For New York Magazine’s May 28–June 10, 2018, issue cover story, contributing editor Adam Sternbergh takes a look at the most-talked-about college course in America, which isn’t about making money or saving the world, but about how to be really, truly happy. Sternbergh outlines the core lessons from Professor Laurie Santos’s PSYCH 157: Psychology and the Good Life, why the course resonates with students right now, and how to apply it to your own life.
“Much as Laurie Santos didn’t set out to create the most popular course in the history of Yale, I didn’t set out thinking this story would have a positive effect on my own well-being,” Sternbergh says. “But it definitely did. Especially in these times, it’s inspiring to have a conversation about happiness with people who are legitimate experts on the subject.”
“For a story about learning to be happy, we literally put smiles on faces,” New York art director Thomas Alberty says coolly about the inspiration behind the issue’s cover. But, he adds, illustrator “Zohar Lazar is a genius with a wide range of styles and sense of humor. He was perfect for defacing a photo with a happy face.”