WSU psychology course boosts student well‑being

A Washington State University psychology course is helping students improve their well-being, and new research from the class shows participants reported statistical gains in positive emotions, health, and life satisfaction over the course of the semester.

"We have a lot more control over our own well-being than we think," said Kim Meidenbauer, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology. "This course is about teaching students some techniques and giving them opportunities to try out these evidence-based interventions from positive psychology."

The "Psychology of Happiness" course was first offered in fall 2024 to help students better understand the factors that contribute to happiness and emotional health. This past spring, Meidenbauer used anonymized student data to evaluate the course's impact and found measurable improvements across several indicators of student well-being.

Those gains came as students spent the semester learning and practicing evidence-based strategies for building healthier habits and a more positive outlook. To start the class, they complete a questionnaire that measures self-reported well-being along the themes of positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishments.

Each week the class reviews positive psychological activities and theories about what improves well-being or what makes people happier.

Each week the class reviews positive psychological activities and theories about what improves well-being or what makes people happier. Common self-help interventions include meditation, gratitude journaling, acts of kindness, and walking through nature. Other healthy behaviors, such as exercise and regular sleep routines, are also covered within the class content in the course.

"Teaching students that they have significant agency in their own well-being has really resonated with those enrolled in the class," said Meidenbauer. "It's been very effective for improving the students' well-being."

While earlier versions of the course relied on students' self-reported impressions, this spring Meidenbauer conducted a more rigorous analysis by having students generate anonymized identifiers to compare their questionnaire responses from the beginning and end of the semester. The analysis found statistically significant improvements in students' reports of positive emotions, health and life satisfaction.

"The effects were similar to what has been found in other positive psychology courses," Meidenbauer said. "We've shown that our instantiation of this class does lead to meaningful changes in student well-being, with significant effects on student reports of their health, life satisfaction, and relationships."

For those interested in the course, there is still available space for the Fall 2026 section of "Psychology 223: Psychology of Happiness". Log in through the student portal in myWSU to enroll.