Brilliant science backed tips for parents. Would highly recommend.
This course was excellent - Prof. Santos clearly and succinctly presents the latest science on numerous ways to achieve greater happiness for parents and their kids. So much is presented, actually, it is somewhat overwhelming to try to absorb everything and implement it effectively in your family situation. I would also say that a huge omission in this course is no mention of the role of physical health in affecting happiness - she presents everything as if her audience is perfectly healthy - only needing a nap here and there to feel rested. How should you think about happiness if you or your child have a severe disability? If you’re ill to such a degree, is happiness even achievable like it is for healthy people? Another issue I had with the course is that it seems geared to white, upper middle class, dual income earner parents - like her Yale students might have experienced growing up. There was no talk about dealing with financial and job insecurity, community violence, racism, or being in some non-normative group (e.g., gay, neurodivergent, religious minority) - it was as if those things didn't exist. This is a psychology course, so it’s about what you as an individual can do to be happier in the socio-political-economic structure you find yourself in, but I just wanted to say a word about how different countries support parents differently. Many developed countries other than the US will provide more parental leave and sick time, more vacation time, reduced work hours, and more affordable childcare - all of which considerably improves the happiness of parents.
