BRAIN. Broad Research in Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience ISSN: 2068-0473 | e-ISSN: 2067-3957 Covered in: Web of Science (WOS); PubMed.gov; IndexCopernicus; The Linguist List; Google Academic; Ulrichs; getCITED; Genamics JournalSeek; J-Gate; SHERPA/RoMEO; Dayang Journal System; Public Knowledge Project; BIUM; NewJour; ArticleReach Direct; Link+; CSB; CiteSeerX; Socolar; KVK; WorldCat; CrossRef; Ideas RePeC; Econpapers; Socionet. 2020, Volume 11, Issue 3, pages: 51-71 | https://doi.org/10.18662/brain/11.4/141 The Influence of the Professional Orientation of Students of Different Gender on Their Ideas of Happiness Olena STROIANOVSKA¹, Liubov DOLYNSKA 2 , Nataliia SHEVCHENKO 3 , Nataliia ANDRIIASHYNA 4 , Iryna MELNYK 5 , Natalia TSYBULIAK 6 1 National Pedagogical Dragomanov University, Kiev, Ukraine, ccstroya@ua.fm 2 National Pedagogical Dragomanov University, Kiev, Ukraine, lbvdolinska@gmail.com 3 Zaporizhzhia National University, Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, shevchenkonf.20@gmail.com ORCID - 0000-0002-5297-6588 4 National Pedagogical Dragomanov University, Kiev, Ukraine, andriyanv@gmail.com 5 Vinnytsia Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi State Pedagogical University, Vinnytsia, Ukraine, IraMelnyk@i.ua 6 Berdyansk State Pedagogical University, Berdyansk, Ukraine, nata.tsibulyak@gmail.com Abstract: In the conditions of unstable political, economic and social development of society the problem of quality of life, well-being, satisfaction of each citizen of the country acquires special importance. Research has shown that happiness is determined by various factors (age, marital, social and financial status, physiological status, social relations, personal characteristics), its level changes throughout life and can be corrected by certain psychological methods of influence. The purpose of our study was to study the state of development of the problem of happiness and study the content of the ideas of young people about happiness, their characteristics depending on gender and professional orientation. In order to study the peculiarities of the young generation's ideas about happiness, we studied 250 third-year students aged 20 to 22 years of various specialties. The researched questionnaire was asked to answer the questions, the analysis of which helped to make generalized conclusions about their ideas about happiness. The most of students rate their level of happiness as high or medium. But their level of happiness is much higher than their level of success, which can lead to a contradiction between the desire for success and happiness. This state of affairs requires correction of the content of ideas about happiness in adolescence by providing educational information about awareness of success as a process of self- realization and a component of happiness, the desire for integrated satisfaction of both material and spiritual needs for full personal development. Keywords: success; psychological well-being; subjective well-being; life satisfaction; personal identity; self-actualization; meaning of life; emotional comfort; harmony. How to cite: Stroianovska, O., Dolynska, L., Shevchenko, N., Andriiashyna, N., Melnyk, I., & Tsybuliak, N. (2020). The Influence of the Professional Orientation of Students of Different Gender on Their Ideas of Happiness. BRAIN. Broad Research in Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience, 11(3), 51-71. https://doi.org/10.18662/brain/11.4/141 https://doi.org/10.18662/brain/11.4/141 mailto:ccstroya@ua.fm mailto:lbvdolinska@gmail.com mailto:shevchenkonf.20@gmail.com mailto:andriyanv@gmail.com mailto:IraMelnyk@i.ua mailto:nata.tsibulyak@gmail.com https://doi.org/10.18662/brain/11.4/141 BRAIN. Broad Research in September, 2020 Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience Volume 11, Issue 4 52 Introduction In the conditions of unstable political, economic and social development of society the problem of quality of life, well-being, satisfaction of each citizen of the country acquires special importance. Research has shown that happiness is determined by various factors (age, marital, social and financial status, physiological status, social relations, personal characteristics), its level changes throughout life and can be corrected by certain psychological methods of influence. The issue of detailed study of the content of the young generation's ideas about happiness, research of their features depending on gender and professional orientation, preliminary formation of personal qualities, values, behavioral patterns, skills and abilities of awareness of their own needs for successful social satisfaction and achieving permanent experience state of happiness. The solution of the above problems remains promising and requires detailed study. The problem of happiness as a psychological phenomenon has been studied mainly within the framework of humanistic, existential and positive psychology, for example, in the works of Rogers (1997) on "fully functioning personality", Erickson (1996) on "personal identity", Maslow (1997) on "self-actualization", Waterman (1990) on "personal expressiveness", Diener (2000), Kahneman, & Krueger (2006), Ryff (1995) on “subjective well- being”, Seligman (2012) on“ authentic happiness”, Frankl (1987) on“ the meaning of life ”. This diversity of approaches indicates the importance and relevance of studying this issue, its complexity and diversity. Particular attention of modern scientists is attracted not only by the definition of the content, structure, factors of "happiness" (Argyle, 1991; Kahneman, & Krueger, 2006; Lyubomirsky, 2008), but also the possibility of selecting diagnostic techniques for its measurement (Diener et al., 1985; Kahneman, & Krueger, 2006), specific psychological methods of its optimization (Brewer & Gardner, 1996; Gran & Dutton, 2012), which indicates the relevance of the applied component of this issue. Happiness is a psychological phenomenon, which according to many psychologists, in particular Diener (2000), King & Napa (1998), Lambert (2007), Layard (2005) and Lyubomirsky (2008), contributes to the prolongation life, improving health and appearance, optimizing working conditions, achieving success, as well as improving some personal qualities. Each of the researchers understands the meaning of happiness depending on their belonging to a certain approach. The Influence of the Professional Orientation of Students of Different … Olena STROIANOVSKA, et al. 53 For example, the representative of humanistic psychology Maslow (1997) interprets happiness as the satisfaction of all levels of needs, from physiological to self-actualization, Tatarkevich (1981) adds that happiness should be defined as full and lasting satisfaction with life in general, Ryff (1995) - as the degree of realization of human potential, King & Napa (1998) - as the experience of life meanings, Gulyas (2019) - as the emotional state of inner satisfaction with the conditions of their existence, fullness and meaningfulness of life, fulfillment of their purpose, awareness of the positivity of the context of their own existence, Diener et al. (1985) and other representatives of positive psychology - as a subjective well-being that depends on current events and the tendency of individuals to certain affective reactions, Argyle (1991) - as a state of joy or other positive emotions, satisfaction life and the absence of depression, anxiety and other negative emotions. It should be noted that along with the concept of happiness in the scientific literature often use other phenomena, such as: psychological, subjective, emotional, personal, general well-being, quality of life, life satisfaction, meaning of life, emotional comfort, social well-being and more. All of these concepts, on the one hand, are different, and on the other hand, they are based on the subjective attitude of the individual to different aspects of his life. Recently, researchers most often use the concept of psychological well-being (Bradburn & Caplovitz, 1965; Ryff, 1995; Cho et al., 2011) and subjective well-being (Diener, 2000; Kahneman & Krueger, 2006). The concept of "psychological well-being" was introduced into psychology by Bradburn & Caplovitz (1965), who understood it as a subjective feeling of happiness and general satisfaction with life. He pointed to the need for balance, which is achieved by the constant interaction of two types of affect - positive and negative, which lead to satisfaction or dissatisfaction with life. Deci (1985) and Ryff (1995) considered psychological well-being as a result of personality development through the transformation of the surrounding world and the achievement of inner harmony. Diener (2000) identified six indicators of positive personality functioning (psychological well-being): self- acceptance, positive relationships with others, autonomy, environmental management, goals in life and personal growth. Researchers have identified various components of psychological well-being, including physical, spiritual, personal, social, subjective, material, economic, existential, and so on. Diener (2000) and Ryff (1995) point out that the component of psychological well-being is subjective well-being, because to achieve the first person must comprehend and experience the pleasure of their own lives. It BRAIN. Broad Research in September, 2020 Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience Volume 11, Issue 4 54 is subjective well-being that is closest in content to the concept of "happiness". According to Kargina (2015), subjective well-being is an integration phenomenon that systematically affects various parameters of a person’s mental state, leads to successful behavior and effective interpersonal interaction. According to Gorbal (2015), subjective well-being is a person’s attitude to the world around him and himself at two levels: emotional and cognitive. In order to feel prosperous, positive feelings over negative ones should dominate in a person and the idea of their own life should prevail, as close as possible to the ideal. So, subjective well-being is characterized by the content of emotions and judgments, on the basis of which a general attitude and understanding of a person about his life is formed, while psychological well-being covers the possibilities for further development, the choice of methods for its positive functioning, characteristics of the value-motivational, cognitive