4The Relationship Between Religious Attitude, Social Relationship with Happiness of College Students

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International esearch Journal of Applied and Basic Sciences 2013 Available online at www.irjabs.

1 International esearch Journal of Applied and Basic Sciences 2013 Available online at ISSN X / Vol, 6 (10): Science Explorer Publications 4The elationship Between eligious Attitude, Social elationship with of College Students Akbar Jesarati 1 *, Amir Hemmati 2, Issa Mohammadi 3, Asgar Jesarati 4, amin Moshiri 5 1. Young esearchers And Elite Club, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran 2. Department of Educational Administration, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran 3. Young esearchers And Elite Club, khalkhal Branch, Islamic Azad University, khalkhal, Iran 4. Department of Geography, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran 5. Department of Educational Administration, Payam Noor University, Urmia, Iran *Corresponding Author ajesarati@gmail.com ABSTACT: The purpose of this study is to investigate The relationship between religious attitude, with happiness of college students in Urmia university. The study population was all college students of the Urmia university in year. For this reason 370 college students (192 male, 178 female) were chosen random stratified and their data were gathered by researcher s questionnaire and (Oxford Questionnaire) and eligiosity Orientation Scale (OS). eliability of the questionnaire was calculated 0.83 using Cronbach's alpha. esearch methods is, descriptive -correlation. After that, to analyze the data, ANOVA, regression analyzes, t-test and Pearson correlation was used. The findings showed a nificant difference for Emotional activity and Cognitive activity. And There was a nificant positive relationship between and. There was a nificant positive relationship between and social relationship. There was a nificant positive relationship between and social relationship. A negative correlations was found between and Age. And ANOVA analyze results showed a nificant difference for Emotional activity and Cognitive activity. Keywords: eligious, eligious Attitude, Social elationship,, Urmia INTODUCTION Theoretical approaches to understanding the processes happiness include both bottom-up and topdown formulations (Diener et al. 1999, Holder et al, 2008). Bottom-up formulations emphasize the role of external factors such as experience and demographics. Though studies often report that happiness is related to external factors (stallings et al, 1997), the influence of many of these variables is modest (Argly,1999;Campbell et al, 1976). Therefore, top-down formulations, in which characteristics within the individual are emphasized, have also been studied (Diener et al.1999). Compared to external characteristics, several internal characteristics account for more of the variability in happiness. These internal characteristics include personality traits such as extroversion and neuroticism(cheng and furnham,2001,2003; furnham and Brewin,1990;Hayes and Joseph,2003; Hills and Argyle,2001, Neto,2001; Pavot et al,1990) and variables related to personality such as attribution stability(cheng and Furnham,2001),emotional stability(hills and Argyle,2001),locus of control (DeNeve and Cooper,1998) and self esteem (Cheng and furnham, 2003, furnham and Cheng, 2000, Hills and Argyle,2001). esearch with adult and adolescents showing that temperament is more strongly related to happiness (Holder and Coleman,2008). In response to both theological and psychological enquiry, a growing number of studies have examined the relationship between religion and happiness employing a variety of samples and measures(obbins & Francis,1996).The results of these studies have been largely equivocal. In contrast a consistent finding has been reported from a recent series of interrelated studies that have examined the relationship between religion and happiness by employing the Oxford Inventory (Argyle et al,1989) and francis Scale of Attitude toward Christianity (Francis & Stubbs, 1987) among different populations. eligiousness are additional internal characteristics that have been linked to happiness (Holder et al, 2008). and religiousness refers to the relation of human beings to God or to whatever they consider sacred. It is a faith or belief in one's God which has overall a modest positive effect on one's health (Ellison,1991) and the most important source of happiness (Holder et al,2008).

