DISCUSSION

The aim of the study is to examine the relationship between Happiness and Self Esteem in
young adults. The sample comprises of 62 young adults in the age group 18-25 years. The
sample was collected by convenience sampling from the Delhi region, all the subjects belong
to the same socioeconomic status. The quasi experimental research design was used to study
the Happiness and Self Esteem in young adults.

As seen in the group statistics table, the total sample of the study was 62. Two groups of the
participants were made according to the scores they obtained on Self Esteem scale.
Participants having scores equal to or more than 20 were a part of the high Self esteem
group(n= 44) and those having scores below or equal to 20 were a part of the low Self esteem
group(n= 35). The mean of high Self esteem group on Happiness is 137.34 and the standard
deviation is 18.291. Whereas, the mean of low Self esteem group on Happiness is 110.63 and
the Standard deviation is 28.257.

H1: There will be a significant difference between high and low self esteem groups and
their happiness scores.
An independent samples t-test was conducted for the same. We have chosen an independent
two tailed t-test because the two groups were selected independently and were in no way
influenced by the selection of participants for the other variable. The test was two tailed so
that we can detect the difference between the expected outcome and the real outcome
regardless of the direction of difference. The Independent Samples t-test compares the means
of two independent groups in order to determine whether there is statistical evidence that the
associated population means are significantly different.
As can be seen in table 1 , t score obtained is 5.078 at 0.01 significance level. The
results indicate that the Happiness scores for high self esteem group were significantly
higher than those of the low self esteem group. The result suggests that people having
high on self esteem will score more on Happiness index scale While people with low on
self esteem will score less on Happiness index scale Self esteem refers to an individual's
overall subjective emotional evaluation of their own worth. It is the decision made by an
individual as an attitude towards the self. Happiness refers to the subject of debate on usage
and meaning, and on possible differences in understanding by culture.

Happy individuals tend to feel good about themselves, and people who lack self-worth and
self-respect are generally unhappy. Empirical evidence supports this intuition, revealing
moderate to high correlations between measures of happiness and self-esteem (ranging from
0.36 to 0.58) (Andrews, 1991; A. Campbell, 1981; A. Campbell et al., 1976; Diener and
Diener, 1995; Fordyce, 1988; Kozma and Stones, 1978; Lyubomirsky and Lepper, 1999;
Schimmack et al., 2004)

Self-esteem is often used as an index of global happiness or psychological well-being (e.g.,

Baruch and Barnett, 1986; Ryff, 1989; Whitley, 1983). More common is the view that
happiness and self-esteem are so intimately related that it is difficult, if not impossible, to
separate them conceptually. Indeed, happiness may not be possible or realizable without a
healthy dose of self-confidence and self-acceptance. James (1910), for example, “spoke of
well-being and self-esteem in the same breath” (Epstein, 1973, p. 405), positing that all three
aspects of the self – the material, the social, and the spiritual – are capable of evoking
feelings of happiness. Nearly a century later, in a review of the ensuing perspectives on
happiness, Ryff (1989) concluded that the most recurrent criterion for positive well-being has
been the individual’s sense of self-acceptance or self-esteem (see also Diener, 1996; Myers,
1992; Taylor and Brown, 1988). Many who are socialized in individualistic cultures may not
even make a distinction between how happy they are with their lives and how satisfied they
are with themselves (Lucas et al., 1996).

LIMITATIONS
In the present study, there was a paucity of time, because of which a more thorough research
could not be carried out. For the same reason, the sample was also limited. Similarly, other
factors that could intervene between Happiness and Self Esteem such as stress , anxiety, body
shape etc. Therefore, in order to obtain more valid results in the future, a more exhaustive
research should be conducted, with a larger sample.

CONCLUSION
The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between Happiness and Self Esteem in
young adults . From the results obtained, it can be concluded that Self esteem and
Happiness are related. High and low scores on Self esteem will have different scores on
happiness index scale. First, there was a paucity of time, because of which a more
thorough research could not be carried out. For the same reason, the sample was also
limited. Another limitation could be cultural differences of this sample.