Education: The importance of training the heart as well as the mind.

“A school curriculum that incorporates happiness and wellbeing will prevent depression, increase life satisfaction, encourage social responsibility, promote creativity, foster learning and even enhance academic achievement.”

The combination of traditional education with happiness and wellbeing is key for an efficient learning process. It emphasises the importance of training the heart as well as the mind.

Education has always focused on academics and fostering positive character strength development. Any efforts to endorse character strengths come from religious, cultural, or political bias.

At a communication level, strength-based interventions also focus on the relationship between teachers and students. Teachers are a big influence on student and the simple attention to wording of positive reinforcement makes a difference.  When a teacher gives a feedback, it should be a specific feedback about the strength the student demonstrated.

Intelligence and academic competencies are not enough for students to succeed in school. Grit, resilience, and other character traits should be emphasized.

Happier students pay better attention, are more creative, and have greater levels of community involvement. They are more optimistic, resilient, hopeful, curious, highly motivated and they develop love for learning.