What role does college choice play in one's adult happiness?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>The most popular course at Harvard is "Positive Psychology", a course that teaches students how to be happy. The course is taught by
Professor Tal Ben-Shahar.</p>

<p>I found that very interesting, because I assumed that Harvard students would be among the happiest anywhere, since they have been admitted to one of the most prestigious universities in the world, and have limitless professional possibilities upon graduation. Why would these students need a course in "happiness"?</p>

<p>Many parents are obsessed with making sure their child gets into the "right" college, because they want to see their children live HAPPY and productive lives as adults.</p>

<p>DO YOU THINK THERE IS ANY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ONE'S CHOICE OF COLLEGE AND HIS/HER HAPPINESS IN ADULTHOOD????</p>

<p>What do you think?</p>

2

<p>Certainly not happiness. People should remember why universities exist- it's to provide an education, not the keys to a meaningful existence. There does seem to be an incredible hysteria about admissions which may be fueled by such hyperboles as college=happiness.</p>

3

<p>I think that once one has the basics -- food, shelter and clothing -- happiness is determined far more by attitude than by what kind of opportunities that one has.</p>

<p>Being at a prestigious institution has little to do with happiness in my opinion. For instance, a person who is always looking to see if others are smarter, more accomplished, etc. may be much happier at an institution where they are easily at the top of the heap when one looks at those kind of measures of success.</p>

<p>A person who picked Harvard for only the name, but who would prefer to be in a less pressured environment in, for instance, a bucolic location, also could be very miserable at Harvard.</p>

<p>Frankly, I think that there's little relationship between one's choice of college and their happiness in adulthood.</p>

4

<p>From a Psychology Today article citing research on happiness, here are the main factors determining happiness. Personality, not choice of college is what's important.</p>

<p>"Self-esteem: Happy People Like Themselves
During the 1980s, no topic in psychology was more researched than the self. Many reports showed the dividends of high self-esteem--in some University of Michigan studies of well-being in America, the best predictor of general life satisfaction was not satisfaction with family life, friendships, or income, but satisfaction with self. People who like and accept themselves feel good about life in general....</p>

<p>II: Optimism: Happy People Are Hope-Filled</p>

<p>Those who agree that "with enough faith, you can do almost anything" and that "when I undertake something new, I expect to succeed" may be a bit bubble-headed. But, for seeing the glass of life as half-full rather than half-empty, they are usually happier.</p>

<p>III: Extroversion: Happy People Are Outgoing</p>

<p>In study after study, extroverts--social, outgoing people--report greater happiness and satisfaction with life. The explanation seems partly temperamental. "Extroverts are simply more cheerful and high-spirited," report National Institute of Aging researchers Paul Costa and Robert McCrae. Self-assured people who walk into a room full of strangers and warmly introduce themselves may also be more accepting of themselves. Liking themselves, they are confident that others will like them, too.</p>

<p>Such attitudes tend also to be self-fulfilling, leading extroverts to experience more positive events. When University of Illinois researchers Ed Diener and Keith Magnus studied students at the undergraduate level and then again four years later as alumni, they found that life had treated extroverts more kindly. Compared to introverts, extroverts were more likely to have gotten married, found good jobs, and made new, close friends....</p>

<p>IV: Personal Control: Happy People Believe They Choose Their Destinies</p>

<p>Summarizing the University of Michigan's nationwide surveys, researcher Angus Campbell commented that "having a strong sense of controlling one's life is a more dependable predictor of positive feelings of well-being than any of the objective conditions of life we have considered." And the 15 percent of Americans who feel in control of their lives and feel satisfied with themselves have "extraordinarily positive feelings of happiness."</p>

<p><a href="http://psychologytoday.com/articles/index.php?term=pto-19920701-000027&page=1%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://psychologytoday.com/articles/index.php?term=pto-19920701-000027&page=1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

5

<p>I think that going to a school where you feel you belong and where you're happy to be is important. And I would argue that a plenty of people get caught up in the name, the reputation, and the "achievement" of getting into Harvard that they ignore asking themselves if they are in the right place for them. </p>

<p>My own college experience was one where I was extremely happy to be at school each and every day. Sure there were times when I was stressed beyond belief and times when things didn't go as I would have liked where I was upset, but it was rarely because of the location. I frequently say that the day I graduated was the saddest day of my life, because I really, truly loved college. And I certainly enjoy making trips back to the city and campus of my alma mater (which, with my younger brother now a freshman there, is pretty frequent when I can swing it). </p>

