In order to contribute to the understanding of subjective well-being and to the enhancement of assessment processes of subjective quality of life during childhood, this study aimed at investigating the concept of happiness in children. Two-hundred children (52.5% girls) from 5 to 12 years-old, students in public or private schools in Porto Alegre, Brazil, participated in this research. Children responded individually to what came to their mind with the word happiness and to how they define happiness. Answers went through content analysis, and comparisons were made for sex, public or private school, and age range. The most mentioned contents were positive feelings, leisure, and friends. Girls highlighted positive feelings in happiness, whilst boys referred more to leisure. Conducting research studies from the children's own point of view enables more adequate assessment of children's life satisfaction and subjective well-being, as well as the development of more effective intervention programs.
Happiness; Subjective well-being; Quality of life
