Social impact of happiness on transformational leadership in students from Colombian universities

In the literature, it has been described that affective commitment and transformational leadership are directly related to occupational happiness. In this sense, the present study begins with the premise that subjective happiness may enhance the effectiveness of transformational leadership. For this...

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Main Authors: Rodrigo Zárate-Torres, C. Fabiola Rey-Sarmiento, Julio C. Acosta-Prado
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-08-01
Series:Frontiers in Psychology
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1571572/full
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author Rodrigo Zárate-Torres
C. Fabiola Rey-Sarmiento
Julio C. Acosta-Prado
author_facet Rodrigo Zárate-Torres
C. Fabiola Rey-Sarmiento
Julio C. Acosta-Prado
author_sort Rodrigo Zárate-Torres
collection DOAJ
description In the literature, it has been described that affective commitment and transformational leadership are directly related to occupational happiness. In this sense, the present study begins with the premise that subjective happiness may enhance the effectiveness of transformational leadership. For this purpose, the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) and the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) were applied to a non-probabilistic sample of 215 business administration students in Colombian universities. Bivariate correlation analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling were used to examine the relationship between the dimensions of happiness and the five leadership practices. The findings indicate that three happiness items correlate positively with transformational leadership practices, suggesting that happier individuals exhibit more effective leadership behaviors. The proposed theoretical model showed a good fit with the empirical data. In conclusion, promoting happiness in leaders not only improves their performance but also positively impacts organizational productivity.
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institution Kabale University
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publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
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spelling doaj-art-d7ae8183de704b9fb28ce7f02e0aee2f2025-08-20T12:28:18ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782025-08-011610.3389/fpsyg.2025.15715721571572Social impact of happiness on transformational leadership in students from Colombian universitiesRodrigo Zárate-Torres0C. Fabiola Rey-Sarmiento1Julio C. Acosta-Prado2Department of Research, Colegio de Estudios Superiores de Administración, Bogotá, ColombiaDepartment of Research, Colegio de Estudios Superiores de Administración, Bogotá, ColombiaDepartment of Engineering, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, Lima, PeruIn the literature, it has been described that affective commitment and transformational leadership are directly related to occupational happiness. In this sense, the present study begins with the premise that subjective happiness may enhance the effectiveness of transformational leadership. For this purpose, the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) and the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS) were applied to a non-probabilistic sample of 215 business administration students in Colombian universities. Bivariate correlation analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling were used to examine the relationship between the dimensions of happiness and the five leadership practices. The findings indicate that three happiness items correlate positively with transformational leadership practices, suggesting that happier individuals exhibit more effective leadership behaviors. The proposed theoretical model showed a good fit with the empirical data. In conclusion, promoting happiness in leaders not only improves their performance but also positively impacts organizational productivity.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1571572/fullhappinessSubjective Happiness ScaleLPIconfirmatory factor analysisstructural equation modelSEM
spellingShingle Rodrigo Zárate-Torres
C. Fabiola Rey-Sarmiento
Julio C. Acosta-Prado
Social impact of happiness on transformational leadership in students from Colombian universities
Frontiers in Psychology
happiness
Subjective Happiness Scale
LPI
confirmatory factor analysis
structural equation model
SEM
title Social impact of happiness on transformational leadership in students from Colombian universities
title_full Social impact of happiness on transformational leadership in students from Colombian universities
title_fullStr Social impact of happiness on transformational leadership in students from Colombian universities
title_full_unstemmed Social impact of happiness on transformational leadership in students from Colombian universities
title_short Social impact of happiness on transformational leadership in students from Colombian universities
title_sort social impact of happiness on transformational leadership in students from colombian universities
topic happiness
Subjective Happiness Scale
LPI
confirmatory factor analysis
structural equation model
SEM
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1571572/full
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AT juliocacostaprado socialimpactofhappinessontransformationalleadershipinstudentsfromcolombianuniversities