Abstract
The pursuit of hedonia and eudaimonia are two ways to fulfill the goal of a “good life”. While some studies report that both hedonic and eudaimonic motives improve well-being, others suggest that hedonic motives are counterproductive, raising the question of whether and why eudaimonic motives are more positively associated with well-being. We aimed to identify the distinct associations of hedonic and eudaimonic motives with well-being and investigate whether they are partly mediated by self-control. A total of 2882 college freshmen (1835 females, 1047 males, mean age 18.16 years) completed measures assessing hedonic and eudaimonic motives, self-control, life satisfaction, positive and negative affect, and eudaimonic well-being. Eudaimonic motives were associated with higher life satisfaction, more positive affect, less negative affect, and better eudaimonic well-being. In contrast, hedonic motives were positively associated with life satisfaction, while also being correlated with a greater degree of negative affect and impaired eudaimonic well-being. Self-control mediated the relationships between hedonic and eudaimonic motives and well-being. Eudaimonic and hedonic motives were positively and negatively related to self-control, respectively. Further, high self-control was associated with greater life satisfaction, positive affect, and eudaimonic well-being and lower negative affect. Thus, eudaimonic motives can lead to a better life than hedonic motives because the former enhance self-control, while the latter lower it.
Highlights
The pursuit of a good life is a fundamental motive for human beings
We argue that one factor that could account for the distinct associations of hedonic and eudaimonic motives with well-being is self-control
Higher hedonic motives were related to higher life satisfaction (r = 0.05, p = 0.004), but more negative affect (r = 0.15, p < 0.001) and worse eudaimonic well-being (r = −0.08, p < 0.001); there was no significant correlation between hedonic motives and positive affect (r = −0.01, p = 0.503)
Summary
The pursuit of a good life is a fundamental motive for human beings. individuals can have very different ideas about what constitutes a “good life”. The two most prominent views of a good life are the hedonic view and the eudaimonic view [1]. Hedonic motives, involves seeking personal enjoyment, pleasure, and comfort; pursuing eudaimonia, or eudaimonic motives, relates to seeking personal growth, excellence, meaning, and authenticity [2]. Aristotle claimed that people should strive for a virtuous life rather than seeking pleasure, because the latter does not bring happiness. Consistent with this view, numerous studies have suggested that while eudaimonic motives generally improve well-being, pursuing hedonia does not result in the achievement of the goal of a “good life” and might even backfire [3,4,5]. Public Health 2020, 17, 5547; doi:10.3390/ijerph17155547 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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