Changing subjective wellbeing across the college life: survey evidence from China

Abstract

This study examines the trajectories of hedonic and eudaimonic forms of happiness across college life. Analyzing the Beijing College Student Panel Survey, we find that: (1) Academic performance, extraversion, internship, and health status all have a significant and positive correlation with both types of happiness, while one fatalistic orientation reveals a negative effect; (2) Eudaimonic happiness can be specifically dampened by romantic relationship, and hedonic happiness is specifically weakened by student association participation. Students majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), males, and ethnic minorities have advantages of hedonic happiness. (3) With regard to changes across college life, the strength of correlations between eudaimonic happiness and the variables of health status and academic performance longitudinally decline, but one’s fatalistic orientation and sense of mastery become increasingly relevant. For hedonic happiness, the advantage of the STEM students over the non-STEM ones is gradually narrowed; what are also counteracted are the detrimental effects of the fatalistic orientation and student association participation. The positive role of academic performance for hedonic happiness is longitudinally strengthened, but the disadvantage of female students deteriorates.