How Emotional Satisfaction (not “Happiness”) Improves Students’ Grades

I’m not sure where to start with the above title….is happiness not key to high performance?

Well, kind of. As you may know I have done, and am in the middle of, research into emotional needs in the workplace and how this impacts performance.

Our base theory (based on others’ theories and research) is that improving emotional needs is the key to improving mental (and physical) health, life satisfaction, and also performance.

So this is not a surprise to you?

No, our theory suggests that that is precisely what we should be focusing on in all areas in life. Rather than “happiness” or positive feelings (which are obviously good) focus on fulfilling emotional needs.

What did these researchers do then?

They found out precisely what we have been proposing for years.

Tania Clarke and colleagues of the University of Cambridge in the UK tracked over 600 children aged 14–15 in seven schools in the UK. These were given two assessments: one on life satisfaction which broadly relates to “happiness” and the other on “eudaimania” (I’ll call these “needs) which included aspects such as competence, motivation, self-esteem, and of functioning well. These are similar to our needs in our SCOAP…