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Running head: HAPPINESS AND SUCCESS

Happiness and Success Bianca Benitez Kean University/UCVTS GE 2025 SP16 Lepore

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Abstract This study looked at both happiness and success and the relationship between the two. There were eleven participants; these participants were Kean University/APA seniors. In order to get the information needed, a survey was made on Kean Qualtrics, and the data was collected throughout the span of seven days towards the end of Kean’s spring semester. The participants were recruited through Facebook, and there were no specific requirements to take the survey. The purpose of this study was to see if a person would rather be happy or successful. The survey was used to determine the participants’ demographics, happiness levels, success levels and what they believe the definitions of success and happiness are. The majority of the group scored high in the moderate and high levels for both happiness and success. Furthermore, the results indicate a nearly perfect correlation between happiness and success. Introduction Happiness is when your life fulfills your needs. In other words, happiness comes when you feel satisfied and fulfilled. Happiness is a feeling of contentment, that life is just as it should be. Perfect happiness, enlightenment, comes when you have all of your needs satisfied. People who are happier tend to spread positive vibes (Post, 2005). Also, people who are happy tend to be much healthier (Donaldson, 2014). Success is the accomplishment of an aim or purpose such as achieving wealth, respect, or fame. Success can sometimes be hard to achieve. And it is very common among celebrities and the rich (Diener, 2011). The purpose of this project is to determine if happiness is a greater priority to young adults rather than success in college students at Kean University during Spring 2016.

Literature Review

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Happiness is defined, as the overall appreciation of one’s life in generality. In other words, how much one likes the life one lives.With further research, another definition came into play, stating, happiness is a state of mind and can therefore be measured using questioning techniques, among which single, direct questions. Self-reports of happiness appear to be fairly valid, though not very precise (Veenhoven, 2008). It is believed that happiness is characterized by the amount of positive outcomes in one's’ life, over the amount of negative ones. It can also be characterized by how one progresses towards important life goals (Tkach, 2006). Although temporary factors such as income, place of residence, employment, injury, etc can affect mood, temporarily, their effects tend to dissipate over time and eventually appear not to have any effects on obtaining happiness (Post, 2005). When people are happy around others, it increases their positivity. With that being said, positive interactions with other people can lastingly increase happiness and decrease depressive symptoms (Donaldson, 2014). According to the Andersen model, positive emotions such as kindness, love, compassion, etc, enhances health and pushes aside negative emotions (Post, 2005). Andersen draws on many studies and comes to the conclusion that “the big three” negative emotions are sadness or depression, fear or anxiety, and anger or hostility. It is difficult to be angry, resentful, or fearful when one is showing unselfish love towards another person. The outcome of these negative emotional responses are believed to increase any symptoms and causes to diseases and worse health outcomes (Post, 2005). It was proposed that the linkage between traits and moods is such that traits predispose people to process mood-relevant information in a manner congruent with their dispositions (Tkach, 2006). Thus, seeing the world through rose-colored glasses may be considered equivalent to seeing the world through the eyes of an extroverted optimist. For example,

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extraverts may frequently seek out social activities and behaviors, which, in turn, influence positive moods, and, eventually, overall happiness (Tkach, 2006). Specifically, they found that extraverts choose to be in social situations more so than did introverts, and that while in their chosen social setting, extraverts are in a better mood than when in an imposed non-social setting (Tkach, 2006). It was found that it may not be the situation itself that leads to improved moods, but, rather, the behaviors that are elicited and then performed by the person in the situation. In other words, extraverts are happier in social settings because they are acting sociably (Tkach, 2006). There are many strategies that have been written down classifying the activities that people have used and still use to get themselves out of a bad mood, such as exercising, seeking out friends, and hobbies (Tkach, 2006). Research has been done results of experimental evidence supporting the causal link between intentional behavior and mood change have been found. For example, active distraction in the form of exercise has been found to reduce negative mood (Tkach, 2006). Research has also shown that people often engage in activities that they believe will help fix a negative mood, but, in the long term, these activities either have no benefit or, worse yet, make people feel even worse. The most notable example of this attempt at mood regulation is drinking alcohol (Tkach, 2006). Although drinking is a common mood regulatory activity and it may relieve a negative mood in the short term, its continued use can lead to depression and other negative consequences in the long term (Tkach, 2006).

Well-being consists of feeling hopeful, happy, and good about oneself, as well as energetic and connected to others. An early study compared retirees older than the age 65 who volunteered with those who did not (Post, 2005). Volunteers scored significantly higher in life satisfaction and will to live and had fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety, and somatization.

