Students take a test in this photo taken at a Daegu-based high school on May 7. (Yonhap)
Students take a test in this photo taken at a Daegu-based high school on May 7. (Yonhap)

A report showed Sunday that looking back on their time as students, Seoul citizens in their 20s said they felt the highest level of stress when they were attending the first year of high school.

It was found that the happiness level went down gradually from elementary school throughout 1st year of high school, but went back up during the second and third year of high school. The findings were published in a report by the Gross National Happiness Forum, which was commissioned by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.

The respondents gave 8.1 out of 10 on how happy they were before starting school, which went down to 7.49 for the first three years of elementary school, 7.18 for the latter three years. It continued on a downward trend, with 6.63, 6.65, and 6.53 each for first, second, and third year of middle school.

The first year of high school got a score of 5.88, but the happiness level actually rebounded to 6.24 and 6.25 for second and third year of high school.

Researchers noted that the level of stress felt by high school freshmen appears to reduce as uncertainty over their college admission process is resolved, as they get used to the high school life, and as their friendship is reinforced over the years.

The report showed that the No. 1 factor for high school students' happiness is their relationship with friends, while the biggest negative factor is college admissions.

While younger students are made happier by family, the focus gradually shifted toward friends as they got older, it was found. The deteriorating factor toward happiness went from school work for elementary school students, to college admission for middle and high school students.

The report was based on a November survey on adults in their 20s currently residing in Seoul. Researchers also conducted interviews of parents, teachers, and applied the results of the expert consultation conducted in October and December.


minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com