Objective: To explore the relationship between subjective social class, perception of social
mobility and happiness of college students. Methods: Using the subjective social class manipulation
paradigm, 151 college students were investigated by the class flow perception scale and life satisfaction
Scale. Results: Correlation analysis showed that subjective social class had a significant positive correlation
with perceived mobility (r=0.296, p<0.01), and with happiness (r=0.454, p<0.01). There was a significant
positive correlation between perceived mobility and happiness (r=0.366, p<0.01). T-test results showed
that there was a statistically significant difference between the high-class primed group and the lowclass
primed group (t=-4.282, -3.414, -3.697, p<0.01). This study was valid for the variable manipulation
of subjective social class. The results of mediating effect analysis showed that perceived class mobility
played a mediating role in the relationship between subjective social class and happiness, and its 95%
confidence interval ranged from 0.219 to 0.520. Conclusion: The subjective social class of college students
can positively predict their happiness and also influence their happiness through the mediating effect of
perception of social mobility.