The purpose of this study was to examine: (1) the relationships among playfulness, perceived stress, and subjective
well-being (life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect) in late adolescence; and (2) whether or not the
relationship between adolescents’ playfulness and subjective well-being is mediated by perceived stress. Three hundred
and forty-six college students participated in the study, and their data were collected with questionnaires. Descriptive
statistics and Pearson’s product correlation coefficients were obtained, and tests of the mediation were performed by
regression. The study found significant correlations between adolescents’ playfulness and subjective well-being (life
satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect), between playfulness and perceived stress, and between perceived stress
and subjective well-being (life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect). It was also found that perceived stress
mediated the relationship between adolescents’ playfulness and subjective well-being (life satisfaction, positive affect and
negative affect). These results seem to indicate that enhancing playfulness even in late adolescence could improve the
level of subjective well-being by changing the way stressful events are perceived.