Why do some people stay healthy while others become ill—and how do biology, behavior, psychology, and social conditions work together to shape those outcomes?

In this course, drawing on content from Richard Straub, you’ll explore the foundations of health psychology and the evidence researchers use to understand health and illness. You’ll examine how thinking about health has evolved, learn the biopsychosocial model, and consider how factors such as poverty and socioeconomic status contribute to health disparities. You’ll also learn how health psychologists build and evaluate evidence through critical thinking, evidence-based medicine, research methods, descriptive statistics, and epidemiology. Along the way, you’ll explore the biological foundations of health, from the nervous and endocrine systems to cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, immune, and reproductive function. This course can be taken independently, or as part of a larger Specialization on the Foundations and Behavioral Aspects of Health Pyschology.