Science of Well Being (PSYC 417)
Spring 2015, Section 001.  1:30 - 2:45 pm TR in Robinson B224
Professor: Jerome Short, Ph.D.                 Office: David King Hall 2019
Phone: 703-993-1368                                Office Hours: 12:15 - 1:15 Tuesdays & Thursdays
Webpage: http://mason.gmu.edu/~jshort  E-Mail: jshort@gmu.edu 

Textbook:  Lynn, S. J., O’Donohue, W. T., & Lilienfeld, S. O. (Eds.). (2015). Health, happiness, and well-being. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

Welcome! This course will introduce you to the theory, research methods, and development of psychological well-being. You will have the opportunity to practice multiple psychological exercises to enhance your psychological well-being. I expect you to attend class regularly and to complete all reading assignments before each class. I will use class time for lectures, discussions, videos, and class demonstrations of psychological exercises.
*Last day to add course: January 27     *Last day to drop course: February 20
Requirements.
Two Exams. Your exams are worth 100 points each. The exams are 80% multiple choice (40 questions worth 2 points each) and 20% short answer questions (4 questions worth from 4 to 6 points each) based on classroom activities and the readings. The final exam is not cumulative. 
Exercise Study. This project is worth 50 points and you will write a report in the form of a single‑participant scientific study. I will provide measures to assess you twice. In between, you will implement and log daily at least five psychological exercises to help improve your well-being. I will provide a sample format that explains how to write each section. The report will include Introduction, Method, Results, and Discussion sections with a minimum of five references from psychology journals. Your report can range from 10 to 15 pages plus logs. 
Creative Project. This project is worth 50 points. The project must focus on some aspect of psychological well-being and could include a booklet (paper or electronic) for a group that could benefit, a website, an instructional video, a TED lecture  http://www.ted.com , a traditional research paper (7 to 12 pages and minimum of 10 references), or other creative ideas. 
Missed Exams.  You can make-up a missed exam if you have a note from a physician that you could not attend the exam.  The professor will consider other reasons for missing an exam and will decide whether or not to allow the student to make-up the exam.  Make-up exams may have a different format from the original exam.
Extra Credit. You can earn up to 8 points of extra credit that is added onto your point total for the class. There are two ways to earn these points. First, you can participate as a volunteer for up to four hours in psychology department research (2 points per hour). Alternatively, you can write about a human service experience that is half summary and half critique and up to four typed pages (2 points per page).
Honor Code. The Honor Code of George Mason University prohibits cheating, plagiarizing, lying, and stealing. Students should be familiar with the code and connected policies, set out at http://oai.gmu.edu/the-mason-honor-code/. This course will be conducted in accordance with those policies.
Academic Accommodations. If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please see me and contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) at 703-993-2474. All academic accommodations must be arranged through that office.
Official Communications via GMU E-mail: Mason uses electronic mail to provide official information to students. Examples include communications from course instructors, notices from the library, notices about academic standing, financial aid information, class materials, assignments, questions, and instructor feedback. Students are responsible for the content of university communication sent to their mason e-mail account, and are required to activate that account and check it regularly.
Technology. Course information will be available in Blackboard. Students will need to use computers to search for articles and write papers.

Grading. I will base your final grade on your point total as defined below.
A+ = 291 - 300 (97% or more)   A  = 279 - 290 (93 – 96%)   A-  = 270 - 278 (90 - 92%)
B+ = 261 - 269 (87 - 89%)          B  = 249 - 260 (83 - 86%)    B-  = 240 - 248 (80 - 82%)
C+ = 231 - 239 (77 - 79%)          C  = 219 - 230 (73 - 76%)    C-  = 210 - 218 (70 - 72%)
D   = 180 - 209 (60 - 69%)          F  = 000 - 179 (below 60%).

Course Topics, Assignments, and Exam Dates.
