Dr. Happy — NJ university wants to create new doctors in ‘happiness’ studies

😀 How would like to study happiness in school?

😀 A NJ university is launching the world's first Ph.D. in Happiness Studies

😀 You could become a Chief Happiness Officer

HACKETTSTOWN — How would you like a degree in Happiness Studies?

Centenary University in Hackettstown is launching the world’s first doctorate-level degree in Happiness Studies at the end of August, with 25 students from New Jersey and all over the world enrolled.

It’s a virtual four-year, 66-credit program that aims to help people become happier and help them help others do the same, said Tal Ben-Shahar, professor and director of Happiness Studies at the university.

The program also aims to establish an academic field of study around happiness. “This field integrates ideas, of course, from psychology, as well as from philosophy, and theology, and neuroscience, and literature, and so on, so it’s to cultivate scholars in this new/old field of happiness,” Ben-Shahar said.

The doctorate program builds upon Centenary University’s master's degree program, also the first master’s degree of its kind when it launched in 2022. Last year, 87 students from 13 countries made up the master's program's first graduating class.

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Why the need?

There are many benefits to increasing levels of happiness, he said. For example, a manager who introduces well-being in their organization will have more productive and more creative employees.

A teacher who introduces happiness into schools will not only have happier students but also more confident students. Anxiety and depression levels will go down, and academic performance will increase, Ben-Shahar explained.

Wherever well-being is introduced, he believes there will be an increase in performance and experience.

The course in Happiness

The 66-degree course curriculum focuses on readings and content that is similar to other Ph.D. programs, Ben-Shahar said. Happiness studies students will receive a rigorous foundation in research methods and statistics, as well as reading relevant texts in the field of happiness, starting from Aristotle and up to today’s leading scholars.

They’ll examine historical figures like Helen Keller, Maria Montessori, Nelson Mandela, and Lao Tzu.

In addition, they not only get an interdisciplinary approach, but an international approach, he said.

Students will read Western philosophy as well as Chinese and African philosophies.

The coursework includes statistics, teaching, leadership, readings on life-flourishing, plus students have to write a dissertation.

Ben-Shahar said the dissertation will be a research project helping to expand the knowledge in the field of well-being. This could be related to interventions and therapies, or related to a happy, rising family. The topic is up to them, but it must be related to the field of human flourishing, he said.

Applicants for the doctorate degree program should have a master's degree in Happiness Studies or a related field, but Centenary said it will offer opportunities for others to complete a series of prerequisite courses to be eligible for the degree.

Careers in Happiness Studies

Ben-Shahar said someone with the degree could become a "Chief Happiness Officer" at a company. This person is responsible for enhancing well-being in organizations.

“More and more research is pointing to the fact that happiness is a good investment. You increase productivity. You increase creativity. Turnover rates go down significantly when you are concerned with your employees’ well-being,” Ben-Shahar said.

Teachers can implement happiness studies in schools. Ben-Shahar said he’s seen mayors introduce well-being interventions in their cities, and more and more doctors and other medical professionals are introducing well-being research in hospitals.

It is a very general degree because every profession can benefit from the science of well-being, from education to management to politics, he added.

The Future of Happiness Studies

“My hope is to help establish a field of happiness studies so that our graduates will teach in different departments, whether it’s business school, or school of education, or a psychology department, as well as establish a happiness studies department at other universities around the world,” Ben-Shahar said.

In addition, the hope is to introduce many of these evidence-based interventions, tools, and techniques to communities.

Levels of anxiety and depression have skyrocketed, and an antidote is needed. “I believe happiness studies is just that. The antidote,” Ben-Shahar said.

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