){kind=logo}
){kind=icon}
){kind=logo}
){kind=icon}
What do we need to be happy? It is a question that undoubtedly haunts every person’s mind at some point. Happiness, a topic of great relevance for human beings, is far from a simple achievement; it is complex, abstract, and different for each of us. The perception of happiness changes as we evolve throughout life: how we think, the things we worry about, tastes, social relationships, conditions related to physical and mental development, and emotional well-being. Therefore, it is not strange that young people sometimes question their states of happiness, considering the daily challenges testing their ability to succeed while striving for well-being and the possibility of happiness.
UNICEF’s report, “State of the World’s Children 2021,” estimated that more than 13% of adolescents aged 10 to 19 have a diagnosed mental disorder, with anxiety and depression accounting for 40% of diagnoses. Sadly, nearly 45,800 teens die each year from suicide, which ranks fifth as the most common cause of death among teens ages 10 to 19.
In Mexico, estimates are that approximately 3 million young people suffer from some emotional distress or diagnosed depression (Mendoza, 2018). Likewise, 8 out of 10 adolescents in Bolivia suffer from anguish, depression, and anxiety but do not seek psychological support (UNICEF U-Report opinion poll 2022). It forces us to ask ourselves what young university students need to be happy today and how universities can support them during their training.
Elements That Impact College Students’ Happiness
To identify the elements that impact students’ happiness and their integral and holistic well-being, we conducted a comparative study of university students from Mexico and Bolivia as part of an international project called Global Shared Learning: Classroom (COIL). These projects use an instructional method that promotes intercultural learning through online collaboration among teachers and students taking courses in different countries.
Through this initiative, online collaborative activities promoted peer-to-peer learning in two courses, namely, “Keys to Happiness for Human Flourishing” at Tecnologico de Monterrey and “Teaching toThink, Teaching to Learn” at Universidad Católica Boliviana San Pablo. This international collaboration aimed to identify and study those elements, competencies, and factors that impact young people’s perception of happiness and well-being in both countries.
More than 500 young students from both countries responded to a survey in this international experience, including interviews with specialists on various topics related to happiness, well-being, and emotional health in Bolivia and Mexico. With this information, the participants could make quantitative and qualitative comparisons of what makes young people happy in both countries, identifying patterns, similarities, and differences between the answers of the respondents and the specialists.
The results were very revealing regarding the correlations of happiness to specific elements of their lives. 92% of respondents linked their health status to their emotional well-being; 43% associated their happiness with the time spent with family and friends; and 64% identified that income directly impacts their happiness.
Regarding emotional tools, only 49% believed they had the tools to recover emotionally from a stressful situation. 28% preferred not to find out about negative situations in the environment that do not harm their happiness, which can lead them to ignore problems, even those directly concerning them. In addition, only 57% of the students surveyed believed they balance their personal, social, work, and academic lives.
Thus, with these results, the Mexican and Bolivian students could know the well-being of young people in both countries. Through this international collaboration, they became aware of the relevance of promoting emotional health and well-being among Latin American youth.
Tools to Measure Happiness
It is essential to understand that happiness is a complex notion because it involves various elements encompassing the person’s emotional state, sense of well-being, and perception of self-realization when they attain goals, desires, or life purposes. For this reason, many notions referring to happiness are subjective because each person’s condition influences whether they say they are happy (Russell, 1930).
More than a decade ago, the World Happiness Report, generated with data from the Gallup poll, stated that it is possible to identify common elements of people’s happiness, valuing aspects of their environment that should promote positive emotions and a sense of well-being. The World Happiness Index considers aspects such as the level of GDP, life expectancy, generosity, social support, and freedom as factors that can determine the state of well-being of a country’s citizens.
In addition, there is the proposed Gross Happiness Index by the GNH Center of Butan, which measures happiness considering nine factors: 1) Health, 2) Education, 3) Standard of Living, 4) Environmental Diversity, 5) Governance, 6) Psychological Well-being, 7) Time Use, 8) Community Vitality, and 9) Culture (Veenhoven, 2009).
Despite having these two indices as a guide, today, young people are bombarded more than ever with the idea that being “a successful, happy person ” is almost an obligation. This idea, combined with complex realities such as post-pandemic times, economic crises, social struggles, and other characteristics, makes happiness challenging.
Enriching conclusions
With this study, we seek to highlight the importance of students having tools for emotional care because they are fundamental in learning, cognitive development, and personal, academic, and professional performance. Although it is impossible to guarantee continuous happiness, promoting and providing these tools can support students in overcoming the challenges and failures of life and keep moving forward.
The access to data from 500 students in two countries helps us to understand that happiness is a common goal but not readily achievable. It allowed the students to become aware of their lives from an integral and holistic perspective (feeling, thinking, acting) and understand their struggles and commitment to achieve happiness.
About the Authors
José Carlos Vázquez Parra (jcvazquezp@tec.mx) is a professor at Tecnologico de Monterrey with a degree in Psychology, a Master’s degree in Education, and a Ph.D. in Humanistic Studies. He is currently a professor at the School of Humanities and Education. He is also a researcher at the Institute for the Future of Education at Tecnologico de Monterrey.
Liz Katherine Marco Torrez (lmarco@ucb.edu.bo) is a professor at the Universidad Católica Boliviana San Pablo, an Education Scientist, a Critical Pedagogue, and a Teacher in Productive Socio-Community Education. She is a professor at the Universidad Católica Boliviana San Pablo and the National Coordinator for the Global Partnership for Education.
References
Estado Mundial de la Infancia 2021 en mi mente – UNICEF. (n.d.). https://www.unicef.org/media/114641/file/SOWC%202021%20Full%20Report%20Spanish.pdf
Gallup, Inc. (2023). Gallup Global Happiness Center. Retrieved from https://www.gallup.com/analytics/349487/gallup-global-happiness-center.aspx
Mendoza, J. (2018). Con problemas de depresión, dos millones y medio de jóvenes mexicanos. Boletín UNAM. https://www.dgcs.unam.mx/boletin/bdboletin/2018_655.html
Russell, B. (1930). La conquista de la felicidad. Madrid: Penguin Random House
UNICEF (2022). Ocho de cada 10 adolescentes pasan angustia, depresión y ansiedad, pero no buscan apoyo psicológico. UNICEF Bolivia. https://www.unicef.org/bolivia/comunicados-prensa/ocho-de-cada-10-adolescentes-pasan-angustia-depresi%C3%B3n-y-ansiedad-pero-no-buscan
Vázquez-Parra, J.C. (2020). ¿Se puede enseñar a ser feliz en tiempos de Covid? Observatorio de Innovación Educativa. https://observatorio.tec.mx/edu-bits-blog/estudiantes-felices-en-tiempos-de-covid-19
Veenhoven, R. (2009). Medidas de la Felicidad Nacional Bruta. Psychosocial Intervention, 18 (3), 279-299
Editing
Edited by Rubí Román (rubi.roman@tec.mx) – Editor of the Edu bits articles and producer of The Observatory webinars- “Learning that inspires” – Observatory of the Institute for the Future of Education at Tec de Monterrey.
Translation
Daniel Wetta
){kind=icon}
){kind=icon}
This article from Observatory of the Institute for the Future of Education may be shared under the terms of the license CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 
)