Personal and Psychological Correlates of Happiness Among a Sample of Kuwaiti Muslim Students

This study explores the personal, social, and personality correlates of happiness among a Kuwaiti sample (N = 234) of undergraduates. It found that happiness as assessed by the Oxford Happiness Inventory (OHI) was significantly and positively correlated with optimism, self-rating of happiness with a single item, self-esteem, satisfaction with life, positive affect, self-rating of mental health, hope, self-rating of both physical health and religiosity, and number of close friends. Conversely, the OHI had significant and negative correlations with pessimism, negative affect, alcohol consumption, and prior suicide attempts. A single, bipolar, and high-loaded factor extracted from the personality questionnaires was labeled Subjective Well-Being Versus Negative Orientation. The multiple stepwise regression revealed the best predictors of the OHI to be optimism, the self-rating of happiness, self-esteem, and satisfaction with life, respectively. By and large, personality traits played the more important role in determining happiness in this Arab sample. Suggestions are made for future research.