Dr Tyler VanderWeele | 3pm Askwith Hall (HGSE)
Sandwiches & Appetizers Will Be Served

Human well-being or flourishing might be understood as living in a state in which all aspects of a person’s life are good, including one’s happiness and life satisfaction, physical and mental health, meaning, purpose, character, and relationships. This is of course never perfectly achieved, but is rather what we are aiming at. Over the past few decades, our scientific knowledge of the types of activities, engagements, and commitments that contribute to flourishing has increased substantially. Various individual activities such as gratitude exercises, imagining one’s best possible self, or acts of kindness activities have been shown in randomized trials to have important effects on well-being. Research also indicates that community engagement and participation is especially important for numerous aspects of flourishing. The presentation will review what we know from scientific studies, and how we can use that knowledge to improve our flourishing as individuals and as communities.

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The Student Wellbeing Council was established this year as part of the Implementation Committee for Student Mental Health to help promote a culture of wellbeing for our community through advocacy and programming to raise awareness about Harvard’s mental health and wellness resources and support. The launch of the inaugural Harvard Wellbeing Week (March 20-25) is a university-wide initiative that in collaboration with various schools, departments, and student groups we hope gives each student an opportunity to participate in-person/online to keep wellbeing in the forefront of our everyday lives.

Follow us on Instagram for daily prizes and details about the week’s programming:
www.instagram.com/harvardSWC

See our full calendar of Wellbeing Week programming (subject to change) and download the CrimZone app to “check-in” for select events to win points that you can exchange for Harvard swag!
bit.ly/HarvardWW