The importance of very high life satisfaction for students' academic success PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT

Abstract: This study investigated whether very high levels of life satisfaction were associated with academic success at the college level. Three-hundred fifty-seven university students reported on their life satisfaction and various indicators of educational functioning. Participants with very high life satisfaction (top 10%) were compared to those with average and low levels of life satisfaction to explore differences in these academic factors. Results indicated that although both groups were satisfied with life, the students with very high life satisfaction were at a significant advantage over those with average life satisfaction in terms of academic performance, including greater student engagement, academic self-efficacy, and approach-oriented achievement goals and lower academic stress. The most satisfied students also earned higher Grade Point Averages (GPAs) than their less satisfied peers. There were no differences in educational functioning between the average and low life satisfaction students. These findings suggest that very high life satisfaction is associated with academic advantages that are not present among students with average or low satisfaction levels. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Susan Antaramian is an assistant professor of psychology at Christopher Newport University in Virginia, United States. She has a Master's degree and PhD in school psychology. Her research interests focus on positive psychology and topics that extend beyond the field's traditional focus on psychopathology and psychological distress and instead incorporate positive factors and individuals' strengths. Prior studies have investigated such concepts as life satisfaction, positive affect, adaptive coping skills, and emotional well-being, and the relationship between these positive aspects of mental health and students' educational performance, including student engagement and academic achievement. Currently, she teaches classes on developmental psychology, positive psychology, and social science statistics at the undergraduate level and on educational assessment and special education at the graduate level. She is also a Nationally Certified School Psychologist. PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT The pursuit of happiness is an important goal for many people. But is happier always better, or can there be too much of a good thing? When it comes to students' performance in school, what is the ideal level of happiness for promoting the best academic outcomes? The present research seeks to answer these questions by comparing college students with extremely high life satisfaction to students with average and low levels of life satisfaction in terms of their academic performance. Study results showed that the happiest, most satisfied students were more invested in their educational experiences, had greater confidence in their academic abilities, experienced less academic stress, were more positively motivated, and earned higher GPAs than the students with average and low satisfaction. These results suggest that pursuing happiness to the maximum extent can have a positive impact not only on emotional health but also on academic success

The importance of very high life satisfaction for students’ academic success

This study investigated whether very high levels of life satisfaction were associated with academic success at the college level. Three-hundred fifty-seven university students reported on their life satisfaction and various indicators of educational functioning. Participants with very high life satisfaction (top 10%) were compared to those with average and low levels of life satisfaction to explore differences in these academic factors. Results indicated that although both groups were satisfied with life, the students with very high life satisfaction were at a significant advantage over those with average life satisfaction in terms of academic performance, including greater student engagement, academic self-efficacy, and approach-oriented achievement goals and lower academic stress. The most satisfied students also earned higher Grade Point Averages (GPAs) than their less satisfied peers. There were no differences in educational functioning between the average and low life satisfaction students. These findings suggest that very high life satisfaction is associated with academic advantages that are not present among students with average or low satisfaction levels

A Dual-Factor Model of Mental Health: Understanding Student Engagement and School Performance Using a Person-Centered Approach

Traditional mental health models focus on psychological problems and distress. Accordingly, health is viewed as the absence of illness or disability. In contrast, a dual-factor model of mental health incorporates both indicators of positive well-being and measures of psychopathological symptoms to comprehensively determine an individual\u27s psychological adjustment. The current study used such a dual-factor model to measure the mental health status of young adolescents. Middle school students were classified into one of four distinct groups based on having high or low psychopathology and high or low subjective well-being. Furthermore, group differences in student engagement, academic achievement, and environmental support for learning were investigated. Results demonstrated the existence of a traditionally neglected group of adolescents (low subjective well-being and low psychopathology) who are nonetheless at risk for academic and behavior problems in school. Overall, both the presence of positive well-being and the absence of symptoms were necessary for ensuring the most advantageous school performance. These results highlight the importance of incorporating positive indicators of well-being along with traditional negative factors in understanding relationships between individuals\u27 mental health and educational outcomes

Assessing differential effects: Applying regression mixture models to identify variations in the influence of family resources on academic achievement.

Developmental scientists frequently seek to understand effects of environmental contexts on development. Traditional analytic strategies assume similar environmental effects for all children, sometimes exploring possible moderating influences or exceptions (e.g., outliers) as a secondary step. These strategies are poorly matched to ecological models of human development that posit complex individual by environment interactions. An alternative conceptual framework is proposed that tests the hypothesis that the environment has differential (nonuniform) effects on children. A demonstration of the utility of this framework is provided by examining the effects of family resources on children’s academic outcomes in a multisite study (N = 6,305). Three distinctive groups of children were identified, including 1 group particularly resilient to influence of low levels of family resources. Predictors of group differences including parenting and child demographics are tested, the replicability of the results are examined, and findings are contrasted with those obtained with traditional regression interaction effects. This approach is proposed as a partial solution to advance theories of the environment, social ecological systems research, and behavioral genetics to create well-tailored environments for children