Determinants of Happiness in Undergraduate University Students

Abstract This study explored the relationship between happiness, and six other life domains: Academic Success, Financial Security, Familial Support, Living Environment, Self-Image and Social Relations. Participants were one hundred and ninety- two students from a small undergraduate university. The purpose of the study was to determine which life domain had the greatest influence on student happiness. Assessment tools included the Oxford Happiness Inventory, the Multidimensional Student Life Satisfaction Scale, and a Financial Success Survey created by the authors. Results indicate that Self-esteem, Academic Success and Financial Security, respectively, explained most of the variance in student happiness. Key Words: Happiness, University Student Stress, Determinants of University Student Happiness Introduction Positive psychology has brought awareness to the study of individual happiness and the obvious and potential benefits to society. Identifying variables responsible for and correlated with the feeling of well-being or happiness has become an important topic in many areas of psychological research. Researchers such as Cummins et al. (2009) go as far as to suggest that when individuals are happier whole societies functions better. The concept of happiness is one that has been defined by researchers and lay people in many ways, ranging from life satisfaction, a sense of well-being, to brief momentary pleasures. However, in the literature, happiness has been broadly described as positive subjective experiences. Using frequency of positive experiences as an indicator of happiness has empirical support. In a large number of studies, measuring happiness in a variety of ways, it was found that happy people are those that report feeling mild to moderate positive moods and emotions the majority of the time. The consistency of positive affect appears to be more important in defining happiness than intensity (see Diener et al. 1985; Diener et al. 1991). Regardless of definitions used by researcher over the years, the evidence appears to be quite consistent; being happy is advantageous to the individual in a multiple of life domains. It is well known in the positive psychology literature that increased happiness is related to multiple benefits including better mental and physical health, (see Lyubomirsky et al. 2005). A number of positive health behaviours have been associated with happiness including better dietary habits and the maintenance of normal body weight (Chang and Nayga 2010; Piqueras et al. 2011), better oral health practices (Dumitrescu et al. 2010), and being more physically active (Piqueras et al. 2011). The industrial organizational literature has happiness correlated with greater productivity, higher salaries and greater success at work (Hoggard 2005; Lyubomirsky et al. 2005). Happiness is correlated with individuals being more energetic, sociable, altruistic, original and having more fulfilling marriages, friendships and a longer life (Martin 2005; Norrish and Vella-Brodrick 2008). The individual benefits can pale in comparison to the potential societal gains of having a population comprised of such happy and therefore, successful individuals. Accomplishing the goals set out by one's society is often the operational definition of such success. Most societies value intelligence and academic accomplishment and therefore the relationship to happiness is a well investigated one. The relationship between the concept of happiness or positive affect and the intellectual ability of university students has been researched for quite some time (Hartman 1934; Jasper 1930; Washburne 1941). The interest in happiness has mostly been in the relationship between intelligence and positive affect. Some have found a positive relationship (Diener and Fujita 1995; Fox and Spector 2000; Kashdan and Yuen 2007) some a negative relationship (Block and Kremen 1996) and others, none at all (Chamorro-Premuzic et al. …