HAPPINESS AND RESILIENCE AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS: FUTURE DIRECTIONS FOR TRANSFORMATION

The psychological skills needed by students cannot be ignored as we demand more of them in University studies.
Learning an employability skill is important, but it is also important to be able to handle the pressure of
academics, assignments, deadlines, examinations, and all the other stressors that are now closely related to a
student’s life. Students are much more likely to be happy and remain happy for a longer period of time if they
can deal with stressors and recover swiftly from stressors. The ability and capacity to recover quickly from a
setback and handle stress is known as Resilience.
Studies have shown that positive emotions increase resilience, which in turn increases feelings of happiness and
fulfillment. Happiness has now become a part of the global policy agenda. In 2011, the United Nations General
Assembly recognized happiness as a fundamental human goal in a Resolution entitled ‘Happiness: towards a
holistic approach to development’. According to the 2015 World Happiness Report, schools that prioritize
learner wellbeing have the potential to be more effective, with better learning outcomes and greater
achievements in learners’ lives.
With this background, the purpose of this study was to ascertain correlation between resilience and happiness
among college students. The data suggests that there is a significant positive correlation between the resilience
and happiness levels of college students which is a positive indicator. If happiness is boosted, it has implications
on resilience too.
The researchers suggest a path that can be followed for positive transformation. The Happiness Curriculum has
been already introduced and is slowly but steadily finding its roots in school curriculum. However, the need of
the hour is to continue it through the college curriculum as well. The happiness curriculum looks to create a
stimulating environment for learners in schools and if taken up to higher education, will help students to reflect
better, gain insight into their thoughts and feelings, and bring about change in behavior accordingly.