RESEARCH PAPER Stressed and Happy? Investigating the Relationship Between Happiness and Perceived Stress Holly H. Schiffrin ® S. Katherine Nelson Published online: 11 June 2008 Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2008 Abstract Developing interventions to increase happiness is a major focus of the emerging field of positive psychology. Common beliefs about the need to reduce stress to obtain happiness suggest that stress management activities should be included in these interventions. However, the research on the relationship between positive and negative affect is equivocal. Theoretically, they are conceptualized as independent dimensions, but research has often found an inverse relationship between happiness and stress. In addition, the research generally attempts to assess stress objectively rather than in terms of the cognitive appraisal process. The current study examines the relationship between perceived stress and happiness among 100 college students to determine if the same inverse rela- tionship exists. Linear correlations between happiness and perceived stress were significant indicating that there was an inverse relationship between these variables. The discussion focuses on several factors that might help to explain the observed relationship. Keywords Perceived stress Á Happiness Á Positive affect Á Negative affect Á Relationship between stress and happiness 1 Introduction In recent years, the field of positive psychology has emerged to bring awareness to the role of psychology in making life more fulfilling, enhancing human functioning, and increasing happiness (Seligman 2002). Research has suggested that increasing happiness has multiple benefits. For example, Fredrickson’s (1998) broaden-and-build model proposes that posi- tive emotions cause a broadening of thought-action potentials, build personal resources (e.g., social relationships and knowledge), and improve personal functioning (Fredrickson 1998). Lyubomirsky et al. (2005) compiled research documenting that positive affect is associated with multiple positive outcomes including better performance ratings at work, higher salaries, and improved health. Based on the benefits of increasing happiness found H. H. Schiffrin (&) Á S. K. Nelson University of Mary Washington, 1301 College Avenue, Fredericksburg, VA 22401, USA e-mail: hschiffr@umw.edu 123 J Happiness Stud (2010) 11:33–39 DOI 10.1007/s10902-008-9104-7