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There are five main reasons for benefits to older adults who engage in unselfish behavior: enhanced social integration, distraction from their own problems, enhanced meaningfulness, increased perception of self-efficacy and competence, and improved mood or more physically active lifestyle. It has been associated that adult unselfishness that is, voluntary behavior that is “motivated by concern for the welfare of the other, rather than by anticipation of rewards” (Post,2005), with improved morale, self-esteem, positive affect, and well-being. The mental health benefits of volunteerism include reduction in depressive symptoms, happiness, and enhanced well-being. With an experiment being done through the Presbyterian Church, the results came out to be that many felt as if giving help over receiving help led to a better mental health. People engaged in helping behavior do generally report feeling good about themselves, and this has measurable physiological correlation. Studies using biological markers look at individuals before and after engagement in unselfish moods and behaviors and indicate immune-enhancing biological changes (Post, 2005). The argument for causality is further strengthened by the inarguable assertion that emotional states of unselfish love and kindness displace negative emotional states such as rage, hatred, fear, which cause stress and stress-related illness through adverse impact on immune function The idea of success from different views is an important example of this complexity. On one hand, mainstream society is greatly influenced by the “American myth” which promotes individualism and economic achievement as the necessary means for success (Klinge, 2012). In contrast, success in other cultures is a history of survival based on a cooperative, group effort to preserve traditional values.

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Method The purpose of this study is to determine if success has any relation to people who are happier than others and if happy people tend to be more successful than those who are not. Participants Eleven participants were recruited to participate in this study. These participants were Kean University freshman/ APA seniors. Kean University is a public four year liberal arts university with a current enrollment of fifteen thousand two hundred twenty-one students. The main campus is located in Union, New Jersey, and there are two other locations: Ocean County, NJ and Wenzhou, China. Sixty-three percent of students at Kean University identify as female and thirty-seven percent identify as males, and the average age of these students is twenty-four. The three major races/ethnicities at Kean are White, Hispanic/Latino, and Black/African American. The participants recruited were from the APA dual enrollment program at Kean; this is a program designed for Union County Academy for Performing Arts students that are in their senior year of high school. The senior class consists of forty-one students: eighty-five percent are female and fifteen percent are male. Their races and ethnicities included Hispanic/Latino, Black/ African American, Asian, and White. The participants were asked to take this survey by means of Facebook. There were no special requirements in order to take this survey; people of any race, gender, ethnicity, age, political party, etc. were allowed to partake in this survey. Instrument and Procedure Participants were asked to complete a ten question survey which consisted of questions on demographics, happiness, and success. There were only four demographic questions, and they regarded the participant’s age, gender, race/ethnicity, and highest education level completed. There were three questions about happiness; one being a fill in the blank with what the person

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believed the definition of happiness was and the other two were multiple choice. The remaining three questions ask the participant about the definition of success and two multiple choice questions regarding whether or not they believe they are successful people. The data was collected throughout the span of four days towards the end of the spring semester at Kean. I collected the data through Kean’s Qualtrics program. I signed up and created my survey on the Qualtrics website and once I completed it, I posted the link onto my graduating class’ facebook page. The average time it took each participant was approximately a minute and a half. Everyone that began the survey completed it, therefore; everyone’s data was analyzed.

Analysis The data was gathered through Kean Qualtrics and was then analyzed using Microsoft Excel to determine demographics such as age, gender, race/ethnicity, and highest education level completed. Both happiness and success were analyzed to determine the average happiness/success score of all the participants combined, each individual’s overall happiness/success level and each level of happiness/success was broken down by age, gender, race.ethnicity, and highest education level completed.

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Results Demographics Eleven participants took part in this study. These participants were all current Kean freshman/APA seniors. The participants were recruited through a link on Facebook which led to a survey on the Qualtrics website. Of these 11 participants, 100% were APA seniors. The average age of all of the participants was 17.73 with a range of 17-18. Out of the 11 that took the survey 27% identified themselves as males and 73% identified themselves as females. The multiple races/ethnicities included in this survey were 36% were Hispanic, 55% were Caucasian, and 9% were African American. Happiness Happiness was measured through three questions which included one that the participants rated on a five-point scale depending on how much they agreed with statement to how much they disagreed with the statement. The five ratings were then averaged in order to get an overall happiness score. Low happiness was considered to be a score that is greater than or equal to five but less than four. No participants scored in the low happiness range. Moderate happiness was considered to be a score that was greater than or equal to four but no higher than two. 73% of the participants scored in this range. Lastly, high happiness was considered to be a score that is greater than two but less than or equal to one. Almost a quarter of the participants, 27%, scored in the high happiness range. The overall average happiness score was 2.3 with a range from 1, being the highest, to five, being the lowest. No one scored in the category for low happiness. For moderate happiness, 63% of the participants were female and 37% were male. Also, 12% were Black/African American, 25% were Hispanic/Latino, and 63% were White. Regarding education, 100% of the participants were

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APA seniors. Lastly, for high happiness, 100% were female. 33% were White and 67% were Hispanic/Latino. Regarding education, 100% were APA seniors and 100% were 18 years of age.