2 Studies of religious attitude have generally reported modest positive correlation between internal characteristics and subjective well-being including life satisfaction(kelley and Miller,2007:Zulling et al,2006) and happiness (Argyle,2001; Francis et al,2003,french and Joseph, 1999; Holder et al,2008; Lewis et al,2005;sharma & Malhotra, 2010). eligion has been shown to be strongly related to variety of psychological and health variables(koening, McCullough & Larson, 2001). eligion influences many aspects of a person's life (allport,1950), including moral and social expectations (Holder et al, 2008). Positive and satisfaction effect of the religion, family, friends, leisure time on happiness and life were confirmed in the previous studies.eligion increases the personal happiness (Holder et al, 2008). Most of the studies regarding religious attitude have captured samples from Christian or Jewish populations in united states or Europe(Yeager et al,2006). Limited research has been conducted regarding the religion intersection in Muslim populations, particularly within Iran.Islam,ranked by number of followers, is the second largest world religion and Iran has been identified as having the largest Muslim population. Islam emphasized and values health, as shown in Islamic principles and teachings, as important for Muslims. The Islamic way of life is a system of divine principles and code of ethics to be practiced in daily. Another factor that may be the backbone of happiness is. It provides emotional, economic and instrumental support to depressed and unhappy people to make their lives happy. In psychology there is extensive evidence about the link between and happiness. Bradburn(1969), one of the classic works on well-being, finds that s are one of the strongest correlates of positive emotions. Baumeiter and Leary(1995) review the evidence showing that people seem to have a fundamental need for close s. A recent study by Kahneman et al(2004) finds that in only 1 of 5 activities of daily living (i.e., praying) was affect balance (positive minus negative emotions) greater when people were alone rather than with others. People enjoyed the other 14 activities ( such as exercising, resting, commuting, and working around the house) more when others were present than when they were alone. Social relationships have a powerful effect on happiness and other aspect of well-being. Previous research has revealed levels of religiosity demonstrate patterns in regards to gender and age. Women have been found to be more religious than men(maselko & Kubzansky,2006) and older people tend to demonstrate higher levels of religiosity (holer et al, 2008). The Purpose Of The esearch The relationship between religious attitude, with happiness of college students in Urmia university ESEACH METHODOLOGY The present study is descriptive correlation, this study population consisted of all college students of urmia university in Methods the sampling selected by stratified random sampling, and sample size of 370 (192 male, 178 female) cases were selected based on the Cochran formula. A questionnaire was used to collect the required information. Since there was no standard questionnaire to measure college students, a set of parameters of was developed based on extensive study of theoretical foundations and review of the related literature. After that, to analyze the data, ANOVA, regression analyzes, t-test and pearson correlation was used. Participants were 370 college students in Urmia university,who completed the following questionnaire measures, all scales were adapted for Iranian population: eligious Attitude Islamic Involvement Questionnaire was modified from the eligiosity Orientation Scale (OS) 15 and Sahin Francis Scale of Attitudes toward Islam (Sahin & Francis,2002) and based on review Islamic principles. The measure of the religious attitude dimension contained questions regarding interstice orientation and knowledge of Islam. Questions regarding dimensions of religious attitude were developed, by the researchers, based on review of Islamic principles. Islamic Involvement Questionnaire(IIQ) consisted of 4 dimension: Individual activities, Social activities, Emotional and Cognitive, was measured using a five point Likert scale ranging from strongly agree = 5 to strongly disagree = 1. The Oxford Questionnaire, Short form (Oxford Questionnaire) This measure, developed by Hills and Argyle(2002), uses 8 items to assess happiness and a 6-point scale anchored with strongly disagree and strongly agree. With adults, the Oxford Questionnaire has good internal consistency (e.g., α=.62) and short-term test-retest reliability (e.g., r=.69 after 2 weeks)(holder et al., 2008).

3 This scale dened to measure in Iranian population. Social elationship In this study has been used researcher s questionnaire to measure college students. ESULTS AND DISCUSSION Table 1. represents descriptive statistics for, and. Table 1. Descriptive data on Major variables(n=370) variable Group Mean standard rang Low High Frequency human science eligious engineer attitude agriculture girl Boy social relationship human science engineer agriculture girl Boy human science engineer agriculture girl Boy The t-test Comparison of Male and females students (Table 2), showed a nificant difference for Emotional activity and Cognitive activity. There were no nificant differences in, Individual activity and social activity. Table 2. Comparison of Male and females students according to study variables Variable gender Mean diff Std.error t d.f girl Boy girl Boy Individual activity girl Boy social activity girl Boy Emotional activity girl Boy Cognitive activity girl Boy girl Boy A Pearson correlation was calculated for the relationship between,, and Age. The result are in Table 3. Table 3. Correlation Between Variables (N=370) Variable Age Age There was a nificant positive relationship between and. There was a nificant positive relationship between and. There was a nificant positive relationship between and. A negative correlations was found between and Age. An ANOVA was used to test nificance between Education group students. The result are summarized in table 4.

4 Table 4. ANOVA results for, and it s dimension between Education group students Variable esource mm d.f mean F nificance SSb SSw SStotal SSb SSw SStotal SSb SSw SStotal Individual activity SSb SSw SStotal social activity SSb SSw SStotal Emotional activity SSb SSw SStotal Cognitive activity SSb SSw SStotal Table 5. Bonferroni Comparison (Emotional activity and Cognitive activity) Emotion cognition Education group Mean Human Science Engineer agriculture Human Science Engineer agriculture ANOVA results of Table 4 showed a nificant difference for Emotional activity and Cognitive activity. Multiple egression for & The stepwise method of multiple regression was employed using predictor and religious attitude shown to be nificantly correlated with happiness. Findings are presented in Table 6 Table 6. The result of egression Analysis & for happiness 1 2 Std.Error & Using the stepwise method was entered into the equation. The 2 indicated that 22.5 % of the variation in happiness was accounted for the predictor variable. With 28.1 % of the variation accounted for by & obtained. Table7. The result of egression Analysis & for happiness chang F chang d.f 1 d.f & mean Human Science Engineer agriculture Table 8. Standard regression coefficients B Std.Error Beta T

