Effect of Positive Emotions on the Quality of Life of Chinese College Students

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of positive emotions on the quality of life (QOL) of college students in China using the Positive Emotion Scale (PES, eight items) and The World Health Organization’s Quality-of-Life Brief Scale (WHOQOL-BREF, 24 items) to conduct a questionnaire survey of 961 college students in China. The study’s results show that female college students have significantly higher positive emotions than their male counterparts, but there is no difference in the QOL between men and women. Positive emotions have a significant positive effect on the QOL of Chinese college students. The findings identified the relationship between college students’ positive emotions and QOL, taking gender differences into account.