Diploma Course: Positive Psychology at the Movies

Explore positive psychology at the movies by engaging with eight pillars through per-module films, discussions, and practical assignments. Watch films, discuss insights, and access a pdf library for further reading.

Explore eight modules in positive psychology at the movies, from introduction to relationships, meaning and purpose, strength, gratitude, parenting and children, resilience, and happiness.

The film criteria emphasize uplifting content, regardless of genre or mood, identify the most prominent pillar of positive psychology in each film, and inspire action through optional assignments.

Explore extra resources and curated books that deepen your study of positive psychology, neuroscience of habits, and topics like goals, strengths, relationships, and happiness.

Explore the science of happiness through positive psychology, focusing on positive emotions, character, and institutions, and learn how it enhances traditional psychology by focusing on what's right with you.

Define your own happiness as the overall experience of pleasure and meaning, balancing fleeting joys with meaningful pursuits, guided by the science of positive psychology.

Explore the perma happiness model—positive emotions, engagement or flow, relationships, meaning, and achievement—and learn practical daily actions to increase each component.

Explore positive psychology through the documentary 'Happy,' as the film asks what makes you happy, showing happiness as a skill built through simple tools, play, and friends and family.

Complete the assignment by watching the movie Happy, write a 250-word reflection, perform an action-based design based on the film, and upload results to earn your certificate and CPD credits.

Explore how films illustrate positive psychology concepts in module 1, featuring recommendations like Inside Out and Erin Brockovich, and discuss how emotions influence our lives.

Explore flow, happiness, and intrinsic versus extrinsic goals in the film, and apply loving-kindness meditation, gratitude, and community connections to everyday life.

Explore how relationships to self and others influence happiness, and adopt practices for responding to good news and maintaining a 5:1 positive-to-negative interaction ratio.

Work on your relationships daily with humor, gratitude, forgiveness, and full disclosure to build long-term, happy marriages and connections, starting with yourself.

Explore Life of Pi as a gateway to positive psychology, showing how relationships with family, colleagues, friends, and animals teach lessons about letting go.

Explore how films depict relationships, from The King's Speech therapist–client bond to Step Mom family dynamics. Life of Pi and Forrest Gump extend relationship ideas to people, animals, and nature.

review assignment details for certificate by watching Life of Pi, then write a 250-word reflection on insights and relationships and apply an action inspired by the movie, sharing results.

Explore how relationships shape Pi Patel's journey in Life of Pi, examining family, religion, nature, animals, fear, mindfulness, and resilience through a positive psychology lens.

Explore how small meaning guides daily actions and reveals your big meaning, guided by Viktor Frankl's insight that life asks more than you want and attitude is the last freedom.

Explore Viktor Frankl's meaning framework, grounded optimism, and the three sources of meaning—work, love, and enduring difficult times—and how visualization and action sustain resilience.

Explore how the pursuit of happiness highlights meaning and purpose in positive psychology through Chris Gardner's journey from homelessness to early career success, reinforced by a defining dream.

The recommended movie list for module 3 explores meaning and purpose through films like Mulan, the intern, Star Wars episode five, and Memento, showing how characters discover their meaning.

Discuss meaning and purpose in the movie, uncover life lessons and positive psychology tools like resilience, social support, grounded optimism, and mindfulness visualization.

Focus on strengths to boost performance and well-being, and use surveys like Strength Finder and character strengths to raise awareness, explore, and apply your talents across work and home.

Explore the 24 character strengths across six virtues, including wisdom and knowledge, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence, and learn to assess, track, and apply them at work.

Explore an Italian World War II tale about a Jewish bookshop owner who shields his son in a Nazi camp through imagination and humor, directed by Roberto Benigni.

A recommended movie list for Module 4 highlights strengths across categories by featuring films like Life is Beautiful (wisdom/creativity), 12 Angry Men (courage/fairness), and Slumdog Millionaire and love.

Analyze how the movie life is beautiful frames strengths such as creativity, humor, improv, love, social intelligence, zest, and hope, showing how positive psychology turns hardship into meaning and action.

Learn how counting blessings, not burdens, boosts health, happiness, and resilience, and practice acts of unexpected kindness to enhance gratitude and well-being.

Explore the three good things exercise from positive psychology, focusing on daily gratitude, a gratitude jar, and a gratitude letter to strengthen optimism and forward progress.

Explore the film Pay it forward, where a seventh-grade student creates an action plan to improve the world, spreading from family to classroom to society, and embrace daily gratitude.

Discover films that teach gratitude and kindness: Bethany Hamilton's comeback after a shark attack, Coco's celebration of family, Emily's acts of kindness, and Eternal Sunshine's memory.

Explore gratitude through unexpected kindness in movie scenes, showing how helping others—even when life is hard but possible—fuels personal growth, forgiveness, and paying it forward.

Explore how positive psychology informs parenting and education, promoting happiness, resilience, and growth mindset by encouraging effort and recognizing brain growth through supportive feedback.

Explore the science of happiness and positive psychology through real student interviews, showing happiness comes from the journey and daily progress, gratitude, social connections, and habits.

Explore Mrs. Doubtfire's portrayal of a father navigating divorce to strengthen family bonds, with a focus on love, resilience, and diverse family structures through reflection and action-based learning.

Explore how family dynamics, trauma, and resilience unfold in cinema through Cheaper by the Dozen and Room, and through Little Miss Sunshine's ensemble family journey.

Analyze the film's parenting dynamics, highlighting the father's creativity, humor, and resilience. Explore how open communication, cultural context, and family bonds affect children and parenting.

Explore resilience within positive psychology by building grounded optimism, facing fear, and leveraging social support, role models, moral compass, spirituality, physical and brain fitness for meaning and purpose.

Explore how the Karate Kid film franchise portrays resilience to bullying, illustrating mental strategies taught by a mentor and relatable life lessons for positive psychology.

Explore resilience for module 7 through a curated film list—Zootopia, The Theory of Everything, All About My Mother, and A Wonderful Life—showing personal growth, social support, and overcoming obstacles.

Explore resilience themes in the movie through key positive psychology factors: facing fears, moral compass, mindfulness and spirituality, brain fitness, meaning and purpose, inner dialogue, obstacles, and balance.

Discover that happiness is a daily journey of meaningful relationships, resilience, gratitude, and mindful routines, not a chase for end goals but lasting well-being.

Explore how Inside Out illustrates positive psychology by personifying five basic emotions, showing adaptation to change, and the impact of psychologists and neurologists' research on the film.

Explore the recommended movie list through a mini discussion about Hector and the search for happiness, led by Rocco, followed by next steps to complete the module.

Explores the movie Inside Out to illustrate positive psychology through emotions like joy, sadness, anger, and fear, and the idea that empty rooms become opportunities to build life.

Hector searches for happiness across the world, showing that wealth doesn’t guarantee joy and happiness is a journey tied to authenticity, clarity, and living your calling.