<p>Now does all the positive feelings I have for my alma mater necessarily translate to happiness as an alumnus? I don't know, I know that my passion for the athletic teams of my alma mater means I enjoy attending/watching those games whether football, baseball or volleyball. I know that because I was happy at my school, I ended up being successful enough to get into medical school. But I also know that my true happiness comes from doing the things I feel are important, and push come to shove, I probably could have been just as happy as an adult no matter where I went to college. The fact that I was successful at a place I really wanted to go is plenty of icing on the cake but probably not the cake itself.</p>

<p>All that said, I dont' think it makes a lot of sense to go somewhere that isn't going to make you happy - especially if you're paying as much for an education as you are at someplace like Harvard.</p>

6

<p>wow, our society really needs some better rites of passage than college.</p>

7

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<p>Because having such a course is a current fad. A fad that is not by any means confined to Harvard:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.apa.org/monitor/oct03/primer.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.apa.org/monitor/oct03/primer.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Quote from article:</p>

<p>"The number of positive psychology courses taught at the undergraduate level nationally has rocketed from zero to 100 in five years, declared Martin E.P. Seligman, PhD, in a Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schoolsinvited address at APA's 2003 Annual Convention. "</p>

8

<p>Not really.</p>

<p>"Happiness" is one emotion and life is full of them. In order to understand one, you need to experience the other - to a certain degree. Being educated is certainly important, but not essential to happiness. Lots of carpenters do extremely good work for deserving people and this brings satisfaction that can lead to happiness. Conversely, some pretty educated folk can be/are miserable snots.</p>

<p>Life should be savored. It's not all going to be happy or wonderful, but it's life. Find a good mate, raise decent children, help those that need a hand. Enjoy that peanut butter sandwich or that cookie. Feel accomplished after a solid period of physical labor. See the honor in hard work...follow your passions.</p>

9

<p>I think that it's wonderful that Harvard offers a "Happiness" course, and that it's the most well received course on campus.</p>

<p>The popularity of the course just goes to prove, that when you get down to the very basics, the kids at Harvard are the same as those at any other school... just regular students seeking to live a happy and productive life.</p>

<p>It would be interesting to do a survey of all students at Harvard who have taken the course on Happiness, and ask them to list the one course taken at Harvard that's had the most profound impact on their life.</p>

<p>With all the rigorous courses and world-class professors at Harvard, wouldn't it be interesting if the Happiness course turned out to be not only the most popular course at Harvard, but also the one that had the most profound impact on it's students lives?</p>

<p>Hope to see other colleges offer this great course.</p>

10

<p>I suspect that the reason most people choose to attend Harvard is not because it will make them happy. It could be pressure from society, a family legacy, a general love of the school, but most likely it is an internal push to go to, in their mind, the best university in the world. Whether it is a good thing or a bad thing, this push is the object that has students interested in an engineering major taking AP English classes, or vice-versa. The reason this happiness course is so popular is most likely because these students either consciously or subconsciously recognize that this extremely important decision to attend Harvard was not likely one that would truly make them happy, at least at present.</p>

11

<p>Most of the colleges offer some version of this course now based on the work at U Penn on Authentic Happiness. It is a facinating new area of psychology, that is attracting a lot of interest but interesting enough it finds that what your life circumstances are has little to do with your happiness, hence which college you end up at. You make your own happiness by your interpretation(thoughts) about where you go. Another take off on this The Secret is a best selling book now, Oprah did 2 shows on this, similar philosophy.</p>

12

<p>The lead story on Yahoo today is that 87% of Europeans surveyed say they're "happy." I wonder what the corresponding figure would be for Americans? Half that? Yet we've got a lot of resources at our disposal that others in the world envy - more money, bigger cars, cheaper gas (hard to believe, but true). Clearly, having lots of resources is not the only factor that determines happiness.</p>

<p>Harvard is a great place at which to learn what it is to be functioning at your highest and best capacity. That can be a great source of happiness for some and a possible source of stress for others. Ultimately, Harvard is another significant resource, and whether it leads to happiness depends upon how the individual chooses to utilize it.</p>

13

<p>Go to the best college you can get into. The "validation" will boost your self esteem and self confidence for the rest of your life. It will make you happier than you would have been otherwise.</p>

14

<p>collegehelp: I'm sure that I can get into Harvard, but can't afford it. So, I'm gonna go to a nearby State U. I'm a little hesitant though, because State U might not "validate" me the way that Harvard would.</p>

