive psychology-related activities can increase subjective and objective well-being. Objective The present study investigated whether completing a condensed positive psychology course increases students’ subjective well-being and academic achievement relative to those who completed other condensed psychology courses. Method One hundred and eighty-one students completed a condensed 4-week to 5-week asynchronous, fully online, positive psychology, cognitive psychology, or statistics course. All students completed three questionnaires assessing their subjective well-being (life satisfaction, happiness, and stress level) at two time points: precompletion and postcompletion of the course. Participants were also asked to indicate how often they shared the information they learned in the course with their close others, and their course grade was analyzed. Results Students who completed the positive psychology course reported higher levels of life satisfaction, lower levels of stress, and had a higher course grade compared to students completing the other psychology courses. Students who completed positive psychology indicated that they were more likely to share what they had been learning with their close others than those who completed the other courses. Among the positive psychology activities, participants indicated that they were most likely to continue performing random acts of kindness. Conclusion Completing a positive psychology course benefits both the individual and the community at large. Teaching implications The results support the use of a positive psychology course to improve students’ well-being and academic achievement.