5 Table 9. ANOVA regression Sum of Mean d.f egression esidual egression esidual f Table 10. religious tendency to dimensions defining the regression results variable is pleased to 2 Std.Error individual Individual & Social Table11. egression Analysis dimensions of for happiness chang F chang d.f 1 Df2 Individual activities Individual activities & Social activities Table12. Standard regression coefficients B Standard error Beta Individual activities Individual activities Individual activities & Social activities T Sig Table13. ANOVA egression Sum of Mean d.f egression esidual egression esidual CONCLUSIONS f and Several study based on national samples indicated that happiness correlates nificantly with religious attitude(redhwan et al, 2010; Lewis, cruise,2006).pollner(1989) stated that religious experience can provide a sense of meaning and purpose in daily life. may provide social and psychological benefits. eligion may increase feeling of efficacy, control and security and may therefore provide greater benefits for the cognitive aspects of subjective well-being(diener et al, 1999). eligiosity in adolescents is related to less problem behavior, in which prayer is regarded as an effective coping strategy to deal with any unhappiness, decreased anxiety and depression, and increased prosocial behavior, self-esteem, tolerance and self-control (Jaeger,2006). Several studies demonstrated a nificant positive correlation between happiness and religiosity after controlling for the possible contaminating influence of personality (obbins, Francis,1996). Different other studies showed a positive relationship between religion and happiness (edhwan, 2010, Veenhoven, 1994;Zucherman et al, 2003, Mookerjee and Beron,2005). Meanwhile. Other studies didn't find a relationship between the religious and happiness (Heisel and Faulkner,1982; Janssen et al,2005; Abdel-khalek, 2006). and social elationship 2544

6 Beti-Hallahmi and Argyle argue that religion provides spiritual support (i.e. prayer, religious experience may be experienced as a kind of that gives similar benefits to human social support).indeed, Scheve and Stasavage have shown convincingly that personal religious beliefs can provide a buffer against adverse life events. In a systematic review of studies on the link between religion and happiness, Moreira- Almeida et al. report that the buffering effects of religious involment on well-being are probably higher for those in stressful circumstances. And a recent interventional study has found that praver reduced not only reported stress but also blood pressure response to a stress-inducing task ( Belding et al.). The literature on eligion suggests that is a particularly powerful influence on the quality of ( Ellison, Bartkowski & Anderson,1999;Pearce & Axinn,1998;egnerus & Burdette,2006). may offer the individual the experience of social support in situation when material social support is insufficient. In societies with high levels of personal security, recourse to eligious behaviors. may provide a mechanism for gaining social support(ellison,gay & Glass,1989), (Seligman,1988)(Hay,1982). enhance social resources and which encourages people to engage social affiliation and friendship, warmth and affection through a sense of belonging (Jaeger,2006). social elationship and happiness There is an extensive literature on the health benefits of human relationships(cohen, 2004;cohen & Wills,1985;Uchino,Cacioppo & Kiecolt Glaser,1996).Social relationship can provide a buffer from stress and are essential for psychological well being(jaeger,2006 ). People can increase their happiness in many ways, some of which include eating, playing sports and social activities(al-naggar et al., 2010). In psychology there is extensive evidence about the link between and happiness. Bradburn(1969), one of the classic works on well-being, finds that s are one of the strongest correlates of positive emotions. Baumeiter and Leary(1995) review the evidence showing that people seem to have a fundamental need for close s. A recent study by Kahneman et al(2004) finds that in only 1 of 5 activities of daily living (i.e., praying) was affect balance (positive minus negative emotions) greater when people were alone rather than with others. People enjoyed the other 14 activities ( such as exercising, resting, commuting, and working around the house) more when others were present than when they were alone. have a powerful effect on happiness and other aspects of well being. EFEENCES Abdel-Khalek AM Measuring happiness with a single-item scale. Social Behavior and Personality, 34, Abdel-Khalek AM , health and religiosity: Significant relations. Mental Health, eligion and Culture,9, Abdel-Khalek AM eligiosity, happiness, health, and psychopathology in a probability sample of Muslim adolescents. Mental Health, eligion & Culture, 10, Argyle M Causes and correlates of happiness. In D. H. Kahnema, E. Diener, & N. Schwarz.Eds.., Well-being: The foundations of hedonic psychology.pp New York: ussell Sage Foundation. Argyle M eligion. In The psychology of happiness.2nd ed., pp New York: outledge. Baumeiter, Leary M The need to belong: Desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human Beti-Hallahmi B, Argyle M.1997.The psychology of religious behavior, belief and experience.london:outledge. Chang L, McBride-Chang C, Stewart SM, Au E Life satisfaction, self-concept, and family relations in Chinese adolescents and children. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 27, Cheng H, Furnham A Attributional style and personality as predictors of happiness and mental health. Journal of Studies, 2, Cohen AB The importance of spirituality in well-being for Jews and Christians. Journal of Studies, 3, DeNeve KM, Cooper H The happy personality: A meta-analysis of 137 personality traits and subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 124, Diener E, Suh EM, Lucas E, Smith HL Subjective well-being: Three decades of progress. Psychological Bulletin, 125, Diener E Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95, Ellison CG, Gay DA, Glass TA Does religious commitment contribute to individual life satisfaction? Social Forces,68, Ellison CG eligious involvement and subjective well-being. Journal of Health and Social Behaviour,32, Fisher JW, Francis LJ, Johnson P Assessing spiritual health via four domains of spiritual wellbeing: The SH4DI. Pastoral Psychology, 49, Francis LJ, Jones SH, Wilcox C eligiosity and happiness: During adolescence, young adulthood, and later life. Journal of Psychology & Christianity, 19, Francis LJ, Joseph S eligiosity and its association with happiness, purpose in life and self-actualization, Mental Health, eligion and Culture,2, Francis LJ, obbins M, White A. 2003a. Correlation between religion and happiness: A replication. Psychological eports, 92, Francis LJ, Stubbs MT Measuring attitudes towards Christianity :from childhood to adulthood, Personality and Individual differences,8, Francis LJ, Ziebertz H, Lewis CA.2003b. The relationship between religion and happiness among German students. Pastoral Psychology, 51, French S, Joseph S eligiosity and its association with happiness, purpose in life, and self-actualisation. Mental Health, eligion & Culture, 2,