1/20 Defining Psychological Well-Being  Lynn, S. J., O’Donohue, W. T., & Lilienfeld, S. O.  (2015). Better living through psychological science. In S. J. Lynn, W. T. O’Donohue, & S. O. Lilienfeld (Eds.) Health, happiness, and well-being (pp. 1-11). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Ryff, C. D. (2014). Psychological well-being revisited: Advances in the science and practice of eudaimonia. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 83, 10-28.
1/22 Kashdan, T. B., & Rottenberg, J. (2010). Psychological flexibility as a fundamental aspect of health.  Clinical Psychology Review, 30, 865-878.
Lyubomirsky, S., & Layous, K. (2013). How do simple positive activities increase well-being? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 22(1), 57-62.
Short, J. L. (2012). Psychological fitness for older adults: A pilot intervention. Seniors Housing & Care Journal, 20(1), 71-84.
1/27 Seligman, M. E. P., Steen, T. A., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60(5), 410-421. 
McNulty, J.K., & Fincham, F.D. (2012). Beyond positive psychology? Toward a contextual view of psychological processes and well-being. American Psychologist, 67(2), 101-110.
Walsh, R. (2011). Lifestyle and mental health. American Psychologist, 66(7), 579-592.
1/29 * Complete measures for time 1 for Exercise Study * 
Seligman, M.E.P., & Fowler, R.D. (2011). Comprehensive soldier fitness and the future of psychology. American Psychologist, 66(1), 82-86. 
Eidelson, R. Pilisuk, M., & Soldz, S. (2011). The dark side of comprehensive soldier fitness.   American Psychologist, 66(7), 643-644.
Scheuller, S. M., & Parks, A. C. (2014). The science of self-help: Translating positive psychology into increased individual happiness. European Psychologist, 19(2), 145-155.
2/3  Healthy Thinking  Carver, C.S., Scheier, M.F., & Segerstrom, S.C. (2010). Optimism. Clinical Psychology Review, 30, 879-889.
Meevissen, Y. M. C., Peters, M. L., & Alberts, H. J. E. M. (2011). Become more optimistic by imagining a best possible self: Effects of a two week intervention. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 42, 371-378.
2/5 Wood, A.M., Froh, J.J., & Geraghty, A.W.A. (2010). Gratitude and well-being: A review and theoretical integration.  Clinical Psychology Review, 30, 890-905.
2/10 Malaktaris, A., Lemons, P., Lynn, S. J., & Condon, L. (2015). Chilling out. In S. J. Lynn, W. T. O’Donohue, & S. O. Lilienfeld (Eds.) Health, happiness, and well-being (pp. 142-166). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
2/12 Crum, A. J., Salovey, P., & Achor, S. (2013). Rethinking stress: The role of mindsets in determining the stress response. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 104(4), 716-733.
2/17 Nezu, C. M., Nezu, A. M., & Ricelli, S. (2015). Effective problem solving. In S. J. Lynn, W. T. O’Donohue, & S. O. Lilienfeld (Eds.) Health, happiness, and well-being (pp. 41-61). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
2/19 Healthy Identity  Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (2010). Cultures and selves: A cycle of mutual constitution. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 5(4), 420-430.  
 * Complete measures for time 2 for Exercise Study * 
2/24 McKnight, P. E., & Kashdan, T. B. (2009). Purpose in life as a system that creates and sustains health and well-being: An integrative, testable theory.  Review of General Psychology, 13, 242-251.
2/26 Papa, A., Kahler, J., & Rummel, C. (2015). Stress, coping, and resilience in the face of trauma. In S. J. Lynn, W. T. O’Donohue, & S. O. Lilienfeld (Eds.) Health, happiness, and well-being (pp. 90-116). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
3/3 Moral Health  Haidt, J. (2013). Moral psychology for the twenty-first century. Journal of Moral Education, 42(3), 281-297.
3/5 ** Exercise Study due **  Park, N., Peterson, C., & Seligman, M.E.P.  (2004).  Strengths of character and well-being.  Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 23(5), 603-619.
