The influence of positive thinking and humour styles on the subjective happiness: Gender differences among young adults in Malaysia

Lionel, Cheryl Deleena and Chin, Po Yan (2025) The influence of positive thinking and humour styles on the subjective happiness: Gender differences among young adults in Malaysia. Final Year Project, UTAR.

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Abstract

Amidst the lower happiness levels and rising mental health challenges, such as depression, stress and anxiety, among Malaysian young adults, this study delves into the potential of positive thinking and humour styles in influencing their subjective happiness while also exploring gender differences. This cross-sectional study with a sample of 120 young adults in Malaysia, aged 18 to 29, was recruited through non-probability sampling method for the Qualtrics online survey. Participants were required to respond the Positive Thinking Scale (PTS), Humour Styles Questionnaire (HSQ), and Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS). This study reveals that positive thinking and adaptive humour styles significantly and positively enhance subjective happiness in Malaysian young adults, while maladaptive humour styles show an insignificant negative trend. Meanwhile, significant gender differences were only observed in maladaptive humour styles. The study offers cross-cultural theoretical implications for Cognitive Behavioural Theory (CBT) and Broaden-and-Build Theory (BBT), concluding that positive thinking and adaptive humour styles play a vital role in enhancing subjective happiness. Both theories demonstrated the applicability and relevance of these Western-centric frameworks in understanding the interplay between cognitive processes, positive emotions, humour styles, and subjective happiness within a non-Western Malaysian sociocultural context. It also provides practical implications for educational, community, and policy initiatives for young adults in Malaysia. Future research should use stratified random sampling and investigate mediating and moderating factors to gain deeper psychological insights into subjective happiness.

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