7 Hay D Exploring inner space.harmondsworth,uk:penguin. Hills P, Argyle M. 2001a. Emotional stability as a major dimension of happiness. Personality and Individual Differences, 31, Hills P, Argyle M. 2001b., introversion extraversion and happy introverts. Personality and Individual Differences, 30, Hills P, Argyle M The Oxford happiness questionnaire: A compact scale for the measurement of psychological well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 33, Holder MD, Coleman B. 2008a. The contribution of s to children s happiness. Journal of Studies. doi: / s Holder MD, Coleman B. 2008b. The contribution of temperament, popularity, and physical appearance to children s happiness. Journal of Studies, 9, Idler EL, Musick MA, Ellison CG, George LK, Krause N, Ory MG, et al Measuring multiple dimensions of religion and spirituality for health research: Conceptual background and findings from the 1998 general social survey. esearch on Aging, 25, Jaeger ML The relationship between religious orientation and depression, thesis of M.S, university of South Africa. Kelley BS, Miller L Life satisfaction and spirituality in adolescents. esearch in the Social Scientific Study of eligion, 18, Lewis AL Church attendance and happiness among Northern Irish undergraduate students: No association. Pastoral Psychology, 50, Lewis CA, Lanigan C, Joseph S, de Fockert J eligiosity and happiness: No evidence for an association among undergraduates. Personality and Individual Differences, 22, Lewis CA, Maltby J, Burkinshaw S eligion and happiness: Still no association. Journal of Beliefs & Values, 21, Lewis CA, Maltby J, Day L eligious orientation, religious coping and happiness among UK adults. Personality and Individual Differences, 38, Maltby J, Lewis CA, Day L eligious orientation and psychological well- being: The role of the frequency of personal prayer. British Journal of Health psychology,4, motivation. Psychological Bulletin, 117, obbins M, Francis LJ Are religious people happier? A study among under graduates,in:lj. Francis, W.K& W.S CAMPBELL.Eds. esearch in eligious Education, Leominster, Grace wing. Sahin A, Francis LJ Assessing attitude toward Islam among Muslim adolescents: The psychometric properties of the Sahin- Francis,L.J scale Muslim Education Quarterly,;19.4., Seligman MEP Boomer blues. Psychology Today, October, Shields BJ, Cohen DM, Harbeck-Weber C, Powers JD, Smith GA Pediatric pain measurement using a visual analogue scale: A comparison of two teaching methods. Clinical Pediatrics, 42, Yeager DM,Glei DA, Au M, Lin H, Sloan P, Weinstein M eligious involvement and health outcomes among older persons in Taiwan. Social Science & Medicine,63:

AEIJMR Vol 3 Issue 5 May 2015 ISSN

AEIJMR Vol 3 Issue 5 May 2015 ISSN Abstract: Spirituality and Happiness of Homeopathic Students * Dr. R. Kannappan * Reader in Clinical Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Vinayaka Mission Medical College, Salem. Tamilnadu- 636308 Background: