Life satisfaction and life demands in college students

Researchers have proposed that life satisfaction may be increased by reduced life involvement (i.e., the scarcity hypothesis) or increased by greater life involvement (i.e., the expansion hypothesis). In this study we aimed to determine if female and male college students are more satisfied with their lives if they have more or less active life styles. A total of 157 females and 86 males were assigned to either a high, moderate, or low life satisfaction group and additional instruments were administered to assess the manner of decision making, the extent of role demands and time pressures, and the respondents’ satisfaction with school performance and their dating and family relationships. Results indicated that both male and female college students with high life satisfaction had more demanding life styles than individuals with low life satisfaction, but they did not suffer greater personal stress. The significant role of fulfilling inter-personal relationships in overall life satisfaction was also evident.