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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 10, No. 6.2
Publication Date: June 25, 2023
DOI:10.14738/assrj.106.2.15015.
Fauzi, M. W. M., Hussein, N., Razali, M. Z. M., Anwar, N. A., & Omar, N. (2023). Extraversion, Conscientiousness and Intrinsic
Motivation Towards Happiness in Malaysia: Perspective of Malaysian Business Students in Private University. Advances in Social
Sciences Research Journal, 10(6.2). 259-267.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Extraversion, Conscientiousness and Intrinsic Motivation
Towards Happiness in Malaysia: Perspective of Malaysian
Business Students in Private University
Muna Wadhiha Mohd Fauzi
Corresponding Author
muna@uitm.edu.my
Faculty of Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA,
Puncak Alam Kampus, Bandar Puncak Alam, 42300 Kuala Selangor, Malaysia
Norashikin Hussein
Faculty of Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA,
Puncak Alam Kampus, Bandar Puncak Alam, 42300 Kuala Selangor, Malaysia
Murni Zarina Mohamed Razali
Faculty of Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA,
Puncak Alam Kampus, Bandar Puncak Alam, 42300 Kuala Selangor, Malaysia
Nur Aizureen binti Anwar
Faculty of Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA,
Puncak Alam Kampus, Bandar Puncak Alam, 42300 Kuala Selangor, Malaysia
Norhayati Binti Omar
Faculty of Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA,
Puncak Alam Kampus, Bandar Puncak Alam, 42300 Kuala Selangor, Malaysia
ABSTRACT
Modern society now uses happiness as one of the primary indicators of social
advancement. Happiness is vital to the energetic millennial generation, especially
for university students. As a result, the first goal of this study is to ascertain the
relationship between extraversion and happiness. The second goal is to ascertain
the relationship between conscientiousness and happiness in Malaysia. The third
goal is to ascertain the relationship between intrinsic motivation and happiness.
120 business faculty students in a private institution in Malaysia who were enrolled
in bachelor's degree programmes received online surveys. A "Likert-type scale" was
used to determine the degree of agreement or disagreement with relation to
happiness using the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS). All of the questions were
created to be closed-ended for simple analysis of the feedback. The results of the
study demonstrated a positive, statistically significant relationship between
happiness and the three independent variables of extraversion, conscientiousness,
and intrinsic motivation. This study also sheds light on providing extracurricular
activities that can increase students' happiness.
Keywords: Happiness, extraversion, conscientiousness, intrinsic motivation
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 10, Issue 6.2, June-2023
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
Everyone lives their life in pursuit of happiness, which is the ultimate objective of human
existence [1]. According to [2] happiness is the sensation or display of pleasure or contentment.
Happiness is made up of three interrelated basic elements: positive benefits, the absence of
negative consequences, and general enjoyment of life [3]. [4] found that throughout a five-year
period, those who were happier had a decreased risk of dying, with the happiest people having
a 35% lower risk of dying than the least happy. [5] asserts that a consistent, ever-evolving sense
of self is the most essential value in existence. The chance of happiness was found to be strongly
connected with personality traits, and personality traits have a significant impact on happiness
[6]. Happiness has a lot to do with personality [7]. The most popular personality theory is the
Big Five personality, which D. W. Fiske created in 1949 [8]. Individual pleasant emotion or
happiness can also be produced by intrinsic desire towards one's endeavour.
Conscientiousness and extraversion are also important factors in happiness research [9].
Individuals that are intrinsically motivated may have a greater tendency towards pleasant
affect and experience, claim [10]. The inward fulfilment of the factors that contribute to
someone's happiness is known as intrinsic motivation. The results of the Malaysian happiness
research show that the nation's happiness index would keep declining, and it will be ranked
82nd in the world in 2022. This claim is based on research from the UN Sustainable
Development Solutions Network's annual World Happiness Report. According to Global Annual
Review 2020, students will make up half of the world's employment by that year. Since this
generation will soon wield the keys of government, it is crucial to ensure their happiness. Many
interests have been sparked over the years by extraversion, conscientiousness, and intrinsic
motivation. The relationship between extraversion, conscientiousness, and intrinsic motivation
in a learning environment is one of the significant questions that has to be addressed. Although
research examining the impact of personality traits and intrinsic motivation on private
university students in Malaysia are still limited, there is unmistakable and reliable evidence
linking intrinsic motivation to a variety of favourable outcomes. Perhaps for this reason,
extraversion, conscientiousness, and intrinsic motivation for happiness are the three factors
that are most frequently examined in studies. Following are the study's objectives: 1) To
examine the relationship between extraversion and happiness in Malaysia; 2) To examine the
relationship between conscientiousness and happiness in Malaysia; and 3) To examine the
relationship between intrinsic motivation and happiness in Malaysia. Accordingly, the
following three hypotheses are put forth: H1: Extraversion has a positive significant
relationship with happiness in Malaysia; H2: Conscientiousness has a positive significant
relationship with happiness in Malaysia; and H3: Intrinsic motivation has a positive significant
relationship with happiness in Malaysia.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Happiness
Happiness conveys the idea that life is worthwhile and enjoyable and arises from enjoyment,
satisfaction, and a positive sense of well-being. Happiness can be characterised as a person's
overall sense of well-being, their actual perception of their life, and their pleasant feelings.