Sternberg, R. J. (2015). Building wisdom and character. In S. J. Lynn, W. T. O’Donohue, & S. O. Lilienfeld (Eds.) Health, happiness, and well-being (pp. 296-316). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
3/10 – 3/12  * No class *  (Spring Break)
3/17 Padgett, E. A., Kusner, K. G., & Pargament, K. I. (2015). Integrating religion and spirituality into treatment. In S. J. Lynn, W. T. O’Donohue, & S. O. Lilienfeld (Eds.) Health, happiness, and well-being (pp. 272-295). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
3/19 ** Exam 1 **
3/24 Healthy Behaviors  Maxwell, R., & Lynn, S. J. (2015). Exercise. In S. J. Lynn, W. T. O’Donohue, & S. O. Lilienfeld (Eds.) Health, happiness, and well-being (pp. 223-248). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Gillen, J. B., Percival, M. E., Skelly, L. E., Martin, B. J., Tan, R. B., Tarnopolsky, M. A., & Gibala, M. J. (2014). Three minutes of all-out intermittent exercise per week increases skeletal muscle oxidative capacity and improves cardiometabolic health. PLoS One, 9(11), e111489.
3/26 Bootzin, R. R., Blank, E., & Peck, T. (2015). Sleeping well. In S. J. Lynn, W. T. O’Donohue, & S. O. Lilienfeld (Eds.) Health, happiness, and well-being (pp. 168-194). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
3/31  Pearson, A., & Craighead, L. W. (2015). Science weighs in on obesity. In S. J. Lynn, W. T. O’Donohue, & S. O. Lilienfeld (Eds.) Health, happiness, and well-being (pp. 195-222). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Hofmann, W., Vohs, K. D., & Baumeister, R. F.  (2012).  What people desire, feel conflicted about, and try to resist in everyday life.  Psychological Science, 23(6), 582-588.
4/2 Emotional Health  Ritschel, L. A., & Ramirez, C. L. (2015). Emotion regulation. In S. J. Lynn, W. T. O’Donohue, & S. O. Lilienfeld (Eds.) Health, happiness, and well-being (pp. 14-40). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
4/7 Nelson, S. K., Kurtz, J. L., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2015). What psychological science knows about achieving happiness. In S. J. Lynn, W. T. O’Donohue, & S. O. Lilienfeld (Eds.) Health, happiness, and well-being (pp. 250-271). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Shiota, M.N., Neufeld, S.L., Danvers, A.F., Osborne, E.A., Sng, O., & Yee, C.I. (2014). Positive emotion differentiation: A functional approach. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 8/3, 104-117.
4/9 Algoe, S.B., & Haidt, J. (2009). Witnessing excellence in action: the ‘other-praising’ emotions of elevation, gratitude, and admiration. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 4(2), 105-127.
Algoe, S. B., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2011). Emotional fitness and the movement of affective science from lab to field. American Psychologist, 66(1), 35-42. 
4/14 Healthy Relationships   Johnson, M. (2015). Making marriage and other relationships work. In S. J. Lynn, W. T. O’Donohue, & S. O. Lilienfeld (Eds.) Health, happiness, and well-being (pp. 318-340). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
4/16  Cacioppo, J. T., Reis, H. T., & Zautra, A. J. (2011). Social resilience: The value of social fitness with an application to the military.  American Psychologist, 66(1), 43-51. 
4/21 Gable, S. L., & Gosnell, C. L.  (2012).  Approach and avoidance behavior in interpersonal relationships. Emotion Review, 5(3), 269-274.
4/23 ** Creative Project Due ** Review projects in class
4/28 Sexual Health   Fite, R. A. (2015). The joys of loving. In S. J. Lynn, W. T. O’Donohue, & S. O. Lilienfeld (Eds.) Health, happiness, and well-being (pp. 341-368). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
4/30 Lewis, M. A., Granato, H., Blayney, J. A., Lostutter, T. W., & Kilmer, J. R. (2012).  Predictors of hooking up sexual behaviors and emotional reactions among U.S. college students.  Archives of Sexual Behavior, 41, 1219-1229.
5/12 ** Exam 2 ** (Tuesday, 1:30 – 4:15)