<p>Do you think that my self esteem and self confidence will be so low, as a result of the lack of "validation", that I'm destined for failure and unhappiness?</p>

<p>Those Harvard kids are so lucky; They not only have a "Happiness" course, but they also get "validated." Man, they must be one real happy bunch!</p>

15

<p>well I said it would most likely not make them happy at present. I agree that in the long run it will most likely make that kind of student extremely happy, and validate them in the way you explained.</p>

16

<p>Success (or the belief that one is successful) makes you happy. Getting into a great college and graduating from it is a mark of success. Settling for less than the best you can do...well, I think it eats at you over time. It wears on your mind. It creates regrets. Settling for less makes you less happy.</p>

<p>But, it isn't the college name alone. What also makes a difference is becoming immersed in a culture of achievement. Better schools have stronger intellectual cultures, better role models. Happiness naturally follows from losing yourself in gratifying pursuits. Better schools help you do that. </p>

<p>"To the extent to which one makes happiness the objective of his motivation, he necessarily makes it the object of his attention. But precisely by so doing he loses sight of the reason for happiness, and happiness itself must fade away."
"Success and happiness must happen, the less one cares for them, the more they can."
Viktor E. Frankl, The Will of Meaning</p>

<p>an interesting article:
Does success lead to happiness, does happiness lead to success, or do they feed off each other?
<a href="http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/bul1316803.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/bul1316803.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

17

<p>
[quote]
Most of the colleges offer some version of this course now based on the work at U Penn on Authentic Happiness.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>The Harvard article suggested that about 200 such courses are taught. </p>

<p>It's certainly the case that interest in this area is growing, and more courses are popping up, but unless they're seriously underestimating, there's no way that most colleges are offering courses like this.</p>

18

<p>Courses on happiness are probably part of the recently growing field of "Positive Psychology" that was actually founded by Abraham Maslow in the 1950s although many latecomers act like they "discovered" the field. It is a serious academic discipline. Happiness is one of the things that matters most in life, but it has had little rigorous study.</p>

<p>Here is another article from U Penn authors:
<a href="http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/images/apaarticle.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/images/apaarticle.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

19

<p>From the American Psychological Association, 2005</p>

<p>"Washington — Personal and professional success may lead to happiness but may also engender success. Happy individuals are predisposed to seek out and undertake new goals in life and this reinforces positive emotions, say researchers who examined the connections between desirable characteristics, life successes and well-being of over 275,000 people. </p>

<p>From a review of 225 studies in the current issue of Psychological Bulletin, published by the American Psychological Association (APA), lead author Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., of the University of California, Riverside found that chronically happy people are in general more successful across many life domains than less happy people and their happiness is in large part a consequence of their positive emotions rather than vice versa. Happy people are more likely to achieve favorable life circumstances, said Dr. Lyubomirsky, and "this may be because happy people frequently experience positive moods and these positive moods prompt them to be more likely to work actively toward new goals and build new resources. When people feel happy, they tend to feel confident, optimistic, and energetic and others find them likable and sociable. Happy people are thus able to benefit from these perceptions....</p>

<p>"Our review provides strong support that happiness, in many cases, leads to successful outcomes, rather than merely following from them, said Lyubomirsky, "and happy individuals are more likely than their less happy peers to have fulfilling marriages and relationships, high incomes, superior work performance, community involvement, robust health and even a long life."</p>

<p><a href="http://www.apa.org/releases/success1205.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.apa.org/releases/success1205.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

20

<p>Collegehelp,
“Go to the best college you can get into. The "validation" will boost your self esteem and self confidence for the rest of your life. It will make you happier than you would have been otherwise….</p>

<p>“Success (or the belief that one is successful) makes you happy. Getting into a great college and graduating from it is a mark of success. Settling for less than the best you can do...well, I think it eats at you over time. It wears on your mind. It creates regrets. Settling for less makes you less happy.”</p>

<p>To this reader, your comments above reflect a disturbing perspective and smacks of elitism. There are literally thousands of students across the country who are statistically capable of attending Ivy League or other top private schools, but choose for one reason or another to attend their flagship state university or some other school (all of which would be considered less prestigious and are certainly lower ranked). Your comments imply that these people are setting themselves up for less fulfilling lives as a result of this choice. Is that really what you meant or am I misinterpreting your words? Would you mind clarifying your point?</p>