and behavioral areas, its results growth. Various factors influence the level of happiness. The American psychologist Lyubomirsky (2008) presented them in the form of a circle divided into three parts: 50% is the influence of temperament and personality; 10% - the influence of external circumstances (place of residence, income level, quality of education, belonging to a certain social circle), 40% - how people themselves build their lives (their goals, the people with whom they communicate, activities and lifestyle). Seligman (2012), analyzing the phenomenon of happiness, also speaks of an individual range - a genetically determined level of happiness, external circumstances and factors that can be controlled characterful. Argyle (1991) believes that personal qualities (self-esteem, self- conception, extraversion, meaningfulness of life) to a greater extent determine the level of happiness than external circumstances. Researchers have proved the correlation of subjective well-being with such aspects of personality as internal control and optimism, integrated identity, ego strength, mental maturity, social ability, activity, openness of experience perception. Diener (2000) points out the influence of friendships on the level of happiness, which proves the importance of a person’s communicative abilities in the growth of subjective well-being, or the relative absence of intrapsychic conflicts. Headey and Wearing (1986) demonstrate a correlation between high levels of extraversion, low rates of neuroticism, openness to experience, a sense of strong social support and happiness. Researcher The Influence of the Professional Orientation of Students of Different … Olena STROIANOVSKA, et al. 55 Knyazeva (2011) adds to the existing personal factors of happiness the ability to take responsibility for their actions and feelings of internal control over events in life, Gorbal (2015) - a high level of optimism. The influence of external circumstances, although it is not of paramount importance in achieving happiness, but still affects it. Levenson and Gottman (1985) emphasize the importance of having friends, family (especially for men), satisfaction with family life, a high level of education, financial security, and physical attractiveness. Gorbal (2015) is consistent with the results of a study by Ryff (1995) on the importance of social status, level of education, objective and subjective health status. Knyazeva (2011) indicates that people who do not have a high level of education more often demonstrate their satisfaction with life than those who have a high level, which, in her opinion, is associated with the fact that higher education contributes to setting more complex goals that are harder to achieve. Argyle (1991) insists on the importance of close social ties in this matter, job satisfaction (the diversity and independence of work, its awareness, social value, background, nature of business relations), health, and free time for leisure. According to Diener (2000), the most significant factors for happiness are friends and family. Less significant, in his opinion, is material security. Kahneman and Krueger (2006) point out an interesting fact that the material situation of people is growing rapidly, but almost does not affect the level of happiness, which, in his opinion, is associated with a quick adaptation to pleasure and the desire to have more than it is. A study conducted in more than 58 countries shows that the amount of money, namely the relative status in society makes a person happy (those who are at the top of the social hierarchy have a balance of happiness-unhappiness - 51%, and at the lowest level of the social hierarchy - 27%). Factors hardly affect the level of happiness, according to Argyle (1991), is age, gender and religious joy. But some researchers insist on the importance of age in experiencing happiness - the happiest people feel in youth and old age, and the least - in middle age, as well as the presence of religiosity or belief in something more than themselves - among those who consider themselves non-religious, the balance of happiness-unhappiness is lower (+ 27%) compared with those who have religious beliefs (+ 54%). As noted above, an important factor in increasing the level of happiness is that it lends itself to volitional control of people (their goals, activities and lifestyle). Some researchers (Argyle, 1991; Diener, Emmons et al., 1985) consider the existence of life goals that give meaning to the chosen work, activity and enjoyment of life the most influential factor of happiness. BRAIN. Broad Research in September, 2020 Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience Volume 11, Issue 4 56 Given the above, it can be concluded that subjective well-being to a greater extent does not depend on external circumstances, but on personal characteristics and volitional regulation, which indicates the possibility of the active use of various psychological methods to increase the level of happiness. Gran and Dutton (2012) indicate a positive impact on the person’s level of happiness of high-quality relationships, kindness and helping each other, Brewer and Gardner (1996) - on the daily use of meditation of love and kindness, keeping an imaginary diary about positive things in own life or writing a letter of thanks to a loved one, Aknin et al.(2012) - daily allocation of hours in any sport, Kober and Ochsner (2011) - the combination of meditation, keeping a diary and physical exercises to improve the emotional state, Dunn and Norton (2013) - daily awareness of their goals and aspirations, Kasser (2015) - focusing on personal development, increasing attractiveness and communication skills. Different aspects of the problem under study are covered in the works of many scholars: Sheremet et al. (2019); Melnyk et al. (2019); Nerubasska & Maksymchuk (2020); Gerasymova et al. (2019). From the point of view of neuropsychology, the occurrence of any mental phenomenon is caused or associated with the processes in the central nervous system, changes in vegetative functions and the cortical parts of the brain. Indeed, happiness is a feeling and a state of total satisfaction. Schachter and Singer (1962) claim that the formation of emotions and feelings requires two factors, such as physiological activation and cognitive assessment (i.e. an interpretation of some event in terms of one’s personal experience and control over the situation). Berridge and Kringelbach (2008) identify the importance of satisfaction (positive affect) and cognitive assessment of life satisfaction, emphasizing social interactions between people as one of the main factors in experiencing pleasure and hence happiness. Studying the phenomenon of pleasure, many researchers (Blood & Zatorre, 2001; Small et al., 2001; George et al. 1995; Lane et al., 1997) point to the importance of the interaction between the limbic system (animal brain), several structural components of the brain stem (reticular formation) and the cerebral cortex (frontal and temporal lobes), as well as nerve connections between them. Nerve signals from all sense organs, travelling through the neural pathways of the brain stem to its cortex, pass through one or more limbic structures, including the amygdala, hippocampus or part of the hypothalamus. At the same time, signals sent from the cortex also pass through the same structures. One should pay particular attention to the leading role of the cortex of the larger hemispheres in this process, as well as The Influence of the Professional Orientation of Students of Different … Olena STROIANOVSKA, et al. 57 to the importance of the subcortical centres controlling the vegetative nervous system and the functioning of internal organs. It determines the close relationship between emotions, feelings and various changes in body functions: the activity of the heart, blood vessels, respiratory organs, changes in the activity of skeletal muscles and glands of external and internal secretion. Davidson and Irwin (1999) demonstrate that the left frontal cortex plays an essential role in positive affect (happiness), while the prefrontal cortex of the right hemisphere has the opposite effect. It means that people whose left frontal cortex is more active are usually happier and more optimistic than those with the right frontal cortex more active. Besides, people whose amygdaloid body is more active, particularly the tonsils of the right hemisphere, are more likely to be at risk for depression. Thus, it is essential to study the interaction between cortical, subcortical structures of the brain and the nerve connections which connect them and other parts of the nervous system, as well as their impact on the experience of happiness, more in detail. Thus, the aforementioned scientists studied various aspects of the problem of happiness: its content, structure, factors, phenomena close to it, methods for its diagnosis and enhancement. In our opinion, a more detailed study is required by the topic of people's ideas about their own happiness, because it is they that are the driving force for achieving what the person desires. An important period of awareness of the performance of ideas about happiness is adolescence, the period of active development of self- awareness, the definition and establishment of basic life guidelines, the manifestations of maximum efforts to find and realize their claims. It is during this period of age development that a person is able to show maximum flexibility, activity and courage to change his own life trajectory in order to achieve success in various areas and satisfaction from it. The content of ideas about happiness can also be actively corrected precisely at this age by providing educational information about the mechanisms and patterns of achieving happiness, that is, increasing the psychological culture of a person. In connection with the social significance of the problem and the insufficiency of relevant systematic scientific developments, the aim of our research was to study the state of development of the problem of happiness and to study the content of representations of young people about happiness, their characteristics depending on gender and professional orientation. https://www.multitran.com/m.exe?s=amygdaloid+body&l1=1&l2=2 BRAIN. Broad Research in September, 2020 Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience Volume 11, Issue 4 58 Materials and methods