THE INTERTWINING OF MEANING IN LIFE AND HAPPINESS
Abstract
The present study aims to investigate the correlations between two psychological constructs: happiness and the meaning of life (presence and search). The analyses were conducted by associating the two constructs and exploring their implications with demographic data. This is a basic, qualitative-quantitative, cross-sectional, and exploratory research. The study involved 269 university students from an institution of higher education in Southern Minas, and the sampling was non-probabilistic and convenience-based. Two validated psychometric instruments, the Questionnaire of Sense of Life (MLQ) and the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), were employed for data collection, along with a questionnaire for demographic information. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive and multivariate statistical techniques with the open-source software PSPP, while qualitative data were analyzed using Laurence Bardin's content analysis technique. The analyses indicate that individuals who consider themselves happy are more likely to perceive life as meaningful, and those with a meaningful life are more likely to consider themselves happy.
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