In week one of Happiness: The Iowa State of Mind, participants were asked to keep a grateful journal. This included writing down three events of the day they were grateful for, two things in general they were grateful for and one thing they were looking forward to the next day.

Read here about their thoughts on the grateful journal and watch them as they reflect on the week. Also included is commentary from Sam Von Gillern, a graduate student who teaches an honors seminar about positive psychology.

During week two, participants are meditating for five minutes in the morning and five minutes at night. If you would like to follow along, try using the app ‘Headspace’ for guided meditation or search for short clips on YouTube.