Emotions have always been important to human life, and happiness is one of the fundamental
emotions that everyone experiences [11]. [12] asserts that happiness has numerous
advantages, including enhancing one's IQ, analytical abilities, creativity, and memory. It also
prolongs one's physical and mental health, reduces depression, makes it simpler to assist
others, enhances interpersonal relationships, and improves relationships. In contrast,
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Fauzi, M. W. M., Hussein, N., Razali, M. Z. M., Anwar, N. A., & Omar, N. (2023). Extraversion, Conscientiousness and Intrinsic Motivation Towards
Happiness in Malaysia: Perspective of Malaysian Business Students in Private University. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 10(6.2). 259-
267.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.106.2.15015
happiness, according to [13], has a positive impact on all aspects of life and leads to a better life,
including the chance to forge stronger bonds with others, exhibit higher productivity, live
longer, be in better health, have higher creativity, better problem-solving skills, and make
better decisions about one's future, especially among university students. [14] examined how
important happiness is to 7,204 college students across the globe. The statistics indicate that
64% of college students think that happiness is the most important part of life. A similar point
of view was expressed by [15], who asserted that happiness is a result of joyful emotions and
happy actions occurring at school, such as participating in interactive class activities. Positive
emotions may serve as a tool to help people connect with others [16].
Extraversion and Happiness
Extraversion encompasses characteristics like being talkative, vivacious, aggressive, and
outgoing. Extraversion is defined as being happy both in public and at specific times and being
very distinct from introverts [1]. According to a study by [17], extraversion has the strongest
link to happiness. According to these researchers, extraversion was the best predictor of
happiness, as noted by [2], who also noted that there was a positive and comparatively high
correlation between extraversion and happiness. According to [18], there is a strong positive
correlation between happiness and extraversion. According to [19] research, extraverted
individuals are happier. Extraversion is the best indicator of personality qualities that lead to
happiness [20]. Thus, it is hypothesized that:
➢ H1: Extraversion has a positive significant relationship with happiness in Malaysia
Conscientiousness and Happiness
Conscientiousness is the propensity to pursue goals, exercise self-control, and engage in
planned behaviour as opposed to unplanned behaviour [21]. As a result, conscientiousness
personality traits reveal how organised, cautious, and well-planned an accomplishment is [19].
Individuals with high conscientiousness personalities are more orderly and structured, their
work is persistent, they aim to achieve their objectives, and they may be resolved to fulfil their
obligations and commitments [7]. Conscientiousness personality may have differences in
productiveness, a norm of politeness, and also in the organisation. Conscientiousness and
happiness are significantly correlated. According to [22], it suggests that happy people will have
high conscientiousness levels. This was supported by a study by [23], which showed that those
who are conscientious tend to be quite happy. According to research by [17], conscientiousness
is the most reliable and important predictor of happiness among students at a public university
in Malaysia. Thus, it is hypothesized that:
➢ H2: Conscientiousness has a positive significant relationship with happiness in Malaysia
Intrinsic Motivation and Happiness
A commitment that is naturally satisfying or enjoyable is referred to as having intrinsic
motivation. Since intrinsic motivation is not instrumental in nature, it is no longer conceivable
to take action that is motivated just by an interest in minimising negative effects on oneself [24].
Intrinsic motivation and happiness have a very strong positive relationship. According to the
study's results, intrinsic factors clearly influence happiness [25]. The research of [26], which
outlined the existence of a link between intrinsic motivation and happiness, supports this.
According to earlier research [27], happy persons had higher levels of intrinsic motivation.
