Introduction and Objective: Among various sports, badminton has a high potential to affect psychological variables due to its combination of aerobic activity, the need for momentary cognitive focus, and social interaction. The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship and predict the effect of 10 weeks of badminton practice on cognitive anxiety, academic success, and happiness of young people, considering the role of demographic variables.

Methodology: This study was a descriptive-analytical type with a pre-test-post-test design. The statistical population of the study included physical education and non-physical education students at Qom University and Islamic Azad University, Qom Branch, 80 of whom were selected by convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Oxford Happiness, Jarabak Social Anxiety (1996), and Wells Academic Achievement (2010) questionnaires, which had desirable validity and acceptable reliability. In order to analyze the data, descriptive and inferential statistics methods were used. Data analysis was performed using SPSS.27 statistical software.

Findings: The average social anxiety, happiness and cheerfulness and academic success of badminton athletes were significantly different before and after training. Also, in the post-test stage, marital status did not create a significant difference in the variables under study; but a significant difference was observed between physical education and non-physical education students in terms of social anxiety and happiness and cheerfulness, while there was no significant difference in academic success.

Conclusion: The results of the study showed that the ten-week badminton training program was significantly associated with a decrease in cognitive anxiety and an increase in happiness in physical education and non-physical education students. Badminton can be used as an effective intervention to improve mental health and promote happiness in students, but its effectiveness on academic performance and in married groups requires further investigation.