(CNN) As you're spending more time at home and working to stay sane during the coronavirus pandemic, you might be able to find solace in Yale University's mega-popular "happiness" course, which is available for free online through Coursera.

"We're in a particularly challenging time not just for this health crisis, this physical health crisis, but also a potential mental health crisis as well," course creator Laurie Santos, a Yale psychology professor, told CNN's Christiane Amanpour this week.

The course went online for free about two years ago under the name "The Science of Well Being," according to the Yale Daily News. Anyone can audit the course for free, and $49 lets you complete assignments, submit them for a grade and earn a certificate of completion.

Although in-person social connections matter, Santos says the good news from science is that much of happiness stems from cultivating healthy practices and routines.

And the dramatic reorientation of your life might actually give you an opportunity in the coming weeks to rethink your daily rituals and therefore rewire your brain toward a happier life.

Read More