According to research by [28], happiness among students in US universities and colleges is
influenced by intrinsic motivation. Thus, it is hypothesized that:
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 10, Issue 6.2, June-2023
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
➢ H3: Intrinsic motivation has a positive significant relationship with happiness in
Malaysia
Research Framework
The proposed framework of this study is shown in Figure 1. The three independent variables
of the study are extraversion, conscientiousness and intrinsic motivation. Meanwhile, the
dependent variable used in the study is happiness. The hypothesized relationships proposed in
the study are also displayed in the research framework.
Figure 1: The proposed research framework
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The aims of the study are to determine the relationship between extraversion,
cconscientiousness, intrinsic motivation with happiness. The study's research design was
quantitative in nature and relied on preset measurements using structured and validated data.
The study's respondents were chosen from among the business majors enrolled in 15
bachelor's degree programmes offered by Management and Science University (MSU). The
respondents who were chosen had to have finished at least one semester of their respective
bachelor's degree programme. Around 3000 pupils were thought to be the study's target
audience. According to Roscoe's Rule of Thumb, which states that sample sizes greater than 30
and fewer than 500 are suitable for the majority of research, the intended sample size was 120
respondents, which is in compliance with the goal sample size. However, only 105 of the survey
participants were able to offer comments. The convenience sampling technique with a non- probability sampling design was employed for this investigation. Choosing a research sample
for convenience and accessibility is a non-probability sampling strategy called convenience
sampling [29]. Convenience sampling is easy, cheap, and has access to a wide range of subjects.
The researcher must explain how the sample would differ from the randomly chosen sample. It
is also necessary to describe the subjects who might be excluded during the selection process
or the subjects who are overrepresented in the sample of business students in private
university. The study's tools were taken from respectable, trustworthy, and reliable literature- based sources. Using the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) developed by [35], happiness is
Independent Variables Dependent Variables
Extraversion H1
Happiness
Conscientiousness
H2
H3
Intrinsic Motivation
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Fauzi, M. W. M., Hussein, N., Razali, M. Z. M., Anwar, N. A., & Omar, N. (2023). Extraversion, Conscientiousness and Intrinsic Motivation Towards
Happiness in Malaysia: Perspective of Malaysian Business Students in Private University. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 10(6.2). 259-
267.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.106.2.15015
quantified as a dependent variable. Ten items were used in the study to gauge happiness. Six
items for measuring extraversion were taken from [30]. Six questions were used from [31] to
assess conscientiousness. Finally, the study utilised 4 questions from [32] Academic Motivation
Scale (AMS) to measure intrinsic motivation. Using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree
to 5 = strongly agree), respondents were asked to indicate for each variable to which each
statement applied. The survey questions were divided into a few sections that covered every
variable and one section that covered demographic information. This study made use of SPSS
Version 25, the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. The data was analysed in order to
meet the study's objectives using reliability analysis, descriptive analysis, correlation, and
regression analysis.
RESULTS
Table 1: Demographic Profile
Variable Frequency Percentage
Gender
Male
Female
39
66
37.1
62.9
Age
21-25
26-30
31-35
36-40
41-45
20
29
25
20
11
19.0
27.6
23.8
19.0
10.5
CGPA
2.00-2.50
2.51-3.00
3.01-3.50
3.51-4.00
13
37
32
13
12.4
35.2
30.5
12.4
The total numbers of respondents are 105. Based on the findings in Table 1, shows that 62.9
percent are female, while the remaining 37.1 percent are male. Based on age, the majority of
respondents were found in 26-30 years old which represent 27.6 percent. Based on CGPA,
shows that 35.2 percent of respondents achieve 2.51-3.00 CGPA makes up as majority.
Table 2: Interpretation of reliability based on Cronbach Alpha
Variables Cronbach Alpha No of item Result
Happiness
Extraversion
Conscientiousness
Intrinsic Motivation
0.893
0.836
0.829
0.881
9
6
6
8
Good
Good
Good
Good
As shown in Table 2, the reliability test result has revealed that all 4 constructs are above
satisfactory as their values are above 0.6. Reliability test such as internal consistency has been
done in this study. This test is to determine the reliability of each variable. Table 2 shows the
interpretation of reliability based on Cronbach’s alpha for 105 respondents. Based on
Cronbach’s alpha result for happiness the value is 0.893 which is good with 9 questions. Next,
the value for extraversion is 0.836 showing good results with 6 questions. Followed by