Web cookies (also called HTTP cookies, browser cookies, or simply cookies) are small pieces of data that websites store on your device (computer, phone, etc.) through your web browser. They are used to remember information about you and your interactions with the site.
Purpose of Cookies:
Session Management:
Keeping you logged in
Remembering items in a shopping cart
Saving language or theme preferences
Personalization:
Tailoring content or ads based on your previous activity
Tracking & Analytics:
Monitoring browsing behavior for analytics or marketing purposes
Types of Cookies:
Session Cookies:
Temporary; deleted when you close your browser
Used for things like keeping you logged in during a single session
Persistent Cookies:
Stored on your device until they expire or are manually deleted
Used for remembering login credentials, settings, etc.
First-Party Cookies:
Set by the website you're visiting directly
Third-Party Cookies:
Set by other domains (usually advertisers) embedded in the website
Commonly used for tracking across multiple sites
Authentication cookies are a special type of web cookie used to identify and verify a user after they log in to a website or web application.
What They Do:
Once you log in to a site, the server creates an authentication cookie and sends it to your browser. This cookie:
Proves to the website that you're logged in
Prevents you from having to log in again on every page you visit
Can persist across sessions if you select "Remember me"
What's Inside an Authentication Cookie?
Typically, it contains:
A unique session ID (not your actual password)
Optional metadata (e.g., expiration time, security flags)
Analytics cookies are cookies used to collect data about how visitors interact with a website. Their primary purpose is to help website owners understand and improve user experience by analyzing things like:
How users navigate the site
Which pages are most/least visited
How long users stay on each page
What device, browser, or location the user is from
What They Track:
Some examples of data analytics cookies may collect:
Page views and time spent on pages
Click paths (how users move from page to page)
Bounce rate (users who leave without interacting)
User demographics (location, language, device)
Referring websites (how users arrived at the site)
Here’s how you can disable cookies in common browsers:
1. Google Chrome
Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies and other site data.
Choose your preferred option:
Block all cookies (not recommended, can break most websites).
Block third-party cookies (can block ads and tracking cookies).
2. Mozilla Firefox
Open Firefox and click the three horizontal lines in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security.
Under the Enhanced Tracking Protection section, choose Strict to block most cookies or Custom to manually choose which cookies to block.
3. Safari
Open Safari and click Safari in the top-left corner of the screen.
Go to Preferences > Privacy.
Check Block all cookies to stop all cookies, or select options to block third-party cookies.
4. Microsoft Edge
Open Edge and click the three horizontal dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services > Cookies and site permissions.
Select your cookie settings from there, including blocking all cookies or blocking third-party cookies.
5. On Mobile (iOS/Android)
For Safari on iOS: Go to Settings > Safari > Privacy & Security > Block All Cookies.
For Chrome on Android: Open the app, tap the three dots, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Cookies.
Be Aware:
Disabling cookies can make your online experience more difficult. Some websites may not load properly, or you may be logged out frequently. Also, certain features may not work as expected.
In this module, you will learn about a component of emotional well-being: goal pursuit.
This module will take approximately 25 minutes to complete.
By the end of this module, you will be able to...
Define goal pursuit and its connection to emotional well-being.
Understand the role of motivation and alignment with purpose in achieving goals.
Identify how to set and attain meaningful goals.
Click to download the handout for this module. As you work through the content, there will be opportunities to engage with the material through reflections and activities. You can choose to print the handout or type directly on to it. There will also be a space to jot down notes and helpful resources.
By the end of this section, you will be able to define goal pursuit and its connection to emotional well-being.
In the first section of this module, we will start by defining goal pursuit and its connection to emotional well-being.
As you read in the brief, goal pursuit is the ability or process of making one’s own choices and controlling one’s own life. In other words, it’s setting goals that help you adapt to and orient yourself to your environment.
Self-determination theory is something researchers use to study goals and how people try to reach them. This theory says that both what we are trying to achieve and why we are trying to achieve it matter to our satisfaction and emotional well-being.
How much control we have over our own goals plays a big role in our emotional well-being. We tend to feel better and do better when we can go after our goals in our own way, instead of being told exactly how to do it. For example, if we’re trying to earn money, we feel more satisfied when we’re doing it for reasons that matter to us and in a way that works for us.
Take a few minutes to watchthis video on self-determination theory.
Objective 2
By the end of this section, you will be able to understand the role of motivation and alignment with purpose in achieving goals.
Now that you’ve had a chance to learn more about goal pursuit and its connection to emotional well-being, let's take some time to explore the role of motivation and purpose in achieving goals.
Motivation plays an important role in achieving our goals.
Motivation helps define what you’re striving for and why it matters to you.
Take a few minutes to watch this 5-minute TedEd video on the difference between internal (intrinsic) and external (extrinsic) motivation.
In the video, the difference between internal and external motivation and their relation to goal pursuit was explored.
Take a moment to reflect on your motivations — are you more internally or externally motivated?
How does your motivation depend on the goal you are striving to achieve?
Note: There is a space in your handout to complete this activity.
Now that you've had a chance to reflect on your own motivation to achieve goals, let's take a moment to hear from others. Watch this brief video of a young professional talking about how their motivation to achieve goals has changed throughout their career.
As you learned in this section, motivation is important to achieving our goals. It is also important that we create goals that are aligned with our purpose.
When your goals are based on what's really important to you, working toward them feels more meaningful. You're not just doing tasks to get them done—you’re building a life that matches what you truly care about.
Objective 3
By the end of this section, you will be able to identify how to set and attain meaningful goals.
Now that you've learned to define goal pursuit and its connection to emotional well-being, and have a better understanding of the role of motivation and alignment with purpose in achieving goals, let's take some time to learn how to set and attain meaningful goals.
First, let's start by hearing from others on how they set effective short and long-term goals. In this video, various professionals discuss their strategies for setting and achieving goals.
As mentioned in the video, one way that you can set effective and achievable goals is by making SMART goals.
The SMART goal framework is a way to help people set goals that are clear and easy to follow. SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
This means your goal should clearly say what you want to do, how you will know you’ve done it, and make sure it’s something you can actually reach. It should also be important to you and have a deadline.
For example, instead of saying “I want to get better at reading,” a SMART goal would be, “I will read one new book every two weeks for the next two months.” This way, you know exactly what to do and can track your progress.
If you'd like to learn more about SMART goals or hear the information above in a different way, click here to watch a brief video that discusses SMART goals.
Psychologists have studied the process of setting goals for many decades and have typically defined “good goals” as those structured in a way to drive goal striving and achievement.
We want to suggest that a “good goal” is not just one that you are more likely to achieve, but also when you do, achieving it will benefit your well-being.
Take a few minutes to watch this TED Talk from John Doerr on why the secret to success is setting the right goals.
Now that you have a better understanding of why its important to set the right goals, let's practice.
Here is a worksheet you can use to practice drafting some “good goals” for yourself.
Find a spot where you can focus and give this process a try!
Note: There is a space in your handout to complete this activity.
You can use what you've learned in this module to not only set effective goals for yourself, but also to support others in setting and achieving their goals!
We asked various people how they support others in setting and achieving their goals. Click below to watch the video.
Congratulations!
You have completed Module 6.
By now, you should be able to...
Define goal pursuit and its connection to emotional well-being.
Understand the role of motivation and alignment with purpose in achieving goals.
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