Success How successful someone believes to be was determined through three statements that the participants rated on a five-point scale depending on how much they agreed with the statement. The five ratings were then averaged in order to get an overall success score. Low success was considered to be a score that is greater than or equal to five but less than four. No participants scored in the low success range. Moderate success was considered to be a score that was greater than or equal to four but no higher than two. 73% of the participants scored in this range. Lastly, high success was considered to be a score that is greater than two but less than or equal to one. Almost a quarter of the participants, 27%, scored in the high success range. The overall average success score was 2.3 with a range from 1, being the highest, to five, being the lowest. No one scored in the category for low success. For moderate success, 63% of the participants were female and 37% were male. Also, 12% were Black/African American, 25% were Hispanic/Latino, and 63% were White. Regarding education, 100% of the participants were

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APA seniors. Lastly, for high success, 100% were female. 33% were White and 67% were Hispanic/Latino. Regarding education, 100% were APA seniors and 100% were 18 years of age.

Happiness vs Success In order to see if success affects happiness, the percentage of participants with low, moderate, and high success scores for each happiness level was determined. The average success score for people with low happiness was 0 with a range of 1-5, and the percentages were as follows: 0% of the participants with low happiness had a low music score; 0% had a moderate music score; and 0% had a high music score. The average success score for people with moderate happiness was 2.5 with a range of 2.1-3.7, and the percentages were as follows: 0% of the participants had low success scores; 100% had moderate success scores; and 0% had high success scores. Lastly, the average success score for high happiness was 1.8 with a range of 1.72, and the percentages were as follows: 0% of the participants had low success scores; 0% had moderate music scores; and 100% had high music scores.

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Correlation: 0.9298532

There were no participants who scored in the low happiness- low success rank, low happiness- moderate success rank, or in the low happiness- high success rank. There was also no one who scored in the low success- moderate happiness rank or the low success- high happiness rank. There were also no participants for the moderate happiness- high success rank or the high

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happiness- moderate success rank. Participants who had moderate happiness and moderate success scores were 63% female and 37% other. Also, 12% were Black/African American, 25% were Hispanic/Latino, and 63% were White. Regarding education,100% were APA seniors. Next, for people with high happiness and high success scores, 100% were female. Their ethnicities/race include 67% Hispanic/Latino, and 33% White. Regarding education, 100% were APA seniors.

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Conclusion The purpose of this study was to determine if success had an effect on a person’s happiness. Participants were asked to complete a survey in which they would answer four questions about demographics, rate to what extent they agree or disagree with sixteen statements regarding happiness and success using a five-point scale (from strongly agree to strongly disagree). The survey was published on Kean’s Qualtrics program and then shared through Facebook in order to recruit participants; these participants were APA seniors. They were recruited towards the end of Kean’s spring semester and the data was collected throughout the span of seven days. Of the 11 participants, 0% of them scored in the low happiness range. 73% of the participants scored in the moderate happiness range. Lastly, over a quarter of the participants, 27%, scored in the high happiness range. The overall average happiness score of all the participants was 2.3 with a range of 1-5, one being the highest and five being the lowest. Two researchers were studying happiness in undergraduate students and they used the “Oxford Happiness Questionnaire” which includes rating 29 items on a six-point scale (from strongly disagree to strongly agree). The highest score a person could get is 174 and the lowest is 29. The average happiness score of the participants in this study was 127.88 (Flynn 2015). This score seems to be on the higher end of moderate happiness leaning towards the lower end of high happiness, similar to the happiness average in this study. This may be more than just a coincidence; to say that the average happiness of everyone in the world combined would be in the moderate range, possibly the higher end of it, would be a very believable statement. There are people who are completely in the high range and there are others in the low range, but many would be somewhere along the middle.

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There were 0 participants who scored in the low success range. Almost three fourths of the participants, 73%, scored in the moderate success range. Lastly, 27% scored in the high success range. The overall average music score was 2.3 with a range of 1-5, one being the highest and five being the lowest. In one study, a group of researchers asked their participants a question about how important it was for one to be successful in their lives. Their results showed that 57% stated that success was very important, 27% stated it was important, and 16% stated it was sometimes important. Furthermore, 70% stated that they found themselves thinking about how they were going to be successful very often and about 25% stated that they did not really catch themselves thinking about how they were going to be successful (Klinge 2015). This data, especially the “how important is success to you” part, matches up pretty well with the data in this study. Success is an important factor to anyone's’ lives and several people would agree that to be considered a successful person plays an important role in their lives, especially in this day and age. None of the participants with low happiness had a low success score. The average success score for people with low happiness was 0 with a range of 1-5, and the percentages were as follows: 0% of the participants with low happiness had a low music score; 0% had a moderate music score; and 0% had a high music score. The average success score for people with moderate happiness was 2.5 with a range of 2.1-3.7, and the percentages were as follows: 0% of the participants had low success scores; 100% had moderate su...