This document summarizes a study on lessons in happiness taught to secondary school students in the Netherlands. It provided an overview of the study which randomly assigned 15 classes (381 students) to receive 6 lessons on happiness over 50 minutes each, while a control group of 10 classes (250 students) received the usual mentor classes. Questionnaires were given before and after to measure happiness and health, and grade point averages were compared before and after. The results showed that students who received the happiness lessons had higher GPAs at the end of the school year compared to the control group.

1. Lessons in Happiness
For secondary schools
Jacqueline Boerefijn July 2th 2014

2. Slide title
Text

5. What is the nickname of the
Dutch?

6. BINGO!

8. Biology teaches about
• Smoking
• Drinking
• Drugs
• Teenage pregnancy
• STD’s / AIDS
• Anorexia
• Obesity
• Global warming & Rising sea levels

9. Tutors teach about
• Bullying
• Performance anxiety
• Criminality
• Risk of domestic violence in the future

10. Lessons in happiness
For free
www.lesseningeluk.nl

11. Youth happiness ranking
1. Netherlands
2. Sweden
3. Norway
4. Iceland
5. Finland
6. Denmark

15. Lessons in Happiness
1 What is happiness?
2 What makes you happy?
3 Is happiness important? (optimism)
4 Can you learn to be happy? (grattitude)
5 Be kind to each other.
6 Use your strengths.
Dessert to take home: realize your plans (hope)

16. Research
• n 631 students from three schools
• Six lessons of 50 minutes
15 classes randomly assigned (n 381)
• controlgroup 10 classes (n 250): usual mentor
classes.
• pre-and post-study questionnaires via internet
asking about happiness and health.
• Grade point averages at the end of the school
year pre and post the intervention.

17. GPA
21
EstimatedMarginalMeans
7,00
6,90
6,80
6,70
6,60
6,50
2
1
1=LIH, 2=control
Estimated Marginal Means of MEASURE_1

19. Think about your life in 5 years.
Imagine that everything has gone as well as
it possibly could. You have worked hard and
succeeded at accomplishing all of your life
goals. Think of this as the realization of all of
your life dreams.
Now, write about what you imagined.

20. (I wish I was rich
and not that happy)

22. The International Commission on
Education for the 21st Century
four pillars as the foundations of education:
* learning to know,
* learning to do,
* learning to be,
* learning to live together.
(Jacques Delors 1996), for UNESCO

23. In Europe almost 20 years later
learning to be
or better
learning to be WELL
needs us to spread and implement it

24. • Happiness protects teenagers against all kind
of risks. It protects against depression, risky
behaviour (smoking, drinking, using drugs,
gambling, sexual misbehaviour, criminality)
and dropping out of school.
• Happiness levels drop significantly in early
teenage years, especially for girls. ( WHO
Europe 2008, UNICEF, 2007)

27. Thank you!