On the afternoon of April 24th, the launch ceremony of Central South University’s 23rd 525 College Student Mental Health Festival and a keynote lecture on positive psychology were held at the Harmony Hall of Yuxiu Building. Themed “‘Healing’ the Mind, Warm Companionship,” the event was organized by the Central South University College Student Mental Health Education Center and hosted by the School of Traffic and Transportation Engineering. It featured a psychological lecture by Professor Sun Pei from the Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, Tsinghua University, attracting widespread attention and participation from faculty and students across the university. University Party Committee Deputy Secretary Li Jingsheng, Student Affairs Department Director Ou Xuli, Hospital Management Office Deputy Director Deng Qijian, University Hospital President Yuan Xiuhong, Student Affairs Department Deputy Directors Zhang Jianghua and Huang Kai, along with deputy Party committee secretaries from some secondary colleges, attended the event.

Mental health is a vital component of the healthy growth of college students. This event aimed to guide students to pay attention to and value mental health issues, enhance mental health awareness and literacy, actively face difficulties, and grow healthily. The series of activities for this Mental Health Festival include a micro-film competition, a psychological quality development competition, the selection of the Top Ten Campus Soul Guardians, and the Heart Music activity. The theme song for this year’s 525 Mental Health Festival, “Living Well is a Beautiful Life,” was released during the ceremony. With concise and lively lyrics conveying a positive attitude towards life, students Gong Yaxin from Xiangya School of Medicine and Cui Mingcong from the School of Energy Science and Engineering led the attendees in singing, encouraging students to maintain optimism and perseverance when facing academic pressure and life challenges. Xiangya School of Medicine presented a psychological drama performance titled “Dreaming Back to 2044.” The protagonist’s bewildered and helpless expression in the play resonated deeply with many students in the audience, prompting them to reflect on how to choose between ideals and reality and contemplate their future direction.

At the launch ceremony, Li Jingsheng emphasized that the nation places great importance on the development of mental health work. Our university actively responds to the national call by vigorously promoting college student mental health development. He expressed the hope that everyone would take proactive action, actively care for the inner worlds of others, patiently listen to their stories, positively experience the various beauties of life, fully enjoy present happiness, and strive to live a fulfilling life.

Professor Sun Pei delivered a keynote lecture titled “Positive Psychology—How to Be a Happier College Student.” Starting from three aspects—“What is Positive Psychology,” “Learned Helplessness and Related Research,” and “The Concept and Origins of Happiness”—he gradually deepened students’ understanding of positive psychology and happiness. He enlightened students that happiness is not a grand concept but a tangible experience, encouraging them to engage in more beneficial interactions with others to attain happiness. After the lecture, students actively asked questions, to which Professor Sun responded one by one.

First Review: Yiying Chen  Second Review: Yushan Wang / Shangjun Wang Third Review: Yong Peng