Happiness Predicts academic achievement: A Longitudinal Empirical Analysis of Subjective Well-Being and Academic Performance Among College Students

Yundong Wu; Li Jintao; Weijian Kong; Ruofan Lin

doi:10.63944/gwd.NHE

Happiness Predicts academic achievement: A Longitudinal Empirical Analysis of Subjective Well-Being and Academic Performance Among College Students

Yundong Wu (作者)

Graduate School, Dongshin University, South Korea

Li Jintao (作者)

School of Arts, Chonnam National University, South Korea

Weijian Kong (作者)

Ocean Training School, Quanzhou Ocean Institute, China

Ruofan Lin (作者)

School of Management, Yunnan Normal University, China

DOI：https://doi.org/10.63944/gwd.NHE

关键词：

subjective well-being, academic achievement, positiveemotions, negative emotions

已出版

2025-09-15

摘要: This study employed a longitudinal design involving 224 college students in Quanzhou City, Fujian Province, China, to examine the predictive relationship between subjective well-being (life satisfaction, positive emotions, negative emotions) and academic achievement (GPA earned). Data were collected through two questionnaire surveys (one yearapart). Results indicate that subjective well-being predicts academic achievement one yearlater. Specifically, life satisfaction and positive emotions exert significant predictive effects, while negative emotion shows no significant impact. Conversely, academic achievement didnot significantly predict subjective well-being one year later. The study confirms that happiness is a positive predictor of academic achievement, rather than academic achievement influencing happiness. However, the explained variance is small (2-4%), indicating that other factors play a more substantial role. Further analysis indicates that positive emotions exertlong-term effects on academic achievement by broadening cognitive and behavioral patterns and enhancing stress resilience. Life satisfaction indirectly promotes academic achievement by increasing learning engagement and autonomy. The study suggests that higher education should prioritize happiness education, enhancing student academic achievement through value transformation and well-being training. Limitations include regional sample concentration, uncontrolled socioeconomic variables, and the need for larger, more diverse samples in future research.

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Happiness Predicts academic achievement: A Longitudinal Empirical Analysis of Subjective Well-Being and Academic Performance Among College Students

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