Acting for Happiness: Financial Behavior and Life Satisfaction of College Students

Recent research on well-being suggests that domain-specific behaviors contribute to domain-specific satisfactions, which in turn contribute to an individual’s overall satisfaction with life. Our study is an attempt to add to the literature by observing these phenomena from a financial perspective. Using data collected from a sample of undergraduate students at a major state university in the U.S. and employing structural equation modeling, we have found evidence suggesting that positive financial behaviors contribute to financial satisfaction and financial satisfaction in turn contributes to life satisfaction. In addition, positive financial behaviors contribute to life satisfaction through two more mediating variables: academic performance and academic satisfaction.