In order to study the peculiarities of the young generation's ideas about happiness, we studied 250 third-year students of Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts aged 20 to 22 years of various specialties (89.6% - female, 10.4% - male). The researched questionnaire was asked to answer the questions, the analysis of which helped to make generalized conclusions about their ideas about happiness. The questionnaires were developed by the authors. In accordance with the recommendations of Cohen (1988), in our work, the value of the probability of an error of the first kind (1-alpha), traditional for psychological, social, and behavioral studies, is 0.05. The study group consisted of 250 people, which with p = 0.05 and the expected average statistical effect allows us to achieve the power of statistical methods (beta) greater by 0.99. To achieve a power level that can be considered high (beta = 0.9) at p = 0.05, and the expected average effect level, enough people in the study are 191 people. The number of subjects exceeded the recommended sample size, which significantly improved the quality of our research. Results The results of the empirical study are presented below in Figures 1-3 and Table 1. Systematized by the authors Fig. 1. The main components of female students' perceptions of happiness (%) The Influence of the Professional Orientation of Students of Different … Olena STROIANOVSKA, et al. 59 As can be seen from Figure 1, girls (89.6%) the main components of ideas about happiness are love (17.6%), harmony (14.4%), family (12.8%), health (10.4%), close people and friends nearby (9.6%). Among other components, female students often mention life satisfaction (8%), money (6.4%), children and positive emotions (5.6%). Based on the analysis of the results, it can be concluded that students, thinking about happiness, mainly focus on love and family, which is a common desire and necessity at this age, when girls are actively looking for a worthy partner to create a harmonious relationship. Harmony is in second place after love, which may be related to understanding the importance of awareness of their own desires for their successful realization, the peculiarities of their own character to build effective relationships, being in a calm and balanced state, which is promoted in society. Last but not least is health, which may indicate the presence of problems in this area, both their own health and the health of the loved ones, the desire to get rid of them. Money is not often associated with happiness, but it is present in girls' perceptions, and favorite work remains in the last positions, which indicates the prevalence of social stereotypes about the main function of women, which is to create a family and motherhood. As can be seen from Figure 2, boys (10.4%) have family (4%), love (3.4%), peace, favorite work and freedom (2.4%) as the main components of their notions of happiness. This state of affairs indicates a positive trend of men's commitment to starting a family and understanding the importance of love in the experience of happiness. Despite the above fact, they would like to have freedom and peace, which may indicate their desire for a partnership in the family and the desire to understand their needs and desires on the part of women. An interesting phenomenon is that, despite today's world orientation towards money, they are not the primary component of happiness for men (1.6%), although they indicate independence, adulthood and masculinity. We can assume that this is due to the Ukrainian mentality, where caring for the soul is a priority. BRAIN. Broad Research in September, 2020 Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience Volume 11, Issue 4 60 Systematized by the authors Fig. 2. The main components of male students' perceptions of happiness (%) The general results of the survey on students' perceptions of happiness are presented in Figure 3. As can be seen from Figure 3, a significant number of students, regardless of gender, present happiness as the presence of love (20.8%), family (16.8%) and harmony (15.2%), which proves the understanding of the importance of harmonious relationships between partners. for a high level of life satisfaction and personal development. Due to environmental problems and the low level of healthy living among the population, the problem of health becomes relevant at a young age. That is why students pay enough attention (11.2%) to the availability of health to fully experience happiness. Students mention money in 9.6% of cases. Based on the above results, we can conclude that young people clearly distinguish between spiritual and material components in the understanding of happiness, giving preference to the former, which may indicate a sufficient level of psychological culture of students and a high level of awareness of their own higher needs, through the creation of love and family relationships. The Influence of the Professional Orientation of Students of Different … Olena STROIANOVSKA, et al. 61 Systematized by the authors Fig. 3. The main components of students' ideas about happiness (%) In our opinion, it is very important from these positions that the young generation chooses