The Era Medical College on Hardoi Road is the first higher education institution in the state to boast of having a department of happiness.

The Era Medical College on Hardoi Road is the first higher education institution in the state to boast of having a department of happiness.

The Era Medical College on Hardoi Road is the first higher education institution in the state to boast of having a department of happiness.

Lucknow: A private medical college in Lucknow has opened a department of happiness to boost a sense of well-being among students and teachers.

The Era Medical College on Hardoi Road is the first higher education institution in the state to boast of having a department of happiness.

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The pilot project was launched last week to promote stress management in the medical profession and allow doctors and paramedics "to attend to patients with a smile".

The month-long happiness classes are currently being attended by 290 students from the medical (150), nursing (80) and pharmacy (60) departments.

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These will later be extended to other departments of Era University, which manages the medical college.

These special classes, held three days a week, have brought together experts from various medical disciplines, including medicine, clinical psychology and psychiatry, under one roof with spiritual leaders and motivational speakers.

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The neuroscience behind happiness, perception, general well-being, positive and negative approaches, frustration and tolerance, sympathy, apathy and altruism, and body language and communication are among the wide variety of topics being covered through videos, storytelling, experience-sharing and real-time experimenting.

According to Vice Chancellor Abbas Ali Mahdi, "At the moment, it is just a pilot programme. Grades will depend on how a scientific questionnaire, prepared to assess factors associated with happiness, is answered. A psychologist will rate students after a month and issue certificates. We plan to start a certificate and diploma course in the near future, besides extending the classes to students beyond the medical college."

Head of the happiness department, Professor Meeta Ghosh, said: "Our aim is to strike off negativity, stress, sorrows and sufferings at the institution so that these future doctors and paramedics can pass on their positivity to patients."