Abstract:

The purpose of this research was to study the levels of subjective well-being and among Russian and Japanese university students based on their views on happiness, relationships and academic success. Methods and participants: The methods used in this research were the following: “Subjective Happiness Scale” by S. Lyubomirsky, “Subjective Well-being Scale” by A. Perrudet-Badoux, “Fear of Happiness Scale” by M. Joshanloo and “College Student Subjective Wellbeing Questionnaire” by T. Renshaw. The research was conducted at RUDN University and MEPHI Institute, both located in Moscow, Russia, and also in Tokyo University, International Christian University, Waseda University and Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, all of which are located in Tokyo, Japan. In this research, 30 Russian students (15 men, 15 women) aged 18 to 23 participated along with 30 Japanese students (15 men, 15 women) aged 19 to 22. All calculations were done on the computer program IBM SPSS Statistics 23. Findings: Results showed that female Japanese college students had a lower level of subjective well-being compared to male Japanese students, while both male Russian students and female Russian students had almost the same levels of subjective well-being. Among the Japanese students, the level of subjective well-being was connected to the importance of friends and family, along with their fears of being happy. Among Russian students, however, the level of subjective well-being was not related to any of the provided factors. Research limitations: No methods related to economical statuses and religion were used in the study, which could have been important factors that affect the students’ overall well-being. Value of the results: The results could be used to compare and contrast levels of subjective well-being of college students along with those acquired in other countries. They could also be used to give practical advice to present and future Russian and Japanese students to make their quality of life better as they study in universities. Acknowledgements: The study has been supported by departments of grant initiative projects in RUDN University, project № 051316-0-000 “Students’ ethno-cultural values and students’ motivational setups in the internationally-oriented university.”

Keywords:

Subjective well-being, Russian students, Japanese students, cultural differences.