Aims: One of the factors influencing the happiness of people in society is religious beliefs. In addition to religious orientation, other factors also contribute to happiness, including optimism and hope. The aim of this study was to present and test the model of explaining students' happiness by intrinsic religious orientation considering the mediating role of optimism and hope.
Instruments and Methods: The present study is a descriptive-correlational study conducted among 377 students in Isfahan in 2017. They were selected by available sampling method. The instruments of this research included Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, Allport Religion Orientation, Adult Hope Scales (AHS), and Life Orientation Test (LOT). To test the model, Pearson correlation coefficient, Structural Equation Modeling Analysis (SEM), the Maximum Likelihood Estimation (ML), and Bootstrapping method were used. The data were analyzed, using AMOS 22 and SPSS 18.
Findings: There was a positive and significant correlation between all variables in the model (p<0.01). The fit indices for the research model were in a favorable range; therefore, the model was consistent with experimental data. Also, all of the model's path coefficients, except for the path of optimism to happiness, were positive and significant. In addition, all indirect effects of the model were significant.
Conclusion: Intrinsic religious orientation can be considered as one of the factors influencing optimism, hope, and happiness.