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Weekly Edventure #5: Science of Thriving

 

So, what's the difference between being happy and really thriving?

This week, learn about the science of thriving from Dan Lerner, Professor of NYU’s most popular elective, “Science of Happiness”, and a keynote speaker at EXPLO at Yale's CORE Day — a day dedicated to teaching students how to lead a life of meaning and purpose.

The science of thriving is about recognizing that well-being is more than just a state-of-mind — it’s a bio-psychosocial underpinning of exploration. Lerner teaches (through hilarious and relatable anecdotes) that in order to thrive, we must explore our own emotions, engagements, passions, character strengths, and relationships. That way, we can find our individualized equation for how to reach our highest potential.

The PERMA model doesn't force just one definition of thriving on anybody.... it's like a mixing board. It's figuring out how to add a little bit of jazz, or classical music... it's an adjustment for each person.

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ABOUT THRIVING

At EXPLO, we encourage the pursuit of lifelong learning — which means we are constantly doing our own studying up, reading on, or relearning the concepts that we teach throughout the summer. Here are some really interesting (and some just really really fun) links that we've been recently reading on the science of thriving.

  • What if we told you (or rather, the Smithsonian told you) that a part of keeping a plant thriving is getting them to actually explode? We kid you not — and it looks incredible.
  • Want to play a game that's hyper-interactive, hyper-fluctuating, hard-to-parse and gets you completely in-the-zone? Head of EXPLO at Wellesley, Elliot Targum, recommends  Magic Maze Board Game.


RELEVANT EXPERIENCES

EXPLO's curriculum is built around experiences — in an environment where in-class investigations are just as important as out-of-class explorations.

At EXPLO, thriving takes many shapes, forms, exercises, and events. Just a few EXPLO experiences that encourage finding a personal approach to meaning, purpose, and happiness include: 

  • CORE Day: On CORE Day (the middle Wednesday), spend time reflecting on how who you are can influence what you do with the world around you through keynote addresses — including Dan Lerner and Yale "Psychology and the Good Life" Professor Laurie Santos — seminars, workshop series, and college trips and admission insight (grades 10-12)
  • Activities, Clubs + Leagues: Get in the zone and find your state of flow by participating in some of our most popular athletics: Wall Ball, GaGa, and Four Square (grades  4-78+910-12)
  • Workshop: Want to know how psychology governs your behavior with family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, and romantic involvements? Improve your understanding of how to relate to others in Psychology of Relationships(grades 10-12)
  • Course: Take the mixing music metaphor a little more literally in DJing + Turntable Instruction, where you'll explore the various interpretations of scratch-heavy production and the multi-textured layers of beat composers  (grades 4-78+9)
  • Student Life: Build a mentor relationship with your Residential Advisor someone who is there to support you from the moment your feet hit the floor until lights out each day (there's a reason our faculty, including Heads of Programs, live on campus)  (grades  4-78+910-12)
  • EXPLO Advisor: Take a course whose curriculum has been guided by insight from EXPLO advisor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi — the world’s leading researcher on positive psychology and the pioneer of Flow theory  (grades 10-12)
  • Workshop: Learn to perform the Heimlich Maneuver, build a fire, use a compass, tell a joke, give a speech, make a budget, or even negotiate with your parents in Real Life Skills (grades 4-7)
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