Comparison of Life Satisfaction, Happiness and Self-Esteem of Female Athletes and Non-Athletes

The present study seeks to compare life satisfaction, happiness and self-esteem of female athletes and non-athletes aged 20 to 65 years in Tabriz. The present study is a causal-comparative study. The statistical population of the present study was all female athletes and non-athletes in the age range of 20-65 years in Tabriz. From this statistical population, 349 female athletes and 135 non-athletes were selected as a sample using Morgan Table and cluster random sampling method. Cooper-Smith standard self-esteem, Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) and Oxford Happiness (OHI) questionnaires were used in this study. The results of independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance and Friedman test showed that women athletes have higher life satisfaction, happiness and self-esteem than non-athletes. Also, with increasing duration of sports activities, women’s rate of happiness is also on the rise, and the first five years of exercise have had the greatest impact on women's self-esteem.