{"id":76521,"date":"2025-12-01T08:18:01","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T15:18:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/?p=76521"},"modified":"2025-12-01T08:18:01","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T15:18:01","slug":"mapping-joy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/mapping-joy\/","title":{"rendered":"Mapping Joy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Everyone wants to find happiness, but what does it\u00a0actually\u00a0mean to be happy?\u00a0Is it spending time with our loved ones, being able to\u00a0purchase\u00a0the latest gadget on the market, or something more abstract,\u00a0like having a sense of purpose or belonging?\u00a0The class\u00a0<\/span>SOC332\u2014Sociology of Happiness<\/span><\/a>\u00a0might hold a few clues.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jessie\u00a0K.\u00a0Finch<\/span><\/b>, chair of the\u00a0Department of Sociology, said that even though\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0plenty of scientific research on\u00a0happiness,\u00a0not everyone\u00a0hears about researchers\u2019 key takeaways.\u00a0While most believe that material possessions,\u00a0strict\u00a0gym routines and\u00a0daily\u00a0journaling will bring bliss, most scientific literature points to social\u00a0connection\u00a0as the ultimate key to happiness.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHappiness is about family, friends and\u00a0positive\u00a0social connections, because humans are social beings,\u201d Finch said. \u201cThat is why the primary lens\u00a0in\u00a0this class is sociological.\u00a0For example, how do we build a life that\u00a0emphasizes\u00a0positive social interactions with other people\u00a0over\u00a0our\u00a0false\u00a0cultural messages about\u00a0happiness\u2014like\u00a0consumerism, buy more, buy bigger, buy newer, and you will be happy?\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The class deconstructs the concept of happiness and looks at how, as a society, we have\u00a0chosen to\u00a0promote\u00a0the\u00a0benefits\u00a0of\u00a0material goods over the pros of\u00a0social interaction,\u00a0Finch explained\u00a0that\u00a0some of the research shows materials\u00a0goods do not create lasting well-being, but if\u00a0people\u00a0spend money\u00a0on social\u00a0experiences, like\u00a0going out\u00a0with friends, going to concerts\u00a0or traveling,\u00a0they can build\u00a0social connections\u00a0that result in\u00a0greater\u00a0happiness.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis class is unique because it blends sociology with mindfulness and personal reflection to explore happiness and the meaning from social, cultural and personal perspectives,\u201d\u00a0said\u00a0<\/span>Janine Schipper<\/span><\/b>,\u00a0professor of the Department of Sociology who teaches the class.\u00a0\u201cIt challenges the dominant culture narratives about success, happiness and well-being\u00a0while introducing\u00a0practical tools for cultivating presence, emotional resilience and hope in uncertain times.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This class is also unique because the research it covers can be\u00a0immediately\u00a0applied to the student\u2019s life. If they read a study on meditation and how it\u00a0can improve\u00a0their positive\u00a0perspective, they can do a three-minute meditation in class and then use this tool when they are overwhelmed by negative emotions\u00a0in other settings.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt teaches them about emotional regulation in a world that expects us to have it,\u201d Finch said. \u201cIt teaches them how to\u00a0deal with tough\u00a0things that are happening around them and how to control their responses and create a situation where they can make choices that\u00a0benefit\u00a0them. It helps them reflect on what situations they get positive feelings out\u00a0of,\u00a0what situations give them negative feelings and how their choices affect them so that they can maximize their level of happiness and design a more fulfilling\u00a0life.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

SOC332<\/span><\/a>\u00a0is a general studies class that usually\u00a0has\u00a0between 40 and 50 students,\u00a0which allows for\u00a0wide-ranging\u00a0discussions on\u00a0overcoming challenges\u00a0and\u00a0building resilience. The class, offered\u00a0every\u00a0spring semester,\u00a0also covers how to create spaces of care and support,\u00a0how to\u00a0find\u00a0an optimistic, practical way to face global challenges and inspire change\u00a0and how to confront\u00a0depression and anxiety,\u00a0which\u00a0can\u00a0often\u00a0get in the way of finding happiness.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI recommend this class for students who see themselves as lifelong learners and seek to engage with their education in thoughtful, meaningful ways,\u201d\u00a0Schipper said.\u00a0\u201cThe class\u00a0encourages a deep, lifelong inquiry into how we can make sense of our lives and navigate a rapidly changing world.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For more information about this course, visit\u00a0<\/span>NAU\u2019s course catalog<\/span><\/a>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Northern<\/a>Mariana Laas | NAU Communications
\n(928) 523-5050 | mariana.laas@nau.edu<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Everyone wants to find happiness, but what does it\u00a0actually\u00a0mean to be happy?\u00a0Is it spending time with our loved ones, being able to\u00a0purchase\u00a0the latest gadget on the market, or something more abstract,\u00a0like having a sense of purpose or belonging?\u00a0The class\u00a0SOC332\u2014Sociology of Happiness\u00a0might hold a few clues.\u00a0\u00a0 Jessie\u00a0K.\u00a0Finch, chair of the\u00a0Department of Sociology, said that even though\u00a0there\u2019s\u00a0plenty…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":100,"featured_media":76522,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,1829],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76521","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research-academics","category-student-edition"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/100"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76521"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76521\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/76522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}