the right course of life, which will allow it to fully realize the desire for both success and happiness. There is a certain threat in the predominance of youth's focus on success, which is often positioned by society as the best way to realize the individual. Based on the analysis of psychological research on the problem of success (Wilson, 2013; Goto & Connie, 2009); Koekemoer & Visagie, 2013); Raabe et al., 2007), as well as our study of the characteristics of ideas about the life success of students of different specialties by us it was concluded that they represent success as achieving their own goals (24%), the availability of money and self- realization (18.4%), respect for loved ones and other people (12%), recognition and fame (10.8%), good work (9%) and career (8%), which proves the importance of material achievements of students regardless of their gender. This state of affairs can lead to a contradiction between the desire for success and happiness. If success is chosen as the primary life aim due to the influence of social stereotypes, it can contribute to the satisfaction of mostly material needs and temporary satisfaction, and in the future lead to existential crisis, loneliness, postponement of creation or loss of important emotional relationships, emotional burnout and low level of frustration BRAIN. Broad Research in September, 2020 Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience Volume 11, Issue 4 62 tolerance, which means, most likely, a low level of happiness. Thus, the prospect and practical significance of our study may be the development of methods to encourage young people to realize their own needs in the field of success and happiness and their integrated implementation for the full material and spiritual development of the individual. The results of the analysis of the influence of students' professional orientation on their perception of happiness are presented in Table 1. As can be seen from Table 1, harmony and love as components of happiness often occupy the first place in the minds of students of such specialties as translators, lawyers, directors. Only representatives of some specialties (TV journalists, directors, photographers, actors) in the analysis of happiness put forward the family, which, in our opinion, is due to the specifics of these professions, frequent business trips and emotional exhaustion, and hence the importance of stable family relationships, understanding that despite their long absence, they are waiting for loved ones. For the same reasons, only TV journalists and actors mention children. Sociologists and economists believe that the most important thing is the pleasure of life, which can contain both material and spiritual components. It should be noted that only for the actors favorite work is the most important in the experience of happiness, which proves the need for them just professional self-realization. Table 1. The main components of students' perceptions of happiness in different specialties (%) Specialty The main components of happiness importance for students % Interpreters 1) harmony; 2) love; 3) health 4,8 3,2 1,6 Sociologists 1) life satisfaction, loved ones; 2) harmony; 3) peace, self-realization 2,4 1,6 0,8 Lawyers 1) harmony; 2) love; 3) health, loved ones 4 3,2 2,4 Economists 1) life satisfaction; 2) love; 2,4 1,6 The Influence of the Professional Orientation of Students of Different … Olena STROIANOVSKA, et al. 63 3) self-realization, harmony, health 0,8 TV journalists 1) family; 2) material goods; 3) children; positive emotions 6,4 5,6 4 Journalists 1) health, love; 2) self-sufficiency; 3) the opportunity to create 2,4 1,6 0,8 Directors 1) love; 2) family; 3) mindfulness 2,4 1,6 0,8 Photographers 1) family; 2) inspiration; 3) love 3,2 2,4 1,6 Actors 1) favorite job; 2) family, children, harmony; 3) health, love 2,4 1,6 0,8 Systematized by the authors In the vast majority of specialties, one of the most important components of happiness is health (except for such specialties as sociologists, television journalists, directors, and photographers, in our opinion, is associated with a high level of their emotional load at work and their preoccupation with it). Only sociologists pay attention to peace for a sense of happiness, which is most likely associated with high emotional tension at work and burning out. Thus, based on the above results of empirical research, we can conclude that gender and choice of professional specialization significantly affect the content of students' perceptions of happiness, which proves our assumption. An empirical study also examined the level of self-assessment of students of different genders (see Figure 4), which has almost the same representation of happiness levels regardless of gender. BRAIN. Broad Research in September, 2020 Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience Volume 11, Issue 4 64 Systematized by the authors Fig. 4. Assessment by students of different genders of their own happiness (%) To check the equality of the average values of two samples (female and male), we used the Student t-test for independent samples, which indicated a statistical similarity in the distribution of happiness levels among girls and boys (t